An Extremely Late July 2019 Reading Wrap Up

Image by Lenin Estrada

I've been reading like mad lately so I've been neglecting the blog a little. I still wanted to post all the books I read in July because I always like to see what other people have read and enjoyed as well. 

I read two contemporary romances, two contemporary fiction, one short story collection, one nonfiction, one horror, one graphic novel, one realistic fiction, two fantasy, one picture book, and one comic which is a total of thirteen books! Seven of them were on my tbr list. My tbr is currently at 192 books which is down by eight from last month. In order to get to my goal of 150 by the end of the year. I'm only allowing myself to add two books to my tbr a month.

The Haunting of Hill House was absolutely terrifying. Shouldn't have finished in the middle of the night. The light went out very briefly and my heart started racing. Jackson's writing was superb. I should have expected it to be considered how much I loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I'm going to have to go hunting for her other books, but make sure not to read them in the middle of the night.

Kitchen was an okay read. I did enjoy the little moments in the writing that made me think of my own life and sympathize with the characters. I enjoyed Moonlight Shadow, the story after Kitchen, more than the namesake of the book. It was a really well done story, also about death, that simply made me happy.

Make Your Bed was not what I expected but still some great inspirational lessons and stories to live by. Never ring the bell, take risks, knowing that life isn't fair and that you will fail often are obvious things I know I must do but it's always good to be reminded.

Her Royal Highness was very cute. I needed a sweet book to read and I got one. There were one or two things I would have liked more from the story but overall I had a good time.

The magic, family, and new friendships made The Okay Witch a wonderful read. I liked the time travel aspect as well as the Kramers vs. the Hush's. The way the history was told of the town and how it changed things. There were many things to enjoy. This will easily bring joy to a child or adult.

I had a good time reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Nina's personality and anxiety issues mirrored my own to an extent so I felt like I could connect with her. I enjoyed learning more about her family members and seeing her connect with them. The bookstore customer's and the problems that surfaced were interesting. I liked all the trivia added in as well. The only thing that I can think of right now that was meh was the romance. I didn't really care for Tom after a while. I didn't really get to know him. He then did something that I couldn't understand. If I would have gotten to know him more and if the romance was centered on a little more (not something I usually say) I think I would have enjoyed the story more.

I loved rereading Are you Alone on Purpose? The thing missing from the story was some sort of conflict about what Alison was hanging out with Harry. Otherwise, I loved this story once again and won't be surprised if this is a reread for me in the future. 

Beneath the Sugar Sky had more obvious themes (like the rest of the series) to the story that dealt with being overweight and a character with a disability. I guess I just don't like how they are presented. Don't tell me, show me! I loved seeing Nancy again because she's my favorite. The sugar filled world was fun too. Honestly though this was my least favorite out of the bunch. I do not love some of the choices the author makes in this whole series. Although, I do like the world building and imagination. I wish there was more Nancy even if it seems unlikely in future stories.

Maybe it's because I haven't read Monstrous but I wasn't all too into Ravenous when I was reading it. It started off a bit fast paced and the storyline just wasn't my thing. I thought I would love this since I love fairy tale retellings but nope.

Faking Normal is still an absolutely wonderful book. I needed a favorite like this one, one that would make me cry, today. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. There were a few things I did not remember at all like why Alexi chose to keep the secret and the journal. The raw emotion and pain in this story - honestly it's the best.

Hilda and the Troll is a cute, short comic. Loved the Netflix series and this was well done. Needed a little more action and I prefer the way Hilda and her mom are drawn in the show but overall a nice comic with colorful illustrations.  

Clever Little Witch had lots of wonderful illustrations. A fun, cute picture book with some great humor.

Death and Other Happy Endings was such a strange read. Something that happened in the beginning that I couldn't understand why it happened connected with the ending. I did like how the main character confronted those people in her life that wronged her in some way but a bit of showing her own flaws would have been nice too. I guess that's what was tried with her former friend Emily but it didn't conclude well.

What have you enjoyed reading recently?