July went by in a flash, and it was a super hectic month for me. My mom had a fall and while she didn’t break anything (yay!) she did have a huge wound on her knee (boo!), so there was a lot of driving back and forth between the hospital and then a short-term rehab. She’s back home and doing a whole lot better, and I get to play nurse/chauffeur/cook/etc. It has cut into my reading time, leaving me even further behind on my ARCs, but I still managed to get a lot of audiobooks read.

Here’s an update on my July highlights:

• My blog gained 13 more followers, for a grand total of 795. I’m hoping to gain 5 more this month to hit that big 800!
• I’ve been trying to make progress on my physical ARCs, but I’m still behind. I got through some of my August NetGalley ARCs, but not all of them. As for my physical ARCs, I’m still working my way through June releases, so I’m pretty far behind on those.
• Of the 33 books I read in July, 3 were nonfiction. One was true crime, one was a recipe book, and one was about witchcraft and self-care.
• I didn’t get around to reading any of my owned books this month either.
• I didn’t read any of the books that I own this month, unfortunately.
• As far as diverse voices, I read 3 books by Indigenous authors, 2 by Jewish authors, 3 by LGBTQIA+ authors, 1 by Asian/Pacific Islander authors, and 1 by a SWANA author.
• I’ve been trying to read genres outside of my comfort zone, so in July I read 1 horror, 1 paranormal/new age, 1 travel/food, and 1 true crime.
• Once again, I didn’t read any 12 in 12 challenge books or PopSugar reading challenge books.

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

July Totals:

• Books read: 33
• Books DNF’d: 2
• Pages read: 4,293
• Hours listened: 10 days, 17 hours, 47 minutes
• Average pages: 357.8
• Average hours listened: 12 hours, 16 minutes

Cumulative Averages:

• Days per book: 3.41
• Pages read per day: 157.18
• Books read per month: 33.29
• DNF’d books per month: 2.14

Genres Read in July:

• Fantasy: 6
• Folklore/Fairytales: 1
• General Fiction: 2
• Historical Fiction: 2
• Horror: 1
• Mystery/Suspense: 12
• Paranormal/New Age: 1
• Romance/Erotica: 6
• Travel/Food: 1
• True Crime: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 12
• 2023 releases: 21

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 30
• Nonfiction: 3

Format Read:

• Print: 3
• Digital: 9
• Audio: 21

Age Range:

• Adult: 29
• YA: 4

My favorite book of the month was Starling House by Alix E. Harrow.

Here’s what I read in July:

• Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (NG ARC)
• A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay (ALC)
• The Green Witch’s Guide to Self-Care by Autumn Willow (NG ARC)
• Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (NG ARC)

• Lion’s Legacy by L.C. Rosen (Tennessee Russo #1) (Publisher ARC)
• Something More by Jackie Khalilieh (ALC)

• The Déjà Glitch by Holly James (NG ARC)
• Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America’s Cartels by Deborah Bonello (ALC)
• The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan (Publisher ARC)
• Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen (NG ARC)
• The “I Love My Air Fryer” Comfort Food Recipe Book: From Chicken Parmesan to Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, 175 Easy and Delicious Recipes by Aileen Clark (NG ARC)
• I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C.F. Rogers (ALC)
• The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
• The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman (NG ARC)
• A Shadow Crown by Melissa Blair (The Halfling Saga #2) (Publisher ARC)
• War by Laura Thalassa (The Four Horsemen #2) (NG ARC)

• The Book of Witches: An Anthology by Jonathan Strahan (NG ARC)
• The Night Wanderer by Drew Hayden Taylor (ALC)
• Pestilence by Laura Thalassa (The Four Horsemen #1) (NG ARC)
• Piece of Cake by Mary Hollis Huddleston and Asher Fogle Paul (ALC)
• Crow by Amy Spurway (ALC)
• Double-Decker Dreams by Lindsay MacMillan (ALC)

• A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari (Saffron Everleigh Mystery #2) (ALC)
• Shadows of the Lost by Maxym M. Martineau (Guild of Night #1) (ALC)

• Triptych by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #1) — reread
• Fractured by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #2) — reread
• Undone by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #3) — reread
• Broken by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #4) — reread
• Fallen by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #5) — reread
• Criminal by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #6) — reread
• Unseen by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #7) — reread
• A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair (The Halfling Saga #1) — reread
• The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #8) — reread
• The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #9) — reread
• The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #10) — reread

How did your reading go in July?