This might be the first of two times this week that I talk about how shocked I am that it is already August. But, also, July felt gloriously long which was great because it's the best month of the year. Now school is starting WAY TOO SOON (next week) and I am lamenting that my lovely mornings reading before my boys are awake will be coming to an end WAY TOO SOON. It's seriously been a highlight of the season, especially when my afternoon reading rarely worked out like I hoped it would.
I didn't get to as many books as I would have liked in July but almost everything I read was great so that's a plus.
I'm very active on Goodreads here, somewhat active on Instagram here, and linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy on the 15th!
{10} Fantastic Book Covers, part 2
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
I enjoyed Linda Holmes first book (Evie Drake Starts Over) and this one bumped up my list when I saw that it, like Evie Drake, is set in Maine. You all, Maine hooked me. This is less romance and more small town story with a whole lot more about a duck decoy than I ever expected to read about. And somebody does a bad thing that made me mad...but that was the point. 3 Stars
Rivals by Katharine McGee
I started this book on the 4th of July, why not celebrate our independence while reading about a world in which America is ruled by a monarchy, the descendants of George Washington? I didn't remember all the details of the previous books so I was a little lost at first but found my story footing before long. Also, I figured this was the final book in a trilogy but apparently it's going to keep going so I didn't get all the resolutions I was expecting. Good YA fun. 3.25 Stars
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
I have read all her books up to this point and I think I'd rate this as my second favorite. Three women are stood up the same man on Valentine's Day and it follows their various relationships forward. This book was not at all what I was expecting but that was a good thing. 3.5 Stars
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
This is one that went along with us to Maine but I didn't get to for a few weeks. Set at a resort like the one in Dirty Dancing, but this one is failing like many others. The families of the two original owners come back together at the hotel for a week to decide if they should take a buy-out offer from a casino or if they should try to restore the hotel to it's former glory. I LOVE a good family novel, complicated relationships, intertwining romances, lots of baggage. This one has had me thinking about the characters long after I finished it. Wonderfully atmospheric for summer. 3.75 Stars
Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan
This book was a bit surprising, I was in at "Paris" and a decent rating on Goodreads but I didn't know what it was about until I picked it up. A bit of a treasure hunt, some possible crime, missing art, and more about Joan of Arc than I expected! Knowing so little was fun, lots of surprises and I enjoyed it quite a bit! 3.5 Stars
Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean
The second in a series which is basically The Princess Diaries but set in Japan. Turns out, becoming a nearly instant princess isn't all that great. Lots of expectations and all that. Easy, fun read. 3.5 Stars
Mulberry Hollow by Denise Hunter
I expected this to be a quick and easy read and that's pretty much what it was. All of Denise Hunter's books that I've read (which isn't all but most) take place in a small town with some charm, some loosely, or sometimes literally, related people who all seem to be going through romantic woes at once. This was that but it was still a nice place to spend some time. 3.25 Stars
Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life by Joshua Becker
I think I've read all of Joshua Becker's books, the rest of them about minimalism is the form of physical items and probably some scheduling things. This one was about finding your purpose and pursuing that wholeheartedly. It took me longer to get through than I expected for just over 200 pages. Maybe I just haven't found the thing that motivates me to pursue it? 3 Stars
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
A vacation read and a delightful one at that. Her style and form reminds me a bit of Taylor Jenkins Reid (which is intended as a compliment to both of them). It's about video games but also very much NOT about video games. Mostly about lifelong friends and the bumps their friendship endures over decades of working on video games together. I've seen this all over the place and many people saying it's one of their favorite books of the year. I don't think I would say that but I really did enjoy it. 4 Stars
Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore
This was the book I picked for Matt to give me for my birthday. I was very much drawn to that cover and the Maine setting (I am very interested in Maine after our trip this summer). This one felt a bit like an Elin Hilderbrand book (and she blurbed it, which I also was just amused by because the new Elin Hilderbrand is what I picked to buy at an indie bookstore in Maine), with deep family drama and alternating perspectives. It had some romance but was mostly about family and some friends in a Maine vacation town. It was rather enjoyable. 4 Stars
The Setup by Lizzy Dent
I maybe would have enjoyed this more if I cared or believed in horoscopes and star signs and such? I skimmed part about that but that aside, a decent romance about a woman trying to make her own destiny but ignoring that which is right in front of her. Literally right in front of her. Charming British seaside town and interesting locals. 3.25 Stars
With Love from London by Sarah Jio
Another England set one, this one London, about a young woman who comes to claim her inheritance of a bookstore from her recently deceased mother who walked out of her life when the daughter was 12 and they had no more interactions since. Her mother seemed to be a well loved part of this neighborhood and the daughter has a hard time reconciling that with the mother who disappeared. Told in alternating stories, the mother young in London and the daughter upon returning. I was intrigued enough. Made me want to go to London. 3.5 Stars
That's what I've been reading lately, how about you?
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