Welcome to August’s Monthly Minutes at Midnight!

 Here’s the deal: I’ll share the books I’ve obtained, posts of interest from others, giveaways I have happening, and just general random shenanigans. You know I love a shenanigan.  Also, covers all link to Goodreads and/or reviews, because I am awesome. I link up with the Wrap-Up-Round-Up, because of course I do. 

The Books

For Review/From Publishers:

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hugest of thanks to Sourcebooks Fire, Little Brown & Algonquin! 

eARCs:

Huge thanks to the publishers, so many most-anticipated books here! 

Purchased:

I. Bought. Nothing!! (Don’t be too proud, I pre-ordered a crapton of September books ?)

Won/Gifted/Traded:

Nothing this month!! 


Shenanigans Since Last Time:

I read 20 books this month. My previous record was 17, so I definitely didn’t have any high hopes that I’d get all of these done, but looks like I surprised myself, thanks to pandemic and The 100 hiatus, basically.

SO many great ones here I don’t even know where to start! I have reviewed several of them, but like- 20 books and not a complete stinker in the bunch- and definitely a few 5 stars, that is pretty impressive. 

Giveaways: Click Here, or on Sidebar


Blogosphere Bulletin

Some of the loveliest/most entertaining/super helpful/just plain interesting posts I found this month!


Fancy & New Since Last I Saw You!

I love looking at pretty covers! So here are some new ones that I have fallen in love with since our last update!

Pretty covers are pretty.


ARC August!

As always and once again, I have joined up with Octavia & Shelley at Read. Sleep. Repeat for ARC August!! They’ve been doing this for like, 32 years or so, and I love to do it! It’s such a great way to clear the ARCs, and since September is always loaded with ARCs, I have a ton! More than ever, actually! I started with 17… and then got approved for a few more, which upped the ante to 20. Twenty books became my goal.

So thanks to Octavia and Shelley, without whom I’d probably still be scrambling to get my September ARCs read! ?


Things we need to talk about at this juncture:

  • The 100 ends September 30th. I am not okay. Read my latest recap while we suffer through this final hiatus. 
  • I don’t want to go back to work.  I am scared, I am cranky, Idk. But I guess I will have to soon, even though it’s not a bit safer than it was when I left. Cool, cool, cool. 
  • Do you guys feel like every month gets a little bit more awful than the one before it? I know I am being a HUGE Debbie Downer here, but wow August did not let up, you know? 
  • Tell me something happy! I’ll start! Umm. I remodeled my bathroom!
    Before(With the Old Owner’s crap)
    After!!
  • The kids are excited about starting (virtual) school, which happens today! Here, have some last vestiges of summer:

I wish you all a healthy and happy September!!

Posted August 31, 2020 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Blog Recaps / 20 Comments

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20 responses to “Monthly Minutes at Midnight: August 2020

  1. Ooh you did awesome on your reading in August. I did not do as well. LOL I got a couple ARCs read and some other things but I’m a little behind. lol Oh well, I’m getting there! I’m so curious about Furia – hope you loved it. I’m glad the kids are excited for e-learning, and I hope it goes well!

    Lauren

    • Aw thanks! Sorry that you are behind- I worry so much that if I do get behind, I will never catch up so I can be… extra ?

      Furia was FABULOUS. Hands down one of my favorites, if not THE favorite, and that’s saying a lot since I gave Not Your #Lovestory a sixth star!

  2. Nice job on the bathroom. That vanity is great. Such an improvement. The floor too. Every month sort of feels the same to me, but it is getting cooler, so that’s a good thing. Wow! Twenty books and no stinkers is amazing! I have Furia coming up, so knowing it isn’t a stinker is a good thing. I don’t do ARC August, because I always read a lot of ARCs, but way to go with 20. I will have you in my thoughts when they call you back to work. Here’s hoping lots of safety procedures are put in place before you have to return.

    • Aw thank you so much! I seriously feel so much HAPPIER in the new bathroom, it’s just so much brighter and happier! And the old wall color was even darker in person- who would put that in a small bathroom with no windows?!

      I FEEL you on the months blending together ugh. Of course, work is looming hah. They HAVE called us back, but I have been taking a leave of absence because I was not sitting outside in 100 degree weather in a mask all day, NOPE. So once the kids are settled, I will go back. Actually- that is kind of a lie, I am taking off until The 100 finale, because I am too emotional (that is sad, but true!) and ALSO, I want to see if it is going to be okay, health-wise. What a mess!

      Furia is AWESOME. Like so awesome I don’t have words. I hope you love it, I LOOOOOVED it. (Also I do ARC August *BECAUSE* I read a lot of ARCs, maybe it’s cheating, but shh ?)

  3. Beth W

    Aaaaand there you go exploding my TBR again. 🙂
    I’m worried about you going back to work, too. And the shenanigans with the kids’s school schedules and however that’s gonna work. I don’t know how ANY parent is doing 2020 without just giving up. I really don’t.
    Yay for a prettier bathroom that makes you happier to deal with! Boo for The 100 ending (and…what show can you obsess over and be captured by and adore after that? I think that’s what hurts my heart most about it- with COVID-19 delaying filming and production for everything, it feels like we’re in store for a long dry spell on a lot of high-potential shows).

    • Bwhahah sorry, not sorry ? Duuuude I am so dreading work. Because A) It’s not particularly safe whatsoever, and B) it’s never been awesome for my mental health. I appreciate the concern ♥♥ And yeah the school thing is such a MESS, I really don’t know how it;’s going to ever work, considering they have different stuff at different times, etc.

      YES the bathroom is just such a happier place! I smile every time I am in it, so that is a WIN. Also, it ended up being pretty inexpensive to do- less than $1k including labor!

      You are so right about the show drought- Like The Society getting canceled, Manifest pushed back to 2021… we’re going to be hurting! I mean, obviously I can and will rewatch The 100, but knowing there is NEVER any new content will be HARD. Plus… what if it ends badly!?!

  4. Ah you’ve read so much, that’s wonderful! I can’t wait to read Not Your LoveStory and am so curious about what you thought of These Vengeful Hearts. This book sounds really good! 🙂
    I love your bathroom, you did such a great job!! <3 Best of luck for the whole back-to-work, I'm sending you all the positive vibes and stay healthy <3
    Have a lovely September, Shannon <3

  5. Wow you have read a lot, so many gorgeous covers too!

    I hear you about every month being worse, I wish it was just all go away.

    Good luck with going back to work.

  6. SO many new books! Love the cover of Muse it looks so cool. Hopefully it’s as interesting as it looks. And you read 20 books? Amazing, even if you don’t manage it again feel proud that is a lot of books.

    Thank you for featuring my post! I’m excited every time I see my little blog anywhere. I’ll have to check out the other links.

    This year is definitely not letting up on the bad but the bathroom remodel looks great. Little things keep us going though.

  7. I thought I was going to have to go back to the office in August but I got permission to continue working from home. I did have to go into the office one day to do some things that I couldn’t do from home and it made me a bit anxious – did I wash my hands often enough, am I too close to that person, etc (I’m a germaphobe).

  8. Great job with the bathroom Shannon, it looks wonderful! I love the idea of remodeling but thinking about the amount of work stresses me out.

    YOU READ THAT MANY BOOKS IN AUGUST? YOU ARE KILLING IN SHANNON. But I’m not surprised.

    I hope to read Black Sun soon!

  9. Wow! Twenty books is fantastic! And the fact that these were all ARCs and that you enjoyed most of them is amazing! I’m so happy that you had a great reading month, even if the rest of August wasn’t as wonderful. I had a pretty great reading month as well, since I managed to read 14 books! Especially compared to the one book I’ve managed to read in September so far, I was quite happy with that number!

    Also, can I just say that I adore the books you selected for the pretty, new cover section! Those covers are all so beautiful that they make me want to read the books, even though I don’t know what any of them are about! And I can’t even pick a favorite! They each have an element that I absolutely adore even though the covers are so different from one another!

    Thank you for mentioning both my post and Chana’s! I hope that September is going better than August did, and that you have a whole lot of good news to share with us in your next monthly wrap up!

  10. Danielle Hammelef

    Congrats on reaching a new book read record for the month! I pre-ordered Sonia Hartyl’s book and enjoyed it (I fell in love with her writing in March when I read Have a Little Faith in Me). I also read Watch Over Me and enjoyed another of this author’s books. I’m so sorry that your favorite show is ending–I know how much you enjoy it because you dedicate posts to it. I love your new bathroom look! The curtain is so cute–I’m a huge fan of color.

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