My FIVE Favorite FIVE STAR Reads in August!

August was quite the month. Trying to juggle a baby with older kids (summer activities, home school, extra curriculars, friends, all of it) is exhausting. I did get some good reading in though and really enjoyed a lot of the books I read!

In August, I read 17 books and 4,737 pages in August, for an average of 278 pages per book. I read 15 books by female authors and 2 by male authors. I borrowed 6 and owned 11 of the books I read. I read 4 physical books, 5 eBooks, and 8 audiobooks. I read 7 middle grade, 1 YA, and 6 adult books. I shared 6 read aloud books with my kids and read 5 new releases. I had 5 rereads and 12 new reads. I read 2 "new to me authors" and 10 previously read authors (not including rereads). I read 1 book from my 2026 TBR, bringing the total read or DNF'd to 23 of 33. I read 4 books in a series, finishing 2 series and starting 0. I read 10 five star reads, 2 four star reads, 4 three star reads, 1 two star read, and 0 one star reads.

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

I have loved the few books I've read by Jesse Q. Sutanto so far! I started with Vera Wong (my favorite so far) and this series is my second by her. I really loved the first book, but the second was just okay. I was very happy to find that I once again loved this third and final book in the series! It is wacky, but in the best way.

The Blackbird Girls by Annie Blankman

This middle grade historical fiction was different than I was expecting, but in a way that I loved. I was totally gripped by the characters and by the two main characters' friendship. I learned about history and really enjoyed the "overcoming abuse" plotline. This would be a really good read for slightly older middle grade readers.

Rebel Summer by Cindy Steel

Cindy Steel is one of my favorite clean rom com authors and this book did not disappoint. It had a fun premise, a great "hate to love" romance, and characters that I loved reading about. I liked the way the author incorporated some of the heavier topics like emotional abuse into the light hearted romance.

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This was technically a reread for me, but I haven't read it since I was a young girl, so a lot of it felt new to me. This has been my favorite of the series so far. I love Laura and Almonzo and seeing their relationship develop throughout the book is swoony in the best way.

One Wrong Step by Jennifer A. Nielsen

This was my final read of the month and I listened to it with my family in the car on a roadtrip (we listened to it in one day, there and back) and everyone loved it. The kids were begging to keep listening anytime we had to stop it and laughing at all the right spots and even my husband had us pause it when he ran in to grab some food somewhere because he didn't want to miss it. It was educational, fun, and moving. I loved the theme of being able to let go of the past so you can move forward in your life and felt it was very well done. It got us through a long day of driving in the best way possible.

What did you read in September? What book have you read and loved recently? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!