I've been posting a monthly round-up of what I've been reading on Instagram each month for a while now, and I wanted to start recording it here, too. So, let's get the ball rolling, and start with what I read in July.
July Reading Stats:
📖12 books completed.
📖5 hardbacks.
🎧7 audiobooks (Rereads of the first 3 dramatised ACOTAR books- they’re split in to 2-3 parts each).
📖1973 pages.
🎧47 hours 26 minutes listened at 1.1x speed.
11 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star reads!*
1 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I can't believe I finished 12 books in July! (And began 2 more).
I haven’t read this many books in a month in a couple of years, so I’m feeling really proud of myself.
The higher-than-usual read count is mostly because I’ve just gotten into audiobooks; after reading my first 2 ever in June, I’ve gone from never being able to stand them, to finishing 7 in a month! They're oddly addictive, and so relaxing to listen to when I'm doing other stuff, and not in the mood for music. I'm mostly just planning to listen to rereads, because I like to tab all my favourite quotes and passages when I read, but I think it’s safe to say I’m converted.
So in July...
I Read:
📖Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. 5⭐
📖Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco. 5⭐
📖Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco. 5⭐
📖Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. 5⭐
📖Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross. 4⭐
🎧ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas, dramatised parts 1 and 2. 3⭐/ 4⭐ (*5 star in print).
🎧ACOMAF by Sarah J. Maas, dramatised parts 1 and 2. Both 4⭐ (*5 star in print).
🎧ACOWAR by Sarah J. Maas, dramatised parts 1, 2 and 3. All 5⭐
And I Started:
📖Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.
🎧ACOFAS by Sarah J. Maas dramatised.
Favourite Reads: Divine Rivals, Kingdom of the Cursed, and Kingdom of the Feared.
I became completely addicted to the brilliant Kingdom of the Wicked series, which is a dark-romantasy murder-mystery about morally-grey demon princes, witches, and goddesses, set in Italy and the Underworld, with some forced proximity, and an enemies-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience plot thrown in for good measure. The series just got better and better as it went on, (not to mention spicier), and Wrath and Emilia have become one of my favourite bookish couples ever.
I’ve also fallen hopelessly in love with Divine Rivals, which is about two rival journalists communicating through magic typewriters during a fantasy war, and the enemies-to-lovers relationship that develops between them while reporting on the frontlines. It’s basically like The Lake House- if The Lake House had teenagers, typewriters and war, instead of a middle-aged couple, mail boxes, and a two-year time gap problem- and it’s so romantic, and beautifully written. I finished it a couple of weeks ago, and I still can't stop thinking about it. I enjoyed the sequel, Ruthless Vows, a lot too- which was an absolutely devastating read- but it hasn't left its mark on my heart in quite the same way. Probably as it hurt my heart so much.
Favourite Listens: ACOMAF (A Court of Mist and Fury) and ACOWAR (A Court of Wings and Ruin), but the ACOTAR series is one of my all time favourites, and they’re much better in print form. The dramatised audiobooks are fun, but at times, they kind of sound like bad TV movies. Especially the first one. But I actually really enjoyed ACOWAR as an audiobook- it was perfectly tense and dramatic with all the battles and betrayals, deaths and hostility. Starfall and chapter 54 in ACOMAF were also so satisfying to hear read aloud. It's just a shame the growls and wails of pain were so cringe-worthy, and that some of the voices don't match the characters at all- particularly Cassian's.
Least Favourites: I didn’t have a single bad read in July, so I don’t have any I wish to critisise this month. At least, any more than I just did about the ACOTAR audiobooks! Haha!
Did you read anything good in July?
*Based on how I rated the print versions of ACOTAR. I rated some of the audiobooks a little lower because the voice acting is kinda cheesy, but the books are all five star favourites of mine.
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