Books Read in July:
A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 19698-1994 by Alice Munro 3.6 stars for the entire collection. I started this for a class back in the fall of 2017 and I've been making my way through the collection since. Munro isn't bad, but I wasn't always gripped by her stories. My biggest problem with her was her continuous allowance and (almost) positive endorsement of cheating and having affairs. I just can't get behind that theme.
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager 5 stars This is my favorite suspense/thriller novel that I've read so far in 2018. I loved this so much. I didn't know if I would like it when I requested it from Netgalley, but I flew through the pages and the ending completely took me by surprise. I loved the atmosphere and the unreliability of both the narrator and the author (cause he can keep secrets). Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC)
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood 1 star I absolutely hated this. I listened to the audiobook and it grated on my nerves. I'm so disappointed because I love The Handmaid's Tale, but this novel is absolutely disgusting and crass. This is one of the worse novels I've ever read.
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas 3.25 stars This novella isn't horrible, but it showcases how sloppy of a writer Maas is. I wasn't impressed by this one, but I am excited to follow Nesta and Cassian because I think Feyre and Rhys have been beat over the head like a dead horse. It's time to let their story go. Check out my review here.
I Am Still Alive by Kate Marshall 2 stars I was completely disappointed by this one. It's a survival story about a girl recovering from a car crash in the Alaskan woods after her dad's been murdered. The suspense is there, but it isn't always gripping and the writing is just okay. Check out my review here. (First to Read ARC)
Love Story by Karen Kingsbury 4.5 stars I've heard a lot of good things about Kingsbury and it was fun to finally check out one of her novels. I loved hearing John recount his love story with Elizabeth because it destroyed my emotions. I wasn't a huge fan of Cody and Andi's story, but I did like listening to their story. It just wasn't as gripping as John telling his story to his grandson.
It's All About the Duke by Amelia Grey 2 stars This was a typical HR novel, but the writing was cringe worthy and made me roll my eyes. I wasn't invested in the romance and I was kind of letdown by it. Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC)
Against Forgetting edited by Carolyn Forche 3.25 stars Poetry is a mixed bag. Either you love it and or are moved or you're completely unimpressed by it. Some of these poems hit me hard, but others didn't grip me. Check out my review here.
Circe by Madeline Miller 4.25 stars The audiobook is good, but there is a lot to take in. I really enjoy Greek mythology, but I think there may be too much packed in here. It's completely overwhelming to listen to, but Miller really delivers a beautiful story.
The Hollow by Jessica Verday 2 stars This was a reread for me and it didn't hold up. It was incredibly love obsessed and it had promise to be a good ghost story, but being obsessed with boys in the era of Twilight was always more important than a good story. Check out my review here.
The Shining by Stephen King 5 stars I absolutely LOVED this! It was horrifying and creepy. I felt claustrophobic and like something was closing in on me while I was reading. I felt like I was trapped inside the Overlook Hotel and I loved it. I can't recommend it enough!
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas 3.25 stars This novella isn't horrible, but it showcases how sloppy of a writer Maas is. I wasn't impressed by this one, but I am excited to follow Nesta and Cassian because I think Feyre and Rhys have been beat over the head like a dead horse. It's time to let their story go. Check out my review here.
I Am Still Alive by Kate Marshall 2 stars I was completely disappointed by this one. It's a survival story about a girl recovering from a car crash in the Alaskan woods after her dad's been murdered. The suspense is there, but it isn't always gripping and the writing is just okay. Check out my review here. (First to Read ARC)
Love Story by Karen Kingsbury 4.5 stars I've heard a lot of good things about Kingsbury and it was fun to finally check out one of her novels. I loved hearing John recount his love story with Elizabeth because it destroyed my emotions. I wasn't a huge fan of Cody and Andi's story, but I did like listening to their story. It just wasn't as gripping as John telling his story to his grandson.
It's All About the Duke by Amelia Grey 2 stars This was a typical HR novel, but the writing was cringe worthy and made me roll my eyes. I wasn't invested in the romance and I was kind of letdown by it. Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC)
Against Forgetting edited by Carolyn Forche 3.25 stars Poetry is a mixed bag. Either you love it and or are moved or you're completely unimpressed by it. Some of these poems hit me hard, but others didn't grip me. Check out my review here.
Circe by Madeline Miller 4.25 stars The audiobook is good, but there is a lot to take in. I really enjoy Greek mythology, but I think there may be too much packed in here. It's completely overwhelming to listen to, but Miller really delivers a beautiful story.
The Hollow by Jessica Verday 2 stars This was a reread for me and it didn't hold up. It was incredibly love obsessed and it had promise to be a good ghost story, but being obsessed with boys in the era of Twilight was always more important than a good story. Check out my review here.
The Shining by Stephen King 5 stars I absolutely LOVED this! It was horrifying and creepy. I felt claustrophobic and like something was closing in on me while I was reading. I felt like I was trapped inside the Overlook Hotel and I loved it. I can't recommend it enough!
2018 Goals:
-I want to finish at least three series (five doesn't seem doable). COMPLETED 4/3
*I finished The 5th Wave Trilogy with reading two novels!
*Burn for Burn trilogy was finally finished!
*I read and started The Lord of the Rings trilogy in one month!
*I finished the original Sevenwaters trilogy by Juliet Marillier with two novels read.
-I want to read five sequels (I don't have to finish the series). COMPLETED 9/5
-I want to read five sequels (I don't have to finish the series). COMPLETED 9/5
*Flawless by Sara Shepard is book 2 in the PLL series.
*The Infinite Sea and The Last Star by Rick Yancey are the 2nd and 3rd book in The 5th Wave series.
*The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon is the fifth book in the Outlander series.
*The Lord of the Rings: The Towers and The Return of the King are the first and second in the LOTR trilogy.
Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian is the last book in the Burn for Burn trilogy.
*Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier is the second book in the Sevenwaters series.
*Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier is the third and final novel in the original Sevenwaters trilogy.
*A Court of Frost and Starlight is the novella in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series
-I also want to read four short story collections. COMPLETED 6/4
-I also want to read four short story collections. COMPLETED 6/4
*Harry Potter and Philosophy.
*Manga Classics: The
Jungle Book
*Starlings
*Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan
Poe.
*The Merry Spinster
*A Wilderness Station
-I want to read three classics that are not Stephen King novels. COMPLETED 13/3
*A Wilderness Station
-I want to read three classics that are not Stephen King novels. COMPLETED 13/3
*Manga Classics: The Jungle Book
*Anne Frank Remembered
*The ABC Murders
*Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
*The Master Plan of Evangelism (Christian Classic)
*The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
*Heaven (It's one of the few real V.C. Andrews novels.)
*The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
*The Pursuit of Holiness (Christian Classic)
*A Wilderness Station
*Against Forgetting
*A Wilderness Station
*Against Forgetting
-I want to read five Stephen King novels (I've already read one in 2018). 4/5
*The Long Walk (5 stars)
*Gerald's Game (5 stars)
*IT (5 stars-reread)
*The Shining (5 stars)
*The Shining (5 stars)
Read 2018 ARCs. Read 25!
Books I Posted on End of the Year Survey. YES! 6/18
*The Fiery CrossBooks I Posted on End of the Year Survey. YES! 6/18
*Ashes to Ashes
*Gerald's Game
*God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
*Son of the Shadows
*The Shining
Summer TBR Check-In:
For the physical books that I own I read The Shining and The Heart Goes Last. 4/20 For the audiobooks I wanted to read, I read Circe and The Hollow. 8/20
Overall Thoughts:
I read 11 books this month and had no DNFS. So compared to June's amazing 5-star streak, July brought a lot of mediocre reads. The Shining and The Last Time I Lied were my favorite books of the month. They both got solid 5 stars from me and I highly recommend them. I can't stop talking about them. I finally finished A Wilderness Station and Against Forgetting and they've been on my CR list since last year in 2017.
Currently Reading/Hoping to Finish in August:
Already Finished: The Stepford Wives and Big Little Lies
Netgalley ARCs: Bellewether and A Darker Shade of Magic
Eldeweiss: Amity
I started The Drawing of the Three as the first book of my BookTubeAThon read and I haven't finished it yet, but I'm enjoying it! I'm reading Bellewether and I kind of want to DNF it because it's not really holding my interest, but I'll try to speed through it tomorrow and see if it's worth finishing. I'm listening to The Sun Does Shine and it's a harrowing true account of a black man wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row for a crime he didn't commit. I'm still working on The Purple Book, but this is a workbook so it may be on my next couple of CR in wrap-ups for a while. I'm still reading Helter Skelter, East of Eden, A Darker Shade of Magic, and Amity. I haven't touched them at all. I suck.
Books I'm Thinking About Picking Up:
ARCs
I don't expect I'll do much reading in August because I have band camp and I'm starting classes again. I will try to get to these ARCs and these are some of my most anticipated reads of 2018. I'm SO SO excited for The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle!
Audiobooks
I have The 5 Love Languages and Prince Caspian in my queue and I'm excited for both of them. I'm excited about all these books that I'm on hold for! I've been on hold for The Case for Jesus for a couple of months. I've heard good things about The Favorite Sister and The Death of Mrs. Westaway on BookTube so I'm excited to check it out. I want to give To All the Boys I've Loved Before a shot and I hope I like it. I love Between Shades of Gray and I was so excited when my library got this because I want to reread it so badly. I've The Cabin at the End of the World is wild and I can't wait. I read a devotional on the Bible app for Girl, Wash Your Face and one of my friends has recommend the novel, so I thought I would check it out, but I'm #45 on the waitlist.
Books I Own
I don't want to put too much on here because I'm going to be super busy. So no pressure.
Have you read any of these novels? Any favorites or books you didn't like? Let me know down below in the comments!
*The Shining
Summer TBR Check-In:
For the physical books that I own I read The Shining and The Heart Goes Last. 4/20 For the audiobooks I wanted to read, I read Circe and The Hollow. 8/20
Overall Thoughts:
I read 11 books this month and had no DNFS. So compared to June's amazing 5-star streak, July brought a lot of mediocre reads. The Shining and The Last Time I Lied were my favorite books of the month. They both got solid 5 stars from me and I highly recommend them. I can't stop talking about them. I finally finished A Wilderness Station and Against Forgetting and they've been on my CR list since last year in 2017.
Currently Reading/Hoping to Finish in August:
Already Finished: The Stepford Wives and Big Little Lies
Netgalley ARCs: Bellewether and A Darker Shade of Magic
Eldeweiss: Amity
I started The Drawing of the Three as the first book of my BookTubeAThon read and I haven't finished it yet, but I'm enjoying it! I'm reading Bellewether and I kind of want to DNF it because it's not really holding my interest, but I'll try to speed through it tomorrow and see if it's worth finishing. I'm listening to The Sun Does Shine and it's a harrowing true account of a black man wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row for a crime he didn't commit. I'm still working on The Purple Book, but this is a workbook so it may be on my next couple of CR in wrap-ups for a while. I'm still reading Helter Skelter, East of Eden, A Darker Shade of Magic, and Amity. I haven't touched them at all. I suck.
Books I'm Thinking About Picking Up:
ARCs
I don't expect I'll do much reading in August because I have band camp and I'm starting classes again. I will try to get to these ARCs and these are some of my most anticipated reads of 2018. I'm SO SO excited for The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle!
Audiobooks
I have The 5 Love Languages and Prince Caspian in my queue and I'm excited for both of them. I'm excited about all these books that I'm on hold for! I've been on hold for The Case for Jesus for a couple of months. I've heard good things about The Favorite Sister and The Death of Mrs. Westaway on BookTube so I'm excited to check it out. I want to give To All the Boys I've Loved Before a shot and I hope I like it. I love Between Shades of Gray and I was so excited when my library got this because I want to reread it so badly. I've The Cabin at the End of the World is wild and I can't wait. I read a devotional on the Bible app for Girl, Wash Your Face and one of my friends has recommend the novel, so I thought I would check it out, but I'm #45 on the waitlist.
Books I Own
I don't want to put too much on here because I'm going to be super busy. So no pressure.
Have you read any of these novels? Any favorites or books you didn't like? Let me know down below in the comments!
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