It felt like July went by so fast! I had a pretty laid-back month, even if my weeks have been busier now that I have to drive Mom and accompany her to all of her appointments, and I’m currently working on updating all of her providers to include my number in her chart with a consent, so that I can keep track of what is going on and who she needs an appointment with. This, of course, is on top of my own medical and therapy appointments. Lately, we haven’t had a single weekday that wasn’t packed with things to do, and I struggle with crushing fatigue that my mom doesn’t, so she has a lot more energy than I do, even though she’s 85. I’ve tried to explain spoon theory and what fatigue is like, but I’m not sure if she fully grasps this.
She came with me to therapy today and we were able to get some things off our chest, which I think is important, because we’ve developed an enmeshed dynamic. This doesn’t seem surprising to me, since I’ve taken over so many different areas of my mom’s care that she couldn’t do anymore. Luckily, she’s still a super tough, stubborn, and energetic woman. Attending therapy has been helpful for me, and after having her join me for some sessions, I can already see it improving our relationship. If any of y’all are in the ‘sandwich’ phase of life (sandwiched between meeting the needs of children and aging parents) or dealing with an aging parent and no kids, feel free to reach out. I know I could use the support, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
While I don’t have children, I do have two older chihuahuas, one of whom is going to be 17 in August, and one who turned 10 in July. I’ve also got a chihuahua mix rescue pup, and we’ve had her since February of last year, and when she’s sleeping on my bed, she finally stopped being so fearful if I move or touch something or make a noise. I’ve been working on gaining her trust and allowing her to feel safe for all this time, and it is paying off. The DNA/health screening test gave us a breakdown of the ELEVEN breeds that she’s made up of, with chihuahua being the biggest portion at 24%, and also learned that she is predisposed towards fear of new people, places, and situations, which she definitely is. I always said she came to us practically feral, but she’s a domesticated girl now. If only I could get her to stop stealing my clothing and bringing it outside to bury in the yard!
Here’s some of my July highlights:
- I finally hit 1100 subscribers, and I’m amazed that so many people have decided to follow me and my little blog.
- My reading for the month took me to New York City (a few times); London; Boston; Mexico; Jerusalem; Maine, Russia, and the tiny town of Cooper, Montana.
- I didn’t DNF any books this month.
Here’s my breakdown of monthly totals for July:
July Totals:
- Books read: 10
- Books DNF’d: 0
Genres Read in July:
- Cozy Mystery: 1
- Fantasy: 5
- Literary Fiction: 1
- Horror: 1
- Romance: 2
Backlist vs. New Releases:
- Backlist books: 1
- 2025 releases: 9
Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:
- Fiction: 10
- Nonfiction: 0
Format Read:
- Print: 2
- Digital: 2
- Audio: 6
Age Range:
- Adult: 10
- YA: 0
- MG: 0
My favorite book of the month was: Alive and Beating by Rebecca Wolf.
Here’s what I read in July:
- Alive and Beating by Rebecca Wolf (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- An ARC I am not promoting on my blog because of the publisher’s (Del Rey’s) continued efforts to ignore Jewish voices discussing the harm in a book full of tropes. For more info about this, refer here.
- The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao (Hu Done It #1) (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- Late Night Love by Chayla Wolfberg (Author Review Copy) | Goodreads | Amazon
- The Last Vigilant by Mark A. Latham (Kingdom of Oak and Steel #1) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- School of Shards by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko (Vita Nostra #3) (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- The Midnight Pack by Jasmine Kuliasha (Publisher ARC) Goodreads | Amazon
- Strange New World by Vivian Shaw (Dr. Greta Helsing #4) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race (Queens of Elben #1) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
How was your July?
Categories: Monthly Wrap Up
Leah's Books 
Hi Leah, I was taking care of my dad until he recently passed, and I can understand what you’re dealing with. I also have no kids (but two cats). I’m glad I had the time with my dad, even though it was often stressful. I struggled with treating him as an adult rather than a child. I’m impressed you went to therapy to discuss that dynamic. Wishing you all the best!
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Thank you, and I’m sorry for your loss. I took care of my father as he passed too, and although it was difficult, I’m also glad that I was able to have the time with him. I’ve been mindful about treating Mom like an adult, even as she needs more and more help, I still sometimes feel like I’m dealing with a child (and I’m sure she feels like that even more so with me). Therapy is a good start for us.
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July in terms of books took me across the Mississippi River and near Scotland- finally finished James (Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective) and Islands of the Blessed
Theater- saw a play I already fell in love with: Peter and Starcatcher (originally saw it at my university and this year saw it at a local Charlotte theater
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I’ve heard nothing but great things about James. Sounds like you had a pretty great month!
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