I have finally had a really good reading month! I haven’t blown it out of the park with my reading statistics but I did read 5 of the 6 books on my TBR for July and really enjoyed them! One of those 5 I finished in the first days of August, however, so you’ll be seeing that in my August wrap-up. Not only that, but I squeezed in a couple of other books too.
How was your July? I hope wherever you are in the world you’re keeping safe. We’ve just had an outbreak of COVID over in one of the eastern states in Australia but Western Australia is still doing well. I was on uni break during July and whilst I did think I’d find more time to read, I managed to plug all my spare time with work. So I cheated myself out of that one! But anyway, let’s talk about me later on in the post and start with what great reads I read!
The Pull of the Stars
by Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Emma Donoghue
Published: July 2020
Publisher: HarperAvenue
Pages: 304 {ebook}
This was completely captivating. I have not stopped talking about this book since I finished it because it simply blew me away. This is so eerily topical right now because it’s set in Dublin, 1918 at the height of the Spanish Flu. I loved this and clearly, I need to read more of Donoghue’s work.
Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir
Author: Trevor Noah
Published: November 2016
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 288 {hardback}
This was fantastic! At the recommendation of a friend, I picked up the audiobook of this and thoroughly enjoyed Noah’s storytelling of his childhood in South Africa. It was really eye-opening, tragic and hilarious all at once. It’s the story of him growing up as a coloured child (rather than black or white) in apartheid when that was literally a crime.
Review to come
Crown of Coral and Pearl
by Mara Rutherford
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Author: Mara Rutherford
Published: August 2019
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 408 {paperback}
Will I continue the series? YES
This was such a surprise. I had thought this was a retelling of The Little Mermaid but I don’t think it is. It’s an interesting story nonetheless! I loved the danger, adventure and romance within its pages! We have a town that lives on the water whose inhabitants are banned from stepping foot on the land. But the Prince always chooses a wife from this town and the main character is a twin and her sister is meant to be the one to go. It gets so interesting.
Review to come
The Clergyman’s Wife
by Molly Greeley
thank you to Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy of this for review
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Molly Greeley
Published: December 2019
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pages: 288 {paperback}
I was sent this for review when it came out and finally got around it. And totally loved. I found this book really thought-provoking as it is a retelling/reimagining of Charlotte Collins’ life from Pride & Prejudice. Thought-provoking because of the way she balances happiness and duty, it was so interesting and lovely!
Mirage
by Somaiya Daud
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Author: Somaiya Daud
Published: August 2018
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 320 {paperback}
Will I continue the series? YES
This was so unique and I really enjoyed reading it! I loved that it was sci-fi but read like a fantasy. We have a colonised star system (star system sounds big, I’m not sure it’s that big) and the main character is kidnapped from her home moon to become the Crown Princess’s doppelganger. It’s awesome and there’s a wonderful romance, too.
Review to come
The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
by John Flanagan
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Middle-Grade
Author: John Flanagan
Published: November 2010
Publisher: Random House Australia
Pages: 487 {paperback}
Will I continue the series? YES
I can’t believe I only have two books to go in this series now. I feel like I have been reading Ranger’s Apprentice for such a long time and absolutely loving it. This was brilliant, as was expected, but I really did enjoy the sheer volume of action, sword-fighting and adventure in this one.
- I participated in Top Ten Tuesday:
- I did some book tags:
- I reviewed some books:
- Discussion: Do We Need Town Criers in Books?
- June Wrap-Up
- June Book Haul
- Books to Buy This Month (July)
Genres Read
Pages Read
Total: 2,095
Goodreads Reading Challenge
43%, or, 34/80 books
TBR Count
274 [-/+0]
an even balance, who knew I had it in me to not expand my TBR
July was a good month for me. It was relatively uneventful with one blissful week where the family and a friend of mine all went on holiday to a wine region about four hours south of where I live. I’m so grateful that Western Australia is doing okay with COVID so that regional travel is allowed. My heart really goes out to all of you stuck in place in areas more badly affected.
Seeing as it was uni break for me (a whole month, what a win) I mostly just worked more. Which means I didn’t read as much as I thought I might because I failed to factor in that I wasn’t actually getting more time.
One exciting thing that happened is that I became an influencer for a company called Read & Relax (over on Instagram). You can use my code booksnail10 to get a discount – it’s a blind date with a book company and it’s super wonderful. I recommend you head over to my own Instagram to see more photos of my August box and see my highlight reel to find out how to get yourself your own little pamper pack!
I’ve been trying really hard to stick to my little schedule I’ve made for myself when it comes to blogging/instagram/youtube and it’s working well for the other two but I confess it’s really damn hard to hit the right balance with blogging. I’m sure I’ll get there, however. Going forward, into August, I’ve had a good think about my uni/blogging/work schedule and I’m hoping I’ve struck the right balance to not get over stressed trying to make it all fit! I guess we’ll find out at the end of August *thinking face*
Movies I Watched
The Desolation of Smaug, 2013: 9/10
I’ve been slowly re-watching these with my brother (though he has just gone back inter-state for uni so we won’t be watching the last one for a while). They are so LONG. That was my main take away haha – but I am enjoying watching these again!
Jumanji: The Next Level, 2019: 8/10
These films are my everything. I cackled through them. I find them so entertaining and this was just as good as the first one in my opinion. They are such a good laugh.
Tick! done!
What was your favourite book that you read in July?
~~ Kirstie ~~
Upside-Down Books 
I really like the sound of the Emma Donoghue book!
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It’s seriously amazing!! I can’t get over how amazing it was!
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