I cannot beleive it is August already! Where has this year gone.
Reading Goals
I haven’t had a lot of time for reading this year so far so I have a lot of catching up to do. So I am hoping I can rectify a bit of that a little this month. To do so i am paticipating in a few readathons.
Readathons
Audiobook August:
This readathon is my own creation. I am back to working full time and that means less time for reading but lots of time for audiobooks. So I am going to use my Audible and Scribd subscriptions as well as diving deep into my libraries huge collection on Libby to match the books I have planned to read and see if I can get them on audio.
Arc August:
The backlog on my Netgalley is shameful with a rating of 53%. The time has come to tackle that. in conjunction with Audiobook August I am wanting to clear as many books as possible off of my Netgalley backlog and get that rating closer to the elusive 80%. Especially as that backlog has some books that I was super excited to read before life got in the way earlier this year. I have my top picks listed in my TBR below.
Trope-ical Readathon
I am not setting a formal TBR for this one but instead seeing how the books I am reading fit into the prompts. I have joined team Sci-fi as I am in a little bit of a sci-fi kind of mood but I won’t be reading the team books.
Writing Goals
I am planning on doing a full post updating on my writing progress. But in short over my time off work I managed to write 46k words towards in my WIP, which I had completely restructured from a previous idea. In July, as I started my new job a took some time away from writing and have only been writing on the weekends, but I still managed to get to 53K words in my current WIP.
I have my usual holiday planed for August, so i can take some time to enjoy the Festival here in Edinburgh. But I am also going to try and get some writing done during that week. I am setting myself a goal of reaching 70k by the End of August. That would be around 17k works for the month.
Thats just over 4k words a week. I think this is doable as i can write between 2-3k on my Saturday morning writing sessions so giving myself a goal of 100-200 words per day the other days of the week make it seem quite manageable.
These are just a few of my top picks from my Netgalley TBR that i would like to read this month.
The Bone Shard War
Andrea Stewart
The Drowning Empire #3
About the book:
The Bone Shard War is the epic finale to the unmissable, action-packed and magic-laced Drowning Empire series.
Lin Sukai has won her first victory as Emperor, but the future of the Phoenix Empire hangs in the balance – and Lin is dangerously short of allies.
As her own governors plot treason, the Shardless Few renew hostilities. Worse still, Lin discovers her old nemesis Nisong has joined forces with the rogue Alanga, Ragan. Both seek her death.
Yet hopes lies in history. Legend tells of seven mythic swords, forged in centuries past. If Lin can find them before her enemies, she may yet be able to turn the tide.
If she fails, the Sukai dynasty – and the entire empire – will fall.
The Shadow Cabinet
Juno Dawson
HMRC #2
About the book:
All is not as it seems within the halls of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven…>
Despite thinking they’ve thwarted the prophecy, the witches are still reeling from the events of the past few months.
Ciara now occupies her twin sister’s body as she prepares to take on the role of High Priestess. But why are the sinister government agents of the Shadow Cabinet so invested in her coronation?
And then there’s the small matter of Dabney Hale: freshly escaped from Grierlings prison, he’s on the hunt for a mythical object that will give him unimaginable power. Leonie’s brother is on the trail, but doesn’t know the danger he now faces, and so she sets off to bring him home and bring Hale to justice.
Meanwhile, Theo and Holly are left to their own devices. Theo to work out how her miraculous transformation took place and Holly to discover what’s going on with her mum and dad. Elle’s Instagram-perfect world is about to come crashing down in the most terrifying way.
Payback’s a witch as Ciara, Leonie, Elle, Theo and Holly are about to find out.
Immortal Longings
Chloe Gong
Flesh and False Gods #1
About the book:
Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.
Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monar
Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.
Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Emma Torzs
About the book:
For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements–books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.
All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .
The House keepers
Alex Hay
About the book:
The night of London’s grandest ball, a bold group of women downstairs launch a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society in this dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class.
Mrs. King is no ordinary housekeeper. Born into a world of con artists and thieves, she’s made herself respectable, running the grandest home in Mayfair. The place is packed with treasures, a glittering symbol of wealth and power, but dark secrets lurk in the shadows.
When Mrs. King is suddenly dismissed from her position, she recruits an eclectic group of women to join her in revenge: A black market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs. King’s predecessor, with her own desire for vengeance.
Their plan? On the night of the house’s highly anticipated costume ball—set to be the most illustrious of the year—they will rob it of its every possession, right under the noses of the distinguished guests and their elusive heiress host. But there’s one thing Mrs. King wants even more than money: the truth. And she’ll run any risk to get it…
After all, one should never underestimate the women downstairs.
I also have a few series that I want to binge re-read. I will be posting about the on Friday in my Firday five post.
I would love to chat all things bookish with you! You can comment down below or find me on Twitter or Goodreads!
Happy Reading!
Fi's Bibliofiles 
Good Luck with getting your TBR pile down a little bit. I hope that you enjoy your August reads.
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