Monthly Wrap Up: July

Ciao, bookworms!!!

July has been crazy in every sense of the word. I went on a mad book-buying spree, made a sizable dent in my bank account and talked to some really cool people! I also did a few book tags which were super fun! I am going to do more in the future. I also talked to people on bookstagram and you know what? They are nice people and not at all intimidating even the ones with huge following, so that’s one thing I did to come out of my comfort zone.

Another thing I started this month, I had kinda stopped with my Duolingo lessons but guilt and the want to learn made me pick it up again. I am happy with the slow progress that I am making in this particular part of my life. There’s also another part of learning that I have been neglecting, audio lectures. I have so many audio lectures to be listened on my phone and I haven’t done that so I started doing that as well. Mostly they are Classical mythology and Greek tragedies, I also have a few on Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. I am currently listening to Greek Tragedy (The Great Courses) I am always ready to learn more and more about anything Greek. So, there’s that.

Now, on a more bookish side. I read a few books this month. Not a terribly great number but the ones I did manage to read were frankly gorgeously written, no two ways about it.

So, without further ado, let’s get into this!

Zero by Marc Elsberg

★★★

In a world where you can sell your information for a little profit and drones can be sent to just look at and scare the nation leaders, this book delves into the seedier side of the business. I admit that I was a bit concerned when I read the book because the thing is, we aren’t probably too far from this world. The reason I gave this one three stars is because of the lack of connection I felt with the characters along with a certain lack of character development. However for fans of thrillers and science fiction, I would definitely ask you to give it a go.

Amazon
The Loneliest Girl In The Universe by Lauren James

★★★★

This book’s synopsis leads you to believe that there’s going to a cute love story between a girl who’s stuck in space and a guy who might be sent to rescue the mission and with it, her as well. Boy, was I wrong about it! It’s so much more and frankly I read this one in a single setting. I couldn’t stop reading, I had to know what was going to happen next. I would definitely recommend it to people who love science fiction, space and ya stories with a bit of a twist.

 Amazon

Women and Power by Mary Beard

★★★★

I read this little book because it’s been on my iPad for a long time and I needed a dose of non-fiction. I am so glad that I did. While the length is a bit short (because it’s basically lecture turned into a book), it certainly packs a punch. I think this is something everyone should read at least once because Beard really puts forward some hard-hitting points. I was getting angry while I read it because that’s the impact this has if you read it with an unbiased mind and any pre-conceived notions.

 Amazon

Maybe Esther by Katja Petrowskaja

★★★

This non-fiction memoir deals with a family during the World War II and that family is related to the author. This book shows some really hard truths that maybe not many people are aware of. At least, I wasn’t. Not totally, anyway. Babi Yar was something I was aware of but I had never really given much thought to it? I know, it sounds bad but it’s the truth, after reading this book, I realised that I can’t really imagine the true horror of the horrendous history that place has. I admit that I read the book in not the best of moods and maybe that affected the rating but I do plan to go back to it because it is worth a re-read.

Amazon

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

★★★★★

A book about a web comic creator and her anxiety with life in general, along with a cute relationship and family dynamics? Sign me the fuck up. This book was so good, I wasn’t ready for how good it was. There are parts of the comics in the book, you guys!! I need the hardcover now. (I can’t have it because I am kinda being cautious bUT!) This is one of the very few books where I could see anxiety represented the way I had felt it. Sure, I might not be a super famous web comic creator but to read about her anxiety made me feel like I wasn’t totally alone in this. (I am aware that I am not, obviously but I felt better after reading this book.) This book made me cry but it also gave me such hope. Guys, if you can, please, read it!

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A Collar For Cerberus by Matt Stanley

★★★★

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I wasn’t expecting this book to blow my mind. I mean, sure, I always hope to like it but to like it this much? Nope! A story about a young naive man who goes to Greece and meets his literary hero and finds himself roped into helping the older man by driving around Greece. Yeah, I was hyped as it was but the book managed to make me fall in love with it. The writing, the characters, the lessons I learned from this. All of it makes this book a hell of a good package and you should definitely give it a try. It’s just that good, ok?

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

★★★★★

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter 2)

★★★★★

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter 3)

★★★★★

Ummm…I don’t think I need to say much about this series, do I? It was July and I hadn’t read the series in a while so I thought to show it some love. I wasn’t able to finish the series in July itself because there were ARCs that needed to be read and well, time passed too quickly. Yeah. Oops? In any case, I will be continuing this re-read in August and September as time allows. So, no worries.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

★★★★

A break from usual picks of fantasy or something along similar lines, I picked up a summer contemporary! This was the first Morgan Matson book I read and I really liked it. It brought summer in the middle of monsoon for me, I really enjoyed the characters and the friendships in this one. I am thinking of reading ‘Save The Date‘ from the author now.

Amazon

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

★★★★★

I fell in love John Boyne’s writing when I read ‘The Heart’s Invisible Furies’ earlier this year so when the opportunity to request ARC of his latest book came, I did not hesitate. When I got the book, I put it off a bit because I was building expectations and that’s never a safe way to go into a book. However, whatever expectations I might have built up around this book, Mr. Boyne managed to go beyond them and blew my mind. Maurice is not someone you can easily like or admire, in fact, he gave off such Gilderoy Lockhart vibes it wasn’t even funny. The review for this one will be coming this Wednesday.

 Amazon

Wild Embers by Nikita Gill

★★★★

A collection of poetry and prose, Wild Embers is a stunning read. I read her other book ‘Your Soul is a River’, it was really good and I wanted to read more of her works. Wild Embers did not disappoint and there were some really good ones that I have bookmarked and will go back to read them again. This one, once again, made me want to read more of her books.

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That’s about it for the month! I read some really good books and I am so glad for the ARCs that I got! Looking at my July TBR and Current Reads post, I think I did ok? This was my first time attempting something like this and I am glad that I wasn’t a total flop.

In any case, have you read any of these books? I mean, I know a lot of people will have read Harry Potter but I am interested in the other books listed above. I wanna talk about those books. Some of them simply blew my mind so…what better to spend the time if not by geeking out over them? Right?

A new addition from this month onward is that some of my posts will have affiliate links, I will put up a disclaimer in posts where such links are so that you have full transparency. I will also likely just name them as ‘Amazon’ as I have done above. I made it easy so that you are not clicking on the links without realising you are doing so. It’s something entirely new and I am sure I am going to make some mistakes along the way, I would really appreciate it if you were to help me out if I stumble.