Hello Readers! Did you think I’d disappeared??!! I’m here, just not reading or blogging as much right now. Which is why I’ve combined my June and July Wrap-Up posts. I finished reading absolutely nothing in June. I was VERY close, but didn’t make it. My youngest graduated high school, and June was full of all the things that come with that, including a party at home towards the end of the month that required much cleaning and preparation. 😅 I did much better in July, but I’m still not back to my average books per month. It’s been so bad, I didn’t even attempt any mid-year posts. I’m behind on all my challenges. But I’ve decided not to be negative about it. I’ve needed the break, so I’m embracing it.

In July I finished five books, including four ARCs, for a total of 1,681 pages. I’ve been cranking through my ARCs trying to get caught up without requesting anything new (unless it’s a book I KNOW I’ll be reading anyway). I’m down to about five left for the rest of the year. Once I’m caught up, I want to read for pure enjoyment. If you’re a follower, you’ve heard me say I’m not a mood reader, but that’s what I want to be for the rest of the year. I want to be able to read what I want to read when I want to read it.

Let’s see what I read and what I added to my TBR in June and July!

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

June & July Wrap-Up

I read almost all of Devil Is Fine by John Vercher in June, but finished it on the first day of July. I was super impressed with this literary fiction book (with a splash of magical realism) that follows a man grieving his son. Moving and fascinating, it’s a book I won’t soon forget.

➤My Rating: ★★★★
➤My Review
➤Published June 18, 2024
➤Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt – A book recommended by a bookseller

Emily Henry’s latest release is always one of my most-anticipated. I enjoyed Funny Story! It definitely had a lighter feel, but still delivered on the angst and charm. And it’s one I would enjoy rereading.

➤My Rating: ★★★★¼

When I was invited to read Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie for the paperback release, I quickly accepted. I thought her debut was phenomenal. I enjoyed this one just as much. This is a story about best friends whose lives take different paths, and the first half of the book we get Akorfa’s POV, with Selasi’s POV the second half. I was so engulfed in Akorfa’s story, I didn’t know if I’d want to switch POVs, but I ended up liking the second half of the book even more.

➤My Rating: ★★★★
➤My Review
➤Published June 13, 2023
➤Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt – A book where someone dies in the first chapter

Another one of my most-anticipated novels for the year, I fully intended on reading Right Where We Left Us by Jen Devon sooner, but couldn’t make it happen. I adored this one! Can the Brady family adopt me?! I wanna live on a vineyard in Pennsylvania. A delicious, angsty slow-burn!

➤My Rating: ★★★★½
➤My Review
➤Published June 18, 2024
➤Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt – A second-chance romance

I was prepared to be underwhelmed by The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor. I didn’t know if she could top her debut book, but I was happily wrong. Despite being somewhat unrealistic, I had so much fun reading this YA romance.

➤My Rating: ★★★★
➤My Review
➤Published June 18, 2024
➤Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt – A book with a neurodivergent main character

June & July Book Haul

In June and July I added five physical books (one not pictured here) and a few ebooks to my shelves, including two ARCs!

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Paperbackswap Books

I also added two books through paperbackswap.com:

• Dread Nation (Dread Nation, #1) by Justina Ireland – I’ve heard so many great things about this one!
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome by Joan D. Vinge – Vintage novelization to add to my collection!

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Subscription Box Books

In June I received my YA summer book subscription box from The Strand Bookstore in New York, which included a signed edition of Another First Chance by Robbie Couch and an ARC of The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall. Neither one of these books had been on my radar and I’d never heard of the authors, so please let me know if you’ve read them. You can see what else was in my box in my unboxing post!

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ARCs

I was excited to win a copy of Cat Shook’s latest release Humor Me through Bookish First’s Giveaways. While her debut If We’re Being Honest had mixed reviews, I really enjoyed it, giving it 4.25 stars, so I’m eager to pick up her next book!

Synopsis:

A love letter to the New York City stand-up scene, as told by a charmingly jaded assistant at a late-night talk show―for fans of Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Presley Fry is not amused. She’s been an assistant at the Late Night Show for way too long, she’s adopted a “business casual” approach to dating to save herself from the embarrassment of seeking genuine connection, and she’s content to allow her gregarious roommate, Isabelle, to orchestrate her entire social life. And yet, Presley is absolutely enamored with her job and the world of stand-up comedy. The joy she finds in discovering up-and-coming comedians, the beauty and connection in their shared humor―it’s enough for now.

Enter Susan Clark, the childhood best friend of Presley’s late mother, whose death still knocks the wind out of Presley whenever she reaches for the phone. Susan is married to the head of the network where Presley works, and she is determined to take Presley under her wing and ease her way through life in the big city. She’s also determined to connect Presley with her son, the bright and affable Lawrence, who couldn’t be further from Presley’s type.

As Presley grapples with the loss of her mother and finds her people among those who seek out comedy to make the world a bit brighter, Humor Me reminds us that friendship can emerge from where you least expect it and that shared laughter can ease some of the deepest pain.

Published July 9, 2024

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I’m so excited for The Trap by Ava Glass, the third installment in the thrilling modern day female spy series, Alias Emma. I’m always entertained and engulfed in the action.

Synopsis:

British spy Emma Makepeace races against the clock to stop the Russians from carrying out a high-profile assassination in this gripping thriller from the author of Alias Emma.

“Emma Makepeace is a worthy heir to the James Bond mantle.”—JAMES PATTERSON

She has just one week to stop a killer.

Emma Makepeace is headed to Edinburgh for the global G7 Summit when her team is tipped off about a high-profile assassination the Russians are planning—but they have no idea who the target is.

Surrounded by the world’s most powerful political leaders in a gridlocked city, Emma must set a trap and use herself as bait.

With time running short, Emma faces the most perilous mission of her career. How far will she go to catch the killer?

Expected September 3, 2024

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Free eBooks

My Amazon First Reads choice for June was Veridian Sterling Fakes It by Jennifer Gooch Hummer, a humorous mystery set in the art world. In July we got to choose two books. I chose The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman, a short story set in the same world as her previous short story release, The Bookstore Sisters. And Friends with Secrets by Christine Gunderson, a mystery about two friends with—you guessed it: SECRETS!

How was your reading month(s)? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!