Hi, loves! 💕
How was everyone in July? 😊
I feel like I blacked out during the entirety of July. I don’t remember if anything significant happened in my life. 😂 I was feeling generally slump-y during the second half of the month, not just with reading but with everything in general. I couldn’t bring myself to read even when I was enjoying a book… I couldn’t even take photos or edit. I didn’t go out as much as I wanted to. The only thing I had energy to do was rewatch YouTube videos I’d already seen ten times before. 😅
I hope August is better for me. I have a short vacation coming up next week, and then my mom’s birthday the week after, then my own birthday a week after that. 😊 I also saw Itzy live over the weekend (though since this is an August thing, wait for my wrap-up next month for photos and/or videos)! 😂 That being said, since August is looking pretty busy for me, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get a lot of reading done. Oh well, we’ll see!
In July, I read 7 books with an average rating of 2.92 stars.
I’m not sure if this is my lowest average of the year, but this is… not a great average rating. I read a bunch of “meh” books this month, with a few outliers. This was really disappointing for me because I feel like I picked up books I was mostly sure I was going to love (except for Powerless 🙈). 😭
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. I saw Rachel rave about this, so I just had to read it. I loved the concept, but this definitely read like a debut novel. It could have used a lot of refining on so many aspects that fell flat–the world-building, the plot, and the characters.
Unsteady by Peyton Corinne. I’ll admit that this book isn’t objectively great, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! At the time, I needed an angsty sports romance, and when I saw Abbey’s post on bookstagram about this… it was a sign. I read it, and I had a great time.
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli. Unlike Iron Widow that had potential to have a lot of depth, this one was really just a surface-level read. I liked the writing and the romance, and it was an okay read if I didn’t think about it too deeply.
Kulti by Mariana Zapata. People always mention Mariana Zapata when we’re talking about slow-burn, so I expected this to be slow-burn… but this was WAY too slow. Nothing happened for the first 60% of the book, and when things finally progressed, I still found myself hating the MMC. The payoff wasn’t worth it.
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang. I can always count on Ann Liang to make me re-think my culture and my upbringing. 😂 I felt like this one was a taaad too similar to I Hope This Doesn’t Find You (which I enjoyed more), so I couldn’t give this a higher rating.
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross. THIS BOOK. Listen, I really enjoyed Divine Rivals, but why is that more popular when A River Enchanted is so much better? I looooved the world, the characters, the writing. I might do a series review when I finish the sequel, but this book is a new favorite for sure. 💕
Powerless by Lauren Roberts. I knew before reading this that I wasn’t going to love it, but when I started it, it was funny-bad for the first 3 chapters, then just went downhill from there. I’m not sure if I’m going to do a full review for this, but I ranted a bit on Goodreads if you want more thoughts. I appreciate books like these for getting people into reading, but I wish it were better books that were getting this popular. 😅
Here are the books I hauled in August…
I bought SIX physical books in August, is way more than I would normally buy in a month, but in my defense, three of these books I’ve already read before buying them. I just wanted physical copies since the series became a new favorite of mine. 💕 ANYWAY, let’s get to the books!
*This was my first ever attempt at a booksta Reel, so please be nice to me. 😂
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Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. I grew up with Chang’e’s story and am so stoked for this retelling! I’ve heard nothing but amazing things.
The Red Palace by June Hur. I’ve mentioned A Crane Among Wolves on here a couple of times bc it’s one of my fave reads of the year so far, and I definitely want to read more from this author!
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross. I’m currently reading this! Again, I haven’t had much time to read continuously so progress has been SLOW, but I’m enjoying it so far. 😊
The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, and The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin. I read this entire trilogy in June and absolutely fell in love with it. Jemisin’s world-building and character-building are exceptional in this trilogy.
I’m not sure if I’m going to bring back showing approved ARCs on my monthly wrap-ups, but there are a few that I got that I am so excited about and need to share. The ones I’m featuring are from HarperCollins (I have a few from other publishers, but am too lazy to add them here right now 🙈):
I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang. I’ve read all 3 of Ann Liang’s published novels so far, and I’ve given them between 3 and 4 stars. Her MCs are always relatable for me, so fingers crossed for another winner! 🤞 Also this cover is stunning.
Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid. Now, unlike Ann Liang, I haven’t actually read from Ava Reid before. A few of her books are on my TBR (I’m really interested in Juniper & Thorn), but I haven’t gotten around to reading them yet. Fable for the End of the World sounds like my cup of tea, though, so I took a shot and requested it. Queer Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Count me in.
Here’s my progress on my Summer reading challenges!
10 Books of Summer – 2/10 books. I read Iron Widow and Powerless which were both unfortunately very disappointing. I’m currently reading This Fatal Kiss, and I finally got my cousin’s copy of Piranesi here with me, so I’ll probably finish this challenge with 4/10 books read… oops. I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the books this summer bc of my aforementioned busy August schedule.
And before you leave, check out these other bookish posts I loved in July! 😊
There are so many posts here that I wasn’t able to include! Definitely hoping for more energy to keep up with people this August.
Looking for new books to read? Check these out:
- Caro has some thriller, romance, and adventure book recommendations for you tor read during the summer.
- Check out Belle’s list of July 2024 releases.
- Charlotte has a list of gothic fiction novels to check out.
- Alia will recommend a book to you based on your favorite Sanrio character!
Here are a few awesome reviews that are specific to some books:
- The Orangutan librarian talks about People Love Dead Jews.
- 24hryabookblog made me want to read Sinner’s Isle.
We also have some fantastic posts to check out on miscellaneous topics:
- Sophie’s list of her worst reader traits was waaay too relatable for me.
- Authors should learn a thing or two from Pam’s list of things she wants more of in books.
- Louise has started a unique reading challenge! Check it out and sign up!
Let’s support our bookish author friends as well!
- Marie shares her book’s synopsis, as well as opportunities to promote her book! Let’s sign up and help out. <3
- Nicole shared some of the behind-the-scenes processes behind her book’s cover art! The amount of detail that went into this cover?! So good.
Let’s chat!
Any books on here that you’ve read or want to read? What was your favorite read of July (please pitch it to me)! 💖 Have an awesome August, loves!
Let's chat! 🙂