Monthly Wrap Up: August

Mornings spent in the early-morning sun with a good book; late night walks beside the sea; staying up until the early-hours on social-media. They're done for another year. School continues in a few days and teenagers across the country - who have only just recovered from the last exam season - are preparing for the next, new school uniforms ironed ready for class. I don't want to say goodbye. My TBR pile is slightly smaller, and I've had time this August to read books I never would have had the time to during term. I've also scheduled posts - I'm ahead by over a month - and am pleasantly surprised with how organised I am. 

 

Most of the holidays were spent trying to forget that Results Day was approaching. In fact, I was pretty naïve and never thought the day would arrive. It did hit me though, as the weeks went on, that I would soon know, for certain, whether I had any form of maths skills. There would be no more pretending that I could multiply or divide. I was scared. These were the GCSE Results for those exams I sat a year early - the likes of English and Maths which most fifteen year olds now sit -  so, I attempted to relax by reminding myself that I could resit, and of course, that didn't work. When the 21st August came, I spent the morning shivering and shaking before heading into school, reading online that passes at GCSE had fallen(a huge mistake). I had planned to not open my results until I arrived home, and could comfortably cry in front of my parents, but that was before my Maths teacher shouted, "Open it!" and I was forced to. Actually, "I" wasn't: I handed them to my friend to open instead.

 

I was the last person to know my own results, I think. But, overall, I was happy. And confused. Managing to pass Physics with the same mark as English was not a result I was expecting, though I'll take it! As the day continued, my favourite thing was the atmosphere, as I talked to friends who had also received their results. Hours were spent on the phone and online after I arrived back from school, and I soon came to the conclusion that I couldn't wait until the next one.

 

This year, when I wasn't fretting over my impending Maths D Grade(I passed!), I fell in love with the holidays, spending more time with friends than I usually would. There were trips out bowling, to the cinema and for pizza; one afternoon the decision was made to look for Prom dresses, but inside the store rather than from the window. We watched a man dance - who thought we couldn't see him - until he noticed, and awkwardly waved at us. We found out how to delete scores when bowling, which I did to one friend continuously for ten minutes without them realising, thinking that there was problem with our lane. And we waited - a lot - for buses to arrive, and wished that there was a better way to travel.
 

Books Received/Bought in August

 Reading-wise, this holiday has been okay. I misjudged how long it would take me to read A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - hoping to finish around six or seven books over the six weeks - and instead of completing it in two weeks, it took four. Martin's novel is a tough one to read. The world he has created is crammed with details - that can  be overwhelming - and the history is so complex. The novel itself alternates between different characters' points of view, and it takes time to understand how the novel 'works'. It also has quite small font and over eight-hundred pages. But, undeniably, it's worth the read.

 

In total, I read three books in August:

 

A Game of Thrones(A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin - 4 Stars

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales - 5 Stars

Heroes by Robert Cormier - 4 Stars

 

I had a reading-list planned for the holidays, but I only read two from that. Instead of re-reading series' I still haven't finished, I decided to read This Song Will Save Your Life instead, and I loved it. It's definitely by book of the year so far.

 

Now to start Heir of Fire!

 

So, how was your August? Did you have a results day?

Tell me in the comments!