August 2026 Reading

I finished five books in August. Something must have happened and the "Oh no! Summer is almost over and I go back to school soon!" part of my brain kicked into overdrive. Buckle up. The Forbidden Garden: The Botanists of Besieged Leningrad and Their Impossible Choice - Simon Parkin A deep history of the siege of Leningrad and the botanists who stuck to principles in the face of starvation to preserve a vast collection of seeds which could prevent another famine after the war. The book was bleak and highlighted the horrible decisions each person in the narrative had to make just to survive. Sea of Tranquility - Emily St John Mandel I flew through this book. Four stories of people who have a strange experience linking them together. Each character has their own interpretation based on other current events leaving you wondering how they link up. As the book progresses, each story is woven with the others leading up to a satisfying conclusion. Relegated: One American's Pints-and-Pies…