August and Summer Reading Recap

Hello!

I hope your week is off to a good start!

Well, for the first time since I’ve started sharing books (that’s quite a while!), I didn’t have time to share what I read in August.

That’s because…

…and apparently, besides May and December, it’s one of the busiest months with back to school.

So, while this post is a bit late, it’s also kind of pitiful because I only read one book (that I finished last week).

Here’s…

Here is my one book for this month:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Swan Song:

Summary:

After thirty-five years serving as the Chief of Police on the island of Nantucket, Ed Kapenash’s heart can no longer take the stress. But his plans to retire are thwarted when, with only three days left to serve, he receives a phone call. A 22-million-dollar summer home, recently purchased by the flashy new couple in town, the Richardsons, has burned to the ground. The Richardsons are far from hurt—in fact, they’re out on the water, throwing a lavish party on their yacht—but when news of the fire reaches them, they discover that their personal assistant has vanished. The Chief is well-acquainted with the Richardsons, and his daughter is best friends with the now-missing girl, leaving him no choice but to postpone his retirement and take on the double case.

On a small island like Nantucket, the Richardsons shook things up from the second they stepped on to the scene, throwing luxurious parties and doing whatever they could to gain admittance to the coveted lunches at the Field & Oar Club (with increasing desperation). They instantly captured the attention of local real estate agent Fast Eddie, and the town gossip Blond Sharon, both dealing with their own personal dramas. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce, and in order to avoid becoming a cliché, she’s enrolled in a creative writing class, putting her natural affinity for scandal towards a more noble purpose. To solve the case of the fire and track down his daughter’s best friend, the Chief will have to string together the pieces of the lives of all of these characters and more, rallying his strength for his final act of service to the tight-knit community he knows and loves.

Quick Thoughts:

This book is Hilderbrand’s last, so I liked that the title (I assume?) had double meaning. It’s her “swan song” as a writer as well as the title of the book.

Fun fact about me…I always like reading the dedications and acknowledgements. I loved that Elin thanked her ex-husband, and highlighted their time together, their family, and how they’ve stayed in each other’s lives.

As for the book…I just thought it was ok. I appreciated the Nantucket setting, the variety of characters and the bit of action, but I had a hard time finishing it.

I’m glad I read it though, and I’m sad to think that it’s her last book.

Rating:

3.5 stars

Summer Reading Update:

It was a great summer of reading…until August…when I greatly lacked the time and energy to read.

When I put these books on my summer reading list, I didn’t think I’d get to read them all, but I’m happy to have read many of them.

Here’s how my summer turned out.

• Read: Swan Song, The Darlings, The Summer Pact, The Summer of Songbirds, This Summer Will Be Different, and A Hundred Summers
• Didn’t get to read: On Fire Island (I actually had this one on my Kindle at the start of summer, but never got to read it. Now, it has a long wait to read it from the library). A Happier Life (I had this book, but just returned it since I didn’t have time to read it. I’ve found I prefer my Kindle, so now I’m on the waitlist for the Kindle version), and The Comeback Summer (maybe I will read this one on fall break?)

I’d like to hope September will be better, but it’s the 10th day of the month, and I’ve only just started reading a book.

What’s the best book you read this summer?