July || August || September
Remember to stay up to date with the world, listen to those facing atrocities and help spread awareness/donate where you’re able to.
Somehow another 3 months has passed in the blink of an eye:
Overall, in July, August and September, I read 23 books and while romance is still my overarching genre, there was more of a range within these two months and even some new genres.
I’ve read 72 books, so I will easily complete my goal of 75 as I’m 16 books ahead! 💖
As I used my stats from StoryGraph, I also linked each title to it’s page on the reading tracker as well.
JULY
I didn’t realise I had read so much in July! While some books are a lot shorter, being novellas or graphic novels, doing the Magical Hop-A-Thon was a fun way to read more ♥ Overall, I had an average of 3.5⭐ and read quite a few fantasy~
Rain Before Rainbows; Smriti Prasadam-Halls with David Litchfield (Illustrator) – I used this for the The StoryGraph’s Onboarding Reading Challenge 2024 and to be honest, I just remember that it was sweet and the illustrations were lovely.
In Defence of Witches: Why Women Are Still on Trial; Mona Chollet with Sophie R. Lewis (Translator) ⭐⭐⭐.5 – French Feminism is so enjoyable to read. It’s often straight to the point and has a fun wit to it. In Defence of Witches had some great analysis and Feminist thought, however, the way the information was relayed felt disjointed and some information didn’t feel overly relevant.
Tales from the Café; Toshikazu Kawaguchi with Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator) ⭐⭐⭐.5 – This is the second book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series and I just think these books are too dry and repetitive. While I did enjoy learning more about Kazu, I spent most of the time a little bored.
Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life; Miriam Margolyes ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – The chapters explore lots of different topics, from ridiculous and funny to heartwarming and melancholic. I would highly recommend the audiobook as Miriam does such wonderful narration and really brings her writing to life.
Tress of the Emerald Sea; Brandon Sanderson ⭐⭐⭐.5 – This was a lovely adult fairytale-esque story. Tress and her friends face danger, but it was all low stakes and I didn’t really have any worries. It has an engaging narrative style, being witty (combined with dry humour) and conversational. I enjoyed seeing Tress grow into being a young woman, but the plot was somewhat underwhelming and I would have preferred more action.
Give Me Five; Meg Cabot ⭐⭐.5 – This is the fifth book in the Princess Diaries series and while there is a lot of funny and satirical content, I find some of the language, terminology and views uncomfortable. Considering the target audience (ages 11-14) I’m not sure how unpacked or obvious these topics would be to the younger readers. Mia is still somewhat annoying, but it is fun seeing her grow into her own person. And I do enjoy the mixed media elements!
A Fragile Enchantment; Allison Saft ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This was a super easy and cosy read. There is drama, but it’s somewhat surface level and there wasn’t a single moment I was worried that anything bad would happen to anyone. This meant that the relationship between Niamh and Kit took centre stage and it was super cute, so I’m not upset about it.
Pride and Prejudice; Jane Austen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This novel will always be a win for me. It’s absolutely perfect ♥
When Among Crows; Veronica Roth ⭐⭐⭐.5 – This is a novella (just 165 pages) and Roth does so well in creating depth to her characters. I enjoyed the Polish folklore and imagery throughout. The aspect of historical persecution and migration to America – for both humans and the supernatural beings – elevated the plot. I do wish this was a full novel as the Holy Order and the supernatural communities were super interesting!
Girl, Goddess, Queen; Bea Fitzgerald ⭐⭐⭐.75 – Hades and Persephone retellings are, generally, always a good time. And I did have fun with Girl, Goddess, Queen. It was easy to read, but the dialogue was a little juvenile in comparison to the prose. I loved that Hades had such a beautiful artistic personality, but taking away a lot of his power felt disingenuous and an easy way to boost Persephone in a ‘feminist’ way.
Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone; Benjamin Stevenson ⭐⭐⭐ – The writing style is fun as Ernest is chatty, straightforward and I enjoy when the main character talks directly to the reader. The setting of the Australian ski resort was interesting, but, overall it didn’t really add much to the plot. I would have liked to have had more room for thinking about the mystery myself.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones; Seanan McGuire ⭐⭐⭐ – The second book in the Wayward Children series shows us Jack and Jill’s backstory. We learnt about their upbringing, which gave a huge insight into their personalities and explains their behaviour in the magical world. The portal world itself was rather boring and because these are novellas (190 pages) we didn’t spend much time in it and it was mostly about Jack. This could have been much longer and would have had more impact.
The Mystery of the Blue Train; Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐ – Book 6 in the Hercule Poirot series takes forever for Poirot to make an appearance. This felt, for a long while, just like a simple marital drama about some unlikable characters. Once the mystery got going it was fine, but could have benefited on being longer to flesh out the plot and character development.
Wash Day Diaries; Jamila Rowser with Robyn Smith (Illustrator) – The art style was great and I enjoyed following this friendship group go through their everyday struggles and joys. Each chapter built on the character’s personalities, as well as showcasing their friendship circle dynamic and the importance of self-expression and self-care surrounding Black women’s hair. I do wish that this was a series as several hard hitting topics are discussed (trigger warnings for depression, stalking, dementia) but could have been better developed.
AUGUST
August saw a shift at work in that we got even busier, so I only read 5 books, but across several different genres. I also added another 5⭐ that isn’t a historical romance! Out of the 5 books, I read 4 physically and listened to one via audiobook.
To Swoon and to Spar; Martha Waters ⭐⭐⭐.75 – Being the fourth book in the Regency Vows series, I was a little disappointed that the pacing felt rushed. Penvale and Jane’s personalities were somewhat similar, which made for fun bickering and a sweet relationship. I would have loved more ghost shenanigans and hijinks, but it was lovely to see the inclusion of the villagers and how this also grew character development. They had pretty good communication and it was great to see more of James.
DallerGut Dream Department Store; Lee Mi Ye ⭐⭐⭐ – This book was fine, but it felt very surface level. There was a broad and overly positive approach to problem solving which meant the characters and their worries didn’t have much substance. I did enjoy some of the characters, such as DallerGut himself and Weather. The biggest problem was that our main character – Penny – didn’t have much appeal, in that everyone seemed to think she was wonderful and profound, but it was mostly her just making stuff up and saying the most basic things.
The Red Palace; June Hur ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Hyeon is capable, smart and her actions were mostly well thought out. Hyeon and Eojin’s relationship was built on communication and transparency which was incredibly refreshing. Eojin is respectful of Hyeon’s opinions and saw her as an equal from the get go. The mystery was gripping and there was a great balance between the court politics and the investigation.
A Lady for a Duke; Alexis Hall ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – It was lovely to see Viola live her life the way she wanted and while her transness is a part of the story, it’s more about being a woman in the restrictive upper class Regency society. Hall has a lovely way of bringing together characters who are different and allowing them to form beautiful relationships and found families. There was the usual ridiculous moments that Hall loves to include, but they were fun and I enjoyed the reading experience a lot.
Ice Planet Barbarians; Ruby Dixon ⭐.5 – I don’t know why I went into this hoping it would be super fun, but it was mostly just annoying. The main character, Georgie, had practically no personality and absolutely no leadership skills. I did like the sci-fi elements and I think with more work they could have been really well utilised. Unfortunately, it was just a woman having sex with a giant blue alien man while her friends are freezing and starving to death waiting for her to find help/food. Vektal was cute though.
SEPTEMBER
September was a super slow month! I got covid, which meant I didn’t read anything for a solid week and being tired with work means I’ve gravitated more to watching tv rather than focusing on a book. Overall, I had two wins and two disappointments.
The Forest of Stolen Girls; June Hur ⭐⭐.75 – I read Red Palace in August and I adored that book! So I went into this one with high expectations. Unfortunately, Min Hwani is just not as well-rounded and as a protagonist in a crime/mystery novel she was so frustrating. Thankfully, her sister Maewol does have some sense to counteract Hwani’s questionable behaviour. I found the mystery itself interesting, especially with the true historical elements, and June Hur’s writing is so fast paced and easy to consume. It’s a shame that the characters ruined the overall enjoyment.
The Examiner; Janice Hallett ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I was a little hesitant going into this as I did not enjoy The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. However, I was so happy when I found this readable and fun. I enjoyed the mystery and character development through the mixed media messages, group chats and assignment feedback. I would have loved to maybe see a visual representation of some of the art as we do follow a group of PG art students. So glad I gave this a chance!
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery; Brom ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Slewfoot is pretty much encased in the dichotomy between the pious and righteous and how it’s often a facade to allow for oppression and cruelty. I enjoyed seeing Abitha having religiosity of her own and how her involvement with the forest spirits and folklore didn’t come easily so we saw her battling with her own notion of doctrine. Brom does really well to create unsettling atmosphere which elevates this small village setting.
Masters of Death; Olivie Blake ⭐⭐.75 – I was disappointed with this one. The characters are so interesting and their relationships were the reason I kept reading. The writing was pretentious which meant that it just read as badly written in some places. The ‘Game’ itself was confusing and there were too many jumps to different characters in the past and present, which made it hard to differentiate what was important because some inserts were so brief! Fox calling Death ‘Papa’ was incredibly cute ♥
Thanks for reading!
I hope you’ve enjoyed some great books so far this year!
I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe ♥
DramaRambles 🌸 
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