booksbydorothea - August 2025 Monthly Wrap-up (FINAL)

This is a simple cut-and-paste from Substack. If you would like to see this post on Substack, the link is: https://tinyurl.com/3mxybjj8

Additionally, this will be my last post on Blogger; all future posts will be on Substack. You can subscribe and/or follow me at: https://booksbydorothea.substack.com/

Happy Labor Day, booksbydorothea readers!

Enjoy your time with friends, family, and those that you love! It is too hot here in Los Angeles to do much more than READ!

August was a transitional month for booksbydorothea. It is the end of the Blogger era, and the beginning of the Substack era (queue Taylor Swift’s engagement era). My former Blogger blog will remain available; however, all new posts will be on my new Substack blog in September.

Since the majority of the August blog posts were on Blogger, the appropriate posts will be linked there. This booksbydorothea August 2025 Monthly Wrap-up will also be cross-posted to Blogger. However, beginning September 1, 2025, all future review posts will be posted on Substack. You can subscribe to my posts on Substack, making it easy to follow my blog!

Please note that the previous month’s five-star reads are no longer in the monthly wrap-up. With so many five-star books, it was becoming overwhelming and too long. There are also some other minor changes as I continue to refine the presentation and formatting.

August 2025 was a great month for reading, with EIGHTEEN books read (audiobooks and ebooks, no physical books). This ties with the number of books read in January 2025.

In August, there were EIGHT five-star books: six ebooks, two audiobooks, and no physical books.

BEST BOOKS FOR AUGUST 2025

ebooks

Confessions of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy

A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly

How to Kill a Witch by Claire Mitchell, Zoe Venditozzi

The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Miller

Audiobooks

The 10 by E.A. Hanks

The Turner House by Angela Flourno

2025 READING GOAL

My goal was to read 101 books in 2025. As of August 31st, I have read 122 books, or 120.7% of my goal.

AUGUST 2025 STATISTICS

18 total books

14 ebooks; 4 audiobooks; 0 physical books

11 books - ARC (Advanced Reader Copy)

8 books - NetGalley

2 books - Amazon First Reads

1 book - The StoryGraph

1 book - Book Club Girl

AUGUST 2025 BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS

ebooks

5.0-star ebooks

Confessions of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight LINK

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy LINK

A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly LINK

How to Kill a Witch by Claire Mitchell, Zoe Venditozzi LINK

The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller LINK

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Miller LINK

4.5-star ebooks

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall LINK

First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano LINK

Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa LINK

4.0-star ebooks

The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell LINK

Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason LINK

It Girl by Marisa Meltzer LINK

3.0-star ebooks

All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett LINK

Bad Date by Ellery Lloyd LINK

NOTE: There were no 3.5-star ebooks this month.

Audiobooks

5.0-star audiobooks

The 10 by E.A. Hanks LINK

The Turner House by Angela Flournoy LINK

3.0-star audiobooks

Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum LINK

The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King LINK

NOTE: There were no 4.5-star, 4.0-star, or 3.5-star audiobooks this month.

If you want to read my full review of any of these books, there are individual review links for each ebook or audiobook next to the book title and author (under AUGUST 2025 BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS) just above. Click on the specific book link to get to that book review.

ADDITIONAL TOOLS

Book Rating Legend

Glossary

booksbydorothea social media:

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

Blogger to Substack

 After using Substack for over a week, I am permanently switching from Blogger.

The biggest advantages are the flexibility, personalization, and ease of use. For my followers, they can subscribe and no longer have to check social media for my next book review. Win Win!

My former Blogger blog will remain available for historical and archival purposes. So hopefully, I will not lose all of that data.

My new Substack blog will be my sole blog, starting September 1, 2025. Please feel free to share with others and/or subscribe!

Thank you!

REVIEW - The Ten (audiobook)

The Ten by E.A.Hanks (audiobook) 

This post is a cut-and-paste from my new Substack. There is nothing additional here, and it will be easier to read on Substack. 

Please follow my Substack or subscribe:

https://substack.com/@booksbydorothea. 

I will be transitioning to Substack during the rest of August. On September 1, 2025, I will no longer be posting on this blog and will keep it for archival purposes. Thank you for understanding!

This is my FIRST review written completely on Substack. So let’s see how it goes!

OVERVIEW

My friend, Kerri, mentioned on Facebook that I should read this book. She was right! Thank you!

This is a memoir by E.A. Hanks recreating an Interstate 10 (I-10) road trip she took with her mother in 1996 when she was fourteen. Sadly, this time her mother is deceased, and E.A. is traveling solo on a voyage of discovery in 2019.

OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars - Highly recommend

Writing: 5.0 stars

E.A. writes beautifully. But I would not expect anything else from someone with a degree in English from Vassar.

Writing is different than WRITING. WRITING is from the heart, real and powerful when writing about yourself in a memoir. E.A. nails it!

Narration: 5.0 stars

The narration was by E.A. and perfectly done. It is her memoir after all, and I love it when an author narrates their audiobook.

Character development: 5.0 stars

The main character was E.A. It was her journey.

The secondary character was “Minnie”, the minivan that she borrowed from her dad to make the cross-country journey. I-10 and the beautiful United States along the route are characters, too.

The tertiary characters were E.A.’s family, friends, colleagues, people she interviews and/or meets along the way,

The character development of E.A. is incredible. The reason for the road trip was to recreate the 1996 trip in hopes of exploring the mother-daughter relationship and learn about her mother. Ultimately, E.A. discovered herself.

Memorable: 5.0 stars

Along the journey, E.A. read a red journal and a white binder of her mother’s poetry, random thoughts, and musings. The writings didn’t provide the answers that E.A. sought, but they helped her understand that her mother had an undiagnosed mental illness.

Sometimes you need to go to the roots to understand it all better. Learning about her mother’s family helped her heal and realize that family is always intertwined with you.

By reading excerpts of her mother’s writing, E.A. was able to finally heal from her mother’s passing in 2002.

Entertaining/Educational: 5.0 stars

I had driven I-10 many times to visit my great-aunt and great-uncle in Fort Worth, Texas. My family traveled along this route on long summer vacations, so I could picture everything on E.A.’s journey.

The best story was about E.A.’s camping trip in White Sands, New Mexico (read the book to find out about the beetles)!

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Perfect.

Book title: 5.0 stars

Correctly titled. E.A. and this Californian say, “The 10” which is the right way! .

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow: audiobook

The 10 by E.A. Hanks (yes, her father is THAT Hanks)

10 hours, 15 minutes

Simon and Schuster Audio

The StoryGraph review

Goodreads review

Release date: 4/8/2025

TRIGGER WARNINGS

Graphic language, sexual content, death of a parent, grief, violence, child abuse, suicide, drug use, alcoholism, mass shooting, murder, rape, and pedophilia.

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

Cal State ChatGPT

Hi, booksbydorothea blog readers!

This is a cross-post from my Substack: https://substack.com/@booksbydorothea. Please check it out and tell me your thoughts!

So this is not strictly a book blog issue, but it has to do with education, so I thought that I would share my thoughts!!

The local Los Angeles PBS station, LAist, published an article today about the Cal State University (CSU) system paying for an upgraded ChatGPT. The entire article is HERE.

The effort will cost the CSU nearly $17 million — even as the system faces a $2.3 billion budget gap. That gap persists despite a tuition increase and spending cuts that have meant fewer course offerings for students.

I think that this bet will not pay off! What a waste of money! Many individual CSU campuses are facing budget deficits for other reasons, such as declining enrollment because of the ICE raids, the FAFSA fiasco last year, and the increased cost of living, period.

Seriously, a $2.3 billion - that’s BILLION deficit, not million! What are these CSU leaders thinking?

Cal State LA, which is my alma mater, is laying off lecturers. Lecturers make around $71,000 full-time and $64,000 part-time, according to LAist (with Master’s and/or PhD degrees). Don’t we want more professors in the classroom actively teaching, instead of relying on ChatGPT? Additionally, the reduced class offerings include required core and required elective classes. That $17 million could go a long way toward decreasing the issues that these campuses, lecturers, and students are facing.

Critics say the cash-strapped system misspent millions of dollars. CSU leaders insist the expense is necessary to prepare students for a changing economy.

I’m, obviously, one of the critics. These students already have ChatGPT, as many of them use it for research and to write papers. It is the easiest way to cheat, and the professors don’t have the tools to stay on top of it!

We need to educate our students on how to think critically, reason, analyze, and research data. Additionally, knowing how to ethically and morally access ChatGPT is an important skill set. This education needs to start much younger than college-aged students - I would suggest 4th grade and older (the year of the dreaded “Mission Projects” in California).

Oh, and don’t get me started on how ChatGPT is affecting authors, artists, and other creatives. Plus, the impact on the environment through the use of water to cool the servers. What a mess!

Please let me know what you think! I am beyond irritated with this waste of resources, money, and time!

Dorothea 

Cross-posting on Substack

Hi, booksbydorothea blog friends!

As you know, I have been using Blogger for several years. But it just doesn’t seem to suit me as much as it did initially. I feel like I need more flexibility and creativity. So…

I will be posting on both platforms - Blogger and Substack for a while and see how it goes!

Please bear with me as I learn something new and exciting! Right from the start, I love that Substack makes it easy to format, subscribe, and repost!

Thank you for the continuing support!

Happy reading!

Dorothea💜

My next eARC/ebook is ...

 Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason (eARC/ebook)

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - Pick a Colour (eARC/ebook)

 Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa (eARC/ebook)

OVERVIEW

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This is the debut novel by Souvankham Thammavongsa. She is a Laotian-Canadian poet and short story writer. 

This is a quirky, funny, and pragmatic depiction of the day in the life of an immigrant nail salon owner. It is told in the first person singular from Ning's point of view. But this is one of those books that will not appeal to everyone. And some may find it offensive. 

I read this book in a day (I read a few pages last night). It is the best way to understand this short novel. It is a book you feel. 

OVERALL REVIEW:    4.5 stars

 

Writing: 5.0 stars

The writing was poetic and lush with descriptions of the most mundane things made important and interesting. Descriptions and observations are the heart and soul of this novel. Ning observes and describes almost everything in her day, but lets no one inside herself. 

There is also a dichotomy between the nail technicians and customers. All of the nail technicians are named "Susan" (not their real names) to avoid confusion with the customers. What does that say about racism and xenophobia? 

Character development: 4.0 stars

The main character is Ning, the owner of the nail salon (and former boxer).  

The secondary characters are Mai, Nok, Annie, and Noi, who are the nail technicians who work for Ning in the salon. Also, Rachel (Ning's former boss) and Murch (Ning's former boxing coach) round out the secondary characters.  

The tertiary characters are the customers - so many different personalities, yet so similar. 

The overall character development was okay. I wanted more about Ning and her backstory. At 144 pages, there cannot be that much character development, so the author may have done that to make us think about the characters more and come to our own conclusions.

Storyline:  4.0 stars 

There isn't a real storyline. 

This is why some will love this novel. It is very unique, different, and weird. It is more of descriptions and observations of the work, customers, and employee interactions as the day progresses. This is written in first-person singular by the immigrant nail salon owner. 

The primary location was unknown. It is set in an undesignated city in an unspecified Western country. My guess is that it is based in Toronto, Canada, with the immigrants from an unknown Southeast Asian country, I think. 

Memorable/Informative:   5.0 stars

Hearing "pick a color" at the nail salon will make me giggle every time in a nail salon.   

But this novel subtly covers racism and xenophobia for wealthier, presumably white customers with the nail technicians, identical in clothing, hair length, and name. This is being done to make it easier for the customers who cannot tell them apart. Seriously sad and ridiculous! We need to do better as human beings!

This book will stay with me for a very long time.

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Pretty.    

 

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Perfection - so witty!  

 

Strong recommend

NetGalley eARC/ebook

Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa

144 pages

Bloomsbury Publishing

FUTURE release date: 9/25/2025

 

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Souvankham Thammavongsa

Goodreads review

The StoryGraph review

Bloomsbury Publishing

NetGalley

TRIGGER WARNINGS

Graphic cursing, sexual content, violence, xenophobia, racism, classism, blood, and violence. 

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next eARC/ebook is ...

 Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa (eARC/ebook)

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The First Witch of Boston (ebook)

The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano (ebook/Kindle)

OVERVIEW

This is a debut novel by Andrea Catalano. It was a great historical fiction novel about two specific years in colonial Massachusetts!

The title says it all-the first witchcraft victim in Boston was a real woman named Margaret Jones. She was murdered by hanging after a 1648 witchcraft trial in Charlestown, Massachusetts. 

If you are looking for a light and easy read, this is not the book. It is heavy but an important book to read. We need to remember our past to not repeat it in the future, especially with our country leaning so conservatively like the Puritans.

OVERALL REVIEW:    4.5 stars

 

Writing: 4.0 stars

The writing was good. It was descriptive, with some beautiful descriptions of the Charlestown area. 

Additionally, this was a thoroughly researched book, and it shows in the details of the writing.

The dialogue was somewhat disjointed at times. There was code-switching between contemporary dialogue and then formal 17th-century language. Confusing. 

Also, the spicy sexual situations, including marital sex, rape, and drugged sex, are not my thing. It really didn't have to be that descriptive. 

Character development: 4.5 stars

The main characters are Maggie (a healer, midwife, and apothecary) and Thomas (a furniture maker), who leave London for the New World in 1646.  

The secondary characters are Samuel and Alice (Maggie and Thomas's friends). 

The tertiary characters are Maggie and Thomas's patrons, the citizens of Charlestown, the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and many other characters (some good and some bad). 

The character development was strong for the main and secondary characters. 

Also, the Epilogue and Author's Note were informative and provided historical references.

Storyline:  4.5 stars 

The storyline revolves around an outspoken, honest, and atypical woman in Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony. She offends the sensibilities and sensitivities of the men in power. She knows who and what they really are. So the word "witch" is mumbled, and the rumors fly. The rest is expected, but horribly sad. 

It is also about an intense and equal marriage with a loving husband who supports, defends, and protects his wife during difficult times. 

The primary locations were Berkshire, England, and Charlestown, Massachusetts. 

Memorable/Informative:   5.0 stars

Men fear the power of women. It is a tale as old as time. 

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Gorgeous.    

 

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Perfect.  

 

Strong recommend

Amazon First Reads ebook (Kindle) 

The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano

326 pages

Lake Union Publishing

FUTURE release date: 9/1/2025

 

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Andrea Catalano

Goodreads review

The StoryGraph review

Lake Union Publishing

Amazon First Reads

TRIGGER WARNINGS

Graphic cursing, sexual content, rape, child sexual abuse, drugged sex, child death, grief, xenophobia, mental health issues, religious bigotry, and suicide.

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook read is ...

 The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano (Kindle ebook)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜