The Month in Books: July 2020

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

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• 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. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑

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• 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

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• 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.

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• 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!