July felt like it flew by!

At this point in the year, I think it’s pretty safe to write 2020 off as a complete and total dumpster fire of a year.

But I’m still sticking with my plan of finding and listing positives in each month. So here’s some positives I experienced in July:

• I read some really awesome books this month.
• I’ve continued to focus on reading books by diverse authors, and plan to continue.
• There are some really amazing efforts in the bookish community to support BIPOC authors and reviewers, as well as calling out unacceptable behavior.

Here’s my breakdown of monthly/cumulative totals for July:

July Totals

• Books read: 17
• Books DNF’d: 0
• Pages read: 7,965
• Average pages: 468.5

Cumulative Averages

• Days per book: 2.42
• Pages read per day: 284.46
• Books read per month: 21.29
• DNF’d books per month: 0.7

Genres Read in July:

• Books About Books: 1
• Fantasy: 7
• Folklore/Fairytales: 1
• General Fiction: 1
• Historical Fiction: 4
• History/War: 1
• Mystery/Suspense: 1
• Sci-Fi: 1

Genres Read in 2020:

• Biography/Memoir: 1
• Books About Books: 1
• Fantasy: 68
• Folklore/Fairy Tales: 8
• General Fiction: 18
• Graphic Novels: 1
• Historical Fiction: 20
• History/War: 1
• Mystery/Suspense: 4
• Paranormal/New Age: 1
• Poetry: 1
• Romance/Erotica: 8
• Sci-Fi: 15
• Self-Help/Inspiration: 1
• Social Science/Current Affairs: 1

Backlist vs. 2020 Releases

• Backlist books: 109
• 2020 releases: 40
• 2021 releases: 1

Fiction Vs. Non-Fiction

• Fiction: 143
• Nonfiction: 6

Format Read:

• Print: 69
• Digital: 80

Age Range

• Adult: 55
• YA: 90
• Middle Grade: 3
• Children: 1

My favorite book of the month was The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed, and Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi was the most eye-opening.

Here’s what I read in July:

• Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
• The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (Peter Grant #6)
• Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
• Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang (ARC)
• Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
• Written In My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #8)
• The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed (ARC)
• The Lost Queen by Signe Pike (The Lost Queen #1)
• Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven by Bella Forrest

• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

• An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #7)
• Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (ARC)
• City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments #4)
• City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments #5)
• Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Simon Snow #1)

How was your July? I want to hear about your favorite book of the month and what kind of positive things you’ve experienced!