August Readings: UNHINGED "Protagonists" Doing Unhinged Things

August was a wild month for me--traveling, writing, working (a lot), vacationing (sort of), the school year starting back up and with it all of the activities. I know I sound like every other mom ever, but the truth is this is a near-universal experience.

Well it is for those of us with the privilege of having busy, educated children. Whenever I feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose, I remember just how many vulnerable people aren't even close to the tap. I'm reminded of the children who were separated from their parents and put into detention facilities with putrid drinking water and worms in their food, or who lost parents at the hands of a federal official's point-blank gun, or who chose death rather than succumb to deportment to their violent home country.

What a joy it is--what a privilege--to be busy with children's activities, taking them home to drink clean water, to eat safe food (and even that's up for debate right now).

DO NOT forget to vote. Check your voter registration now, don't wait until November--many Secretaries of State are purging the voter rolls this year. Vote early if you can!

Moving on.

Sometimes I surprise myself: the fuller my schedule, the more I read. I was hooked to the Kobo (my e-reader of choice) at night this month, and was punished as a result. One worth accepting with my hands out!

Book Reviews!

The women were messy this month. The reading got weird. We love an unhinged baddie, folks.

The Edge of Spacetime: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie, by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Creative Nonfiction/Science memoir
Super Short Synopsis: More about space, but even more technical/substantive than the last science memoir I read by Chanda, The Disordered Cosmos. In The Edge Of Spacetime, we see more about how the math and physics shake out, but somehow still in narrative English?

Review: It's not that I forget what happened, exactly. It's just that it melted my brain, and said brain is still reforming and the neurons are having to reconnect (hopefully).

If you're a science person, but want to know more about space: read this.

If you're a deep-feeling weirdo intellectual who has only taken remedial algebra but reacts with intense, child-like wonder when someone knowledgable shares scientific information with you: read this.

If you do not care about space: it would be funny if you would try to read this and then tell me what you think haha.

The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy, by Brigitte Knightley
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Romantasy
Super Short Synopsis: Part 2 of 2 about healer/good gal/grumpy and assassin/bad guy/sunshine who have to deal with one another for an assortment of reasons, some fantastical some mundane. Shenanigans ensue.

Review: I really can't tell you much about this one without spoiling. This book started as fan fiction a la Shmarry Shmotter, and while I do not support the dude who wrote that underlying material, I do very much support this fan fiction-turned-trad publication that where said dude receives no money.

Like Manacled/Alchemalised by Sen Lin Yu, the Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley is 1,000,000% worth your time, money, and energy. It is well-written, beautifully-structured, perfectly-paced and if it isn't damn seshy I don't know what is. We're talking good, solid writing here. Read this updated version so the author gets money (this includes checking it out from the library fyi!)

She's Always Hungry, by Eliza Clark
Rating: 4/5
Squick: 3/5
Genre: Literary Short Story Collection
Super Short Synopsis: Learn this influencer's tip for how she eats all day yet stays so trim! Uh...why would you trust an enigmatic and telepathic fishwoman, exactly? Are all goth girls hot? Watch out for the office flesh-eating demon!

Review: I LOVED BOY PARTS AND PENANCE. So I read this collection by Eliza Clark and it didn't disappoint. I want to be Eliza when I grow up, and write excellent "good for her" fiction too (she's a fair bit younger than me). You can't go wrong with picking up the collection, shuffling through it, and reading whatever story you find.

Assuming you can take a little gore and feminism with your beautifully-crafted prose, that is 😎.

But Won’t I Miss Me, by Tiffany Tsao
Rating: 4/5
Squick: 2/5
Genre: Creative Nonfiction/Science memoir
Super Short Synopsis: In this world, when a mother delivers a baby, she also delivers a little copy of herself who then grows rapidly and eats her original body whole, imbibing (nearly all) of her characteristics and even her memories. Every time. Our FMC is feeling anxious about that process for some weird reason 🤷🏻‍♀️. Shenanigans ensue.

Review: Doesn't the Super Short Synopsis give you enough? lol. As soon as I read the dust jacket for this one at the library, I was like "uhhh, YES PLEASE."

I cannot recommend this enough--there are multiple twists, and they will have you screaming. The only reason I didn't give this one a 5 is because the Epilogue just felt...long. Too much of a coda. I felt like it deserved space in the plot. But still so, so good.

Jawbone, by Monica Ojeda
Rating: 5/5
Squick: 3/5
Genre: Horror/Weird girl lit
Super Short Synopsis: Two wildly codependent teenagers with crappy moms spend WAY too much time together in Argentina. They form a little teenager cult of sorts in a crumbling abandoned building and read too much creepypasta on Reddit. A traumatized school teacher gets stuck with these girls in a classroom. Shenanigans ensue.

Review: This is one of the best horror books I've ever read, and now Monica Ojeda is one of my Forever Authors.

HOWEVER.

If you think you want to read this book, please reach out to first and ask if I think you should read it before you do. Because while it is EXTREMELY EXCELLENT, this is for a person with exacting tastes (sorry if I sound like Hannibal Lecter here, but it's true).

Lost Lambs, by Madeline Cash
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Literary Fiction
Super Short Synopsis: A very odd (but are they?) family of five navigates workplace corruption, open marriage, internet extremism, weird allergies, and the Catholic Church. Shenanigans ensue.

Review: Wow, so I'm realizing this month's theme is: "This book was weird."

And...well...this book was weird!

The execution is perfect, spot on. From the first sentence I was absolutely hooked. I scored this puppy off the library list after three months of waiting, and I still bought the hardcover on Bookshop.org because it's absolutely one of my favorites of 2026.

My biggest beef with with Lost Lambs is that Madeline Cash is so young and so talented (i.e., a Karen Russell or Otessa Moshfegh situation) and I'm deeply jealous of this. Like not in a "har har, that's funny" way. It's an "I'm actually really ground up about it, and every time I see a picture of her I want to cry" kind of way.

I'll get over it, though (probably).

Hollow Kingdom, by Kira Jane Buxton
Rating: 4.25/5
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Squick: 1.5/5
Super Short Synopsis: A domesticated crow (S.T.) is confounded by his person’s behavior. S.T. is forced to venture out with the family bloodhood when said owner tries to eat them both. Humanity has really done it this time.

Review: Told exclusively from various animal POVs, Hollow Kingdom is anxiety-inducing, tear-jerking, and so, so, SO funny. I mean, laugh out loud funny. Lots of giggling and wanting to share funny lines with whoever is in the room. But what really brings it home is the fully-fleshed out plot. You feel 100% connected with each character, worry for them, and cringe in moments of danger. It’s a touch gory--but nothing crazy, if you can handle something like The Last of Us, you wouldn't blink at this! Highly recommend.

Rest and Be Thankful, by Emma Glass
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Literary Fiction
Super Short Synopsis: A woman who works in a NICU is haunted by ghosts. Her husband is mean. TW: there is infant loss.

Review: Emma Glass is one of the best writers of the 21st century (I absolutely adored her more recent novel, Mrs. Jekyll). I’m not the only person to say that, including writers like George Saunders. Her writing is very literary while staying visceral and grounded. Rest And Be Thankful will put you flat on your back for a day. Her novels are novella length, but I refuse to call them that because she is just such a good writer she puts a 1,000 word novel into like 120 pages.

Strange Girls, by Sarvat Hasin
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Literary Fiction
Super Short Synopsis: We toggle between two timelines, in dual-POV, focused on two girls who were best friends in college versus in their 30s. They really love each other, but they get in a fight. Shenanigans ensue.

Review: I was reading this one in hardback, and my husband asks, "What's that on about?"

And I go, "Two codependent best friends who get in a fight, and we're waiting to find out whether they stay friends."

And he goes, "That's it?"

YEP.

And it's still that damn good.

We Cast A Shadow, by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Literary Dystopian Fiction
Super Short Synopsis: In a near-future dystopian New Orleans, people pursue enhanced plastic surgery modifications--BIPOC folks can turn their skin white, change their faces without detection. One Black father makes all the moves needed for his Black and white son to eventually have that procedure. Shenanigans ensue.

Review: American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin is one of my favorite books of 2026, and while very different from We Cast A Shadow, both left me also (somehow! how?!) feeling oddly uplifted and hopeful for humanity....? I still have no explanation. As you might guess from the Super Short Synopsis, things Do Not Go Well for our main character, but you won't predict the twists and turns. The prose is gorgeous and creative, a true master work. I can't recommend this one enough!

Best Offer Wins, by Marisa Koshino
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Upmarket Thriller/Weird girl lit
Super Short Synopsis: After getting outbid on ten homes, a woman desperate to move into a specific Washington D.C. neighborhood does something unconscionable to make her dream come true...and just in the first 50 pages lol.

Review: If I could encapsulate the books I really loved this year, I would say they are UNHINGED.

AND BEST OFFER WINS IS UNHINGED.

At the end of the Act One (first 1/3 of the book), you're like WHERE ELSE CAN THIS EVEN GO? And boyyyyy oh boy, does Marisa Koshino take you to unexpected places.

Read this and thank me later. Highly recommend the audiobook, the voice actress is excellent!

That'll do it--rant coming next time.

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Have a great weekend, refuse to use AI, and read banned books.
LYLAS/B,
Charlotte

IG: @charlotte.chambers.writer
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