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It’s time for the next Monthly Reading Wrap Up!

This Month I Read�

Begin Again by Emma Lord- I really liked this one. I think a lot of my enjoyment can be tied to a nostalgic setting for me. For some reason Blue Ridge State, the college in the book, felt a lot like Appalachian State to me and that’s my alma mater. So yea, the college years nostalgia was definitely there for me. The romance was pretty cute too. I didn’t like this as much as the last Emma Lord I read, but it’s still up there. My only complaint is that it was too predictable. It wasn’t hard to figure out that Milo was the knight. And Conner was a walking red flag from page one and it took almost the whole book for MC to figure it out. That was a bit exhausting. Haha.

The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos- This was exactly what I expected it to be. A sweet heartwarming collection of stories from Hadley’s work in hospice care. She did a good job intertwining the stories with moments from her own life and showing what she has learned from these experiences. She walks a fine line between acknowledging religious, specifically Christian, aspects of the moments and not bringing religion into the stories to let the readers be able to bring their own spirituality into it but she does it very well I think. Overall I really enjoyed it.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros- I finally jumped on this bandwagon. While this book was not necessarily everything I expected given the massive hype behind it, it was still a really good read. The world building was excellent and the story well crafted if somewhat predictable. I liked most of the characters, but there wasn’t much growth in many of them. The dragons as characters however, they were one of the best parts of the whole story. And yes, I am already on hold for a copy from the library once the sequel comes out in November. With that ending you have to keep going!

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo- I listened to this one on Audio. This book was ok, but I couldn’t fully tell what it wanted to be. A Great Gatsby retelling? A magical jazz age fantasy? While it was beautifully written, the prose was wonderful to listen to, it never fully committed to any aspect of the story. Where did Jordan’s magical paper cutting abilities come from, what explains them? What was with Jay Gatsby allegedly having sold his soul to the devil for his riches to win Daisy back? While the fantasy elements certainly lended themselves to aspects of The Great Gatsby I just really needed more explanation and more able how they played a role in the events.

American Royals by Katherine McGee- I listened to this one on Audio. I loved this one! It was just so much fun. The historical remix of George Washington having taken the kingship he was offered is interesting enough, but then had the drama of modern royalty with that royalty being American and you’ve got a recipe for a good read. If you're not into the royalty thing this probably won’t be your cup of tea, but if you are I highly recommend this one.

What did you read this month? Be sure to share down below!

Happy Reading!

Mister Magic is all I read this month. I was/am in a reading slump. I think my brain needs a break LOL!
I would've read it faster if I hadn't been in such a slump. I've heard others compare it to creepypasta which is generally a good description. The story combines the elements of internet urban legends with traditional themes of cult horror. The ending was not what I was expecting and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

I have been hesitant to start Fourth Wing. It's been hyped up so much that I'm afraid that I have too many expectations for it. I have been having somewhat of a letdown on a lot of books lately because of BookTok hype.

I'm the same way with books that are overhyped. I just now, in August lol, read It Ends with Us. I put it off for so long because of the hype around it and the author.

It was pretty good but it wasn't great.

I also read Stone Blind and A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes. I really enjoy her feminist retellings of the Greek myths.

Another one that I really liked this month was The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. That was our book club pick and we all loved it.

I still haven't picked up Colleen Hoover Cadi, haha. I am afraid I'm going to be let down by over hyped books too Casey! At the least The Fourth Wing was still good even if it wasn't the best thing I've ever read. Your book club pick looks right up my alley Cadi, I'll have to add that to my TBR.