Summer is officially over. Autumn and spooky season are here. As summer is now over, it's time for me to share my wrap up for the last couple of months. Between July and August, I read 22 books. I'm really happy with the amount I'm reading at the moment as when I was finishing my degree, I didn't have as much time to read and that made me sad. I'm hoping for some more good reading months this autumn.
July
This July I read 14 books! This is the most I have read in a very long time. This was because I was only holiday for ten days and I was staying with a friend and she lent me a lot of graphic novels to read. I am so happy with how much I read in July.
Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard
A reread from my read or go shelf, I'm still not sure why I'm continuing with the Red Queen series when I'm not really enjoying it. There's a part of me that wants to know how this series ends. I wasn't wowed by either of these short stories and since reading them, I have donated my copy to charity. It got a 3/5 stars from me.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
This was my first time reading a book in prose and it was an enjoyable experience. I know Elizabeth Acevedo is a beloved author in the book community and after owning this for almost a year, it was time to read it. I have a full spoiler filled review, which you can read here. While I enjoyed it, I struggled with the dual POV. I would read another book from Elizabeth in the future. I gave it 4/5 stars.
Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
Another book that I had had on my TBR for quite some time and am glad that I read. I would class this as sci-fi, which is a genre I struggle with reading. I thought the premise was very original. I found it easy to read and for once didn't mind the first person perspective. I thought it was good, but I wasn't wowed by it. I am going to read the sequel. It got 3/5 stars from me.
The Familiars by Stacey Halls
The Familiars is a contender for a favourite book of the year. Set in my home county, I adored this book. As it has a gothic, witchy undertone, I do wish I had read it in spooky season, but I'm glad I finally read it. I have a full, spoiler filled review, which you can read here. Stacey Halls has become an autobuy author and I am very excited to read her next book. I gave it 4/5 stars.
Avatar the Last Airbender- The Search
The first book I borrowed from my friend. We're both big Avatar fans and I've been meaning to continue with the comics since last August, but life got in the way. This was probably my favourite of the three Avatar ones I've read. It answered a question that I had wanted to know about since I was a child. Loved the story and the art. It got 4/5 stars from me.
The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill
This was one I actually recommended to my friend after seeing a lot of positive reviews and while I was staying with her, she lent it to me. This was the cutest graphic novel I have ever read. I love the Tea Dragons and want one of my own. It had great LGBT rep. I cannot wait to continue with this trilogy. An instant favourite. I gave it 4/5 stars.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
I had seen this floating around bookstagram for a while and bought it during one of my "I'm stressed about my degree" book buying binges. After a rocky start, this became an incredibly powerful read. It will make you feel a lot of things. I have a full spoiler filled review, which you can read here. If you are interested in feminist books or translated fiction, then I'd recommend this one. It got 4/5 stars from me.
Avatar the Last Airbender- The Rift
We're now into a run of books that I borrowed from my friend. This was the other Avatar comic that I hadn't read. My main complaint was that I didn't like the direction it took one of the characters in. It didn't feel entirely in character for them. Aside from that, I enjoyed this one, just not as much as The Search. I gave it 4/5 stars.
Legend of Korra- Turf Wars Part One-Three
After finishing my friends Avatar comics, I then read her Legend of Korra ones. I read the three volumes of Turf Wars. This picks up where the show leaves off. I really liked the relationship that we see in this one. It was a strong story. It got 4/5 stars from me.
Legend of Korra- Ruins of the Empire Part One-Three
My final reads for July were the other three volumes in the Korra series. Compared to the other story, I didn't enjoy it as much. I can't go into too much detail as that would include spoilers. There was just something about this one that didn't quite work for me. I still enjoyed it. I gave it 4/5 stars.
August
In August, I read 8 books. A lot of these were fantasy books as that was clearly what I was in the mood for. August actually ended up being the month where I read the most pages as I read a lot of big books.
100 Nasty Women of History by Hannah Jewell
I actually started this in July but ended up finishing it in August. This is a non-fiction book about women from history. I have a lot of feelings about this book. Firstly, I really liked how diverse the women were in it. They were from different times, countries, races, religions, sexuality, classes. You name it, it was probably featured in this book. I had only heard of maybe ten of these women before, so it opened my eyes to a lot of amazing women. Now here are the things I didn't like about this book. Too much swearing, it ended up detracting from the points. A lot of anti-men and anti-British comments that just didn't sit right with me. All of this meant I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. I had wanted to love it, but the writing ended up being a bit off putting.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. It actually came out in May, but I decided to read it in August as it's set in August 1983. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an incredible writer. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of my favourite books. I loved Malibu Rising. I read over 200 pages in one day because I could not put it down. I am going to be writing a full review, which will come out later this month, because I need to share all my feelings on it. It got 4.5/5 stars from me.
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
I then embarked on my reread of the Serpent and Dove series in preparation of the last book coming out. Having read this book three times, I now have some concrete feelings on this book. Asides from the pacing, I have no issues with this book. Lou and Reid are some of my favourite characters. What I wouldn't give to make this a TV show as I could see it being really good. You can read my review from 2019 (which does have spoilers) here. I've come to the conclusion that this is a 4.5/5 stars for me.
Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin
Blood and Honey is my least favourite in the series. There's just something about it that doesn't quite work for me. Out of the three, this took me the longest to read at almost a week. I still like it, but not as much as the books either side of it. I do like the dark tone and it reflects the events of book one. You can read my review from 2020 (again, this has spoilers) here. This reread made it a 3.5/5 stars for me.
Gods and Monsters by Shelby Mahurin
While I didn't enjoy Blood and Honey as much, Gods and Monsters did not disappoint. The ending was everything I wanted. It went in interesting directions throughout. The character development was great. Lou and Reid are still icons. A full review will be coming very soon as I have so many things to say about this finale. I'll be having a sticky bun in Lou's honour. I of course gave this book 4.5/5 stars.
Enchantée by Gita Trelease
This was a reread for me as I originally read it back in early 2019. I have it 4/5 stars then, but my reading tastes have changed a lot. I really liked the characters and the setting of the French Revolution, but I struggled to remain engaged with the plot. This could have done with being cut down as I got tired of reading the same scenes over and over. This time around I gave this 3/5 stars.
Liberté by Gita Trelease
Having seen mixed reviews for the second book in this series, I was a bit unsure of how I would feel. A lot of what I had struggled with in the first book had been removed. The plot about the Lost Girls and Camille's leaflet was probably my favourite storyline. I did feel that there was too many storylines and at times I struggled to keep on top of what was happening. I really liked the characters and the setting again. I gave this 3.5/5 stars in the end.
Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern
My final read of the month was not one I had on my TBR, but was very enjoyable. I bought this during a recent book trip to Oxford. This is about a group of queer people hunting a vampire in Regency England. If that doesn't make you want to read it, I don't know what will. I found this very funny and silly. I adored the art style, the storyline and the humour. It was a wonderful graphic novel. I gave this 4/5 stars.
So that concludes my wrap up for the summer. What books did you read this summer??
