July Wrap-Up.

Reading-wise, it has been a pretty appalling month. I kind of expected it to be though as I've had lots to catch up on work-wise after the wedding/honeymoon and I'm finding myself falling into a bit of a reading slump again. I managed two reads overall, only one of which was on my original list. I'm getting better at not beating myself up over this stuff though!

1. 'Naturally Tan' by Tan France. I have now got through Season 4 of Queer Eye and this was the perfect accompaniment. Tan France is one of the fabulous five hosts of the show and his British origins have meant I've always had a soft spot for him. I loved the insights about the show's processes that I gleaned from this read, and learning more about his life, though perhaps could have done without his slightly over-critical nature at times. 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Mooncakes' by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu. Graphic novels might be the answer to this slump I'm having. Especially queer ones. I loved this little story for a variety of reasons - the diverse characters, fun plot and supernatural goodness. There's a lot of originality in here too! 4/5 Stars.

This month I read zero books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total seventeen.

This month I read two books for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total eight.

- Naturally Tan

- Mooncakes

This month I read zero books for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total four.

This month I read two books for the Diversity Reading Challenge, making my yearly total eighteen.

- Naturally Tan 

*Mini Challenge: (LGBT Pride Summer)*

- Mooncakes 

*Mini Challenge: (LGBT Pride Summer)*

Planned Reads For July.

Even though I'm officially 'back', I'm really enjoying the lack of pressure when I pick less books per month, so I'm picking out another six for July! Seeing as the 6th July is London Pride, I really want to focus include some LGBTQ+ reads, but also Summer puts me in the mood for lots of contemporary reads with light, fun covers!

'Reign Of The Fallen' by Sarah Glenn Marsh has been on my TBR for way too long, and as much as I love seeing it's beautiful cover on my pile, I want to read it too! Pink, necromancers, a bisexual MC and plenty of fantastical shenanigans are all things I am so here for!

I took a few of the books on this list on my honeymoon with me, 'The Love Interest' by Cale Dietrich being one of them. I love the idea of two boys from rival 'spy' academies working agains each other to get the girl but maybe...falling for each other? So original and fun!

My next pick is a book perfect for the season! 'What If It's Us' by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera sounds like the gay rom-com I've always wanted. I hope it lives up to the hype I've built in my head for it!

Madeline Miller's 'The Song Of Achilles' looks like a stunning addition to my list of July's reads, and the following that this book has is more than enough to convince me that I will love this. It contains Greek Mythology, my favourite, and an LGBTQ+ outlook on the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus.

I love watching Queer Eye so is it any wonder that I want to read Tan France's autobiography 'Naturally Tan'? It looks super funny, and as Tan is from England originally I'm quite excited to read about his experiences in this country.

My last choice looks like it will take my emotions and drown me with them, but I'm really loving the cover and concept of 'Summer Bird Blue'. I enjoyed the last book I read that focused on grief immensely ('The Astonishing Colour Of After' by Emily X.R. Pan) and this one is set in Hawaii!

July Wrap-Up.

So, this month has been a little lacklustre in the reading department. Honestly, I'm disappointed in myself but I'm trying to not pressure myself so much to read as I've heard that can really force people into reading slumps. I managed three reads this month, and it's better than none.

1. 'The Penelopiad' by Margaret Atwood. This book really started July out with a bang. It was so good and I loved it a lot! It was definitely a great introduction into Canongate's Myth series. I loved this feminist, snarky retelling of 'The Odyssey' told from the POV of Penelope, Odysseus's faithful wife. Great story, symbolism, and it really brought Ancient Greek Myths into modern times. 5/5 Stars.
2. 'Mrs Rosie & The Priest' by Giovanni Boccaccio. These short stories were a bit of fun, and I really wanted to delve into reading something a bit different. I certainly achieved that with this snapshot of 14th Century Italian literature and I have to say, it's bawdiness took me by surprise! Apart from tale number four in the collection, the female characters were funny and sexually free and very clever. 3.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Wonder Woman: Warbringer' by Leigh Bardugo. I don't normally read books about Comic Book characters, but this was by Bardugo whom I adore, and I really loved the recent Wonder Woman movie. So I gave it a shot! There were some similarities in plot-line and it was a little putdown-able for me.

This month I read three books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total so far nineteen.

- The Penelopiad

- Mrs Rosie & The Priest

- Wonder Woman: Warbringer

This month I read zero books for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total so far one.

I read zero books for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total so far eight.

I read one book for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, making my yearly total so far fifteen.

- The Penelopiad

Here is the result for Pretty Deadly Blog's Bookish Bingo card.

Blue Cover: Wonder Woman - Warbringer; Leigh Bardugo

A Book You've Been Putting Off: Warrior Witch; Danielle L. Jensen

Illustrations: The Good Guys; Rob Kemp & Paul Blow

Yellow Cover: Floored; Various

Freebie: --

Over 5 Years Old: Mrs Rosie & The Priest; Giovanni Buccaccio

Someone Else Picks For You: Out Of The Blue; Sophie Cameron

Red Cover: The Penelopiad; Margaret Atwood

Planned Reads For July.

I am very excited to read everything I've chosen for this month. June might have been a bit hectic, but I'm out of the other side of my reading slump now and getting into a routine. So here goes:

Another read chosen for my super exciting project (I'm powering through these now) and I'm really excited to read another book by Margaret Atwood, especially a retelling of The Iliad, 'The Penelopiad'. I've not fully read the classic that it retells but I do know the gist of it, and I'll do a bit of research beforehand.

Yes, yes. It's on the list again. 'Wonder Woman: Warbringer' just keeps evading me. I do really love superheroes though, and I thought the recent Wonder Woman film was great! I'm still excited about this and I'm going to stop putting it off now.

Another couple of books that have been on the last few TBRs up next, but I think they'll suit Summer reading really well so I'll definitely aim to get to them. 'The Belles' by Dhonielle Clayton has a gorgeous cover and so many good reviews that I can't wait to see what it's all about!

'The Astonishing Colour Of After' by Emily X.R. Pan is a book set in a totally new territory to me - Taiwan. I think the cover for tis book and the premise is astonishingly beautiful, and this seems like the perfect Summer read!

I really need to get on with George R.R. Martin's series. I've only got two more books to go, and 'A Dance With Dragons: Dreams & Dust' is one of them! It will help to fill the Game Of Thrones shaped gap in my soul too...

Everyone loves a good fairy tale, right? I know I do and I've heard great things about Naomi Novik's 'Uprooted'. I can't wait to read it, and hopefully I'll really enjoy it.

Speaking of fairy tales, 'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian looks like a kickass re-imagining of the classic Cinderella. I love the sense of revolution I get from the synopsis, and My Kinda Book were so kind to send me a copy to read!

The height of Summer calls for a book that makes you think of nothing but the hot, desert sun. That's what I'll be getting from 'Retribution Rails' by Erin Bowman.

July Wrap-Up.

Ok so I didn't manage a fair amount of my actual chosen reads, only four actually but I did sneak in a couple of extras to make up the numbers so I'm still pretty pleased with my status this month! I managed a grand total of six books!

1. 'The Sleeping Prince' by Melinda Salisbury. I wouldn't say that I've been necessarily avoiding this book. But I was worried about this book because I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I'd hoped and it was either going to restore my faith or put me off forever. There were still a couple of issues with this book, but the change of characters was definitely a good idea. Errin was a badass MC, the romance was a lot more appealing and I liked seeing more of the world. 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls' by Francesca Cavallo & Elena Favilli. I purchased this book fairly recently and after flicking through it and finding that the chosen stories really intrigued me, I took some time to sit down and read them all. There's a great mix: women of both past & present who are either great queens or models and tattoo artists from all over the world. I loved that diversity! As they are styled as children's fairy tales, I felt the 'endings' could use more work, but this is a great book for children, especially young girls, to read. 4/5 Stars.
3. 'Through The Woods' by Emily Carroll. I was gifted this by a close friend of mine and overjoyed to finally be reading it! I've been eyeing up Graphic Novels as a genre to get back into for months now, and this is a good place to start. The short stories were spooky and atmospheric for sure, and the artwork was absolutely gorgeous! I liked the similarities to fairy tales too, but I wish that the endings had not been so vague. They felt very unfinished and for the most part, I didn't 'get it'. 4.5/5 Stars.
4. 'The One Memory Of Flora Banks' by Emily Barr. This book has such mixed reactions all over the internet, and I went in a little wary about what I'd find. In the end though, it was mostly 'okay'. The characters were well formulated, I especially liked Paige and Agi because they demonstrated complicated but likeable friendships. Flora's time in Svalbard was probably my favourite portion of the book. I liked the idea behind the book too, but I felt that due to Flora's condition, elements of it were so repetitive almost to the point of boredom. Her conversations with Drake (the sexting in particular) made me feel really uncomfortable too because of her amnesia. It all felt a bit creepy. 3/5 Stars.
5. 'What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours' by Helen Oyeyemi. More fairy tales? Yay! I've been looking to get into Oyeyemi's work for a while now, this looked like a good opportunity to do so. I was totally captivated by the magic within the pages of this book, and I have to say that I adored the magical realism of it all. I don't normally like that genre, but Oyeyemi handled it masterfully. Despite that, I still left feeling disappointed. Each story had such a great premise, especially as some characters appeared in more than one. Each one, as with previous reads this month, felt 'unfinished' too. I really think I'd like Oyeyemi's full-length novels more, where she'd be given a chance to fully flesh out her endings. 3/5 Stars.
6. 'The Final Empire' by Brandon Sanderson. This is the book I've been waiting for! It was the perfect end to the month! A friend bought it for me such a long time ago, and I felt so bad for putting it off this long. But it was definitely worth the wait, as this felt like the best fantasy book I've read in a long time. Fantastic characterisation, gorgeous world-building, and a good plot that kept me hooked throughout. I even liked the romance aspect because it didn't interfere too much! I can't wait to read more of Sanderson's work as it all looks amazing!

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read two books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to eighteen. My reads were:

- The One Memory Of Flora Banks

- What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

This month I have read one books for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to eight. My reads were:

- The One Memory Of Flora Banks

This month I have read two books for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to eight. My reads were:

- What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

This month I have read two books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to twenty two. My reads were:

- Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls

- The One Memory Of Flora Banks

And here's my update on this quarter's Bookish Bingo card, courtesy of Pretty Deadly Blog!

Over 5 Years Old: Green Rider; Kristen Britain.
Red Cover: Good Bones; Margaret Atwood.
Latinx MC: One Of Us Is Lying; Karen M. McManus.
LGBT+: Release; Patrick Ness.
White Cover: A List Of Cages; Robin Roe.
Blue Cover: Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls; Francesca Cavallo & Elena Favilli.
Name In Title: The One Memory Of Flora Banks; Emily Barr.
Royalty: The Sleeping Prince; Melinda Salisbury.
A Book With A Map: The Final Empire; Brandon Sanderson.
Flowers On The Cover: What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours; Helen Oyeyemi.
Award Winner: Through The Woods; Emily Carroll.

Planned Reads For July.

It took me quite a while to compose this list, Summer just really gets me in the reading mood and choosing from my huge TBR is hard. I narrowed it down, but I really can't promise I'll stick to it...

'The Sleeping Prince' by Melinda Salisbury and Emily Barr's 'The One Memory Of Flora Banks' are on the list because they are two of the books I didn't quite get to last month and really do want to read before I commit to this month's planned reads.

1. 'The Final Empire' by Brandon Sanderson. Summer is the time for an epic fantasy or two because it makes me think of far-off places and distant lands. As 'Green Rider' didn't quite give me the full fantasy experience, I really want to give this one a try. My friends all loved it, as did most of the book community. It's been on my TBR for way too long.
2. 'Ivory & Bone' by Julie Eshbaugh. This was actually a Summer release and retells the classic 'Romeo & Juliet' but with a twist - it's set in prehistoric times! I've definitely never read a book with that setting, it should certainly be interesting. I hope it's done well because it looks awesome! Plus, I really need to get through some more Edelweiss reads!
3. 'What Is Not Yours, Is Not Yours' by Helen Oyeyemi. What is a TBR of mine without something that is to do with fairy tales? I've wanted to read something by Helen Oyeyemi for a long time. Her books are highly rated and I was delighted when Netgalley accepted my request for this book because it is right up my street!
4. 'Only Ever Yours' by Louise O'Neill. So I'm a little scared about reading this because I know it covers some really heavy topics that I'm not entirely comfortable with. But I'm also really excited about it and I want to step outside of my comfort zone. I'm definitely going to try it out, and hopefully it won't freak me out too much.
5. 'The Outliers' by Kimberly McCreight. I've been desperate to read this thriller for some time, because it looks so good! A series of clues, big mysteries, and friendships too! I am desperate for something a bit fast-paced that will totally hook me. I've got a good feeling about this book.
6. 'If I Was Your Girl' by Meredith Russo. I am finally going to read this awesome sounding book focused on a trans MC! I've never read a book that has this kind of MC so it's actually really cool to finally be reading one. The cover is really cool as well, and I look forward to seeing how Russo handles this topic.

July Wrap-Up.

I once again felt sure that I would be totally behind after this month, and then was proved wrong at the last moment because I read three books in one week. Therefore, I managed 6 of my 7 reads altogether, which I'm really pleased about!

1. 'The Jungle Books'; Rudyard Kipling. I got more than I bargained for with this book, because it ended up being both the first and second Jungle Book combined! Still, I liked it a lot: the stories were entertaining and I was surprised by how different it ended up being to my expectations of it. Some of my favourite stories actually ended up being the ones that didn't feature Mowgli, possibly because he's not nearly as loveable on the books as he is on screen. Still, Kipling really knew his stuff when it came to the animals and culture of India, and it was an enlightening read. 3.5/5 stars.
2. 'Angels & Demons'; Dan Brown. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this read when I first went into it because Dan Brown's 'version' of history has received so many complaints about it's inaccuracy and misleading information. I could see why people were so annoyed as I read the book, but when moving beyond that, 'Angels & Demons' isn't a bad book. Brown's writing is in no way eloquent, but is fast-paced and gripping. It's filled with twists and turns (though the dramatic 'cliff-hangers' at the end of each chapter are...cringe-worthy). I can't understand why Brown would choose to write a YA version of books in this series either, it doesn't seem to be aimed at adults to begin with. 3/5 Stars.
3. 'The Rosie Effect'; Graeme Simsion. I absolutely adored 'The Rosie Project' when I first read it a year or so ago, so reading 'The Rosie Effect' has been on my list for a while now. The only thing that put me off was my worry that it wouldn't be as good as the first book. While that ended up being true, I still enjoyed this book a lot. Simsion's writing was still witty and clever, and Don was every inch the loveable narrator I remembered. Simsion decided to take a slightly more serious route with this one (there were rather a lot of heavy conversations about parental suitability, nature vs. nurture and mental health) which meant that it wasn't as charming as it's predecessor. But I still rooted for Don & Rosie all the way through, and liked the ending. 4/5 Stars.
4. 'The Girl Of Ink & Stars'; Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Hands down my favourite read of the month, I adored this book! First, the cover and book design are stunning and while the cartography doesn't play as big a role as I'd hoped it still added something to the story. I loved the plot, the mythical, magical world-building was fantastic, and I thought the characters and writing were impressive for a Middle Grade book. I wish that Hargrave had dug a little deeper into the past of some characters such as the Governor or Isabella's mother. Nevertheless, a stunning debut. 4/5 Stars.
5. 'Sisters Red'; Jackson Pearce. The only Fairy Tale retelling of the month and based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood, I had high hopes for this one. In the end, I liked it but wan't blown away. A gripping plot, badass heroine with one eye, and an alternating viewpoint that showcased an interesting relationship between two sisters made this book special in it's own way. However, said badass heroine was too bitter and angry and I would have liked to have seen more vulnerability from her character. I also thought that the villain could have done with a more prominent leader to 'hate' as the group of Fenris were a bit vague. 2/5 Stars.
6. 'The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes'; Arthur Conan Doyle. More classic short stories? Of course! This time, they focused on my favourite Detective duo: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson. The shorter stories definitely suited these characters better and I found the plots a whole lot more interesting for a majority of them. A couple didn't end very well and I would have liked more of a conclusion, but generally this is my favourite installment in the series so far. 5/5 Stars.

This month I have read five books for Pretty Deadly Review's Backlist Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to twenty eight. This month's reads were:

- 'The Jungle Books' by Rudyard Kipling

- 'Angels & Demons' by Dan Brown

- 'The Rosie Effect' by Graeme Simsion

- 'Sisters Red' by Jackson Pearce

- 'The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle.

This month I have read one books for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to twelve. This month's reads were:

- 'The Rosie Effect' by Graeme Simsion

This month I have gained six points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to forty four. 

- 'The Jungle Books' by Rudyard Kipling (+2)

- 'The Rosie Effect' by Graeme Simsion (+2)

- 'The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle (+2)

This month I have read one book for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to ten. This month's read was:

- 'The Girl Of Ink & Stars' by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

This month I have read one book for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to six. 

- 'Sisters Red' by Jackson Pearce

I've also updated my Bookish Bingo card and Story Sprites board!

Name In Title: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Magic: Crow Moon; Anna McKerrow.

Historical Setting 1900s - 1950s: Salt To The Sea; Ruta Sepetys.

June, July or August Release: Notes On Being Teenage; Rosalind Jana.

Red Cover: Sisters Red; Jackson Pearce.

Freebie: The Girl On The Train; Paula Hawkins.

POC MC: The Jungle Books; Rudyard Kipling.

Over 500 Pages: Angels & Demons; Dan Brown.

Mental Health: All The Bright Places; Jennifer Niven.

Outdoors: Thin Air; Michelle Paver.

Food In Title Or Cover: The Rosie Effect; Graeme Simsion.

Monsters: The Girl Of Ink & Stars; Kiran Millwood Hargrave

2016 Fantasy: The Girl Of Ink & Stars; Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Setting - 19th Century: The Jungle Books; Rudyard Kipling.

Book By Deceased Author: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Character With Physical Deformity: Sisters Red; Jackson Pearce.