TBR & Wrap Up | July reads and August TBR + Multiple Readathons (2020)

Another really great reading month! I read a total of 14 books which is great considering I felt a reading slump coming on at the beginning of the month. I read some amazing books and discovered a few new favorites. I did another self imposed 24 hour readathon, as well as joined The Reading Rush for the first time. You can bet my August is going to be very busy because I’ve joined 3 readathons! (one of which I created). I have a feeling I won’t be able to read that much for each but I definitely want to try.

 

 

1. The Too Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo has some companion folk stories from the Grisha universe out and I was really interested in reading them. Audible had this one as a free audiobook and so I took the chance to read them.

 

Rating: 3/5

 

 

 

 

 

2. Little Knife by Leigh Bardugo

This was another one available for free on Audible by the same narrator of the previous book. Also really interesting and a quick listen.

 

Rating: 3/5

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo

The Darkling is a really interesting character. He might not be an absolute favorite but I really wanted to read a bit of his back story before diving into Ruin and Rising. I’ll admit this made me feel really bad for him. And I love Leigh’s writing!

 

Rating: 3/5

 

 

 

 

4. Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I read the authors other book, We Should All Be Feminists and adored it! This was a really short one (60 pages) and had some amazing suggestions. I really love what she writes and the way she always presents arguments and thoughts. Definitely recommend!

Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

5. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

The most atmospheric book I’ve ever read and the best book to ever be written! This was my book club’s July read and I can’t explain to you how in love I am with this. I knew I would love it after reading the first few chapters. There was so much culture in it that I was so familiar with and it just made my heart squeeze. The last couple of chapters had me gripping my pillow so hard!

Rating: 5/5

 

 

 

6. The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho

Another interesting read by Zen Cho! I read one of her latest releases last month and really enjoyed it. This was super short (50 pages) and really interesting.

 

Rating: 3/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

Another translated book that I enjoyed. It was a bit slow and the writing style made me put off reading it for a while but I ended up finishing it. It was very informative especially when talking about the oppression that women tend to go through during their lives.

 

Rating: 3/5

 

 

 

 

8. Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Nic Stone unpacked so much in such a little book and spoke about so many experiences. This book is so important and I urge you to read it!

Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Teen Titans: Beast Boyby Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

Received this from the publishers and absolutely loved it! I can’t give away too much since my review isn’t due yet but I definitely recommend reading this one!

Rating: 4/5

 

Thank you DC Comics for the gifted review copy!

 

 

 

10. The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

Saw this book on Twitter a few times and was really interested in reading it. The book was very different than what I’m used to but I enjoyed it so so much! If you’re looking for adult high fantasy then I highly recommend this one.

Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

 

 

11. Letter to My Daughterby Maya Angelou

Read a few of Maya Angelou’s work and been looking forward to this one too. It wasn’t entirely what I expected but I still really enjoyed it.

Rating: 3/5

 

 

 

 

 

12. The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

I just couldn’t resist reading book two right after finishing the first one. This series is possibly one of my all time favorites now. I have yet to read book 3 but that’s definitely going on my tbr for August. This one was action packed especially towards the end and the way it ended left me with so many questions.

Rating: 5/5

 

 

 

13. Mirage by Somaiya Daud

This has been on my tbr for a long time and I promised myself I would read it this year. With a lot of motivation from Twitter friends (especially Maha) I finally picked it up. I really loved this! The action started right from the beginning. Even though there wasn’t that much action later on I still loved the pace and I just can’t wait for book two!

Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

14. The Perks of Being Noura by Stephen Chbosky

This is one of my favorite books and I’ve been meaning to read it again for such a long time. I finally did and I noticed the things I missed the first time I read it, as well as some important bits that I wish I had remembered. The book still remains a favorite.

Rating: 5/5

 

 

 

 

 

August TBR

 

Diversify that Shelf

This is my list for my readathon! A little ambitious for a readathon that lasts 10 days but I’ll have to start some of these a few days before so hopefully I can read a chunk of them early.

 

Latinx Readathon

 

Clap When You Land is my book clubs pick for August which I’m really excited about. This book fits the afro-latinx author prompt. Lobizona is for a blog tour that’s coming up and I’m actually in love with it already? I started it a few days ago and I have a feeling it’s going to be a favorite soon. Lobizona fits the immigrant story prompt. You Had Me at Hola is one of my highly anticipated of the year! and it’s for the free prompt space.

 

Avatar: The Last Page Turner Readathon

Okay now I haven’t actually seen Avatar 🙈 I know it’s everyone’s favorite and I am planning to watch it soon. This readathon is diverse and I definitely want to support the creators, as well as read more diverse books. So I’ve got 4 books to fit the prompts. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin fits the read a book with a Black mc by a Black author. Lobizona is for the read a book with a Latinx mc by a Latinx author prompt. These Violent Delights is for the read a book with an Asian mc by an Asian author prompt. And Ring Shout is for a book with a diverse cast by an author of color. I haven’t found a book by an Indigenous author that I have access to yet. I’m hoping to find one during the month.

 

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How many books did you read in July? What will you be reading in August?