July 31, 2018

July Wrap Up

Out of the ten books I read in July, I can generally recommend the first five and wholeheartedly recommend the first three (indicated by 4 & 5 star ratings).

As well as making some progress on my Summer TBR, I also read one that I’ve declared my favorite of the year so far. My reads are listed below in the order of my Star Rating and enjoyment. Titles are affiliate Amazon links, and links to blog or Goodreads reviews are included when available.

As a reminder, here are my Star Rating category descriptions

5 Stars=loved it for all the reasons, highly recommendable to everyone, considered one of my best reads of the year

4 Stars=a great read, recommendable, and memorable

3 Stars=an OK read, I liked it overall but it also has some areas of weakness or it didn’t appeal to me (but others may have liked it)

2 Stars=it wasn’t to my taste for several reasons (but I did finish it) and I’m hesitant to recommend it… lack of appeal could be a genre or subject matter or writing style preference

1 Star=I abandoned it (DNF), not recommendable

Star ratings are extremely subjective and a book that I rate as 1 Star could be rated 5 Stars by someone else. Always check several reviews before making your reading choice, and please don’t be offended if we disagree on preferences.

What I Read

A Place For Us (Fiction) by Fatima Farheen Mirza
5+ Stars
(Full Review Here)
***MY FAVORITE of the year so far!***

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The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Fiction) by Rachel Joyce (author of The Music Shop)
4.5 Stars 
(Full Review Here)

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An American Marriage (Fiction) by Tayari Jones
4.5 Stars
(Full Review Coming Soon)

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Jefferson’s Sons (MG) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley [author of the delightful The War That Saved My Life (MG) and The War I Finally Won (MG)]
4 Stars
(Brief Goodreads Review Here)

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Sisters First  (Memoir) by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
4 Stars
(Brief Goodreads Review Here)

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The Ensemble (Fiction) by Aja Gabel
3.5 Stars
(Full Review Here)

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All We Ever Wanted (Fiction) by Emily Giffin
3 Stars (writing=2 Stars & relevant content=3 stars)
(Brief Goodreads Review Here)

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The Sweetness of Forgetting (light historical fiction) by Kristin Harmel
3 Stars
(Brief Goodreads Review Here)

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Still Me (Fiction) by Jojo Moyes (sequel to Me Before You and After You)
2.5 Stars
(no review: if you’ve read the first two in the series and are a Jojo Moyes fan, you may enjoy this easy reading chick lit title)

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Warlight (Historical Fiction) by Michael Ondaatje (author of The English Patient)
2 Stars
(Brief Goodreads Review Here)

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Happy Reading Bookworms!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection!
Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

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Give Away!

There’s still time to enter my giveaway for A Place For Us. This link will take you to the Blogiversary Give Away post.

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My Summer TBR

I’ll be updating my Summer TBR list as I complete each read, so check this link often!
(So far I’ve read more than half of the list, some I’ve been more thrilled with than others, and I’ve only abandoned one)

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Looking Ahead:

 I finished An American Marriage this week and I am eager to bring you a review on Friday.

Amazon Information Here

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Sharing is Caring

Thank you for reading today! I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along, promote, and/or share my blog. Every share helps us grow.

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 Let’s Discuss

How’s your summer reading progressing? Are you finding some entertaining beach/pool/plane reads?

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***Blogs posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price. This money will be used to offset the costs of running a blog and to sponsor giveaways, etc.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

Book Cover and author photo are credited to Amazon or an author’s website.