July and August Reading Wrap-Up

 Hey hi hello friends!

Sorry for the unplanned hiatus, I started a new therapy in July that is extremely intensive and I just haven't been feeling well for the past two months. It's been a struggle, but September is the last month in this therapy so hopefully everything ends well!

I thought about just doing a wrap-up for August and skipping July altogether, but then I figured it would be weird to not acknowledge the books I read in July, so here you go, you get two months for the price of one! Ha. 

Despite not being active at all, I actually read quite a lot in these two months. I read 14 novels and 25 manga volumes, so let's just get into it, shall we?

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Novels

1. Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 432 pages
Read: Jul. 1
Goodreads review: Oh man, oooooh man, this book made me ANGRY.

But like, in a good way? Not angry that I didn’t want to read it, but angry at the injustice and prejudice that Agnes and Beth were facing. The same kind of angry you get when witnessing a riot or something akin to it.

I was glad when I stopped feeling angry and started feeling hopeful, once the book was about half way done. The tonal shift was fantastic.

I really liked Agnes as a character. She felt very realistic despite being a prophet of God (or whatever). Her and Beth both made mistakes and said and did some wrong things, and experienced doubt and regret in their faith, all that they’ve ever known. It was very inspiring to me.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1) (REREAD)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 374 pages
Read: Jul. 1 to Jul. 2
Goodreads review: This is the first time I’m rereading this series since it was all hyped up eight years ago. Wow. Eight years ago. It’s hard to believe that it’s been so long.

Objectively, this is actually a really good book. Back when I read them the first time I liked them because they were popular and everyone else liked them. But I can really tell that this was written well. It’s still extremely controversial and some things I didn’t really agree with (namely the romance) but I could hardly find any problems with this book. Well done, Suzanne Collins.

3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #2) (REREAD)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 391 pages
Read: Jul. 2 to Jul. 3
Goodreads review: I don’t have a whole lot to say since most of what I am feeling was in my review of the first book but I will say this: Collins has mastered being able to put a lot of information on to the page while keeping the book a quick read. The ending of this book felt both too fast and not fast enough and I don’t know how she does that.

4. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (The Singing Hills Cycle #1)
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 124 pages
Read: Jul. 4 to Jul. 13
Goodreads review: Ahhh what the heck that was so beautiful! I’ve always had a deep appreciation for storytelling books, and I’m glad this one has wiggled its way into my heart. I can’t wait to continue on with this series.

5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #3) (REREAD)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 390 pages
Read: Jul. 10 to Jul. 13
Goodreads review: N/A

6. Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 528 pages
Read: Jul. 16 to Jul. 28
Goodreads review: *throws pride flags into audience*

You’re gay, you’re gay, everybody is gay!

This is one of the most unapologetically queer books I have ever read. Literally all main characters were queer in one way or another. We had a gay boy, a pan boy, a trans boy, and a sapphic relationship between two bi girls! Sing the praises, hallelujah!

But more than the romance, this was an incredible political fantasy. The magic system was so well developed and the religious beliefs were so deeply rooted into the multiple cultures, I sometimes had trouble keeping track of it all. But not once did I find this reading experience anything less than enjoyable. 10/10 would recommend.

7. Cosmos: Possible Worlds by Ann Druyan
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 384 pages
Read: Aug. 5 to Aug. 8
Goodreads review: Truly a love letter to everything Ann Druyan holds dear—astronomy, physics, and Carl Sagan.

8. The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty (The Daevabad Trilogy #3)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 784 pages
Read: Aug. 8 to Aug. 10
Goodreads review: N/A

9. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 160 pages
Read: Aug. 12
Goodreads review: Chaotic and beautiful.

10. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (Monsters of Verity #1) (REREAD)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 469 pages
Read: Aug. 16 to Aug. 17
Goodreads review: N/A

11. Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab (Monsters of Verity #2) (REREAD) (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 512 pages
Read: Aug. 17 
Goodreads review: ** spoiler alert ** 

I FLEW through this—clearly, since I finished it in less than a day.

I had it on audiobook (scribd) and honestly this format made all of the heart wrenching moments and cliffhangers so much more intense, because I could let myself be spoiled. It was absolutely fantastic.

ALSO CAN I JUST SAY IM SO MAD THAT AUGUST LOST TWO OF THE THREE WOMEN HE CARED ABOUT LIKE THAT KILLED ME.

I want another book. But it’s a duology. THERE IS NO OTHER BOOK.

12. Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers #1) (REREAD) (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 326 pages
Read: Aug. 24
Goodreads review: It was fun to relive one of my favorite books as a child, but you can tell this is definitely a product of its time (being 15 years ago). I do still appreciate all the secrets about Disney, though.

13. The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (School for Good and Evil #1)
Star rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 488 pages
Read: Aug. 24 to Aug. 25
Goodreads review: Uhm.....WHAT????!!

This has so many problems but I still want to know how it continues?

I’m so happy I have the second one already because I’ve never been so MAD at a cliffhanger

14. Everblaze by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities #3)
Star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 624 pages
Read: Aug. 26 to Aug. 30
Goodreads review: Another masterpiece, I’m so ridiculously invested in this story now.

Manga

1. Toilet Bound Hanako-kun by AidaIro (vol. 1-12)
No star rating available
Total page count: 2,191 pages
Read: Jul. 22 to Jul. 23
No Goodreads review available

2. Deadman Wonderland by Jinsei Kataoka (vol. 1)
No star rating available
Page count: 210 pages
Read: Jul. 23
No Goodreads review available

3. Fruits Basket Collector's Edition by Natsuki Takaya (vol. 1-12)
No star rating available
Total page count: 4,624 pages
Read: Aug. 2 to Aug. 12
No Goodreads review available

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Total page count: 13,011 pages
Favorite book of July: Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger
Favorite book of August: The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty
Least Favorite book: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
DNF'd books: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani
Unfinished books: The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
                                Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
                                Neverseen by Shannon Messenger

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That was a lot of writing and now my hands hurt, so I'm gonna go.

Until next time!