I’m back baby! | July Wrap-Up & TBR Update

The reading! It’s happening! I’m finding glorious pockets throughout my day to read and it’s making my life so full right now!

• Vengeful by V.E. Schwab – Read and reviewed
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Book Club) – Read and reviewed
• Wilder Girls by Rory Power [ARC] – Read and reviewed
• This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills – Read and reviewed
• House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig [ARC] – Read and reviewed
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – Currently reading
• Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley – Finished #3, 4, and 5; Currently listening to #6

Also read/reading:

• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo – Read and reviewed
• Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey – Read and reviewed
• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz – Currently listening
• Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills – Read and reviewed
• Descendant of the Crane by Joan He – Currently reading

Books finished this month: 11
Books currently reading: 4

Overall TBR:

TBR at the beginning of the year = 383
TBR at the beginning of July = 472
Books added to TBR = 8
Books read/deleted from TBR = 11
Total on TBR now = 469

How did your reading go this month?

Summer Releases | NetGalley Mini-Reviews

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

I really enjoyed Kemmerer’s other book Letters to the Lost (only $2 for the eBook right now!) so I was really excited when I got approved for this one. It did not disappoint. I found the two main characters to both be likable (Rob a little more so for me than Maegan). I thought the book dealt with some tough topics like teen pregnancy, abortion, and race and crime in a really mature, sensitive, and realistic way. The plot wasn’t as cut and dry as it first seemed and I enjoyed the depth there as well. I didn’t feel like the characters’ choices always made a ton of sense, but in the end, the author really made me try to examine how I would react if I were in Rob’s shoes. 4/5

Hardcover | eBook

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

This book was being marketed as a Lord of the Flies type story which so happens to be one of the only required reading books from High School that I actually enjoyed reading. So I was all in. Unfortuntely, I was to be disappointed. This book had so much hype around it and I found the premise to be really intriguing and I liked the eerie and unsettled tone that wove throughout the book, but I felt like there was too much that was just weird. The Tox itself doesn’t really make much sense. Why does it effect everyone differently? What causes the flare ups? And then in the end, the explanation for it is unsatisfying, comes out of nowhere, and doesn’t really fit the tone of the rest of the book. It actually would have been a more satisfying ending if there HADN’T been an explanation. Another issue for me was Byatt. I just 100% did not understand her as a character. Lastly, I had a hard time with Hetty and Reese’s “relationship”. I felt like so much of their currently existing relationship is backstory that we never get to see and we’re more told how they “feel” about each other rather than shown. They kind of just get slapped into this relationship and then just as quickly slapped out of it. 3/5

How Ashley got her groove back | July TBR

I’m hoping I get my groove back this month at least. Towards the end of June, I felt my groove was on its way back, so we’ll see if that continues. It may get thrown off because we’ve got a family reunion to go to, but for now I think I’m getting into a rhythm and I hope that’s reflected by my reading.

• Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Book Club)
• Wilder Girls by Rory Power [ARC]
• This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
• House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig [ARC]
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Continue reading)
• Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley (Continue listening)

Since I’m reading Jane Eyre through Serial Reader, it’ll probably still take me a month or two before I finish it. And I’m working through the Flavia de Luce mysteries on our morning walks, so those will be ongoing as well. Does anyone have any good, light series that they’d recommend as audiobooks? I’d prefer a series with lots of books that is different from the Flavia de Luce mysteries (and that won’t have a million holds on them *cough* Harry Potter *cough*). I could see myself getting tired of the Flavia mysteries and wanting to switch off every other book.

What are you guys reading this month? Let me know in the comments!

Welcome to a California Summer | June Wrap-Up & TBR Update

You guys. Where we’re at in California is SO HOT. We’ve been told that if you can survive July and August then you’ll make it, but I’m all like JUNE HAS BEEN UPPER 90s/LOW 100s EVERY DAY SO HOW COULD JULY AND AUGUST BE WORSE. Guess we’ll see.

• The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen – Read and reviewed
• The Chosen by Taran Matharu [ARC] – DNF 38%
• Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal [ARC] – DNF 13%
• Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer [ARC] – Currently Reading
• Wilder Girls by Rory Power [ARC]
• The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley – Read (Audio)
• First & Then by Emma Mills – Read and reviewed

Also read/reading:

• A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley – Currently Reading
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – Currently Reading
• Vicious by V.E. Schwab – Read and reviewed

Books finished this month: 4 (with 2 DNFs)
Books currently reading: 3

Man, I really need to get back on track with my ARCs.

Overall TBR:

TBR at the beginning of the year = 383
TBR at the beginning of June = 460
Books added to TBR = 18
Books read/deleted from TBR = 6
Total on TBR now = 472

How did your reading go this month?

May flowers bring June power (reading) | June TBR

This is the month of the big move! We’ll be moving within the next few days and after that we’ll be settling into our new place, our new lives. I’m so hoping to have time to read. If I do, here’s what I’m planning to get to this month.

• The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen (TBH this is the only book I’m CERTAIN I’ll get to this month)
• The Chosen by Taran Matharu [ARC]
• Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal [ARC]
• Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer [ARC]
• Wilder Girls by Rory Power [ARC]
• The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
• First & Then by Emma Mills

I’m trying to keep it pretty simple this month and we’ll see how that goes.

What are you guys reading this month? Let me know in the comments!