So… in my defense, I fully realized that we’re ten days into August already, but it’s never too late for a wrap-up, am I right? (chuckles awkwardly) But hey! I’m so glad to share my July wrap-up today because aside from breaking my previous reading achievement in January of 11 books, I also completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge which aimed for 52 books! Am I good enough as a book blogger now?! Joking. But I’m just really excited and feel very accomplished for once!
what i read
Five Star (★★★★★)
📑 Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) by Elizabeth Lim • Review • A mesmerizing fantasy retelling of Mulan mixed with Project Runaway.
📑 The Black Veins (Dead Magic #1) by Ashia Monet • Review • An outstanding fantasy debut with tons of action packs and dangerous quests that balanced with a strong chemistry among its sassy characters.
📑 Wicked Fox by Kat Cho • Review • A contemporary-fantasy inspired by Korean mythology filled with engaging drama and intense action packs.
📑 Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries • Review • An extraordinary, fun and full of adventure witches story.
Four Star (★★★★)
📑 Double Vie (Rose #1) by Valérie Vernay • Review • A solid mystery story featuring complex and unique casts.
📑 Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu • Review • A cute and warm magical tale with one of the best artworks that I’ve ever seen this year!
Three Star (★★★)
📑 Aion by Ludovic Rio • Review • A fun sci-fi comic with an interesting plot and unexpected twist!
📑 Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell • Review • A contemporary revolving around the life of a fangirl that falls under my expectation.
📑 The Escape Manual for Introverts by Katie Vaz • Review • A creative guide for introverts filled with amusing what-if scenarios and eccentric escape routes.
Two Star (★★)
📑 Commute by Erin Williams • Review • A great premise memoir goes wrong.
📑 Mamma Mia! – Just the Girls by Lewis Trondheim • Review • A woman-oriented comic with jokes that I didn’t get.
📑 Sorry Not Sorry by Sophie Ranald • Review • A contemporary sets in a modern era featuring too many characters and weak plot.
📑The Black Mage by Daniel Barnes & D.J. Kirkland • Review • A too rushed and too full of actions comic that left no place for the story development.
📑The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger • Review • A case of ‘the movie is simply better’.
TOTAL BOOKS I READ IN 2019 SO FAR: 52 BOOKS
around the blogosphere
💬 If you don’t know just yet, the lovely girls @ The Quiet Pond are publishing weekly bookish news and updates on The Pond BookNews so that you won’t miss anything! I’m also very honored to be featured on their Book Community Spotlight last month and I couldn’t be more grateful about it!
💬 Do you ever feel like a̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶s̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶b̶a̶g̶ you know that you’re drowning deep in pile and pile of ARCs yet you still find yourself wandering around NG & E+? Kal @ Reader Voracious shared her very same problem last month and how she put herself in ARC Ban! Follow along her journey on Twitter via #KalsARCBan2k19.
💬 Last month, Kat @ Novels Waffles launched The Bibliosmile Project on her blog, a feature which aims to spotlight how books (+ the bookish community), has brought smiles, happiness, and positivity into our lives. See more details about it here!
It is never too late for a wrap-up, you are absolutely right! And huge congratulations on completing your reading challenge! I keep changing mine, but it’s now set at 70 books and I’m not touching that number again this year (I started at 40 books). I’m so glad you enjoyed The Black Veins, I really did too! Also, I really need to read Wicked Fox! I’ve read mixed reviews, but I watched the K-Drama My Girlfriend is a Gumiho twice a few years ago, so I have a feeling I’ll enjoy it so much if only for the nostalgia feels ♥
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Well done for completing your Goodreads goal! I also completed mine last month. I don’t know if I should set it higher? I have read a few two star books recent,y but I’ve finally found a good one!
I hope you have a happy August 😊
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Never too late for a wrap-up, Vinny! Congrats on an awesome reading month & completing your reading goal for the year! I also hit 52 books in July and was pretty excited.
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You had a great reading month! I also enjoyed Spin the Dawn – fantastic world-building.
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Lovely wrap up, Vinny! Oh my gosh, congrats on reaching your goal! That’s incredible! And I’m so happy that you had lots of great reads in July! I really need to get to Wicked Fox some time! Haha! ❤
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