July has been my most productive reading month this year so far, I read nine books, and I think it’s primarily thanks to the weather. While most of the world was going through record-breaking heatwaves, in England, we’ve had 31 days of non-stop rain and cold wind. With this autumnal atmosphere, I’ve spent most of my time reading and binge-watching shows.
I also joined my local library; until now, I was only an online member so I could borrow ebooks, but I decided to get a physical card. Though the selection in the tiny library (it has only one room) is pretty lacking, I found some interesting books to read.
YA fantasy is my most-read genre this month, followed by adult romance. And my favourite read was The Luminaries by Susan Dennard. I can’t wait for the second part!
YA reads
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
Genre: fantasy, gothic, YA
How I read it: physical copy from the library
Rating: 4/5
Signa, a girl who can’t die and Death, who is a supernatural human, start a complex relationship when everyone that cares for her dies. Set in a gothic and ghostly old manor, the story follows Signa trying to discover who murdered her estranged aunt.
I enjoyed this book, though I’m not a fan of her relationship with Death, it seemed too creepy. There’s a second part, but I’m not sure I will read it.
Echoes and Empires and Legends and Liars by Morgan Rhodes
Genre: fantasy, romance, YA
How I read it: on my kindle
Rating: 5/5
I read Echoes and Empires last year, and I loved it. I reread it this month so I could read the second part that came out recently.
In a world where magic is forbidden and every person that shows any power will be killed, Josslyn, a very privileged and popular 17-year-old, gets into trouble when her life is turned upside down by an encounter with a thief and the magic that is now in her body. Josslyn will discover there’s more magic in the world than she thought possible.
While I loved the first one, the second book wasn’t as great, yet I devoured them in three days.
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
Genre: fantasy, paranormal, YA
How I read it: physical copy
Rating: 5/5
I’m so in love with this book and its world. Hemlock Falls is a town with many secrets, they have an ancient order called the Luminaries that protects the world from the monsters living in the forest.
This story has everything from teenage outcasts to deadly hunter trials to werewolves. I couldn’t put it down, and I’ll be the first in line to buy the second part in November.
Romance reads
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Genre: romance
How I read it: physical copy from the library
Rating: 4/5
This isn’t my favourite Emily Henry book, it isn’t even my second favourite, but it’s the one that had me crying the most.
I loved the flashback story of how this group of friends met and how they stayed at the same beach house every year since their twenties, and I loved the romance of how Harriet met her boyfriend, Wyn, now her ex-boyfriend, in the present. But the story in the present is what had me crying all the time! In their thirties now, the friend group meets for one last summer at the Maine cottage, and no one knows that Harriet and Wyn aren’t together anymore.
Book Lovers and Beach Read are still my top two, but this was a good read too. I just hate how much I cried with this.
Want is a kind of thief. It’s a door in your heart, and once you know it’s there, you’ll spend your life longing for whatever’s behind it.
“I’m not being self-deprecating,” I say. “Once men get to know me, they’re sometimes interested, but I’m not the one their eyes go to first. I’ve made peace with it.” His gaze slides down me and back up. “So you’re saying you’re slow-release hot.” I nod. “That’s right. I’m slow-release hot.”
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Genre: fantasy, romance
How I read it: on my kindle
Rating: 3.5/5
Mika Moon is a real witch posting fake witchy videos online when she gets hired to teach magic to three young witches living in an isolated house in the middle of nowhere.
This book is what I would call a cosy witchy read. It was funny and comforting. The author has another witchy story coming out next year with the same vibe. I can’t wait!
We’re part of the earth below us and the sky above us. Our veins echo the patterns of rivers and roots. There’s sunlight and moonlight in our bones.
In moments like this, she really and truly loved being a witch. She loved losing herself for hours in the hum of magic, the sparkle of gold dust in the air, the soft warmth of witchfire, the ideas and the creativity and the fun.
Mystery reads
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
Genre: mystery
How I read it: ebook borrowed from the library
Rating: 3.5/5
While not as good as the first part, Thursday Murder Club’s new adventure didn’t disappoint. There’s more murder and more spies, this time, even the MI5 is involved. It felt like a very surreal read with a satisfying ending. Very cosy and funny.
“More women are murdering people these days,” says Joyce. “If you ignore the context, it is a real sign of progress.”
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
Genre: gothic, mystery, lgbt
How I read it: physical copy from the library
Rating: 3/5
This book started great, but it got boring almost immediately. While the premise is exactly something I would love, a first-hand account of Dracula’s first wife, Constanta, and all the crazy things they did throughout centuries, I kept struggling to finish it.
Non-fiction read
Shy: How Being Quiet Can Lead To Success by Annie Ridout
Genre: non-fiction
How I read it: physical copy from the library
Rating: 2/5
A book about how being shy is okay and you shouldn’t let that pull you back from your goals. It’s full of personal anecdotes from the author, and she includes interviews with famous people who used to struggle with shyness. For me, it felt very repetitive, and even though the message was that it’s okay to be shy, the author kept repeating how “she used to be shy” yet managed to do all of these things that made her successful now… I don’t know, I was expecting something with more insight, like Quiet by Susan Cain, but this wasn’t it.
I have such a long TBR list that I don’t even know where to start. I’m surrounded by library books, impulse-buy books and £0.99 Kindle book deals. I need someone to make me a schedule so I can read them all! Oh, the burden of choices… *sighs in bookish*
Willow in Winter 