Can you believe it’s August already? With only one month left in the summer reading challenge, now it is crunch time to finish our reading goals! Have you been making good progress with your reading or do you find yourself falling behind as the summer kicks into high gear?

Last month I read 5 books:

1. The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart – Finished July 5, 2013 – It was really fun to read a little of the back story on Nicholas Benedict from the Mysterious Benedict books – he was a pretty amazing kid! The story itself stands on it’s own so if you haven’t read the other books in this series, you can feel free to read this one first. I found the book to be well written and funny with plenty of mysteries to solve.
2. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (July Book Club) – Finished July 21, 2013 – I’m kind of grateful that I didn’t previously know very much about Hemingway’s life, much less his wife Hadley’s, because there was never any moment in this book where I definitely knew what would happen next. Beautifully written, this book was a favorite of mine. I really sympathized with Hadley and found the book to be a fascinating look at marriage, literary history and life in the 1920′s. – Full Review
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass – Finished July 24, 2013 – This book just sucked me in and refused to let go from the first page. Though the writing is fairly simple (YA book), the story is fascinating and the characters are even better. I downloaded the following book, Elite and her novella, The Prince before even finishing this one. – Full Review
4. The Prince a novella by Kiera Cass – Finished July 25, 2013 – It was really interesting to get a chance to get to know Prince Maxon a little better and see the Selection through his eyes. There were a few funny moments when you see his reaction to something that you remember America going through – and it’s a nice quick read – it took me an hour to finish the story.
5. The Elite by Kiera Cass – Finished July 27, 2013 – Good lord, I could not put this book down. I am really enjoying this series and anxious for book three.

5 books in a month is pretty awesome for me and will definitely help me to finish my challenge. I deviated slightly off path after reading The Selection by Kiera Cass, I found myself compelled to read The Prince and The Elite immediately.

Next I decided to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the next books on my challenge list – but to be honest, I really wasn’t in the mood to read a classic. Deviating off of my list for a bit longer, I decided to read Moranthology by Caitlin Moran. I wanted a light, funny book before I dive into my August book club selection, The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I decided that Moranthology fits into my challenge because it is a kindle book which was part of my goal for the summer.

I only need to read three more books to finish my goal, number-wise, so after Moranthology and The Alienist that only leaves one book which means I’m in pretty good shape to finish my personal challenge.

The remaining summer reading books from my challenge are:

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

Daddylonglegs by Jean Webster

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

How is your summer reading going?

Do you think you will finish your goal?

Have you been sticking strictly to your book list or switching things up?