Hello everyone! We’re at the end of another month, which means it’s time for a monthly wrap-up. July seems to have lasted a century, but at the same time, it’s already August?! Time, I will never understand you. (Catch that Hamilton reference?)

Books Read
- A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin. Ah, the bitter taste of disappointment. The unbearably slow pacing, lack of fan favorite characters, and virtually NOTHING HAPPENING for well over three-quarters of the book had me struggling to finish this. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
- Ashes in the Snow, by Ruta Sepetys. An eye-opening historical fiction book that serves as an ode to the power of hope. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ½
- Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. Required reading that had me slightly confused and very unsettled by the end. Beautiful writing, though. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
- The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. Suspenseful, deep, and thought-provoking. Hemingway now has my respect for life. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
- Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love, edited by Caroline Tung Richmond & Elsie Chapman. A feel-good multicultural exploration of all the different meanings that food can take on. Not to mention mouth-watering. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
- Selected Stories of O. Henry, by O. Henry. Sentimental, cynical, and witty all at once. The surprise plot twists at the end had me guessing. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
- Of Curses and Kisses, by Sandhya Menon. An adorable contemporary romance with an inspiring message. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ½
- Hunted by the Sky, by Tanaz Bhathena. One of my anticipated releases of 2020 that unfortunately fell flat. Full review to come. ⭑ ⭑ ½

Movies & Musicals
- Hamilton: AHHHHHHHHHHH. Pure happiness delivered in the form of a monthlong Disney+ subscription. Front-row view of the choreography? Close-ups of the staging and the performers’ facial expressions? Original Broadway cast? LESLIE ODOM, JR.?! DAVEED DIGGS?! PHILLIPA SOO?! LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA?!?!?!?! I could go on and on about this if you give me all day, but I’m going to sum it up in four words: GO WATCH IT. NOW.
- Hadestown: People, the hype is real. The first time I listened through the entire soundtrack, I was literally sobbing. It’s just so beautiful, and haunting, and romantic, and TRAGIC, and — ugh. “Wait for Me” gives me chills every single time, while “Doubt Comes In” has me crying every time it comes up on shuffle.
- Newsies: I watched the filmed version of the Broadway musical on Disney+, and it’s everything I want in my historical musicals — charming, touching, inspirational, based on real events. The choreography was absolutely stunning (looking at you, “King of New York”). I’m currently obsessed with the entire soundtrack, but “Something to Believe In” and “Carrying the Banner” are my favorites.

Blogging Highlights!
I decided to add this section into my monthly wrap-ups, because there’s just no way I can keep these wonderful blog posts to myself.
- Emily @ Frappes and Fiction reviewed Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
- Sofii @ A Book. A Thought. shared her top 10 favorite books of all time (congratulations about 5,000 followers!! 💛 )
- Aria @ Book Nook Bits shared how her reading habits have changed throughout her life
- Dani @ Literary Lion discussed our responsibilities as bloggers & readers
- Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books discussed trigger warnings in books and why they’re important
- Margaret @ Weird Zeal discussed what Hamilton means to her in 2020
- May @ Forever and Everly shares 5 reasons why she loves book blogs and how to support book bloggers

Books to Read
I’m keeping this section short this month, because I have half a dozen e-books on hold at the library that will probably become available all at once within the next two weeks. Wish me luck.
- My Dear Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie. I’m halfway through this one, and I AM LOVING IT. This book has already made me cry three times, and I’m afraid there’s still more to come. (CURRENTLY READING)
- The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater. I’ve had this on hold for months, and it finally arrived a few days ago! I’ve heard absolutely amazing things about this series, so I’m pretty hyped.
- Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. I totally didn’t read this last month because I was procrastinating… totally.
- Gutenberg’s Apprentice, by Alix Christie. A historical fiction that’s been collecting dust on my shelf for years. Sorry, Gutenberg.
- Vaclav & Lena, by Haley Tanner. Required reading that seems vaguely interesting?

Verse of the Month
Today, I’m sharing with you my favorite Bible verse from the YouVersion Verses of the Day from July. Click here to subscribe to Verse of the Day.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:34

My wrap-ups are getting longer by the month! How about you? What books did you read in July? What are you reading in August? Chat with me in the comments!

thanks for linking to my post!! Also, Ashes in the Snow/Between Shades of Gray is on my TBR this month and I’m really excited to read it
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Yessss Ashes in the Snow was amazing! I hope you enjoy it! 💛
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Well, did not finish a book in July- still working on Anna Karenina.
My family got Disney+ in July- so watched Hamilton, Homeward Bound, Sword in the Stone, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White. I already had watched the filmed stage version of Newsies- back when it was on Netflix: I love that musical- the story, the characters, the songs, and of course the mind-blowing dance
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Good luck with Anna Karenina! Watching Hamilton was so worth the money I convinced my parents to pay for a Disney+ subscription, at least for me 😅 Newsies is spectacular — a new favorite for sure! Thanks for reading!!
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Newsies had been part of my life since August 2016. I saw the stage show August 2016 and July 2018 saw the stage show at Central Piedmont Community College.
Newsies is a favorite musical of mine. “Seize the Day” is my favorite song from the musical.
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Ethan Frome was required reading for me too a while back and I was very confused as well!! Nice post thought 🙂
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It’s a relief to see I’m not the only one! 😂Thanks for reading 😊
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Thank you so much for mentioning my post!! It looks like you read a lot of wonderful books in July, and I hope you have a great August 🥰
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Your content is always amazing Aria!! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful August as well 💛
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Abby, lovely! ❤️✨ Thank you SO much for sharing the post, it makes me happy that you liked it! & I hope you have a beautiful August 🥰
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Everything you post always makes me happy!! I hope you have a wonderful August as well 🤗💛
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Thank you so much for mentioning my post! I felt the exact same about A Feast for Crows. It was such a drag to read. Never got why he divided the books like that…
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Ooh I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who doesn’t like A Feast for Crows. I’m hoping the next book makes up for it though! Thanks for reading!
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HAMILTON!! I absolutely agree with everything you said. How lucky we are to be alive right now and able to watch Hamilton whenever we want 😀
And YES Hadestown is one of my favorite musicals too!! Doubt Comes In makes me cry no matter how many times I’ve listened to it. SO GOOD and SO HEARTBREAKING.
Ahh thank you so much for sharing my post! The Raven Cycle is one of my favorite series, so I hope you love it 😀 Happy August, and happy reading!
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OMG YES!! So happy to find a fellow fan of both these amazing musicals. I hope you have a great August! Thanks for reading 🤗
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Thank you so, so much for sharing my post, so happy you enjoyed it! ❤
I'm happy you liked Hungry Hearts, this book sounds so lovely (and like it'll make me SO hungry, haha), I can't wait to read it.
I hope you'll have a lovely month ❤
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Your discussion posts are always such a valuable contribution to this community! 💛 And I’m happy to hear Hungry Hearts seems interesting to you. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by, Marie, and have a great August as well! 🤗
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Awww thank you, this is so, so sweet of you to say ❤ ❤
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You deserve it! 🥰
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