Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2022

Well here we are at the end of another month! July went out with a bang with a six day heat wave for us. We did not get as hot as some other places around the country, only in the mid 90’s, but it was still hot for us. Our summers are usually in the 70’s and 80’s. But I survived and am looking forward to the cooler weather this week.

July was also a busy month, but I did manage to read 16 books and a novella. Most were good with one or two duds, but a solid month of reading for me.

As usual, I will list the books as I read them in the month and will link the titles either to my reviews or to their Goodread pages. Let’s get started, shall we?

All of Us Villains was a reread with the audiobook. The audiobook was really good and one I would recommend. It was just as much fun as the first time I read it.

The Art of Prophecy was a really good start to a new fantasy. If you are into high fantasy and Asian martial arts this is one you should give a try.

The Law was the novella that I read. It was a really quick but fun read, especially if you are a fan of the Dresden Files. I am really hoping that the next book in the series will be coming out soon.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven was my biggest disappointment this year. I went into it totally expecting something different than what I got. But there were some likable characters. I will not be continuing the series though.

When Stars Are Scattered was a middle grade graphic novel that I enjoyed. Graphic Novels are not my thing, but this one was compelling and the illustrations were great.

All of Our Demise was the second book in a series and was just as good as book one. I really enjoyed this even with the difficult ending.

Six Crimson Cranes was also a reread with the audiobook. Another one that was just as good if not better the second time around.

The Barren Grounds is another middle grade book based on Cree mythology. It was really interesting and one that I think the kids at my school will like as well.

Dance with the Devil was the third in the sci fi romance series, The Mercenary Librarians. I just love this found family that fights for what is right in one very messed up world of corporate greed.

Noir was a lot of fun and had a great mystery as well. I enjoyed the story and found myself smiling through a lot of it. I also loved how it tied into the whole Roswell stories at that time.

The Dragon’s Promise was just as good as the first book, with a few minor issues that hopefully get worked out before publication at the end of August.

Dare to Know was an interesting read. It was very compelling till about half way through and then just got super weird and totally went off the rails. Still not sure what happened at the end.

I came close to dnfing Station Eleven. I just found it confusing the way it randomly jumped around from past to present and points of view and story lines. All of the stories do eventually come together, but I didn’t feel like there was ever any resolution for any of them.

Bad Monkey was a hoot. I loved the writing and the story and the characters. This is an author that I had only read his middle grade books before this one, but I will now seek out his other adult books. It was so much fun.

Friend of the Devil was a very quick read and one that was very hard to put down. It had quite the twist at the end as well that I didn’t see coming. Another one I would recommend although it does have some elements of horror so beware of that.

The Midnight Children was really good. I loved the characters and the story. Another solid middle grade book by this author.

The Library of the Dead was another book that I found hard to but down. It was really good and I hope to get to the second book in the series soon.

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Well that is a wrap for the month of July. I am hoping that August is just as good and that I can get caught up on my reading and posting reviews before the school year starts. Happy reading!