Hello,
This got posted a lot later than I thought it would but I am planning to both June’s wrap-up and July’s wrap-up this week. August is going to be a small TBR since I still have some books that I need to finish and school is starting again so I won’t be able to read as much. For this post, I will do both June and July’s wrap-up in and then I will focus on my TBR/currently reading in a second post. June was an extremely busy month for me as I worked a lot of hours and I was also taking online classes so I didn’t get to read quite as much as I hoped to though I did finish some really good ones.
July wasn’t quite as busy and I was finally able to catch up on some books that I have been reading since May. I haven’t been able to get to my NetGalley books yet but I am hoping to work on those in August since I have fewer books to read this month. I move back to school on the 19th but I am hoping to get a lot of reading done before then.
For this post, I will just talk about the books that I really enjoyed, books that I thought were okay, and books that surprised me.
June TBR:
The total amount of books read: 9
Favorite book:
American Panda by Gloria Chao – 5 stars. – I picked this book up on my Overdrive on a whim and absolutely loved it. Mei was definitely one of my favorite characters and I loved learning about the culture as well. This is one that I would highly recommend.
The heart forger (#2) by Rin Chupeco – 4.5/5 stars – I read Rin Chupeco’s “The girl from the well” and rated it 3 stars so I was definitely surprised by how much I loved both The Bone witch and The Heart Forger. There were times where The heart forger was just a little slow but it had the same format as the second book and we learn a little more about the characters so I am definitely excited to see what happens next in the third book.
Books that surprised me:
The library of Fates by Aditi Khorana – 4 stars. – This was another book that I picked up on a whim and thought it was really good. It was a little slow towards the middle of the story but it picked up again toward the end. I was also very surprised by how the story ended and am looking forward to reading more by this author. This is one that I would definitely recommend.
Least favorite book:
The Shining (#1) by Stephen King – 3 stars – I really wanted to enjoy to enjoy this one but it did take me longer to finish than usual. I also didn’t really get scared when I read this book as well. One thing I did find interesting was how each of the characters reacted to the things that happened in the hotel. Overall, I would still recommend this book but it might be a while before I try anymore.
Night star (#5) by Alyson Noel – 3 stars – This book was just okay. I didn’t really like the characters in this one that much though the story was okay. I will read the last book in the series though I’m not sure when I will finish it.
Even though I didn’t read quite as much as I wanted to this month I feel that I was able to get a lot of reading done. American Panda by Gloria Chao was definitely my favorite book of the month and I was a little disappointed with The shining since I was hoping to enjoy it. I was also glad to finish A storm of swords and am looking forward to picking up A feast for crows at some point.
July Wrap-up
The Total amount of books I read in July: 22
Favorite book:
A court of frost and starlight (#3.1) by Sarah J. Maas – 5 stars – This was one that I picked up on a whim, and I really enjoyed it. It was nice to see what happened after the end of the third book. It was also interesting to see each of the characters and how they reacted and changed as well. I would highly recommend this novella.
Least favorite book:
Conversion by Katherine Howe – 3 stars – I thought the story itself was interesting, but I didn’t really like any of the characters. I actually had to DNF this one after reading a few chapters so I may go back to it eventually to see if I would enjoy it, but the parts of the story that I did read was pretty good.
Books that surprised me:
A reaper at the gates (#3) by Sabaa Tahir – 4 stars – This one wasn’t quite as good as the first two in this series but there was a lot of action in it. I wasn’t sure about the ending of the story but I did love most of the book. I am also looking forward to seeing how this series ends and would highly recommend this one.
A study in Charlotte (#1) by Brittany Cavallaro – 4 stars – This was another book that I found really interesting. There were times where I thought the story dragged a little bit but I did love the interaction between Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes. There were also some things in the story that I was surprised to find out, but I did enjoy the story.
Favorite book from this list:
Death du jour (#2) by Kathy Reichs – 4 stars – This one didn’t take me long to finish once I was able to read it. I’m hoping to continue the series though I’m not sure how many I will be able to read.
Least favorite book:
Tiger’s Destiny (#4) by Colleen Houck – 3 stars – I really wanted to love this one but I had a hard time with it. I loved the first two but it took me a long time to read both the third book and the fourth book. I will probably read the fifth one when it comes out next year, though I’m not sure when I will.
Books that were surprising:
You against me by Jenny Downham – 4 stars – This one was hard to rate when I finished it. I liked most of the characters and I thought the story was portrayed well. I would also recommend this one.
S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett – 4 stars – This was another book that I picked up on a whim and it was alright. I liked the characters but felt that it was a little predictable.
Favorite book:
Legendary (#2) by Stephanie Garber – 4.5 stars – This one was definitely a good one. I did feel that there were a few parts that were a little repetitive but overall the story was really good. I can’t wait to see what happens in the third book when it comes out.
Least favorite book:
The Diviners (#1) by Libba Bray – I was a little hesitant about this one since it was also a historical novel, but I thought it went really well with the supernatural part of the story too. I did not like the main character but I thought the story itself was interesting and I may continue the series to see what happens next.
Books that were surprising:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik – 4 stars – This one took me a while to get into but once I started reading the story I really enjoyed it. It was a little slow at the beginning of the book, but it picked up after a few chapters. I would definitely recommend this one.
The forever song (#3) by Julie Kagawa – 3.5 stars – This was another one that I wanted to love but it was just okay. I liked the first two books in this trilogy but I thought this one was okay. My favorite character was Jackal though. Even though the third book was okay, I would still highly recommend this trilogy as I really enjoyed all of them.
My Reading challenge as of August: 86/130
Overall July was a really good month for reading. I finally got caught up on the rest of the books that I had started in May and was able to start on some of the books that I had picked out for July. There were also some that I picked up on a whim and was glad that I was able to read them as well. My favorite books were A court of frost and starlight (#3.1) by Sarah J. Maas and Legendary (#2) by Stephanie Garber. My least favorite books were Conversion by Katherine Howe, Tiger’s destiny (#4) by Catherine Howe, and the diviners.
My next post will consist of my TBR for August and what I am currently reading. I also wanted to try this format for my June/July Wrap-up since I had read so many books in July. For August I may go back to my regular format. Let me know if you like this one better. I may stick to both and try them for both my TBR and Wrap-up posts. I’m also planning a couple of reviews if I can finish the rest of my library books before school starts next week.
Marybeth's Bookish Adventures 