Books I Read In July

I'm really proud of myself, because despite being really busy (I got a new job!) in the month of July I read 12 books. I again listened to a ton of audiobooks, and that element covered 7 of the books I read. So here are the books I read in the month of July and some of my thoughts and opinions on them:

The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock - This book follows four teenagers, living in Alaska during the 1970's. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I loved the perspective of the setting and I feel like I learned a lot about Alaska Purchase. I also really liked all of the characters and I really liked how there stories were interconnected.

Spindle by E.K. Johnston - This is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and the stand alone sequel to A Thousand Nights. This is the second disappointing sequel in a stand alone fairy tale retelling series, the first being The Wish Granter. I found the overall goal and plot of this book confusing and I couldn't stand the romance element. I disliked this book so much that I wasn't able to finish this book, I had a hundred pages left before I gave up and skimmed the ending.  

The Alchemist of Loom and The Dragons of Nova by Elise Kova - These are the first two books in the Loom Trilogy, which is a fantasy series with steampunk inspirations. I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, I ultimately love Ari and Cvareh's chapters more than the other characters, but I love where the story is headed. I can't wait for the last book to be published later this year.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns Trilogy by Rae Carson - This book follows Elisa, a God-blessed princess, who is married off to a neighboring kingdom in an effort to protect her. I really liked this whole series, and I found the strength of this series to be the character development. I think Elisa grew so much as a character and I really liked reading about her journey.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson - This book follows Taylor and her family as they head to their families' summer home to experience one last summer, after her dad is diagnosed with terminal cancer. This is a reread for me of one of my favorite YA contemporaries. I loved reading this book just as much, the second time around.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber - This book follows sisters, Scarlett and Tella, as they journey to the world of Caraval to participate in a game, with the winner being granted a wish. I found this book really intriguing, the plot has so many twists and turns and I really enjoyed anticipating what the author would do next.

Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer - This is the final book in The Land of Stories series. This is a series that I have been following since the first book came out six years ago, and it was bittersweet to read this book, because I didn't want the story to end, but the last 3 books have built up to this ending. I really enjoyed how this series ended and I love how this book left off for the possibility of a spin off series.

When It's Real by Erin Watt - This book follows Oakley Ford, a troubled pop star who has to fake date the ordinary teenage, Vaughn, to rehabilitate his public image. Erin Watt's books tend to be filled with cliches and they can be predictable, but they are so addicting. I had some problems with the plot of this book, but it was a really light, quick, and fun read.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee - This is a historical fiction book that follows Monty, his best friend and crush, and his sister as their tour across Europe leads them into a dangerous political plot. I was so excited to read this book once I heard that it was a historical fiction book with LGBTQ elements. I really enjoyed the narration, but the main character was a little to much for me.

And those are all the books I finished, I'm still slowly making my way through my Harry Potter reread. I'm only on the second book, but I plan on spending the next couple of weeks before I head back to school focusing on them. - Jessica

July Snapshots

1. I have had my eyes on the Juniper Books' Harry Potter Book Jackets and I finally splurged at got them for myself for my birthday. They're so pretty and I'm looking to get a new set of HP hardcovers so that I can have both these and the original US editions on my shelves, and cause I love having multiple editions of each Harry Potter book. /// 2. I took a break from the my Wizarding World Loot Crate subscription, but I restarted it for July and I'm so happy I did because the box included these amazing book ends of the statues outside the Great Hall.

3 & 4. I did a lot of adding to my Harry Potter collection this month. I'm obsessed with my new purse that is a mini version of Newt's suitcase from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I also added these Funkos to my collection, which were all Comic Con exclusives. 

5. I added to my bookmark problem and got these from Happy Hello Co on Etsy. 

6. I saw one of my favorite solo acts, The Rocket Summer, on the 10 year anniversary tour for Do You Feel. The last time I saw TRS was in 2010, and it was so great to hear him preform all of my favorite tunes. - Jessica

Ten Years Ago

It's crazy to think about how Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out 10 years ago today, and how I spent the whole day reading the ending to my favorite series of all time. It's really crazy for me to think about how I'm just as obsessed with the series as I was when I was 12 years old and standing in line waiting for my copy at midnight.

This 21st, I'm going to be spending the day making my way through rereading the series. I'm currently working my way through the second book. Happy book birthday HP7! - Jessica

Summer Tunes (Pt. 2)

Last summer I made a playlist for all of my favorite summery songs. So many of my favorite artists have released new music lately, and I also discovered new songs that I thought it would be fun to make a second playlist of songs. So here are the songs that I have been listening to lately. - Jessica

Books I Read in June

During the month of June, I read 9 novels and 2 novellas. I had a decent reading month, especially considering all the academic texts I read (that I unfortunately can't apply to my reading challenge). So here are the books I read and some of my thoughts on them.

The Prince's Rogue by Elise Kova - This is the second book in the Golden Guard trilogy, the prequel series to Air Awakens. The Air Awakens series is one of my all time favorites and I love the background that the Golden Guard provides, but these books are so short. I really love revisiting these characters, but I wish there was more from each book.

The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes - This is the second book in the Spirit and Thieves trilogy, the prequel series to Falling Kingdoms. I liked the first book and I found this book on the same level as the first. I don't have as much of an emotional attachment to this series, as I do for the Falling Kingdoms books, but they're still really good. I really love the direction of this series, and I'm so disappointed that I have to wait over a year to see how it ends.  

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - This book centers around Cath, a huge fangirl and fanfiction writer, as she navigates her freshman year of college. This was a reread for me, as I first read this book almost three years ago and it became an instant favorite of mine. While rereading this book, I gained so much more perspective of Cath's story and how she dealt with her mental illness.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - This book centers around Simon Snow, the chosen one, who is destined to save his magical universe, even though he is terrible at normal magic. This book is heavily inspired by Harry Potter and draws from elements of Rowell's Fangirl. This was another reread for me, and it is also another one of my favorites. I absolutely loved rereading this book, and seeing all the tie ins to Fangirl. Simon and Baz are still one of my favorite ships and I still love everything about this book that I did before.

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West - This book centers around Lily after she finds a reply to her scribblings on her desk in class. Kasie West writes some of the cutest, lighthearted YA contemporaries and this one did not disapoint. I did find this book a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed it.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia - This book centers around Eliza, the anonymous creator to a well-loved webcomic series, and how she deals with her identity being revealed. I received this book in the May Owlcrate, and I'm so glad that I did because I don't think I would have picked this up otherwise. I absolutely loved this book and I think it's on my list of favorites for this year. I loved Eliza's story and how she created something that she loved and felt the need to protect. I also loved the added illustrations that the author did for the comic, I would love to be able to read Monster Sea in real life now.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - This book takes place in a world, where every savage water horses appear on an island and people race them for reward, so Puck enters the race to save her family and meets Sean, the only person who can tame the horses. I have been interested in picking this book up for a while now, and compared to The Raven Cycle, I was a little disappointed by this book. I liked the plot of this book, but I wasn't a fan of the characters or the instalove element.

Crimson Dagger and Obsidian Blade by Morgan Rhodes - These are two novellas that take place in the Falling Kingdoms universe, that centers around Magnus, and then the latter also ties into the Spirit and Thieves trilogy with the addition of Maddox. Magnus is one of my favorite characters, so I was really excited to read more about him and learn more about his character. I really enjoyed these and now I want so much more from this series.

Vassa In the Night by Sarah Porter - This is a modern day retelling of Vasilisa the Beautiful. One of the classes I'm taking this summer is a course on Russian folk tales, and I've had this book on my shelf for ages, but I've been to hesitant to read it before because I didn't know the source material. I really like how this book adapted the fairy tale, but some of the plot elements are really confusing. I actually ended up using this book as a argument for how Russian folk tradition has translated into YA literature, and I'm hoping I get a good grade on it.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling - This was another reread to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of the book. I always jump at the chance to reread this book, because it's where my love for Harry Potter started, and I just love reading the story of my favorite characters. This time around I read the new Gryffindor special edition, and I absolutely loved the added content (I spend a long time drooling over the map).

So those are the books that I read in June. I'm hoping to read a lot in July and I'm really excited about the release of the last book in the Land of Stories series, and just catching up on my reading goal. - Jessica