August Reads // and then some...

I technically read Gentleman Prefer Blondes in August, but I reviewed it, here.

Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body by Kate Hudson

4.5 stars - I recommend if you like to read lifestyle books, especially those related to health and wellness. It contains a lot of questionnaires and activities, so I also recommend it if you like that kind of thing, and if you have the time to put into that reflection. I don't think I would have appreciated it as much had I not done them.

This book is a comprehensive lifestyle book by Kate Hudson that encompasses what she calls her "four pillars of health" and breaks them down into detailed and inspiring chunks. She focuses on nutrition, physical activity, mindfulness, and play. She also uses a tool that she calls her "drawing board" where she records a lot of what she is doing, eating, thinking, how she's feeling, and also reflections on the various activities she mentions.

This book is filled to the gills with questionnaires and activities for your own "drawing board" that really help you think about the "four pillars", where you are, where you want to be, and progress you are making. I think that is part of why it took me SO long to read! I love to do introspective journaling like that. I took tons of notes as well along the way.

Overall, I can say that I appreciated that her strategies are not super radical or unattainable, but they aren't entirely run-of-the-mill either. She talks a lot about her own processes, progress, and strategies for staying healthy and happy. I like that she holistically includes the mind as well as the body. She gives tons of great real-life examples, and actively admits when these steps were hard or not, or when she had to be tough on herself, and that you will get out what you put into these processes. I appreciated that at the end of the book she put in a sample week's worth of workouts, meals, etc. from her own life.

I am also kind of a sucker for Ayurveda, and it was fun to read how she incorporates that into her life along with advice from nutritionists, psychologists, etc. It was very interesting and gave me a lot of great ideas on what I wanted to do with my own journey to wellness.

I also, only read 2 books in August... but I read a lot in early September, so I am putting these in this post too. :) 

Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue & Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, and 4 Stars respectively - I recommend this if you like quick YA fantasy, or books related to time-travel. It's pretty fluffy, and somewhat predictable, but it's a fun little escape to read. The books get progressively more interesting and detailed as you go along the series as well.

Ruby Red is the first book in The Precious Stone Trilogy about a girl named Gwyneth who discovers she has her family's time traveling gene; which comes with a life-long mission. She must carry out the task that has been at work for decades; to fill the chronograph (time traveling doo dad) with the blood of the twelve time travelers. As the twelfth, she must work with the only other current time traveler Gideon, to complete this mission. However, with no training "the mysteries" (stuff she needs to know as a time traveler) and no clarity on who she can trust (did her mom conspire against the group? Or is the group corrupt? What about Gideon?), this proves to be a very difficult adjustment for her.

Overall I thought this book was entertaining. I thought the beginning was a little slow, because we know from the back of the book that she will be the time traveler of the family... but it takes a bit to get there. Once it does, the pace picks up a bit. There wasn't anything too earth shattering about this book, it was fun to read, very quick, and pretty cute. I moved on to the second book immediately. No reason to let a short series draw out too much. :) I thought the relationship moved a little bit more quickly than necessary... but it wasn't a big deal.

I continued to like the books more as the series went along, and I liked the resolution in the end. I would recommend this if you are looking for something fluffy and fun. :) 

Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen 

4.5 Stars - I recommend if you like Robin Hood, fairy tale re-tellings, or books that are told in first person. And of course, if you have read the other two books first. :) 

I started this series a bit by accident, but I absolutely love it, and am so glad that I read it! The stories are gripping, the characters are complex, the time period is interesting, and the villains are just so bad. This is not a sugar coated re-telling (series) but a wonderfully crafted tale. If you are interested, see my review of the first book, here.

Abandoned: 

I didn't abandon any books this month! :)

Currently Reading:

Fork in the Road and Possession. Attempting to start War and Peace and Etta for Erin's challenge.

Linking up with Jana and Steph for Show Us Your Books.

What have you guys been reading? 

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Let's be friends on Goodreads!

XO,

Alexandra