July 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

Happy August bookworms!

Where did the summer go?  We are just two short weeks away from the back-to-school madness and I am NOT ready!  July was much busier than I ever anticipated.  Between vacation, hosting out of town family, football, cheerleading, summer camps, and birthday parties, our summer is flying by.

Let’s see what I read & blogged this month…

» Born Reading by Jason Boog

I really appreciate Jason’s passion for childhood literacy, as it is something near and dear to my own heart.  Jason does a great job of talking about the importance of interactive reading with young children.  I do feel like Jason was a tad heavy with his personal narratives about his daughter… Overall in comparison with some of the other books on childhood literacy, this was not my favorite.

» Beezus and Ramona (Ramona #1) by Beverly Cleary

I listened to this via audiobook with my 5-year-old.  I remember reading this series when I was in elementary school, so it was lovely to revisit Ramona & Beezus 🙂  What an accurate portrayal of sibling relationships, especially one with an age gap.

» Challenger Deep by Neil Shusterman

*4.5 Stars*

I think this was such a unique YA contemporary.  The mental illness representation felt so well done, which isn’t surprising since one of Shusterman’s sons struggles with mental illness.

» The Twelve by Cindy Lin

#YARC19

This is a middle grade fantasy new release that I was sent a copy of in exchange for review.  I really enjoyed the magic system the revolved around the Chinese zodiac.  This book was a slow build up, but the last 100 pages were excellent!  I think this is a solid start to a MG fantasy series.

» Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor #1) by Mark Lawrence

#IronTomeAThon

This book was freaking awesome!  If you enjoy dark, gritty, and intense fantasy, I highly recommend Red Sister.  It gave me The Name of the Wind vibes.

» American Gods (American Gods #1) by Neil Gaiman

*4.5 Stars*

#IronTomeAThon

I can totally see where this book would not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.  I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by a full cast, and I really think this is how this story should be experienced.

» Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

*4.5 Stars*

#IronTomeAThon

I enjoyed this story, but must admit, this was probably a 3.5 to 4 star read until the last 100 pages.  I loved the infusion of  Native American mythology with a post-apocalyptic world.  My only complaint was that this book could have been 100 pages LONGER.

» Normal People by Sally Rooney

I honestly have no idea what to rate this book… I’m very conflicted.  While I could not stop reading this book, it wasn’t exactly an enjoyable reading experience.  I did find the story a very interesting look at themes like mental illness, toxic relationships, abuse, etc.  I am actually surprised this book is rated as highly as it is on Goodreads because it seems like it would be a very polarizing type of book.

» The Nickle Boys by Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys is a fictionalized account of the abuse and misconduct of the Dozier Reform School in Florida.  I appreciate when authors bring lesser known history to light, especially horrific history such as this.  It is important for these types of stories to not be brushed under the rug or forgotten.  I was a bit underwhelmed with this story to be honest.  I was set to give it 3 stars, but that plot twist caught me completely off guard!

» A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #1) by Marie Brennan

*4.5 Stars*

I highly enjoy a good historical fiction & fantasy mash-up!  A Natural History of Dragon is told in a memoir style narrative of a prominent dragon natural scientist in her early years as a young woman that dreams of studying dragons.  There was so much that I loved about this story: the Victorian era setting, the feminist tones, the challenging gender norms, the focus on natural science, and the mystery storyline.

Goodreads Challenge Update: 76/100 books read

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#YARC2019 Update: 14 books read

I read 1 book for #YARC2019 in July: The Twelve by Cindy Lin.  You can see my progress for this challenge here ⇒ Year of Asian Reading Challenge TBR + Progress Tracker #YARC2019

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2019 Goals Update:

» 80% NetGalley feedback ratio = 15 backlist ARCs ⇒ 7/15 ARCs read

Much like June, I did not read any backlist ARCs.  BUT I did post a review, so my NetGalley feedback ratio is now 69%.

» 30 physical TBR books ⇒ 17/30 books read

I read 4 books off my physical TBR in July!  I read Challenger Deep, American Gods, Trail of Lightning, and Normal People.

» No buying new books ⇒ 0 books purchased!

My local Books & Company held a sale where you could purchase any book for a penny a page.  For example, if you wanted a 500 page book, it would cost you $5.   As much as it pained me, I did not go.  I knew I would not be able to control myself.

» Read long books I’ve been putting off ⇒ 1/3 books read

I finally made some progress on this goal!  I read American Gods, which was one of the 3 “long” books I wanted to read this year 🙂

June 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

July 2019 TBR

Mini Book Reviews: Audiobooks I Read With My Kids (April – June 2019)

Top 11 Books of 2019 So Far! (January – June 2019)

Mini Book Reviews: July 2019 (Part 1)

Book Review: Five Roses by Alice Zorn

Mini Book Reviews: July 2019 (Part 2)

Which books did you read this month?

Have you read any of the books I read or hauled this month?  If so, what did you think?

Did you buy any books?  If so, which ones?

Comment below & let me know 🙂