Wrap Up: July 2015

This is my very first monthly wrap up on this blog, which I’m really excited about. In July, I read a total of 20 books. Two were new adult novels, one was middle-grade, and the rest were young adult books. I usually mix in a couple of adult titles every month, so I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t get around to reading any in July. But this month, I read books that I really wanted to read so I’m not too mad at myself. Plus, I’ve got a couple of adult titles on my shelf that I’m excited to get to in August.

This was a really good reading month. My lowest rating of the month was 3.5 stars. 10 of the books were contemporary and the other 10 were fantasy. Many of the books I read had diverse characters, and I’m proud of myself for reading quite widely.

I have written reviews for almost all of these books, which I’ll link to (you can also check out all of my reviews on my Master Review List page). I also review every single book I read on Goodreads, so if you can’t find a review on this blog, you’ll definitely be able to find one on my Goodreads page.

I’m still figuring out a format that works for me, but for now, I’m just going to list the books in the order that I read them.

1. The Wrath and the Dawn – Renee Ahdieh  
A great fantasy retelling of One Thousand and One Nights. First instalment of a duology.

2. The Bane Chronicles – Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson  
A bind-up of short stories featuring key events in Magnus Bane’s long life.

3. The Flywheel – Erin Gough  
A diverse book set in Sydney, Australia that features a lesbian character.

4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Saenz  
A diverse book that features a beautiful friendship between two Mexican-American boys, growing up in the 1980s.

5. Extraordinary Means – Robyn Schneider  
Set in a boarding school/sanatorium for teenagers suffering from a new strain of tuberculosis.

6. Ugly Love – Colleen Hoover  
One of the best new adult books I have ever read. It was simple but charming, and heartbreaking at times.

7. The Iron Trial – Holly Black & Cassandra Clare  
The first instalment of a 6-book middle grade fantasy series. It has an interesting magic system and some unique characters.

8. Throne of Glass – Sarah J. Maas  
This book needs no introduction. The first book of an epic high-fantasy series, with a kickass female protagonist.

9. The Assassin’s Blade – Sarah J. Maas  
A bind-up of 5 prequel novellas to the Throne of Glass series.

10. Crown of Midnight – Sarah J. Maas  
The sequel to Throne of Glass.

11. Imperfect Chemistry – Mary Frame  
This was my second new adult read of the month and I read this as an ebook. It’s a light and cute story that has a protagonist who is the female equivalent of Sheldon Cooper.

12. Heir of Fire – Sarah J. Maas  
A mind-blowing third instalment to the Throne of Glass series. This book was everything.

13. A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas  
This first book of Sarah J. Maas’s new fantasy trilogy was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and has lots of hot faeries in it.

14. More Happy Than Not – Adam Silvera  
A diverse contemporary book, with some sci-fi elements. This book was heavy and explored a lot of important issues.

15. Between Us and the Moon – Rebecca Maizel  
This is a cute contemporary featuring a science nerd who lets loose for the summer.

16. Paperweight – Meg Haston  
Set in a treatment centre for eating disorders, we follow a girl who is suffering from not only an eating disorder, but also grief and depression.

17. What I Thought Was True – Huntley Fitzpatrick  
This was a wonderful summer read (even though it’s winter in Australia). It had beautiful writing and very likeable characters.

18. My Life Next Door – Huntley Fitzpatrick  
Another great summer read by Huntley Fitzpatrick. This book had the most perfect male love interest.

19. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown – Holly Black  
Set in an alternate world where vampirism has spread like an infection, this book follows our main character in the aftermath of a massacre by vampires.

20. The Darkest Part of the Forest – Holly Black  
A wonderfully dark and creepy fantasy standalone about faeries and saving the world.

I posted 4 Top Ten Tuesday posts in July, which you can check out below:

• 07-07-15: Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Never Read
• 14-07-15: Last Ten Books that Came into My Possession
• 21-07-15: Ten Books That Celebrate Diverse Characters
• 28-07-15: Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds