What Makes A Good Book: July Wrap Up & August TBR (2019)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And it's time for my wrap up/ TBR!

And what's more, I just finished my first book of the month!

So, let's get on with this wrap up & TBR!

Enjoy!

JULY WRAP UP

-BOOKS-

I read a total of seven books in July, two of which were from the Reading-Rush-a-thon that I participated in last week.

Here are the books I read in the month of July.

1. Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3), by Cassandra Clare

I was trying to read this by the end of June, but I didn't quite manage it, so I ended up finishing it on the 2nd July. And as much as I enjoyed this book as a whole, and I felt so so accomplished when I finally finished it, it didn't really live up the expectations that the rest of the world had built for this book. I said before I started this trilogy that this would be the last Shadowhunter novel I would read. I don't know if I'll change my mind, but at this point, this still will be.

2. Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell

I got this when I was in Stamford last month and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it! I flew through this book in two days. It was one of my favourite childhood classics and it remains today one of my favourites today. It's considered a children's book but the struggles that the horses go through in this book, so it might be for the more mature children readers out there. It is however a wonderful story and a book that I think everybody should read at some point.

3. Bedlam (Skulduggery Pleasant #12), by Derek Landy

A lot of things changed in this book for me. It's the most solid Skulduggery Pleasant read I've picked up since the original series' concluded. I don't have a release date for book 13, but I know that this isn't going to be the last book in the series. Not by a long shot. If you've stuck with the series this far and are up to date, comment down below, or message on twitter or Instagram if you want to chat about this series.

4. Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

Another one of my favourite childhood classics, I squeezed it in in the time between finishing Bedlam and starting my reading-rush-a-thon tbr. There is just so much I love about this book, the way it's not like a book, that it's so easy to put yourself in the hut with Heidi and Uncle Alp. This is a book of happiness, with wonderful characters, you can't help but imagine them as real. An amazing novel.

5. Heartstopper. Vol 2, by Alice Oseman

Another absolute masterpiece! I flew through this in an hour. Under an hour. I just couldn't stop turning the pages. I don't know what it is about this series, but it's just so goddamn cute! Now for the waiting game: Volume 3 isn't out until February of next year, which is a whole six months away. *Sigh* .

6. Twilight (Twilight #1), by Stephenie Meyer

I don't know why I put this on my readathon tbr but, I've been thinking about re-reading this series for a bit, and it fit at least 1 of the challenges introduced in the readathon, so I thought why not? Even though I've grown in thoughts and opinions since the last time I read Twilight, there's no denying the fact that without this book, a lot of books would not have been written. I'm glad I re-read this.

7. A Poison Dark & Drowning (Kingdom on Fire #2), by Jessica Cluess

The month of July was all about reading the books in my TBR Jar Challenge (other than the fourth book in the Three Dark Crowns series, which isn't out until September.) This book has been on my TBR Jar Challenges for the past two years, and I didn't manage to get to it. I finished this a few days ago, and even though it took me a week and a half to get through it, I really enjoyed it. We got to see more of the world, meet new characters, face some tough challenges, and found out some interesting character development (which was the best part, in my opinion!) I'll be reading book 3 sometime in the next couple of months.

-TV SHOWS-

1. Dragonball Z

2. Chicago Med- Season 4

3. Dance Academy

-FILMS WATCHED-

1. Tarzan

2. Aladdin (Live Action that came out last month)

AUGUST TBR (2019)

How is it August already? Month 8/12 already! I have my theory test in two weeks, wish me luck! Not much else planned this month though. Let me know what your plans are for the month in the comments!

Here's my TBR!

1. Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire #1), by Natasha Ngan

Having finished The Surface Breaks this afternoon, this is meant to be the next book I pick up. But because there are similar themes in this Girls of Paper and Fire to The Surface Breaks, I don't know if this should be the book I pick up next. However, on the other hand, if I don't read this book next then something tells me that I'll find an excuse and never get to it. There's a poll on my Instagram right now!

2. Dear Evan Hansen, based on the Musical (out in the west-end in November)

I haven't seen the musical yet, as it's out in November. (Definitely next year though.) But from what I know, this is a book about a boy called Evan Hansen, who has always struggled with fitting in. But then Connor Murphy takes his own life, and after people start to think that the two boys were friends (he takes his own life whilst in possession of a letter that Evan wrote himself). As the lie progresses, and he helps Connor's family deal with their grief, his star starts to grow and grow. And then it all starts to go wrong...

3. The Librarian of Auschwitz, by Antonio Iturbe

I got this last month in Stamford. This is based on a true story, about a girl called Dita who, during her time in Auschwitz (fourteen years old!) became the secret librarian for the camp. She was tasked with managing the small collection of precious books that were smuggled into the camp during the second world war. It promises to be a powerful novel to read.

4. The Opposite of Always, by Justin Reynolds

I am so excited for this. I don't know what it is about this book, but it will not get out of my head! The protagonist is a boy called Jack King, who in love with Kate, who he met at a party. And then she drops dead. The story should end there. But Jack has a choice: he goes back in time, and when he makes different choices, another ending occurs. The final question is: what is Jack willing to do- to save the people he loves?