Book Riot's 2020 Read Harder Challenge - August Update: Milk and Honey & Tarnished are the Stars

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hope everyone's been staying healthy and happy.  August has quickly come to a close and that means I've now completed 16 out of 24 books of Book Riot's 2020 Read Harder Challenge!  The tasks I completed required me to read an audiobook of poetry and a debut novel by a queer author and I selected Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (I originally planned to read Swing by Kwame Alexander, but I was unable to get my hands on a copy) and Tarnished are the Stars by Rosiee Thor respectively.  Read on to see my mini reviews and what's next for September: 

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

I've been told many times that Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur is a must read and I finally decided to give it a try.  I honestly had no clue what to expect when I started listening, but it was really pretty impressive.  Each section of poetry and prose takes us on a journey from the bitterest parts of life to the sweetest that can be found if you just look.  It's an incredibly personal and unflinching story that tackles tough subjects.  I'm glad I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author herself.  I'm not sure if I can honestly say that I would have appreciated it in its print format quite as much as this audio format.

My review is also on Goodreads.

❋ ❋ ❋

Tarnished are the Stars by Rosiee Thor is a sci-fi novel with so much potential. There's so much about it that I enjoyed, especially the world building.  As solid as it is for some reason it never managed to quite hook me.  I never quite lost myself in the story.  That said, I'm really interesting in seeing what Thor will do next.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Next Up For September:

Read a food book about a cuisine you’ve never tried before

My choice: Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking by Maangchi - Somehow I don't think I've tried Korean food before... I'm going to have to do something about that.

Read an edition of a literary magazine (digital or physical)

Kenyon Review - I plan on reading the newest edition of this literary magazine which is based Gambier, OH which is practically in my backyard.

Have you read any of these books?  Are you taking part in this challenge?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!