July 2018 Wrap-Up

Admittedly i thought i’d get absolutely nothing read in July. It’s YALC month, and also i’ve managed to rope myself in to working full time throughout July, minimising my reading opportunities. Luckily for me, that didn’t really happen and i felt more inspired to read than ever. I ditched my YALC TBR (post HERE) and got more read than i ever thought i would!

Noah Could Never by Simon James Green
At the end of my last wrap-up i commented that i was just about done with Noah’s latest adventures. I’m so glad i read this before YALC. Simon’s writing makes me so utterly happy it’s hard not to laugh out loud at his work. Noah is one of the most crazy characters i’ve ever come in contact with, and i adore him. I cannot wait to meet Simon again at YALC this year and talk to him about this wonderful world he’s created.

Notes On A Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
This was the book that sparked my YALC TBR change. Before this i was determined to read books by YALC authors only and i stressed about how much that meant to me to know about all these different books. Once Notes On A Nervous Planet was released i knew i’d want to read it straight away – the help it was offering is something i’m struggling with at the moment, the use or lack of, social media. I found this book so useful and it really sparked a lot of thought with me. It’s fair to say a lot of this is tabbed for my future self to look back on!

My Heart Goes Bang by Keris Stainton
My summer contemporary part of the year has officially started, and i’ve fallen in love with Keris Stainton’s writing. My Heart Goes Bang has been on my radar for a little while, but only because all my friends have been giving this contemporary book five stars, and i had no idea what was happening. I picked up a copy for myself to see what the fuss was about and instantly fell in love with the characters and the story. It has my new favourite YA couple and some of my new favourite characters. I had no idea a contemporary could be so much fun. I also massively related to the University aspects of this, which made me love it even more.

Flying Tips For Flightless Birds by Kelly McCaughrain
This was another book that i had no expectations for. I had origionally picked it up for YALC this year, and on a whim felt like reading a circus themed book. I’d heard that it had LGBTQ+ themes and obviously was excited for that, otherwise had no opinions. I didn’t love or hate Flying Tips For Flightless Birds, the characters may have been a little young for me, and i don’t overly love the set up of ‘something big is going to happen at the end’ and the whole book is working towards that (which this is) but it was enjoyable, sweet and a very easy read.

Directing Herbert White by James Franco
I picked up Directing Herbert White a while ago and whilst i needed a quick read, figured i should probably get around to reading it. There won’t be a review of this on the blog because in no way did i enjoy it enough. Apart from the fact i don’t want to support James Franco at all, this book was generally bad. The entire book revolved around Franco and his acting life, even the poems that were supposed to be about other actors. I found it self absorbed and incredibly badly written.

The Kite Runner (The Graphic Novel) by Khaled Hosseini
The graphic novel of The Kite Runner is my first experience with this story, and i absolutely adored it. Admittedly i don’t have the effort or interest to read the full length novel, so figured the graphic novel would be the best for me. I think it’s an excellent story and so well told in graphic design. I still don’t think i have the effort in me to read the novel, but i will adore this graphic novel for a long time, and i gave it five stars.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
This month has been a lot of firsts for me. More Happy Than Not is my first read by Adam Silvera, and i actually adored it. First of all this book is incredibly sad. More sad than i ever imagined it to be and i also found it hard to read in places. I loved the writing style and the characters, and keep reminding myself that this is Adam’s first novel so it will only get better as i work my way through the rest of his books. But i really did enjoy the story-line and the twist of reality.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Long Way Down has been recently added to my to be read list, and when i spotted it at YALC on a table, i knew i had to read it right away. In fact i managed to read it in a day after YALC (after not reading for a few days so i had withdrawal i think). This novel is stunning. Written in verse it talks about the loss of a brother and how Will is going to fix that. It’s incredibly powerful and i’m so surprised it’s not been talked about more. I absolutely adored this.

Books read: 8

Books read this year: 36

Pages read: 2,151

Pages Per Day: 69

Average Rating: 4

Years of Release: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018

Genres: YA, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Humour, Non-Fiction, Mental Health