Well… another month of summer gone. I cant believe school starts August 29th. July went by WAY too fast.

I haven’t really been keeping a list of my July haul, so I’ll just show you the books I read and the ratings I gave them. If they were really fantastic I’ll probably rant about it. Anyways, at nine books, this was a semi-successful reading month–although I try for at least ten a month. That way I’ll have quite a bit of leeway in my 100-book 2016 goal.

2016 Progress as of Today (8/2/16): 74/100 Books

Side note: stars are based on what I gave them on Goodreads. Books I review on my blog contain more precise star ratings.

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. 5/5 Stars

This is a must read for anyone who even mildly enjoys video games. It’s similar to Sword Art Online, if you enjoyed that. Inversely, if you liked this book, go check out that anime! Also a must-watch.

 

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2. The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer. 3/5 Stars

This one was okay, but it’s a bit dry compared to some other historical fictions I’ve read. I just can’t seem to resist my little bratty Marie Antoinette.

 

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3. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer. 4/5 Stars

Yes, this is my first time reading the Twilight series. Yes, I’m actually enjoying them. Yes, Bella is dull, yes Edward is getting old, but JACOB, man. Jacob.

 

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4. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. 4/5 Stars

Wowowowow. Can’t wait for the next book, which comes out in forever!  Also, read my full review here!

 

 

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5. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. 3/5 Stars

One of these is not the same… and it’s this one. This was a summer reading book, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if:

A) I wasn’t forced to read it

B) I didn’t have to write dialectical journals every 20 pages (consider yourself lucky if you have no clue what these are)

           C) I knew what the protagonist’s name was

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6. The Inventor’s Secret by Andrea Cramer. 2/5 Stars

I had such hope for this one…Steampunk, secrets, badass heroines…

Not so much, unfortunately.

 

 

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7. Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes. 5/5 Stars

Definitely better than the first Falling Kingdoms book. By a lot. I definitely recommend giving it a try, even if the previous book was boring to you. This one picks up the pace a little, and there’s a ton of development.

 

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8. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti. 5/5 Stars.

This was surprisingly awesome. The writing left something to be desired, the protag was whiny at best… but it made me think. Not many YA books can do that for me, especially not contemporary ones. I’ll have to write a full review closer to its release day. I’m choosing this as my top read of the month.

 

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9. Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland. 2/5 Stars.

Boooooooo. The dialogue is so cringe. No one talks like that in real life, I don’t care how mysterious and poetic they are. Try hard much? Grace Town, the love interest, was a selfish, annoying bitch. No thank you.

 

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Looking back, I can see I was quite liberal in my star-awarding this month. Now that I think about it, some of these books need to be knocked down a few ratings, but I always feel generous just after I’ve finished them. Ah well, I had some two and three star-ers in there so all is well.

Also…I know I should probably be doing a top ten Tuesday, but I’m already behind (if you haven’t noticed, I’m writing my July wrap-up two days into August) and these posts take me a long time. It’s all in the pictures, which takes FOREVER. If anyone has any tips to making nice-looking posts quicker, please let me know. It will be very much appreciated.

How did your July go? What are your plans for August? I intend on writing an August TBR/release post very soon. See you all then!

Until next time!