July Wrap-Up!

Somehow it's the end of July already. Summer is flying by, which is definitely not a good thing. Where I live, it seems to be cold and snowing from November (sometimes October) to March/April, which is so NOT a good thing.

This month I read 11 books, and 1 comic. I didn't actually think that I read all that much, but I guess I had.

The Blue by Lucy Clarke - I started this June 30th, but read the majority of it on July 1st. It was so good! Full review here.

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - I really like this series! It's fantasy, but a little lighter on the fantasy side, which I appreciate. It's told from four different perspectives and I liked all the voices. There are some Game of Thrones comparisons for this series, which I really didn't find accurate. They're completely different in my eyes.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson - This is such an important comic, and one that is really well done. Kamala is an American Muslim teenager struggling with her overly strict parents. I think the comic showed the struggle that all teens go through really well. I was a little confused about how she got her powers, but other than that, I enjoyed it. The art was beautiful, and I'm excited to see where the story goes.  

Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany - This was a good read, nothing exceptional. I liked the character of Maddie. She was a sweet girl with a hard life.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella - Really enjoyed this one. I wasn't that into the romance because I find it a little distressing that a boy was able to make her start feeling better. It was funny, and cute, and everything I needed it to be at the time.

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes - I read this in one sitting, if that's any indication to how much I enjoyed it.

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes - This is a very character driven series, and one I'm really enjoying. It's a fun series, but one that's also pretty dark. I really like the magical elements, and all the things that are slowly being revealed about the world and the characters. The beginning of this one was a little slower, but it picked up eventually.

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens - My favourite thriller this year so far! I cannot rave about Stevens' work enough. Full, gushy review here.

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk - After the intensity of Those Girls, I needed something light and Kelk is one of my favourites for light (but awesome) reads. I've been wanting to read it for ages. This book is my (former) dream. Take off to New York and start completely over. I had such a good time reading this and I want to be friends with everyone, minus Tyler (Team Alex!). I effing love Jenny Lopez. Can't wait to dive into the others.

Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd - This book was, unfortunately, a bit of a miss for me. It dragged on, and I got to the point where I was basically skimming it just to finish. I did not understand the whole frog god thing and how that fit into the story. I'm sure it'll pop up in the next book, but I won't be reading. The writing was good, and the story itself was interesting, but it dragged. I would probably try another book by the author, but not from this series.

Caught by Harlan Coben - I don't know what it was about this book, but it completely sucked me in. It was pure entertainment, which is exactly what I was looking for.

In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume - This one was a 3.5 star read for me. I didn't hate it, I liked it quite a bit, but I wasn't enthralled with it. It was a little slow, but I love Blume's writing style. There's a lot of characters, and I don't know if it's just the heat (it's like Hades outside right now), but I was having a slight problem keeping track of them all. I did enjoy how they were all linked in some way, and kind of crossed paths at different times.

I'm currently reading A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay. I've really been into mystery/thrillers for the past little while.

Aside from reading and working, I got up to a few fun things this month. July 5th was our one year wedding anniversary, so we decided to go wander around the conservation area where we got married.

This is the beautiful bridge we were married on.

 

We also kept the top tier of our wedding cake and ate it on our anniversary. Any traditions involving cake I am down for!

 

And, an Ollie photo because he's cute. I sent my husband to buy litter one day and instead, I came home to find a 5ft tall cat tree. They all love it, though, so it was worth it. Except that he forgot to buy the litter.

 

Happy August!