I’m not entirely caught up, but I made progress this month! We started school this month though, so it’s a whole new ballgame now. Let’s not worry about that right now though. Okay? Okay. Today is all about July and the ten books I managed to read. It was a lot of light fiction, but I have my good self-education stacks going again, I promise 😉

1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. This book was brilliant. It was so entertaining and witty, but surprising and deep too. I could hardly put it down. It made me laugh out loud but it wasn’t just comedic. Definitely recommend!
2. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. This was on the Modern Miss Darcy summer reading list I think. Shameless twaddle, but entertaining 😉
3. A High End Finish by Kate Carlisle. This was an easy read mystery I found on our library website. It wasn’t amazing, but it was okay and it was a fun quick read over a weekend.
4. Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pierce. World War II, set in London. Girl wants to be a war reporter, but ends up working for an old-fashioned advice column. Sweet story, and I really enjoyed it. It reminds me of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, just by style and general goodheartedness of the story.
5. The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear. This is #15 of the Maisie Dobbs series. I have not read all of them, because they’re never available when I want them from the library, but this one came up and so I read it out of order. (Shocking, I know, right?!) They do stand alone, but I feel like there was a lot of personal back history that I missed. That’s one of the things I like about this series–Maisie definitely grows as a character through the books. It’s not just a perpetual loop with the exact same character and a slightly different story line.
6. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Another murder mystery, this time with a fantasy twist. It was pretty good. Fast-paced, definitely kept my attention. A little more sensational than I tend to go for, but ultimately just another fun end-of-summer-break read for me.
7. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. This book was serious enough on it’s own to make up for all the other fluff I read this month, ha! It was very good, and absolutely riveting. Historical novel, set in Alaska, lots of family drama and sadness. It was heavy, but virtually un-putdownable once I got into it.
8. The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin. Whew. That title is a mouthful! I loved this book though. She starts out by saying that she began this project because she knew she had a great life and she wanted to appreciate it more. That really resonated with me. I loved reading about her ‘happiness project’ and it gave me some ideas about mindset and goals as well.
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. Concluded my annual re-read of the Harry Potter series. “After all this time?” “Always.” Will forever be my response when people comment on that particular habit of mine. 😀
10. Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave by Joanna Gaines. This book was fantastic. I consider myself somewhat design-challenged– I know how I want things to look, but I struggle with knowing how to get there. Joanna’s advice throughout the book was very reasonable and attainable. I love how she encourages people to make their homes personally functional and inviting, even if it’s unconventional.

So there’s my reading list for July! It was fun! I feel like I got my reading mojo back, and I’m excited to see where the rest of the year takes me. Hopefully through more nonfiction, because my stats in that department aren’t looking so great right now. Have a great reading month!