A solar eclipse, a trip to my old hometown Munich, and plenty of books—August had quite a lot in store, alongside yet another heatwave. Towards the end of the month, however, it cooled down significantly, stirring up the first feelings of autumn. Even so, I am currently enjoying these final days of summer; after all, cold, rainy days, misty fields, and long nights will arrive soon enough.
What I did:
The month started with a few really hot days, which we spent mostly by the lake and in the shade of the trees. I also took a day trip to Munich. I do enjoy the city atmosphere now and then, but overall, I have to say I much prefer living in the countryside these days.
Then, of course, we watched the solar eclipse and enjoyed the wonderfully warm evening by the lake. Some gardening was also on the agenda. And, naturally, preserving my harvest: herbs were dried, tomato sauce was canned, and the first batch of applesauce was made.
When things finally cooled down a bit towards the middle of the month, I suddenly felt the urge to do some crafting and painting. So, I started crocheting little ghosts—a way of getting ready for the approaching autumn. That immediately reminded me of my absolute favorite autumn book, A Dark And Secret Magic (read more about the book here), which actually features crocheted ghosts as well. So, if you’re looking for some cozy fantasy for chilly autumn evenings, you should definitely check that book out.
What I bought
My first feelings of autumn have led to increased spending:
- New pencils for my art projects: After much deliberation, I finally invested in Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils and am more than happy with them. They are a real investment, but I no longer want to use any other pencils for coloring and drawing at all, now.
- Coloring books and paper
- Plenty of yarn for crocheting
- Safety eyes for my little crocheted animals and ghosts
- A book journal: I’ve simply been reading so much and wanted to keep a better overview, while also having a way to write down notes about the books.
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What I wore
Alongside summery looks, the first transitional outfits were also on the agenda. All in all, however, I enjoyed slipping back into my lightweight dresses, lemon prints, and other summery choices.
Tip: I’m trying to share my daily outfits on LTK a bit more regularly again—feel free to check out my account!
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What I read
After a bit of a reading slump in July, I practically devoured books in August. Somehow, I always seem to have months when I read an incredible amount, followed by times when I need to calm my mind with other things such as painting or crocheting, haha. However, my August reading list was so varied that I never had a chance to get bored. From Gothic mystery and urban romantasy to dark academia and an absolute romantasy classic, it included a little bit of everything.
Belladonna – Adalyn Grace
Belladonna drew me in from the very first page with its rather dark Gothic atmosphere. Between a mysterious manor, long-buried family secrets and the protagonist Signa, who is often closer to Death than to the living, a story full of mysteries and romantic tension unfolds. The melancholic atmosphere and the combination of fantasy, mystery and romance in particular made this book a real highlight for me. Death is actually portrayed as a character here, which makes the story feel so unique for me.
Foxglove von Adalyn Grace
After enjoying Belladonna so much, I obviously had to read the second book in the series as well. Foxglove continues the wonderfully atmospheric feeling of its predecessor: once again, it is dark, mysterious and also a little romantic. There are new intrigues, a murder investigation and, of course, Death, who is still one of the most fascinating characters in the series for me. And now Fate comes knocking at Signa’s door as well. I enjoyed the second book just as much as the first.
Falling Asgard – List und Vorurteil von Marah Woolf (only in German)
Falling Asgard was a completely unexpected discovery and genuinely surprised me in the best possible way. The story surrounding the half-Valkyrie Ylva and Loki, the charming yet mysterious God of Chaos, is entertaining, exciting and simply a pleasure to read. Secrets are revealed little by little, the romance remains more in the background and even the big showdown at the end does not feel too over-the-top.
Unfortunately, Falling Asgard – List und Vorurteil is currently only available in German. However, as some readers of my English blog might also understand German, I still wanted to include it in this list. Interested in the book? Then make sure to take a look at my detailed review of Falling Asgard. I am already very excited about Falling Midgard, which will be published in September!
The Ordeals – Rachel Greenlaw
A mysterious academy and deadly trials might not be a completely new combination, but in my opinion, they are never a bad idea either. 😉 The Ordeals throws you straight into the action. I did struggle a little in the middle, and the writing style did not always manage to draw me in completely (I read the German book, so I can’t say how the English writing style is). However, the story becomes genuinely exciting again towards the end. I especially enjoyed the romance, which refreshingly does not get lost in the usual enemies-to-lovers drama. Overall, it is an action-packed dark academia novel that is a lot of fun to read – but be warned: it ends on a cliffhanger!
Highland Getaway – Amber Eve
Highland Getaway is the perfect feel-good read for anyone who enjoys charming romantic comedies and likes Scotland just as much as I do. Rosie Winter is invited to an exclusive influencer retreat in the Scottish Highlands. The only problem is that the invitation was not actually meant for her. And then there is the attractive Hunter Stuart, who has little interest in influencers but nevertheless finds himself rather fascinated by Rosie. The story is wonderfully easy to read and combines romance, humour and wanderlust to create a thoroughly entertaining reading experience.
Amber Eve was one of my favourite bloggers (her blog ist called Forever Amber, by the way) and I love Scotland anyway, so I simply decided to give her book a try – and I genuinely loved it. She has kept her light-hearted writing style and tells a truly entertaining story. Reading experiment successful. 😉
Nightshade – Autumn Woods
Nightshade won me over mainly with its dark academia atmosphere, which was a perfect match for the rainy late-summer weather. Ophelia walks straight into the lion’s den – or rather, into Sorrowsong University. The university is filled with very rich, very powerful and very ruthless people. However, Ophelia is not necessarily there just to earn her degree. She also wants to avenge her parents’ deaths. The only problem is that she falls for Alex, the son of the main suspect. And as if that were not complicated enough, there is also a stalker, plenty of intrigue and a whole lot of secrets. Of course, parts of the story are rather over-the-top and far removed from realistic university life, but that is often the case in books – and we do want to be entertained, after all, don’t we? If that does not bother you and you are in the mood for dark secrets and romantic tension, this is definitely a highly entertaining story.
ACOTAR – Sarah J. Maas
I know, I am about ten years late to the ACOTAR series. However, I never really liked the previous German covers, so I simply did not feel the need to read THE romantasy series. Well, there is now a new German edition with a completely redesigned cover, and I liked the new look so much that I finally bought the book. And what can I say? I have now caught ACOTAR fever as well and am already looking forward to A Court of Mist and Fury which is said to be the best of the series, so I really can’t wait to finally read it. 😉
You can discover plenty more book recommendations in my Reading category. I have also just started a new book Instagram account, @retrocat_reads, where I will be sharing both my latest reads and older classics. Of course, I would love it if you followed me there as well. 😉
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My reading List for September:
I’ve set myself some ambitious reading goals for September, too. So it’s very convenient, that there are some truly promising new releases coming out next month:
- Treshing Day by Rebecca Yarros (Empyrean series, out September 29)
- Daybreak by Autumn Woods (the sequel to Nightshade, it’s already out in English, good for you ;-))
- Falling Midgard by Marah Woolf (the sequel to Falling Asgard, out September 29, only in German)
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (not new at all, I know, but still on my “to read list”)
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My Moodboard for September:
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