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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

The Sunday Post #310

On The Blog Recently

• Is a long-term book buying ban right for you?

In My Reading Life

I've once again been neglecting my Sunday Posts. I haven't written one since July. So, here are tiny reviews of everything I read in August. Click the title to see a summary of the book because nobody's got time to be summarizing books!

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher may have started a new obsession. I haven't been this enthusiastic about a horror writer in years. Now I want to read everything T. Kingfisher has written. Maybe she's my new Stephen King? Admittedly, I had a hard time getting invested in Nettle & Bone because the pacing feels off. It really drags in places (which is reminiscent of Stephen King, now that I think about it), but the creepy imagery makes up for any flaws. The bizarre fairytale world and its hilarious inhabitants made the book hard to put down. This is a magical story for Halloween. Please read it.

After finishing Nettle & Bone, I wanted more horror, so I picked up We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson. I liked this one too! I understand why it's a classic. It's a terrifying depiction of mental illness and how it will slowly steal a person's life. The characters are unforgettable. Like with Nettle & Bone, I had a hard time getting interested in the plot. The author just tosses the reader into a weird situation and expects them to figure out what's going on. I'm too tired for that. Still, I recommend this book if you're a horror lover. It's had a big impact on current-day horror novels.

Continuing with the horror theme, I read The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao. The beginning and end of this novel are stunning. The book hooked me immediately because it's narrated by a rich Indonesian businesswoman in a coma. We quickly learn that the woman's sister poisoned their entire family. It's a compelling premise, but I ended up feeling "meh" about the book. I think there are too many characters. I didn't get to know them well enough to care that they got poisoned.

I had enough horror, so I went in a radically different direction and read a romance. I was nervous about Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed because it's a political romance. I haven't had much luck with those in the past. I don't like politics in my "happy" books. Luckily, Yes No Maybe So keeps a good balance between politics and romance. I never felt stressed out while reading it! The characters are adorably awkward. The dialogue is funny. It's a cute story about teenagers who are attempting to make their state a better place.

Then I read The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers. I'm honestly not sure what to think about this one. It's part novel, part philosophy book. The characters are developed beautifully. I love that the book focuses on people who live at the fringes of society. It's a story about weirdos who are following their passions and finding happiness in small ways. Their passion ripples across their community and eventually across the world. Unfortunately, I got a bit bored with the book because it's very repetitive. I guess I can't match the characters' enthusiasm for crop circles.

Finally, I read a nonfiction book called The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life In Death, Decay & Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein. This biography is completely captivating. It's about Sandra Pankhurst, a transgender former sex worker who starts a successful "trauma cleaning" business. Her team cleans up houses after disasters. Sandra is a complicated person. She's not likeable, and she doesn't always make good decisions, but her compassion for other people is admirable. I loved learning about her life. I didn't always enjoy the author's writing style. It gets melodramatic at times. Still, I recommend this one if you enjoy biographies. (Beware of the rape scene, though. There's a very long and very graphic rape scene that caught me off guard.)

In The Rest Of My Life

Here's what's been happening:

I'm trying not to get obsessed with House Of The Dragon because Game Of Thrones hurt me so badly. I refuse to be disappointed again! (I'm a little bit obsessed though.)

Other than that, I'm working a lot. Being a park ranger is cool, but the pay is kind of a scam. If you only want to work 40 hours a week, you won't earn enough to survive. I knew this before I applied for the job, but I was in denial about how exhausted the overtime would make me. I'm pretty sure I've had a nonstop headache for the past 3 weeks. And Labor Day is coming. Hopefully that will be the final intense workweek of summer.

Okay, enough whining. Here are two interesting interactions I've had with visitors at work:

While I was selling park passes:

Visitor, talking on a phone: "Hold on, I'm at the till."

Voice on speakerphone: "Till? Aren't you in America? You still sound British."

Visitor: "Shut your whore mouth!"

Awkward silence.

Visitor: "Did that sound American?"

While I was picking up trash on the side of the road:

Visitor, stopping next to me in his car: "Are there fire pits in this park? I need to burn something real quick."

Me: ". . . Before I answer that, I'm going to need more information."

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!