July is over and we’re into August, which means we’re just a tiny bit closer to autumn starting and this oppressive heat breaking. It’s been really hot on Long Island, and there’s been air quality alerts most days. This isn’t the best kind of weather for asthmatics like me, so I spent a lot of time indoors and out of the sun and heat. 

While I didn’t get out and do much this month, I did have friends come over, and there was one night out with the whole family for my brother’s 60th birthday. It was really nice to have everyone be together and enjoying each other’s company. I managed to get a lot of reading done this month, since I was indoors so much. I’m almost all caught up on late NetGalley ARCs, and now I can focus on the late physical ARCs that I’ve got sitting on my shelves. Here are some of my July highlights:

• I’d like to shout out to the followers who read my posts regularly. I love comments, so feel free to drop a line and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
• I have 1 past due ARC from NetGalley and 7 from publishers/authors.
• I read 3 nonfiction books this month.
• I DNFd one book in July.

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

July Totals:

• Books read: 16
• Books DNF’d: 1
• Pages read: 1,698
• Hours listened: 122.53 hours
• Average pages: 54.77
• Average hours listened: 3.95 hours

Genres Read in July:

• Contemporary Fiction: 1
• Fantasy: 8
• Historical Fiction: 1
• Horror: 1
• Mystery: 1
• Politics: 1
• Religion and Spirituality: 1
• Romance: 1
• Science and Nature: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 3
• 2024 releases: 13

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 13
• Nonfiction: 3

Format Read:

• Print: 2
• Digital: 6
• Audio: 8

Age Range:

• Adult: 15
• YA: 
• MG: 1

My favorite books of the month were The Vicious King by Gina L. Maxwell and Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton.

Here’s what I read in July:

1. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
4. The Vicious King by Gina L. Maxwell (Deviant Kings #3) (Author ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon 
5. Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel | Goodreads | Amazon
6. The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness (All Souls #5) (Libro ALC) | Goodreads | Amazon
7. Norse Mysticism: An Exploration of Viking Traditions and Magical Practices by Disa Forvitin (NG/Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon 

1. House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Bitter Waters by Vivian Shaw (Dr. Greta Helsing #3.5) (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
4. The Fall of Waterstone by Lilith Saintcrow (Black Land’s Bane #2) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
5. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer | Goodreads | Amazon

1. Strange Folk by Alli Dyer (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. Ghost Mother by Kelly Dwyer (NG/Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow (Black Land’s Bane #1) — reread | Amazon

1. The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow (ARC) 

How was your July? Did you reach any of your reading goals?