How is it August? We're less than two weeks away from the beginning of school! I'm just not going to think about that little tidbit today, OK?
My July reading was ... not great. After reading so much in June, I hit a massive reading slump in July. I wanted to read, but nothing that I picked up resonated with me. Often, I don't have the luxury of indulging a slump, as I have certain books that have to be reviewed on certain days. But, for whatever reason, July didn't have many deadlines, so when I wasn't feeling a book, I just stopped reading.
Near the end of the month, I came out of the slump (thanks to Underestimating Miss Cecilia), and now I'm happily reading again. And even with the slump, I still read nine books ... but only two from my July TBR.
Murder in the City of Liberty ⭐⭐1/2 (review)
Love and Other Mistakes ⭐⭐⭐1/2 (review to come)
I did start The Sky Above Us, and I'll probably finish it this month. And Cross My Heart was my first August read.
Other books I read in July:
Underestimating Miss Cecilia ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 (review)—this was my favorite read of the month!
The Art of Rivers ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 (review)
Risking Love ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 (review)
My Best Friend's Father ⭐⭐1/2 (review)—don't worry; the title makes it sound gross, but it's really clean with a moderate age gap. That said, it's not very good ...
Misunderstanding the Billionaire's Heir (Sweet Water High #1) ⭐⭐⭐ (review)
Chemistry of a Kiss (Sweet Water High #5) ⭐⭐1/2 (review)
One of the Girls ⭐⭐⭐1/2 (review)
And I DNF'd one book: Crushing on My Brother's Best Friend. This was also one of the Sweet Water High novels, and I just wasn't feeling it. Since I borrowed it, I didn't feel bad about pulling the trigger relatively quickly.
I'm just now noticing that I didn't have a single 5-star review in July! Sometimes I feel like I'm too generous with my stars, but apparently I was feeling stingy last month 🤣. I have some books coming up in August that I'm very excited to read, so here's hoping I find a 5-star or two!
How was your July for reading? What was your favorite read of the month? And what do you do when you get into a reading slump?
I admit I DNF a lot of books and sometimes I wonder why I'm so fussy. I generally have to fall in love with a book to really really sink into it. Because many of the books I 'read' are actually audiobooks, I think the narrator can really help or hinder. That said, I have really loved the GIRL WAITS WITH GUN series by Amy Stewart. I think it was a balance of both a great story with an interesting first person POV but also there was just something so satisfying and comfortable with the author's style.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for being fussy! Since most of the books I read are ones I've gotten for review, I feel obligated to read them all the way through (even though that's not necessarily required--but I feel like I need to give it a full shot in order to write a fair review) ... I think that's why I have such a short leash for the books I'm reading for pleasure! I totally agree on the audiobook narrator! I don't do a lot of audiobook "reading" simply because I can read much faster than I can listen, and I don't have a long commute or a job that would allow me to listen while I work.
DeleteI hadn't heard of Girl Waits with Gun before, but I just looked it up, and it sounds wonderful. Thanks for the recommendation!
July was a great reading month for me. My favorites were No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer, The Captive Imposter by Dawn Crandall, The Huntress of Thornback Forest by Melanie Dickerson, and Dead Drift by Dani Pettrey on audio (so good!). I also enjoyed a non-CF mystery, The Anatomists Wife, the first Lady Darby mystery by Anna Lee Huber. I can't say I've had a slump yet, as I've discovered a love for reading that I've never had before. I'm in my late 40's and have grown to love reading in the last couple years, so after discovering several book bloggers, including you, I have a LONG list of books to choose from every time I finish a book. I'm sure at some point I will hit a slump, but I'm still so much enjoying this fairly new hobby!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for the late reply! Of the CF books you read last month, I've read and loved The Captive Imposter and Dead Drift--and the other two are on my TBR! That's so cool to hear that you've recently discovered a love for reading! Do you follow any "bookstagram" accounts? That's where I find books to add to my never-ending TBR :-)
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