What I Read in August 2024

I'm a little late to the round-up party, but hey- I'm an introvert; I'm just proud I showed up to the party at all!

This is what I read in August:

August Reading Stats:

📖11 books completed.

📖5 hardbacks.

🎧6 audiobooks

📖1705 pages.

🎧47 hours 15 minutes listened at 1.1x speed. (Plus about another 10 hours of HOFAS).

📖4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖3⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖16 books acquired. (10 audiobooks, 6 hardbacks).

📖9 books preordered. (8 hardbacks, 1 audiobook).

August was a decent reading month for me. I finished 11 books, and started 2 others, completed my audiobook reread of ACOTAR, and smashed my Goodreads reading goal by 7 books, 4 and a half months early! I'm not gonna lie, it felt good.

I Read:

📖Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. 4⭐

📖Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. 3⭐

📖Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. 2.5⭐

📖Gild by Raven Kennedy. 4⭐

📖Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan. 3.5⭐

🎧A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas dramatised. 4⭐ (Reread).

🎧A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas dramatised parts 1 and 2. Both 5⭐ (Rereads).

🎧House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas dramatised parts 1 and 2. 4⭐ / 5⭐. (Rereads).

🎧House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas dramatised part 1. 5⭐. (Reread. Also, part 2 isn't out yet, and I didn't realise until after I'd finished part 1. *Cries.*)

And I Started:

📖Glint by Raven Kennedy..

🎧House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas unabridged.

I apparently spent August spirited away in the fae realms- every single books I read was fae fantasy of some description! It was completely unintentional, too- I didn't even notice until I saw my Storygraph infographics! Question: how many fae books is okay to read in a row before I have to admit I have a problem??

Favourite Reads: Probably Gild by Raven Kennedy, and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. Two very different reads, but I loved them both a lot.

Favourite Listens: A Court of Silver Flames, and House of Earth and Blood part two. It was really fun to listen to two of my favourites as audiobooks, and they were even better the second time around. Although, I still found the beginning of HOEAB difficult to get into- apparently, the heavy world-building is still dull when someone else is doing the reading for you, and the party lifestyle at the start just isn't my thing.

Least Favourites: Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. It started off strong, but the quality of the writing quickly went down hill, and it was ultimately a big hot mess. It's a shame as it had so much potential, but it just didn't deliver.

September's shaping up to be a good reading month, but I'm not sure if I'm going to beat August's tallies; I've been reading some big beasts, so I'll probably finish less books this month. I'm hoping to fit in lots of reading this week and boost my reading goal, but I guess we'll see how I go in a couple of weeks.

Wish me luck!

What was the best book you read in August?

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Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Fairytales Jewellery Haul

Once upon a time, in a kingdom long burned to ash, there was a girl who loved fairytales very much. So, when Australian jewellery wizards, Erstwilder, made a bargain to create a fairytale jewellery collection with the happy art creator, Pete Cromer, she could not resist filling her basket with the wondrous resin jewels as if she were gathering food for the winter. Don't judge her; they were spelled to be irrisistable to all who love stories. And the girl lived happily ever after wearing her favourite fairytales on her heart and earlobes for all to see, while she skipped through the forest, waiting to be spirited away by a fae prince with wings and unresolved trauma... Or possibly the therapist she desperately needed...

Or, in English... I splurged on the recent Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Fairytales collaboration, and I'm here to show you the pretty brooches and earrings I bought.

First up is one of my favourites from the collection- the Snow White brooch, White as Snow. I'll admit, while I've always liked the story, Snow White has never really been at the top of my list of favourite fairytales, but I instantly fell in love with this design. Snow's so striking and really draws in the eye with the mix of cobalt blue, turquoise, cherry red, and black ripple and glitter resins. And how cute are her little ice-blue bluebird friends? Great style and animal sidekicks? Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous. (Find it in the UK here)

Next up is the sold out Wonderland brooch, and it has to be one of the best non-Disney Alice in Wonderland designs I've ever seen! I love that instead of drawing inspiration from over-used scenes like the Mad Hatter's tea party or Alice falling down the rabbit hole in to Wonderland, Cromer thought outside the box and made art of the croquet scene. It shows Alice facing off with a giant pink flamingo, with a little lilac hedgehog in her hand, and a bed of toadstools and flowers on the grass around them. I love the mix of ripple, plain, and textured resins it's made from, especially the swirling pastel pink sky that adds a dreamlike quality, and the interesting dotted sunshine-yellow resin used to give her hair texture. I'm not sure if it's a new resin for Erstwilder, but I haven't seen it used before. It's pretty cool. 

I've never understood how Little Red Riding Hood could ever mistake a wolf for her grandmother- was Little Red visually-challenged or was her Nana just that hairy?!- but okay, I'll admit, this version of the wolf does a good cosplay. The That's Not Grandma brooch is a very convincing human granny in her raspberry-pink and lilac polka dot, scalloped-trimmed nightie and scarlet cat-eye glasses. I mean, you barely even notice the two-toned ripple and bubble resin lilac fur, snout, or tail, do you? Definitely deserves a few points for effort. He's easily my favourite from the collection, along with Snow. (Find it in the UK here)

I always loved the Disney version of Pinocchio growing up, but parts of it also scared the crap out of me. I don't know what's scarier- kids being turned into donkeys, or every lie you tell showing on your face for all to see? *Shudders.* Thankfully, there's nothing scary about the Boys Don't Lie brooch, just a charming wooden boy taking a stroll beside the sea while a whale breaches the waves in the distance. With the wood-effect resin and the moody teals, and olive greens, it has such a nostalgic feel to it, and it's the perfect piece to wear to keep a little of that childhood magic alive. (Find it in the UK here)

I was also lucky enough to receive one of the gift-with-purchase brooches, for buying multiple pieces from the same stockist. For this collection, Erstwilder produced little fairytale books in red, green, and blue, and I received the green. It's a gorgeous sea-green ripple resin tome, with gold detailing, and as a big old bookworm, it's one of my favourite gifts-with-purchase brooches to date. It's perfect for double-brooching with the fairytale brooches, but great on its own, too. I've got a couple of book print dresses it'll go perfectly with.

Alongside the main collection, Erstwilder also brought out a range of complimenting Essentials earrings, which are affordable studs and drop earrings, usually with less detail and layering than those in the main collections. I love wearing them with most of my outfits, so of course, I picked up a couple of pairs to add to my collection.

I was instantly drawn to the Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired Eternal Rose drop earrings, as not only are they super pretty, but because they're giving off ACOTAR vibes. The red ripple resin they're made of is probably my favourite resin Erstwilder use, and the gold detailing adds a nice contrast. I need to repierce my ear as one of my old piercings keeps closing up, but when I do, I'm gonna wear them with everything. If you're not a red rose fan, they also come in white, and there are studs in both colours, too. (Find them the UK here)

And the other pair of earrings I chose were the pale pink shell studs, as I thought they'd be ideal for pairing with my sealife brooches and for finishing off cute summer outfits, especially on holidays by the sea. They're little scallop shells, made from the prettiest shimmery coral-pink resin, and they're lovely. The shell studs also come in pearly white, and there are drop earring options, too. (Find them in the UK here)

One last thing that I love about this collection is the packaging. Usually, you'll find that jewellery from Erstwilder come in circular boxes, but for this collection, they redesigned them to look like little books! They even made each one a different colour, allowing those who splurge on multiple pieces to create their own little Fairytale bookshelves. How cute is that?!

Most of the Fairytales collection sold out on release day, as Pete Cromer collections usually do, but there are still a handful of pieces and most of the Essentials earrings available to shop from via Erstwilder, and their stockists. I highly recommend them.

Did you buy anything from the Fairytales collection?

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