Greetings Friends!
July flew by so fast and I spaced making this post on the 31st but I wanted to take a bit to share the books I read this month!
The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan
I read this for our Rainbow Readers Book Club which meets on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 2pm and I liked it more than I thought I would. I listened to the audiobook narrated by A.J. Beckles on Libro.fm. This is the first Rick Riordan book that I have read much to the annoyance of my sister who loves his books. This story is a spin-off of the Percy Jackson series and revolves around Nico Di Angelo (the son of Hades) and his boyfriend Will Solace (the son of Apollo) as they quest to rescue a friend from the depths of Tartarus. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read the other series, but overall it was pretty good and I’m glad that I was forced to read it.
Ultimate Guide to Dollywood by Erin Browne
We took our annual family road trip the last week of July. Sawyer requested we do something “epic” since it was his golden birthday summer (he turned 12 on the 12th), so we decided to go to Dollywood since we LOVE DOLLY! In an effort to prepare for our adventure I ordered this book, and it was really helpful. The author is very enthusiastic about the park, and it helped me plan a head for things that we for sure wanted to do while we were there. I would really love to plan a return trip sometime in the fall when it isn’t a million degrees out.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
I got and ALC copy of the Enchanted Greenhouse audiobook from Libro.fm and I was super excited about it so I had to read this first, and I loved it. It’s so cute and just a feel good magical romance. The characters were so creative and so fun – especially Caz the magical sentient talking spider plant. I am really looking forward to more installments in this series!
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
I won’t lie, I was a little disappointed in this book, simply because I wanted MORE…it ended way before I was ready and I need another one! I loved how the stories overlapped and I can’t wait to see how the stories progress. I cant decide if I want to live in the Enchanted Greenhouse or on Caltrey– both settings are so beautifully written they made me feel like I was already there.
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
This beautiful story about a kingdom of freedpeople in the hills of Appalachia transports readers through the generations of the Lovejoy family and how the land has shaped their identities. Reading to story of Nikki and Mother Rita fighting to keep the land, and Luella building the Kingdom of The Happy Land from the ground up, was inspiring and I loved every minute of my read. This story was inspired by true events that took place in Hendersonville NC, and its a story more people should read.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
This is another one of our book club books. I read this one as part of our Salem Book Club which meets bi-monthly (1st Tuesday of even months). The Salem Book Club is our spooky stories book club and while this story wasn’t what you would typically describe as “horror” it was definitely unsetting and had me on the edge of my seat while reading it. I have never read a Grady Hendrix book, but I will be reading more of them in the future. I was hesitant about reading a story about unwed mothers written by a man, and there were certain scenes that I was hyper aware of his lack of a female reproductive system, but overall I think the horror of a home for unwed mothers was described very well.
One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller
This was the first book we read for Rainbow Readers, and it wasn’t something I would have picked up to read voluntarily. I enjoy sports movies, but I have never read a sports book. I enjoy football, but don’t know the intricacies of the game, and I enjoyed learning more about it from the perspective of a trans athlete. I loved the casual representation of marginalized communites within the story, and the characters felt like real teenagers, especially in their group chats. The one thing I didn’t love was how it felt almost like a WB teen drama in regards to parties and drinking, but other than that, it was great!
I’m already off to a good start on my reads for next month and I can’t wait to share them with you!
Until then,
