July was a rough month for me. The heat was really tough on me, even though I’m well aware that my area didn’t have it nearly as bad as a lot of other areas. And I’m definitely glad for that! The month kind of dragged by, and I’m honestly hoping that this last month of summer ends quickly. I’m super ready for fall, so bring on the cool nights, leaves changing color, cozy sweaters, boots, and pumpkin everything! Yeah, I’m one of those people. 

This year I vowed to focus on my goals for the year. So here we go:

• I finally reached 400 followers on my blog!
• Scheduling blog posts has seriously helped me stay consistent and I’ve gotten into a sustainable rhythm. I’m on a roll and have maintained a blogging streak!
• A good friend (and my accountability buddy) encouraged me to join Camp NaNo in July. I set a goal of writing 30,000 words, and I’m super proud of myself for actually sticking with it. I reached my goal a few days early, and it felt incredibly good to do it.
• I read 7 NetGalley ARCs this month and was on top of reviewing all ARCs before they were published. However, as usual, my requesting spree came through and I got slammed with a bunch of new ARCs, one of which has already been published.

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

July Totals:

• Books read: 22
• Books DNF’d: 0
• Pages read: 4518
• Hours listened: 86 hours, 53 minutes, 48 seconds
• Average pages: 347.5 
• Average hours listened: 9 hours, 39 minutes, 19 seconds

Cumulative Averages:

• Days per book: 2.98
• Pages read per day: 183.83
• Books read per month: 24.17
• DNF’d books per month: 0.57

Genres Read in July:

• Fantasy: 6
• General Fiction: 3
• Historical Fiction: 3
• Mystery/Suspense: 5
• Romance/Erotica: 3
• Social Science/Current Affairs/Politics: 1
• Travel/Food: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 10
• 2021 releases: 12

Fiction Vs. Non-Fiction:

• Fiction: 20
• Nonfiction: 2

Format Read:

• Print: 6
• Digital: 7
• Audio: 9

Age Range:

• Adult: 14
• YA: 8

My favorite books of the month were Israel by Noa Tishby, If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy, and Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.

Here’s what I read in July:

• Mona at Sea by Elizabeth Gonzalez James (ARC) 
• Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (ARC) 
• Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) 
• Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby 
• If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (Meant to Be #1) (ARC)

• Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare (The Last Hours #1)
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #1)
• The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee (A Sweet Mess #2) (ARC)

• Four to Score by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum #4) 
• Falling by T.J. Newman (ARC)
• Grounds for Murder by Tara Lush (A Coffee Lover’s Mystery #1) 
• The Wicker King by K. Ancrum (The Wicker King #1)
• Emperor’s Sword by Alex Gough (Imperial Assassin #1) (ARC) 
• Small Favors by Erin A. Craig (ARC) 
• The 400-Calorie Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Peter Minaki (ARC) 
• High Five by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum #5)
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

• Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard (Realm Breaker #1) 
• All’s Well by Mona Awad (ARC) 
• The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohue (ARC)

• Meeting the Star by Cait Marie (Bennu Firebirds #2) — proofread

How was your July reading?