August Reading Roundup and Two Mini Reviews

This August, I read 16 books. 

Two of those counted for Bout of Books, and seven for ARC August.

My favorites of the month were: 

 

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Mini Review #1:

This was a decent young adult thriller surrounding a group of very different teenagers connected by a single death. It read a lot like an updated version of Killing Mr. Griffin, and it was fun to be brought back to those books I remember reading and swapping among my friends when we were younger. 

I liked that Morgan really tried hard to make characters that everyone saw as stereotypes have layers, and for the most part she succeeded. The suspense was really taut in places, and dragged some in others, but on the whole, this was a quick read that kept me interested.

Mini Review #2

As the title suggests, Presley tackles the unsolved murders in Texarkana. These murders have inspired countless speculation as well as two movies.

Presley expertly lays out the history of Texarkana, the murders, the people involved, and the chief suspect. He also has gained access to previously unreleased information, which helps make his book what I suspect will the definitive tome on the subject. 

I definitely recommend this book for true crime readers.