I read 7 books in July AKA my average! Luckily, everything was a four star or above so quality wise it was a success. August will be my month though! I have a whole week off work coming up which means plenty of time for reading!
STATS
It took me so long to get into this book. I found the premise and setting interesting but I just couldn’t get my brain around all the different tribes, settings, languages, how they connected. It was around the 250 page mark that I began picking up pace and actively enjoying it rather then being in a state of confusion. The glossary in the back helped so much with my understanding and I wished I'd discovered it sooner in the book. Really well written though, I enjoyed the complexity of it and the last 150 pages had me gripped and I flew through those last chapters. I really enjoy Frances Hardinge and I'll definitely be picking up more from her backlist.
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
This had a lot of buzz around it when it was first released but since then I've heard mixed things. A family rent a holiday house but during a blackout the house's owners show up looking for shelter.
I just found the whole thing unsettling, I kept waiting for something to be revealed about the situation and it kept me on tenterhooks. I had no idea at any point where the plot was going to go and as things progressed I felt more and more on edge. It's a scary situation being cut off from the rest of the world and not knowing what's going on elsewhere. I did find some parts really disturbing to read (the teeth part freaked me out) but it was a book that really had me thinking about humanity and our willingness to help strangers.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This is obviously a controversial book mostly due to the author but if we're just focusing on the book, I actually really enjoyed it. I can see why people wouldn't as there's a lot of description about wildlife and the North Carolina setting is such a strong focal point but this didn't bore me like it would others. I liked the slow build up of it, telling Kya's story from childhood up to the present with snippets of the murder investigation before they intersect keeping the plot moving. I loved Kya's resilience, she had so much fight in her. The movie was also pretty good.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I don't think I need to tell anyone what this is about! This is actually a re-read but my first time listening to it as an audiobook. It's actually the 1968 radio dramatisation version which was interesting if a little odd to listen to. The actual voice performances were fantastic but some of the sound effects used were so creepy! Having already read it before it was nice to get a different version to refresh my memory before I moved on to the Andy Serkis narrated Lord of the Rings books.
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
This was actually a really complex read for what has been such an online phenomenon! I haven't read much dark academia but it's been a sub-genre that I've wanted to read more from although I'm going to be honest and say that some of the academic passages did go completely over my head! I did enjoy the society setting, the characters were fascinating mostly due to the fact that they weren't likeable and I found myself more and more attached to them as I read. A really great concept and a good starting point for a trilogy though I found some parts dragged, and some concepts and characters weren't as well developed.
My favourite read of the month was Dolly Alderton's memoir about her life in her twenties that covers everything from her career, friendships, disastrous house parties and of course, failed romances. Alderton's life is so entertaining and wild, like something out of a tv show but you could tell she had lived life as much as she could. She's frank and honest about her mental health and how choices she's made weren't healthy or safe. Her writing feels so natural and relatable and now I simply want her to be my best friend. This book is essentially my new bible and I will take these lessons with me as I continue through my own experiences.
Agatha Raisin by M.C. Beaton
This took me a while to finish mostly because I didn't realise my library loan was due and it got returned automatically when I was 80% into it and then I had to wait for another copy to become available 🙈. Anyway, this was a fun listen and I enjoyed this collection of cozy village mysteries. Breezy to get through and highly entertaining with a great voice cast!
What did you read in July? Have you read any of these? Leave a comment below. Happy Reading!
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