Noooooooo! Summer can't be half-over already!?!
We've had beautiful summer weather and, I can scarcely believe that I'm saying this, we have very few mosquitoes! So this is the first summer that the city stopped using malathion which has been banned in every other city, and there has been no nofication of any mosquito fogging whatsoever...and we have no mosquitoes! What does that tell you?! I think we've been subjected to those chemicals for all these years for nothing!! Anyway, that's my little rant. I've never been able to spend so much time in the backyard without being eaten alive by those bloodsuckers, and the only time that I notice them is after 8:30 p.m. and even then they aren't bad at all. In summers past, we could barely even tolerate being outside during the DAY because they were so bad, and the nights weren't even an option. It's just been bliss!! Not sure where they are because the conditions are ideal for them with the heat and rain but...nada.
I went from 13 books read in June to 16 books read in July, which is up from 6 books in July 2017. That's a new record for me!
We've had beautiful summer weather and, I can scarcely believe that I'm saying this, we have very few mosquitoes! So this is the first summer that the city stopped using malathion which has been banned in every other city, and there has been no nofication of any mosquito fogging whatsoever...and we have no mosquitoes! What does that tell you?! I think we've been subjected to those chemicals for all these years for nothing!! Anyway, that's my little rant. I've never been able to spend so much time in the backyard without being eaten alive by those bloodsuckers, and the only time that I notice them is after 8:30 p.m. and even then they aren't bad at all. In summers past, we could barely even tolerate being outside during the DAY because they were so bad, and the nights weren't even an option. It's just been bliss!! Not sure where they are because the conditions are ideal for them with the heat and rain but...nada.
I went from 13 books read in June to 16 books read in July, which is up from 6 books in July 2017. That's a new record for me!
I still have quite a few holds on Overdrive that have been trickling in, so most of the audiobooks that I've been listening to have been borrowed from the library.
There are still lots of seasonal reading challenges happening over the next month to keep you busy, including:
- Fun in the Sun Reading Challenge
- Big Book Summer Challenge
- Reading Challenge Summer 2018
- COYER Big Summer Birthday Bash
- COYER's Dusting Off The Shelves Read-a-Thon: July 29th to August 4th
- Book Challenge by Erin 9.0
- Bookish Bingo Summer 2018
- Goodreads 2018 Summer Scavenger Challenge: Music Styles
- Chapter Break Bingo August 2018 (new bingo card will be up on August 3rd)
FROM MY BOOKSHELF:
by Chloe Neill
(Chicagoland Vampires, Book #1)
3 stars
by Christopher Moore
2 stars
by Kathryn Lasky
(Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book #3)
[read-aloud to my daughter]
3 stars
by Cynthia Hand
(Unearthly, Book #3)
5 stars
by Richard Paul Evans
#ChristmasInJuly
2 stars
by Debbie Macomber
5 stars
by Kenneth Oppel
[review to follow]
by M.C. Beaton
(An Agatha Raisin Short Story)
[review to follow]
by Kathryn Lasky
(Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book #4)
[read-aloud to my daughter]
3 stars
FROM THE LIBRARY:
by Josh Malerman
4 stars
The Cabin at the End of the World
by Paul Tremblay
2 stars
Zero Day
by Ezekiel Boone
(The Hatching, Book #3)
4 stars
A Man Called Ove
4 stars
by Jeaniene Frost
(Night Huntress, Book #3.5)
4 stars
by Paul Tremblay
2 stars
by Ezekiel Boone
(The Hatching, Book #3)
4 stars
by Fredrik Backman
There were a few stand-out favourites this month:
Boundless by Cynthia Hand: This is a fantastic YA fantasy series. If you enjoy that genre and haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it! It's binge-worthy!!
Starry Night by Debbie Macomber: I just adore Debbie's holiday romance novels! I read this one for Christmas In July. It is so good that it's going to be a keeper. Normally, I donate my books once I finish reading them to make room on my shelves but this one is staying!
Starry Night by Debbie Macomber: I just adore Debbie's holiday romance novels! I read this one for Christmas In July. It is so good that it's going to be a keeper. Normally, I donate my books once I finish reading them to make room on my shelves but this one is staying!
Unfortunately, there are three contenders for the most disappointing book of the month:
Lamb by Christopher Moore: It really pains me to say that because I just love Moore, but this one was a huge disappointment. Still a fan, though. I know I can't enjoy everything he writes!
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay: This one has been on my radar for months and was one of my most highly anticipated 2018 releases. It did not live up to my expectations and was quite dull. I don't know how Stephen King could vouch for this one!
Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans: I love Evans' holiday stories. This one is just wrong on multiple levels, and I didn't find it uplifting or inspirational. It just felt icky!
Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans: I love Evans' holiday stories. This one is just wrong on multiple levels, and I didn't find it uplifting or inspirational. It just felt icky!
I discovered five new authors (including one Canadian, Oppel), I started one new series (Neill's Chicagoland Vampires), finished two series (Hand's Unearthly and Boone's The Hatching), and continued on in three series (Lasky's Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Beaton's Agatha Raisin, and Frost's Night Huntress). Yes, I am a series junkie!!
I read 12 backlist books (including one from a Canadian author), and four 2018 releases which is really unusual for me. I listened to seven audiobooks plus eight traditional books (which is really unheard of for me to finish that many in a month because I never have enough sit-down time to read!) and one e-book (a novella). My year-to-date books read total is currently 84, and my Goodreads goal of breaking 100 this year tells me that I'm currently 27 books ahead of schedule and should exceed my goal!
January Wrap-up: 7 books
[3 shelf-love, 1 library, 3 review]
February Wrap-up: 13 books
[10 shelf-love, 2 library, 1 review]
March Wrap-up: 12 books
[5 shelf-love, 3 library, 4 review]
April Wrap-up: 14 books
[11 shelf-love, 2 library, 1 review]
May Wrap-up: 9 books
[5 shelf-love, 0 library, 4 review]
June Wrap-up: 13 books
[6 shelf-love, 7 library, 0 review]
July Wrap-up: 16 books
[9 shelf-love, 6 library, 1 review]
May Wrap-up: 9 books
[5 shelf-love, 0 library, 4 review]
June Wrap-up: 13 books
[6 shelf-love, 7 library, 0 review]
July Wrap-up: 16 books
[9 shelf-love, 6 library, 1 review]
Year To Date Total: 84 books
[48 shelf-love, 22 library, 14 review]
So, how was your July? What was your favourite book? Least favourite? Please let me know in the comments! I'd love to add your favourites to my TBR :)
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I’m glad you were able to do some outdoor reading. We seem to have more mosquitos here than usual. I had a mosquito bite on my eyelid that took forever to heal. I hope your mosquitos stay away for the rest of the summer. Have a great August!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
You're lucky. Our mosquitoes have west nile virus where I am. We have to use products that keep them away.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of great reads there though. Happy August!
I tried reading "A Man Called Ove" last year, but whatever reason I couldn`t get into it. I know it`s a well-loved novel, so I`ll give it another shot at one point.
ReplyDeleteCarmen`s Reading Corner
Congratulations for beating your record for July! I also hate those bloodsuckers. Everywhere I go, I feel like I get bitten 8 times at least by them. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteElle Inked @ Keep on Reading
I've noticed we had more dragonflies this year and that usually means less mosquitoes. Great July of reading!
ReplyDelete