Month In Review

July was a great month for me reading-wise because it was my vacation month. We spent two weeks in America and that always results in a high number of books read for me because I love nothing more than reading by the pool. Of course, I didn’t finish ALL of the books I took with me on vacation but that’s because I always seem to take more with me than I could ever read in that time period.

Here is what I read in July with my GoodReads ratings:

Flawfully Wedded Wives - Shana Burton ****
Falling - Jane Green ****
The Pastor’s Husband - Tiffany L. Warren ****
The Hopefuls - Jennifer Close ****
Whisky, Words, and a Shovel - R.H. Sin ****
In the Language of Miracles - Rajia Hassib ****
A Very Accidental Love Story - Claudia Carroll ***
The Girls in the Garden - Lisa Jewell ***

Thoughts
My favourite of the month was The Hopefuls. It is a fun and easy read that I found myself completely engrossed in. I think Falling is going to be the book I recommend to people who liked Me Before You and are looking for something similar. And while I’m not much of a poetry reader, I absolutely enjoyed Whisky, Words, and a Shovel. I spent much of my time with the book reading it aloud to anyone who was around me. I picked it up because many people have come into my bookstore looking for it and I was curious what the big deal was. Now I get it.

What I’m Looking Forward to in August
I’m excited to read the 4th book in Peggy Blair’s Inspector Ramirez series, Umbrella Man. I started reading the series right when the first book was released and I’m always (im)patiently waiting for the next book to be released. I’m looking forward to reading I’m Your Biggest Fan by Kate Coyne, executive editor of People Magazine because I love books about celebrity culture. And I’ve had Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien on my nightstand for a little while and now that it’s been long listed for the Man Booker Prize, I think it’s a good time to read it.

State of the Blog
The poor, neglected, ignored blog. I’ve been trying and trying over the past six months to find a work/blog balance. Or really, to find time to dedicate to the blog when I’m working. I’ve decided to give bullet journalling/planning a go and I’ve created one that is solely for my blog. I’m writing in everything ahead of time - reviews, posts, tweets, IG posts - so that even when things get busy at work and home, it won’t take too much of my time to care for my blog. Here’s hoping this is what will work for me.

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