Some quality pun titles this month. And by "quality," I mean truly awful puns that made the whole family laugh (seriously, Caught Bread Handed) and inspired lots of giddy conversation and ideas for punny mystery titles of our own.

With a long weekend, a week of vacation and not one but two business trips, I read a lot of books in August. I'm not even sure if I have them all listed here. No recaps this month. Too many. So here's the occasionally annotated list.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - JK Rowling. Technically, I read this one in July but I forgot to list it. So here it is. I liked it, no shocker.
Silence of the Lamps - Karen Rose Smith. Pun alert!
The Mirror Thief – Martin Seay. This book really wants to be taken seriously. I should probably reread it sometime when I feel like reading a more serious book. I think I missed a lot. Or it wanted me to think I was missing a lot. On the surface, it was an enjoyable three-layer story: 1500s Venice, 1950s Venice Beach, California and modern day Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. There was definitely more going on under the surface. Or at least I think there probably was.
Caught Bread Handed: A Bakeshop Mystery - Ellie Alexander. Puntastic! Plus, I actually really like this series.
That Old Black Magic - Mary Jane Clark.
Death of a Bacon Heiress - Lee Hollis.
Seventh Grave and No Body - Darynda Jones. Yup, charm of thsi series has worn off for sure.
Something Strange and Deadly - Susan Dennard.
1984 - George Orwell. Lily just read 1984, and we've been having some great conversations. I thought I better reread this book since the first time I read it way back when I was a kid,it was still “fiction.” I remember needing some contextualizing around totalitarianism and the WW2 to really understand it. Amazing how it actually feels more relevant now than it did in the '80s.
Vinyl Cafe Turns the Page - Stuart McLean. Love, comfort. No need for cheesy chicken soup books when the Vinyl Cafe is around.
Lullabies for Little Criminals - Heather O'Neill. Seriously so good. Heartachingly well-written and absorbing.
Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy - A. Gardner.
Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella.
Musseled Out - Barbara Ross.
Irma Voth - Miriam Toews.
Guidebook to Murder - Lynn Calhoun.
The Kingmaker's Daughter - Phillipa Gregory.
What the Fly Saw - Frankie Bailey.