July 2024 reading is a wrap! Did you have a satisfactory reading month?
July 2024 Reading Wrap Up
I had a satisfactory and interesting reading month. Out of 13 books completed, I had one 5-star read, one 4.5-Star read, six 4-star reads, four 3-3.5-star reads, and one 1-star read.
Despite having one 5 star read, my most memorable read was a 4.5 star read, How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. I love multigenerational, found family stories, and books about books. In my forthcoming review, I will reveal why I knocked off a half star.
***This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Titles are Amazon affiliate links or my linked reviews.
ARC=Advanced Readers Copy (complimentary copy for review before pub date)
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
5 Stars. Historical Fiction (1950s), Women Supporting Women, Friendship, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Washington, D.C. Review coming Friday.
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
4.5 Stars. Contemporary Fiction, Multigenerational Friendship, Found Family, Review coming soon (in which you’ll find out why I knocked off a half star).
The Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction (WWII home front), #1 in a series, Nursing, Women Supporting Women, Friendship. England, Pub Date: 8/8/2024
Evacuees at the Wartime Library by Lesley Eames
4 Stars..Historical Fiction (WWII home front), #4 in the Wartime Library series, Women’s Fiction, Women Supporting Women, Friendship, Rural England, My review of Evacuees here.
Daughters of Tuscany by Siobhan Daiko (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction (WWII), Women Supporting Women, Romance, Italy, Review of Daughters of Tuscany here.
The Cloverton Charade by Sarah E. Ladd (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction (Regency), Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Romance, England, Pub Date: 9/3/2024
A Christmas Gift for the East End Girls by Patricia McBride (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction (WWII home front), Women’s Fiction, Friendship, Women Supporting Women, London, Pub Date: 8/25/2024
The Secret Keeper by Renita D’Silva (ARC)
4 Stars. ARC. Historical Fiction (WWII home front), India (1938), England (Bletchley Park), Pub Date: 8/12/2024.
The Sawmill Book Club by Carolyn Brown
3.5 Stars. Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Romance, Women Supporting Women, Antiques, Quirky Book Club, Texas (rural).
The Ukraine by Artem Chapeye
3 Stars. Contemporary Fiction, Short Story Collection, A bit bleak for my taste, Ukraine and New York City, Not reviewed.
The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd (MG)
3 Stars. Middle-Grade Historical Fiction (WWII home front), magical realism, institutionalized ill children (bleak and sad for middle grade and for adult readers of middle grade in my opinion), England, Not reviewed.
Zorrie by Laird Hunt
3 Stars. Historical Literary Fiction, Novella, Depression Era, Indian,. Twice Orphaned, Bleak, Not reviewed.
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
1 Star (yes, I finished the book) Contemporary Women’s Fiction with a Historical timeline (1970s). [***contains spoilers***] I’m a huge outlier for this new release, and my review might disappoint fans of Kristy Harvey. This story had two storylines, one past (1970s) and one present. The present was OK, and the past was interesting…..but the story’s conclusion was unsettling in my opinion. I had feelings of dread as I neared the end and began to predict where the past story line would take me. I was right but even more shocked when suicide was glamorized and romanticized. No thank you. It reminded me a bit of Me Before You which I also didn’t appreciate. Life is a precious gift and still worth living despite tragic circumstances. I was expecting a light summer romance and received something quite different. My life is not “happier” having read this but the book is receiving some rave reviews. My star rating is entirely based on the ending (if not for the conclusion, it would be a solid 3-3.5 star read). You might want to read some of the glowing reviews to balance out my thoughts and reactions (which was a “throw the book across the room” situation). Do you have strong reactions to books occasionally?
QOTD:
Did we read any of the same books?
Did you have a favorite July read?
Did my 1 Star review shock or disappoint you?
July Blog Posts
I Wish Books Had Less…
Blogiversary #7
The Winter Orphans Review
10 Memorable Debut Novels
Meeting Her Match Review
Evacuees at the Wartime Book Shop Review
The Boys in the Boat Review
Daughters of Tuscany Review
10 Reasons to Love A Place For Us
***Summer’s One Must Read Book 2024***
The Thread Collectors Review
The Lady Glass Review
Books With a Character Name in the Title
The Bookshop Ladies Review
Beyond Summerland Review
Happy Reading Book Friends!
“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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It looks like a fab bookish month Carol! 😀
A few winners!
I’m impressed! I didn’t finish reading a single book in July! Next Monday’s blog post about the books I read in July is going to be challenging to write! I’m on the waitlist for The Briar Club, so I look forward to reading your review on Friday. Thanks for your honest opinion about the Kristy Woodson Harvey book. I haven’t read any of its reviews. Sometimes I am the outlier. Usually, if a book or movie gets a lot of hype, chances are I won’t like it.
Briar club is well written earning 5 stars but I didn’t love LOVE it. It’s really a collection of short stories (one for each of the residents) and held together by an unusual narrator…the house! Quinn handles the structure brilliantly…but the ending, although interesting and compelling, is a bit over the top. Book clubs will enjoy some discussable topics!
Re the Harvey book, I am intolerant of romanticizing suicide. Fortunately it doesn’t happen until the last few pages so there’s some good story to enjoy. The ending ruined the entire thing for me when I was expecting a summer romance. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for your reply to my comment, Carol. My internet service has been intermittent since Friday, so I’ve fallen even more behind in responding on WordPress than my usual. Briar Club hasn’t come in for me yet, but your description sounds intriguing. I’ve written an historical short story in which the house is the narrator! Still trying to get my act together and write/finish enough short stories to publish as a collection.
I think you’ll appreciate the house as narrator! 🙌
It looks like you had a pretty spectacular reading month with the exception of the ⭐read. No one book is going to appeal to everyone. After reading and agreeing with your comments, I am unlikely to ever read it. I hope you have a wonderful August, Carol. 💕📚
Thanks Sandy! Happy August reading!
Hi, Carol – I am totally with you on a book’s ending being able to totally destroy an otherwise good book. And throwing a disappointing book across the room? I have definitely done that before!
Endings can make or break a story for me!