A Surprisingly Good Reading Month's Wrap Up // August 2017

Hey guys! Today's post will be my August wrap up. Also, I've decided that I won't be doing TBRs anymore because I've discovered that 1) I'm 100% a mood reader, and 2) even though I rarely make my TBRs very ambitious, they still stress me out. So, this will just be the books that I read in August, which is a surprisingly large amount. The last few months I've been in a really bad reading slump, so I was happy when I read way more books than I thought I would this month, at a total of eleven books! I find it kind of weird that I read so much in August because SO MUCH HAPPENED THIS MONTH. The nice thing, though, is that almost all of these books were five-star reads! That almost never happens to me, having most books in a wrap up being rated 5/5 stars. So yay! But anyway, let's get into all the books I've read lately.

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BEAST BY RACHEL FRANK

[goodreads]

RATING: 5/5 stars

Badass, queer, filled with dragons and just all-around amazing.

Full Goodreads review here!

THE BOOK OF WHISPERS BY KIMBERLY STARR

[goodreads]

RATING: 2/5 stars

Really wanted to like this but sadly I ended up doing the opposite.

Full Goodreads review here!

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH BY AVI

[goodreads]

RATING: 1/5 stars

Oh my shit this book was completely and utterly one of the worst books I've ever read and I hate it so so so much don't read it please aagh.

Full Goodreads review here.

THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE BY MAKENZIE LEE

[goodreads]

RATING: 5/5 stars

I absolutely ADORED this one so so SO much. It's been super popular and hyped up lately, but if you didn't know it follows our main character, Monty, going on a grand tour across Europe in the 1700s with his little sister, Felicity, and his best friend Percy who he's also secretly in love with. From there shenanigans ensue. This book is hilarious, romantic, and just all-around stunning.

Itty bitty Goodreads review here!

ECHO AFTER ECHO BY AMY ROSE CAPETTA

[goodreads]

RATING: 5/5 stars

I positively L O V E D this book SO much. Filled with queerness, theatre, mystery and more, this book is fucking STUPENDOUS.

Full Goodreads review here!

THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION BY NANCY FARMER

[goodreads]

RATING: 3/5 stars

This book was good, but not that good. Simply blah.

Full Goodreads review here.

ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS BY FRANCESCA ZAPPIA

[goodreads]

RATING: 5/5 stars

Holy SHIT, I utterly loved Eliza and Her Monsters so fucking much it's not even funny. Oh my god.

Itty bitty Goodreads review here!

JANE STEELE BY LYNDSAY FAYE

[goodreads]

All in all I did think this book was definitely very good, but I went in with the expectations of giving it five stars. Though I still would recommend it. In case you don't know what this book is about, it's a loose retelling of Jane Eyre, but instead Jane is a serial killer.

Itty bitty Goodreads review here!

LITTLE & LION BY BRANDY COLBERT

[goodreads]

RATING: 5/5 stars

Oh my god this book is so freaking remarkable and everybody needs to read it.

Full Goodreads review here!

THE KISS OF DECEPTION BY MARY E. PEARSON

[goodreads]

RATING: 2/5 stars

After what feels like forever, I finally picked up this book and I was sadly super disappointed by it.

Full Goodreads review here!

THE GIVING TREE BY SHEL SILVERSTEIN 

[goodreads]

RATING: 5/5 stars

I was having a pretty shitty day so I decided to reread this for the ~5728094165th time. And, once again, it most definitely did not disappoint.

Smol Goodreads review here!

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And that is all for now! If you've read any of these books I'd LOVE to hear some of your thoughts on them in the comments! I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you did please make sure to like and share it. And don't forget to hit that follow button! Bye!!

July Wrap Up + August TBR | 2017

Hiya everyone! Today's post will be listing all the books I read in July (sadly still coping with an extreme case of Reading Slump™, I only read four books 😢), and the books that I'm planning on reading in August. But anyway, let's get into the post!

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THE JULY WRAP UP

1. CINDER BY MARISSA MEYER

[goodreads]

RATING: 2.75/5 stars

Well, I finally read it, y'all.

It was a pretty good retelling, but overall I was pretty disappointed, as it has so much hype.

Goodreads "review" (IM TRYING TO WRITE ACTUAL REVIEWS SOMETIME EVENTUALLY I SWEAR) here.

2. PAINTBRUSH BY HANNAH BUCCHIN

[goodreads]

RATING: 4/5 stars

[eARC from Netgalley]

Gorgeous writing (and cover DAMN), amazing characters, and super happy and light-hearted.

Interview with author here!

Goodreads "review" (I know, I know, shame) here.

3. I HATE EVERYONE BUT YOU BY GABY DUNN AND ALLISON RASKIN

[goodreads]

RATING: 4.5/5 stars

Funny, diverse (sexuality and mental health), and beautiful friendship.

Goodreads review here.

4. ONE OF US IS LYING BY KAREN M. McMANUS

[goodreads]

RATING: 3-ish/5 stars

Started out thrilling and suspenseful but went downhill, though I do really like the characters a lot.

Full Goodreads review, where I go much more in depth, to come.

THE AUGUST TBR

August is a very busy month for me, so I'm going to be putting very few books on my TBR that seem to be quick, easy reads.

1. LITTLE & LION BY BRANDY COLBERT

[goodreads]

I already talk about this book in my Anticipated Releases of August and September post, so I won't be going into the synopsis of Little & Lion, but I am super excited to start it.

2. 10 THINGS I CAN SEE FROM HERE BY CARRIE MAC

[goodreads]

This book was released in February and I've had it since then, eagerly awaiting to pick it up. But for some weird reason, I haven't. What the hell is wrong with me? I mean, it's about a queer girl with anxiety, what more could I need in a book?

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And that's all for now! If you've read any of these books feel free to let me know what you thought of them in the comments below, or if Little & Lion or 10 Things I Can See from Here are on your TBR for August as well. I hope you enjoyed this post, and if so make sure to hit that follow button! Bye!!

A Very Sad May Wrap Up + Ambitious June TBR

Hey guys! A while ago on Twitter I asked if I should do wrap ups & TBRs on my blog and almost all of you said yes, so here I am with my first! The reason I say "a very sad May wrap up" in the title is because... I only read two books this month. I suppose I do have a bit of an excuse, though, because it was the end of the year and THERE WERE SO MANY FINALS AND PROJECTS AND AHHHH. NO TIME TO READ! Anyway, now that I've been rambling for a while, here's my wrap up and TBR:

THE MAY WRAP UP

1. THE SCORPIO RACES BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER

RATING: 5/5 stars

This was a buddy read with a Goodreads friend of mine, Chloe!

Fast-paced, vivid writing, original plot, and lovable characters! Adored this!

2. WE ARE OKAY BY NINA LACOUR

RATING: 2/5

Ridiculously beautiful writing but just. So. BORING. Also wasn't the biggest fan of the characters.

THE JUNE TBR

Now that I have absolutely ZERO school this month I should be able to read lots more!

1. ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS BY FRANCESCA ZAPPIA

I received this in my May OwlCrate box, and before I got it I hadn't heard much of anything about this book,  but I read the synopsis and it sounds SO GOOD! It's basically about this girl Eliza who, in real life, never speaks and everyone thinks is a weirdo. Online, she is the creator of an extremely popular web comic, Monstrous Sea. No one knows this at her school until a new boy, Wallace, shows up writing Monstrous Sea fanfiction. I'm currently reading this one and I really like it!

2. WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI BY SANDHYA MENON

As I'm guessing a lot of you know this book has been ALL OVER the book community for MONTHS now since people first heard about it. And, I agree. IT SOUNDS SO FREAKING ADORABLE. To put it simply it's about Dimple, who has everything planned out. She just graduated high school and now she is MORE than ready for a break from her parents, especially her mother who keeps talking about her "Ideal Indian Husband" she needs. Dimple finds a web developing program over the summer, and her parents send her in the hopes she'll meet someone. Rishi, on the other hand, is a hopeless romantic. His parents tell him that his future wife will be going to the same summer program, and he cannot WAIT to try and woo her. I read a chapter of it last night and I already love it!

3. THE RAVEN BOYS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER

I'm part of a Goodreads group, Forgotten YA Gems, and this is the book of the month. This is an extremely popular book and it's been around sense 2012 so I'm not going to go over the synopsis, but if you want to know what this book is about, here's the Goodreads page. This is a reread for me, and I'm excited to pick this up again, not only because I love it but also because I still have yet to read the rest of the series...

4. THIS SAVAGE SONG BY VICTORIA SCHWAB

I know, I know. I still haven't read this. This book is by one of my favorite authors, plus the sequel comes out June thirteenth. It has a really original plot which I love. In an extremely simplified version, it's pretty much about a world where violence produces monsters.

5. SALT TO THE SEA BY RUTA SEPETYS

I've been meaning to pick this up since I got this book about a year ago, and since then the hype has still not died down. I know it'll probably break me but it'll be in the best way. The thing is, I know nothing about this book besides it's a WWII story and it follows four teens. It's a pretty short book and the chapters are REALLY short, so I should be able to get through it pretty quick.

6. QUEENS OF GEEK BY JEN WILDE

This book came out a couple months ago and the buzz about it WILL. NOT. STOP. So, it's about these three friends - Charlie, a vlogger, queer girl, and actress coming out with a new movie soon; Taylor, who is on the autism spectrum and has a crush on the third friend, Jamie, who all go to a convention together. Not only does the synopsis sound intriguing and the hype keeps on coming, but this is super diverse as well which just makes it even better! Also, over the summer I'm trying to read as many books as possible because I won't have nearly as much time during the school year, and this is a very short book and I should be able to get through it really quick.

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And that's it for now! I know this may not seem that "ambitious" because there's only six books, but I am a slow reader okay. In July I'm going on a plane four times which means READING TIME!! I might be able to read more than this but we'll see how that goes. If you've read any of the books I mentioned today please make sure to let me know what you thought of them! Bye guys!