I’ll admit it… August is not my favorite month. So hot! So muggy!

But at least this August provided a bounty of books to read! Here are just a few titles that I’ve read in August (or that are in my To Be Read pile heading into Labor Day weekend and September).

Everything else on my list is mystery fiction, but I’ll start out with nonfiction I’m enjoying.

Carol Dweck, Mindset

I went through a phase awhile back of reading a lot of self-help books, and then lost interest. This isn’t so much ‘self-help’ as an examination of what it means to have a hierarchical, or win/lose ‘fixed’ mindset, versus a what-can-I-learn, experience-as-instructor ‘growth’ mindset. My first thought when I started reading this was ‘Duh! Of course the growth mindset is a better long-term strategy!’ But then I realized that while I’ve long applied that mindset to writing craft (without knowing that’s what I was actually doing), I haven’t applied it to other areas of my life. Additionally, I realized that the book provided helpful insights into people, relationships and past experiences. Fascinating read, and it ends up being, well, self-help without glib 1, 2, 3 steps.

 

 

 

Hallie Ephron, Careful What You Wish For

Quick synopsis: “From the New York Times bestselling author of There Was an Old Woman comes a novel about a professional organizer with a deadly problem she may not be able to clean up.”

Ephron always delivers! And this particular premise is relatable–as, like many empty nesters, I’m struggling with finding a balance between ‘get rid of everything’ and ‘keep it all!’

 

 

 

Ann Cleeves, The Long Call

I love Cleeves’ Vera and Shetland series, so I can’t wait to dive into this new series, introducing Detective Matthew Venn as he delves into a mystery that forces him to face his past.

 

 

 

 

Julia Keller, The Cold Way Home

Eighth in the Bell Elkins mystery series! Keller’s writing is so lyrical and beautiful, combined with intriguing plots and characters. Reading her books feels like coming home.

 

 

 

 

Louise Penny, A Better Man

What can I say? Penny is brilliant, and her series is jaw-droppingly masterful. I just got “A Better Man,” and I’m looking forward to savoring it!