July 2021 Reading Wrap-Up

Hey hi hello friends, welcome back to my blog! 

How are we already in August? It felt like it was July for two days and then BAM! August. Worst of all, August is typically the hottest month in Arizona, so hooray, I still have a whole month of 120 degree (Fahrenheit) days ahead of me. 

Anyway, let's talk about reading. Despite July feeling like a hoax in and of itself, I actually read a ton of books. And I bought a lot too, again. Oops. I read 24 books this month: 18 novels, 1 nonfiction, 3 poetry collections (one is an epic poem, but poetry nonetheless), and 2 manga volumes. That's three more books than last month, so my hyper-diligence for reading is still active, so that's one good thing at least. I had some really fantastic reads and some really not so great ones. 

Let's get into what I read this month, shall we? 

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Novels

1. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
Star rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Page count: 176 pages
Day(s) read: 07.01 - 07.05
Goodreads thoughts: Tw: sexual assault, rape of a minor, incest, murder, cannibalism

What that actual fuck was this? This is without a doubt the most disturbing book I’ve ever read, oh my god. At first I thought the alien thing was just Natsuki’s way of processing her trauma, but it moved wayyyy past that. I don’t even know what the author was trying to say at this point.

This was just so disturbing. I can’t think of a better word to describe it.

2. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 356 pages
Day(s) read: 07.03 - 07.05
Goodreads thoughts: This was fantastic, as I fully expected it to be. I love Rita’s writing style and how she can make history come to life so vividly. Josie tugged on my heartstrings, and I love how pure and supportive Charlotte was for her, even though she’s hardly in the story. It seemed fitting that a book taking place in New Orleans had so much death.

3. Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 413 pages
Day(s) read: 07.07 - 07.08
Goodreads thoughts: This was fine. It was a classic YA fantasy. However I felt like it was trying to do too many things at once. There was the murder mystery, then the underlying miracle drug motivating our protags, and the romance, and then separate timeline highlighting the queens, which was actually the part I enjoyed the most. The book didn't give me, as the reader, a chance to actually figure out who was behind the deaths of the queens before telling me, which in my opinion is the whole point of a murder mystery. I did think the world was well established, I liked the descriptions of the various kingdoms as well as the clothes, though it felt kind of weird that three of the four kingdoms were a classic fantasy setting while the fourth was a straight-up sci-fi setting. Also I didn't think the love interests had any chemistry at all, so the romance felt cheap and just thrown in to make the story more palatable to YA audiences.

4. Wilder Girls by Rory Power (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 357 pages
Day(s) read: 07.09
Goodreads thoughts: Gah. That was so gross. But it wasn't really horror so I'm not sure how I would categorize this book. Sci-fi, maybe? Dystopian? I don't know, but not horror.

Hetty's chapters were interesting, but Byatt's chapters were so convoluted I had trouble keeping everything straight, and I couldn't trust anything was actually happening. Also, it ended so abruptly, like the author just ran out of ideas. Overall, it was kind of forgettable, to be honest. I'm not sure if I'll read her other works, because everyone I know says that they enjoyed this one way more than her other book, and the fact that I didn't enjoy this probably means I'll just not like her other books at all.

5. The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 435 pages
Day(s) read: 07.07 - 07.09
Goodreads thoughts: Yo this FUCKED me up. I’ll never be able to go underground again.

6. Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
Star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 336 pages
Day(s) read: 07.10 - 07.12
Goodreads thoughts: Ahhh that was so good!! Izumi was a super relatable character despite her being literal royalty. The writing style threw me off a little at first because Emiko Jean's other book I've read, Empress of All Seasons, was a historical fantasy, so all of the modern phrases and pop culture references were a bit of reading whiplash, but I got used to it soon enough.

That plot twist though? I got so mad!! I'm glad that the Twins weren't as totally awful as Izumi presumed, but the actual culprit of her despair just made the betrayal so much worse. Side note, I liked how Izumi was against swearing and so her stream of consciousness wouldn't use actual cuss words, but they were used in dialogue with other characters. That was an interesting writing choice that I found intriguing.

Overall, I'm very happy with this book, and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel. More of Princess Izumi!

7. Hold Still by Nina LaCour
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 272 pages
Day(s) read: 07.12 - 07.13
Goodreads thoughts: Hhhhhhhh I knew this was going to be a tough book to read, but oh man that just ripped out my heart, stomped on it, ground it into the floor, and then scraped it back up with a shovel and tossed it in the trash.

To preface, to understand why exactly this hit so hard, I lost a very close friend to suicide when I was thirteen, so reading this book obviously brought back memories of her. But more than that, it reminded me of my best friend in high school, who is still alive but had attempted many times. And Ingrid's diary entries especially reminded me of her, as she would often anonymously post her own diary entries on a website. She didn't know that I knew what to look for, so I would read these entries, where I was often mentioned, and I would be baffled that I could miss so much about her. We would go to the park and a few hours later she would post that the cuts on her hips had been bleeding through her pants the whole time and I didn't notice. How I would come over to her house while she was high, in order to stop feeling the anguish of depression, and she would act normal in front of me so I wouldn't know. And so reading Ingrid's journal entries, and then Caitlin's feelings about the entries, felt real on a whole new, personal level.

Of course, Caitlin's dealings with grief were extremely accurate, at least to my own experiences. I remember thinking the same things that she thought, and saying the same things she said, and self-destructing the same way she did, because that was the only thing that brought relief to the ache in my heart. Also, funnily enough, I took darkroom photography in high school and would often remember my friend and how she loved nature and taking pictures of it, and then I would sabotage my own photographs because I couldn't stand creating something beautiful. So it really feels like Nina LaCour rooted around in my head, plucked all those ugly feelings from my teenage years out, and molded them into Caitlin. (I failed darkroom photography colossally, with a D-. I was so embarrassed I couldn't look my teacher in the eye for the rest of my high school career.)

This ended up way more personal than I had planned, but I guess that's a testament to how incredible this book was, to be able to invoke such emotion in me. I don't think I could give it an objective rating because of how subjective my reading experience was. So, five stars. 10/10 would cry again.

8. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 334 pages
Day(s) read: 07.10 - 07.14
Goodreads thoughts: Docking a star for lack of dragons. There were not nearly enough dragons in this first book, I am hoping for more in the rest of the series.

This book was more about establishing Lady Trent as a character, and a mystery during her first expedition to Vystrana. In that sense, it felt like a Jane Austen novel in a fantasy setting, which isn't a bad thing at all, but rather not what I was expecting from this book, and therefore slightly disappointing. I'll revise my expectations for the future installments. The ending also felt rather abrupt, with one chapter spanning months after the climax of the story, which took several chapters to explain on its own. I will say, however, that this book was extremely accessible and easy to read; I flew through hundreds of pages at a time. Even though it was rather meandering in pace, the ideas presented kept me engaged with the story.

9. Life: Selected Quotations by Paulo Coelho (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 128 pages
Day(s) read: 07.14 
Goodreads thoughts: A collection of philosophical quotes from Paulo Coelho's most popular works, paired with beautiful abstract paintings, I feel that Life is a must read for anyone feeling a little lost. Even though this is very short, and we only get snippets of much larger stories, the quotes picked for this collection really dig into you and bury themselves inside your heart and head. I don't doubt that I will return to this collection many times in the future.

10. The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 383 pages
Day(s) read: 07.13 - 07.14
Goodreads thoughts: ** spoiler alert ** 

I loved stepping back into Stevie's world of cold case murders and true crime podcasts. I actually liked the setting for this book a lot more than Ellingham Academy, and I also appreciated how the mystery was all wrapped up in one book, instead of dragging it out across three.

However, the twist? The killer? Really? SPOILERS: we really shouldn't keep making books about modern nazis. Like, it just doesn't seem very ethical, you know what I mean? It felt pretty cheap, like a cop-out. "Oh, I need a killer for this mass murder in the 70s. I know! I'll make it a fucking nazi!" Ouch. You can do better, Maureen.

11. Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 368 pages
Day(s) read: 07.14 - 07.16
Goodreads thoughts: *desperate wheezing noises*

That was so beautifullllll ahhhhhh

Honestly what a perfect conclusion. It was heartbreaking and horrible and wonderful all at the same time, and an incredible hopeful ending to wrap the series up with a neat little bow. The structure of the book reminds me of the fifth PJO book, where it’s mostly the final battle with just a little exposition at the beginning, and I found that quite fitting. The battle didn’t feel too long or too short, we spent just the right amount of time on it that we needed to.

Also, I TOTALLY guessed who Seigetsu was. I had to put my book down and scream for a good minute when I did, but I guessed right nonetheless!

I’m not completely ready to say goodbye to this world, but at the same time I’m not wanting for more content, like, the books feel complete. But I wouldn’t say no if Julie Kagawa decided to write more in this world, with different characters and plot lines. Maybe hinting at characters like Yumeko and Tatsumi in the narrative. But I’m satisfied if she doesn’t. Either way, this trilogy has quickly climbed the ranks of my favorites, and while I’m sad its over, I’m very glad I read it.

12. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 360 pages
Day(s) read: 07.19 
Goodreads thoughts: There were a lot of beautiful lines in this book, you can tell that the author is a poet, but honestly, I don't really see why there is so much hype. Like, yes, it's pretty prose, but there is nothing really revolutionary about the text. But maybe that's the problem? Maybe is was revolutionary in 2012, but the fact that I'm reading it nine years later it loses all of that newness. I still think it's a good book, but I'm not entirely wowed by it, and that's okay.

13. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 476 pages
Day(s) read: 07.17 - 07.19
Goodreads thoughts: Well, that was incredible.

Honestly, this book was just pure. It was giggle-worthy, squeal-inducing, aww-inspiring purity wrapped up in 500 pages. Even though I have extreme arachnophobia, I will protect Rocky with my whole heart.

Putting my love for an alien aside, the science was incredible to read about! As I've said before with Andy Weir's books, he gets the physics right, which is very important to me. Like, even though this is literally about interstellar travel and meeting extraterrestrial species, this is all plausible. The math makes sense. And I love that.

Really, I have no complaints. This is an amazing novel, and everyone should read it.

14. Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 432 pages
Day(s) read: 07.21 
Goodreads thoughts: This was probably one of the weirdest books I've ever read, but also one of the most beautiful. I loved Sia and her anger, and fear, and love, and hurt, and how she was able to have all of these emotions going on at once in her head, and how she managed to handle everything that was thrown her way. And I hate that she had to handle all of it, but damn was she strong.

This was just so odd and wonderful and I want everyone to read this book.

15. City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 290 pages
Day(s) read: 07.23 - 07.24
Goodreads thoughts: I loved how the legends and myths of ancient Mesopotamia came to life in this book! I knew bits and pieces of the lore, and I've read Gilgamesh of course, but I definitely learned a lot from this book, mythological wise. Also, I like how it also promotes peace and pacifism, which honestly the world could use a lot more of, while also underlining the unfortunate importance of war.

However, I had problems with Sik as the narrator. Mainly, how he spoke and thought. I mean, this kid is supposed to be thirteen, right, and yet he's speaking and thinking like a college student. His main concerns are working and keeping his deli afloat, which isn't unusual for a kid who grew up with a family business, but not once does he actually seem like a thirteen year old. He's wandering around NYC and all the adults he comes across that know him act like it's completely fine that a thirteen-year-old is all by himself. He just acts so much older than what he is supposed to be and that makes it kind of hard to connect to him as a character. Even if he was sixteen and not thirteen it would have worked a little more, but oh well.

16. Knight of the Silver Circle by Duncan M. Hamilton
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 320 pages
Day(s) read: 07.16 - 07.29
Goodreads thoughts: An excellent sequel, and one I enjoyed much more than the first for various reasons. Now that I knew what the writing style would be and the amount of description used, it was much easier to read and get into than the first book. Also, I like all of the added lore about dragons and the Imperial mages, something I felt was lacking in book one, but now things are fully explained and therefore much more enjoyable. I'm excited to read the last book in the series!

17. Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadano (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 193 pages
Day(s) read: 07.30 
Goodreads thoughts: This was so cute!! It definitely felt like I was stepping back into my childhood, even if I'd never read this book before. Honestly this felt like the Ghibli film exactly, I was able to picture the characters perfectly with their voices and everything. I definitely have to rewatch the movie now too, as it's been a few years since I've seen it. This will stay on my bookshelves for years to come!

18. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 300 pages
Day(s) read: 07.30
Goodreads thoughts: Ah, this made me cry. Having lost my grandfather to cancer last year, the pain is still fresh and vivid and so this book just brought all those feelings up to the surface. But aside from that, I thought this was a fantastic middle grade story. I loved the variations of the traditional Korean myths and how the author made them relevant to the characters. I also like how the magical part of it wasn't ever really explained or addressed, but isn't that how childhood is sometimes?

The sister relationship reminded me a little of my own, what with the older sister being many years older and therefore beginning to distance herself from her younger sister, but still wanting to be a part of her life (plus, my sister's name is Sam, and the older sister in the book is named Sam, so it really felt like I was Lily). I'll be keeping my eye on this author to see if she continues to write.

Poetry

1. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
Star rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Page count: 377 pages
Day(s) read: 07.19 - 07.29
Goodreads thoughts: *sigh* this just wasn't it.

Without Christopher Tolkien's commentary at the end of each of the poems, I would have been completely lost, and even then I was still pretty adrift. The poem was in Old English so of course I couldn't properly read it, but then the commentary was ridiculously dry. I can see this being something I could analyze in a literature class or something, but as far as reading for pleasure goes, it didn't hit the mark for me, unfortunately.

2. Blue Horses by Mary Oliver (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: N/A
Page count: 79 pages
Day(s) read: 07.31
Goodreads thoughts: I really have no words as to how beautiful this collection is. Mary Oliver had such a way at looking at the world, wanting to know the secrets of all the plants and animals but content with being left in the dark. I endeavor to follow in her footsteps more often.

3. Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: N/A
Page count: 160 pages
Day(s) read: 07.31
Goodreads thoughts: I've said this before, but whenever I read Amanda's poetry, it feels like she is my own fairy godmother, whispering into my ear and shouting out to the world that I am my own person, and I am enough. She has become such a comfort to me, and I will cherish my copies of her collections for years to come.

Nonfiction

1. I Don't Want to Be an Empath Anymore by Ora North
Star rating: N/A 
Page count: 176 pages
Day(s) read: 07.26 - 07.29
Goodreads thoughts: (As a reminder I do not rate nonfiction)

This was a great book for me, personally. I felt that Ora North's stance on empathy and how to incorporate it into my life without overwhelming me was easy to follow, informative, and also resonated with how I see empathy as well. I'll probably go back to this book every once in a while and redo the exercises at the end of each chapter, just to make sure I'm not slipping back into my old habits and thought processes.

Manga

1. Jujutsu Kaisen vol. 1 by Gege Akutami
Star rating: N/A
Page count: 192 pages
Day(s) read: 07.19
Goodreads thoughts: N/A

2. Fire Force vol. 3 by Atsushi Ohkobo
Star rating: N/A
Page count: 208 pages
Day(s) read: 07.30
Goodreads thoughts: plus: Hibana

minus: Rekke

bonus: Jug and Tamaki

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Total pages read: 7,121 pages

Favorite book of July: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Least favorite book: Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

DNF'd books: Space 2069 After Apollo: Back to the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond by David Whitehouse

No unfinished books this month

July book haul: Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood
                            Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
                            Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell
                            The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
                            Beowulf by Unknown
                            The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill
                            Bluets by Maggie Nelson
                            Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace
                            Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
                            Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie
                            By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho
                            Blue Horses by Mary Oliver
                            The Truth About Magic by Atticus
                            The Essential Rilke by Rainer Maria Rilke
                            Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
                            The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

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What a month, huh? Also, I probably won't be buying any books in August....well, no, that's not true. I can already think of two books that I really want to get that are coming out this month. Okay, I'm going to try and not buy a whole bunch of books this month, how about that? My wallet is crying at this point. I need to save at least a little bit of money. 

What was your favorite book of July? Let me know in the comments, or tweet at me @AllyEmReads.

Until next time!