July was an exceptionally weird reading month. I devoured some books, and struggled with others. For reasons unknown, I did not feel the audiobook vibe either – started one, but then never picked it up again {more on that below}. Between sweltering heat and a very unpleasant Bee Sting Incident, reading was just … weird.

Titles & Star-Ratings (with format!):
📱 A Court of Thorns & Roses (Sarah J Maas) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 The Five-Star Weekend (Elin Hilderbrand) ⭐⭐⭐
📖 Little Sister (Lana Wood)
📖 Zero Days (Ruth Ware) ⭐⭐⭐
📱 A Court of Mist & Fury (Sarah J Maas) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 The Seven Year Slip (Ashley Poston) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In addition to the 6 books I finished, I also added 2 more DNF titles to my year’s count. I wanted to like My Magnolia Summer by Victoria Benton Frank – I wanted to love it actually – because summer reading isn’t the same without a Dorothea Benton Frank book. But this one fell flat. It felt too forced, didn’t read true. I stuck with it for 51% and just couldn’t finish. The other was the audiobook of The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews – an author I usually enjoy, but it didn’t keep my attention. I listened to the first 20% of the book, and then didn’t pick it up again for 2+ weeks {and never even thought of it again}. That’s a sure sign it’s not the book for me or for now. Life is too short to make yourself read “meh” books.

Meanwhile I am absolutely loving my reread of Sarah J Maas’s “Court of”-series, picking up so many more details this time around {and forming lots of theories about the impending cross-over action}. There’s something comforting about rereads, especially after upping your DNF count.

In related news, July was a fun month for adding books to my collection! {Thanks in large part to being my birthday month!}. Aren’t these new friends so lovely?

I had to get a copy of Emily Wilde for myself, because it was such a good story + book 2 comes out in January {that cover is equally gorgeous}. And it’s hard to go wrong with Austenesque reads.

How has your reading been going this summer? Discover anything surprising? Add any intriguing books to your collection?

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