Monthly Wrap-Up: July + August ’22 – I’m Back!

Hello, friends, I’m back and I’ve missed you! I was going to come back from my hiatus in the middle of August, but wasn’t really feeling it at the time. Decided to give myself a little more time away. I ended up working on blog posts this last week of my hiatus because I like to be prepared, you know, like a nerd. I am combining July and August for this wrap-up post to make things easier. I read nine books in July and nine books in August. Not absurd numbers, but I am counting them as huge wins considering I really struggled starting books over the summer. I really wanted to get back into fantasy and only kind of succeeded. I must get back to the genre because I have bought so many fantasy books this year, it’s not even funny. I am really itching for fall and am in deep denial that it is still summer even with this 100°+ heatwave we are currently experiencing (It was 110° yesterday and that isn’t even the hottest day we are supposed to have. I cry). I’ve already started crocheting pumpkin projects and even bought R.I.P. cupcake holders. I just need the weather to start cooperating. Latinx Heritage Month is just around the corner as well and yes, you guessed it, I’ve already started working on blog posts. Oh and I finally had a chance to import my Goodreads data to StoryGraph. I am still figuring out how to use it, but you can add me as a friend here!

Favorite Books in July & August:

I picked up the second volume of Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama in July and loved it so much. This world is so enchanting. I’m trying to pace myself with these, but it is not easy. My favorite read in August was Claribel A. Ortega’s Witchlings. I was really impressed with this middle grade fantasy. I was a little scared I wasn’t going to love this one as much as Ghost Squad, but it turns out I love it even more. Ortega does a wonderful job of addressing really serious issues in this one without losing the warmth of this world. Covers linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book received less than three stars from me.

Other Books I read in July:

(Covers linked to Goodreads.)

✿ Witch Hat Atelier, #1 by Kamome Shirahama **reread**

✿ My Mechanical Heart by Alexene Farol Follmuth

✿ Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

✿ Make a Scene by Mimi Grace

✿ The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

✿ The Sweetest Connection by Denise Williams

✿ The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia **reread**

Other Books I read in August:

(Covers linked to Goodreads.)

✿ The Final Girl’s Support Group by Grady Hendrix

✿ The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

✿ What’s Coming to Me by Francesca Padilla

✿ Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

✿ Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo

✿ Heartstopper, Vol. 3 by Alice Oseman

✿ Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

✿ High Spirits by Camille Gomera-Tavarez

Reviews Posted:

(Covers linked to reviews)

Notable Blog Posts:

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2022 – The latter part of the year has some amazing releases!

What I Watched/Am Watching:

Bride of Chucky through Cult of Chucky – I am starting the Halloween season early by watching lots and lots of horror movies. It all started because I wanted to finally watch all the Chucky movies I hadn’t seen before the second season of the television show airs. Then I was suddenly watching a bunch of other horror movies: Candman (good), Halloween Kills (terrible), Oculus (traumatizing), and Evil Dead (rewatch, gorier than I remember).

Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo – Fans of friends to lovers, this K-Drama is made for you! I absolutely adored the two lead characters in this one and loved every interaction between them. Whether they were arguing, bonding, or supporting each other, their chemistry was undeniable.

September Releases I’m Excited For:

(Covers linked to Goodreads.)

What was your favorite read in August? Are you looking forward to fall? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave a link to your own wrap-up post, so I can visit!

Monthly Wrap-Up: November ’18

MonthlyWrap-UPI’m officially back from hiatus! I will be catching up on comments both today and tomorrow, particularly ones left on my Top Ten Tuesday post I put up this last week. If I have time today, I will also be doing a little blog hopping. I missed my blog, but I also missed all of yours as well.

I cannot believe that it is already December. Where did 2018 go? My November was defined by the most part by the aforementioned hiatus I took in the middle of the month. I didn’t work on my blog for a whole two and a half weeks. I wish I could say I picked up an absurd number of books while away from the blog, but it was more of the same. I read 6 novels in November, only bought a couple of books for myself (here’s to self-control!), and feel really confident going into December. There are a few books I really want to get to as we say goodbye to 2018 and a couple of blog posts I’ve been thinking about that I at least want to start on. We’ll see how it goes.

(Book covers below are linked to my reviews, unless otherwise specified.) 

Favorite Book This Month:

Rebecca Roanhouse’s Trail of Lightning is the book I’m going to be screaming about for the rest of the year into next year. I kid you not, the day after I finished my library copy, I was on the hunt for my own copy. It was that good. The world-building was top-notch, the characters hard not to root for, and the action took my breath away. I cannot wait to share my review with you. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book received less than three stars from me this month.

Reviews Posted This Month:

 

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I am already salivating over this release. Chokshi is one of my favorite writers and you can bet that this is at the top of my preorder list (I preordered this while on hiatus).

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Sibling Relationships – I “broke” my hiatus so I could do this topic because I love sibling relationships in books and had to share this list with everyone.

Reading Challenges:

Aside from the Goodreads challenge, I’m only participating in one reading challenge this year. I close the second to last month accepting that I am not going to meet my goal. I’m okay with that.

1. The 2018 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I read one debut in November and that was Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed.

  • Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 9 books

I have no December releases on my TBR, so instead here are a few books I’m hoping to pick up before the end of 2018:

 

Month in Review

Do you take a break from your blog during the busy holiday season? How was your November? Did you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving? Any books you need to get to before we end 2018? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave me a link to your own wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to visit.