August 2026 Recap!
Hi Readers! Cannot help but paraphrase Taylor Swift during an August recap post… August slipped away into a moment in time…. ‘cause it was never mine…
But, oh was August mine! It was without a doubt one of the best months of 2026! As dull as July was, August was glorious! Never have I been more social, more happy, more intentional, and more loved. Sure, there were a LOT of hiccups throughout the month, and it was pretty terrible in-the-moment, but these posts are about capturing the highlights which will stay much longer than just ‘in-the-moment-zones’. I couldn’t shortlist photos, so this time it’s a longlist, which makes this into a two-part recap! Enjoy! 🧿
~~BOOKS~~
I read TWO BOOKS across 459 PAGES in AUGUST! Both were Japanese translations, of which, one I loved and other I didn’t. In addition, I have also been reading Patrapatri by Dilip Prabhavalkar, in Marathi, Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto and We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad. But it’s slow going for all of them.
~~SHE WALKS AT NIGHT by SEISHI YOKOMIZO~~
I have always enjoyed reading Japanese murder mysteries so when a new one is translated to English, it’s an auto-buy for me! And, unlike other books, I also usually auto-read it as soon as it’s delivered. This one is a relatively shorter book, with fewer characters than usual and only the third novel originally written by the author. Despite this, it packs quite the punch. I have rated She Walks at Night by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Jesse Kirkwood at 5/5 stars!
~~MATCHA ON MONDAY by MICHIKO AOYAMA~~
August is Women in Translation month, and every year I read at least one to participate. This time it was Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama, translated by E. Madison Shimada. It is the second novel set in the Marble Café, consisting of twelve stories, one for each month of the year. That constant theme was something I enjoyed reading. It made me ponder on how many invisible strings are around us but we will never know. In the book, what we see as a fleeting character in the current story becomes the main character in the next and so on. I have rated Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama, translated by E. Madison Shimada at 2/5 stars! Here’s the review:
~~STATS AND MORE~~
~~LIFE LATELY PART 1: FAMILY & ME~~
Slide 1: Fitness slowed down again this month because of cold and cough and rains etc. But, kept intentionally moving more throughout the day.
Slide 2 & 3: My dad, Ravindra Shenolikar, published his second book! The first one was a book of poems and the second one is a book of haikus. Here’s the Amazon link if you want to give it a read!
Slide 4: My cousin brother Suraaj had his first performance! He started playing the flute again and was simply amazing!!
Slide 5: 💕
Slide 6, 7 & 8: Pune diaries!! Worked for a week from the Pune office and had the best time – both in the office and of course otherwise too.
Slide 9: I made a few things too, but by the time it was prepared, I was so exhausted and hungry that I didn’t take any photos!
Slide 10: Bringing the ‘Ye kaun hai jisne Pooh ko mudke nahi dekha’ energy to this slide of selfies!
Slide 11: Rakshabandhan festivities!
Slide 12: Fit check #1 🧿
~~LIFE LATELY PART 2: FRIENDS & ME~~
Slide 1: The Currently Reading books!
Slide 2: My friend Aishwarya and I went to see Spiderman: Brand New Day on a Tuesday. It released on Friday and I didn’t want to wait too long because I had to know what Sadie Sink’s character was from the movie and not from Instagram! Worth it!
Slide 3 & 4: Love and more love!
Slide 5: Ted Lasso Wednesdays are SUCH a saving grace!
Slide 6: Watched Tay’s interview for the Grammy Museum and the acoustic set which I might just listen to every day!
Slide 7: Independence Day celebrations.
Slide 8 to 11: Went to the FRIENDS experience in BKC with Suruchi serendipitously on Friendship Day! What a time!!
Slide 12: Fit check #2 🧿
Well, that was a wonderful wonderful August, one that I’ll remember for quite some time. Tell me how was your August?
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.