July was a pretty good reading month with lots of solid reads and one new favorite. I’m between two readathons and spent a weekend away so not entirely focused on reading but still, lots of books read. I’ve also been knitting, stay tuned for a blog on the finished product!
Reading Stats
- Books Read: 9
- Pages Read: 3,296
- Average Rating: 3.89
- 2 – 3 stars
- 2 – 3.5 stars
- 3 – 4 stars
- 2 – 5 stars
- Genre Breakdown
- Romance – 3
- Fantasy – 2
- Sci-Fi – 1
- Thriller – 1
- Dystopian – 1
- Graphic Novel – 1
The Books
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
4 stars – Full Review
This was another good romance read from Christina Lauren, I really should pick up more of their books. It was fun without being ridiculously predictable or falling into too many of the normal tropes.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
3 stars – Full Review
This was ok, a YA urban fantasy based on the legend of King Arthur. It had some interesting parts but the characters were flat and the world was confusing. Overall, pretty middle of the road.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
3 stars – Full Review
Another middle of the road read. I liked the general vibe of this book and really liked the side characters but I just didn’t care for the main characters, plot or romance. It was kind of a slog to get through this.
The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller
4 stars – Full Review
This was an ARC from NetGalley, published July 20th. I really enjoyed this, it was fun and summery, just a great quick read all around.
The Martian by Andy Weir
5 stars – Full Review
This was fantastic! My favorite read of the month and favorite of 2021 so far. It was such an interesting and well researched read, the science fiction portions were so good. The main character was likeable and funny and had me laughing. I will definitely pick this one up again some day and look forward to reading more by Weir.
The Block by Ben Oliver
3.5 stars (3 on Goodreads) – Goodreads Review
The Block is the second book in The Loop trilogy, the third book of which is not released yet. I really enjoyed The Loop but this was just ok. The Loop really focused on building an interesting dystopian world but in The Block, the world was already built and the plot couldn’t carry the story at that point. The characters also weren’t memorable and didn’t really develop at all. I’ll probably read the last one since they’re pretty short but hoping to see a little more plot and character development in it, this one got kind of boring.
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
3.5 stars (3 on Goodreads)
Another disappointing sequel, this is the second book in The Earthsea Cycle. The beginning of this book is really slow and boring with a new cast of characters that I didn’t really care about and I couldn’t figure out their place in the story of the first book. It did eventually come together and get more interesting but it couldn’t make up for the beginning. It was about 60 pages of it which isn’t that much but the book is only 160 pages. I think I’ll still keep going with the series but I really hope Ged shows up in the opening pages of the next one, I don’t need another 60 pages of backstory on a new character.
Saga Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4 Stars
I’ve really been enjoying this graphic novel series, I’ve been giving 4 stars across the board. I think this may be my favorite yet. The various storylines have all come together so it was easy to follow and just a good time all around.
The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara
5 stars – Full Review
This contemporary romance was a NetGalley eARC and will be published on September 2, 2021. This is a modern twist on You’ve Got Mail. It was absolutely adorable and I loved it!
What’s Up Next
In August, I’m participating in the Trope-ical Readathon from Jen Jen Reviews. I’ll be joining Team Nonfiction/Poetry! See my full TBR here.
Susan Lyn Knits and Reads 