The Books I Read in July

 I feel like I am just killing it with fun and intriguing books this summer. I finish one great book and dive headlong into the next. I just picked up a half-dozen of them from the library and I am really excited to jump into some more reading.



1. The Lake Season by Hannah McKinnon-- When Iris's husband announces he wants a divorce she decides to head home to New Hampshire to visit her parents and help in preparing for her sister's wedding.  With so much to think about, Iris is hoping to use the summer to plan her next move and decide what she wants for herself and her 3 children.  However, Iris soon realizes that her sister has not changed much from high school and alternately frets over her erratic behavior and get annoyed by how easily she seems to float through life.  As the summer progresses both Iris and her sister start to learn more about each other and all the secrets that they've both knowingly and unknowingly kept from one another.



2. The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan (Trials of Apollo book #4)-- My boys and I have been listening to the Trails of Apollo books on CD for quite some time and this particular book took us nearly a year complete!  We used to listen to books on CD whenever we were all in the car together heading out on field trips or to meet up with friends-- something that rarely happened at all last year!  It was great to finally finish up the 4th book in the series where Apollo, who is now mortal, teams up with friends from Camp Jupiter to take down the triumvirate of evil Roman emperors.

 


3. Lake Season by Denise Hunter (A Bluebell Inn romance)-- When Levi (age 26), Molly (age 23), and Grace (age 18) lose their parents they decide to finish their parent's plans for turning their home back into an inn.  Levi with his business degree, Molly who's almost finished with her hospitality degree, and Grace who is just finishing up with high school are all determined to make a successful go of the inn and set aside their own plans and dreams, if only for a few years. Just as they are nearing completion on the inn, Molly takes on Adam Bradford as their first guest.  She also happens to find an old letter lost in the walls of of the old inn and both her and Adam team up to uncover the mystery of what happened to the two star-crossed lovers from the letter.  



4. Dark Chocolate Demise by Jenn McKinlay (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #7)-- Mel and Angie are serving cupcakes at the town's first Zombie Walk when Mel stumbles across a dead body in their prop's casket.  Everyone thinks Angie was the intended target and both Mel and Angie are under scrutiny by all their friends and family to stay safe.  



5. Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb (In Death Series book #52)-- Another great book in the series!  Eve finds a sculptor that has been bludgeoned to death and all trails lead back to the woman that reported the murder.  Untangling the web of lies from the suspect finds that while she may not have been the one to kill the victim she most likely is the reason the victim came to an untimely end.  Determined to solve the case Eve and her team dig deeper and uncover more lies and secrets and half truths surrounding a well known cult that has global ties. A great page turner.  



6. Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand-- I was a bit disappointed in this novel.  I can't put my finger on exactly what I didn't like (probably the whole spiritual/ ghost aspect) but it was sure not my favorite of Elin's books.  I did read the whole thing over one long weekend though so I can't complain.  Vivian is an author living on Nantucket with her 3 kids and is hit by a car while out running one morning just as the summer season is about to begin.  With the help of her spirit guide Martha, Vivi is allowed to observe her children and friends for one last summer season with the gift of 3 nudges to try and change the outcomes of evens on Earth.  


7. Float Plan by Trish Doller--  While not really a light summer read, I did enjoy this book a lot and read it in just one short weekend (while traveling).  Anna has been stuck with the grief over the loss of her fiancé and decides on a whim to continue with their plan to travel (by sailboat) from Florida through the islands to San Juan and beyond.  She soon realizes she's out of her depth and hires a professional sailor to help her navigate. Her grief is overwhelming at times but her and Keane (the sailor) strike up a friendship and together learn that life continues even when it's not working out the way anyone planned.



8. Shipped by Angie Hockman-- another cute story that I read in 24 hours.  A fairly predictable book; it was sweet none the less and I really enjoyed both Henley and Graeme's characters tremendously.  Henley and Graeme are up for the same promotion at work and their boss suggests they both take a cruise to the Galapagos Islands to see who can come up with the best idea to boost sales of their cruise.  Only problem is that Henley cannot stand Graeme.  The cast of characters was fun and the references to the island and the cruise itself made me want to book a trip of my own.


9. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren-- I was really not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! I read the whole thing in under 24 hours.  The chemistry between Jess and River was just delicious to read about and I loved the whole premise of finding soulmates based on DNA matches.  The whole cast of characters was delightful.  



10.  The Mixtape by Brittainy Cherry-- I wanted to love this book but wasn't really getting into it and almost stopped reading after the first few chapters... but I am so glad I kept with it. By the time I was 1/3 of the way through it I was really enjoying the characters and the way they played off one another.    Emery is a single mom working hard to make ends meet when Oliver stumbles into the bar she's working at one night.  He inadvertently gets her fired.  Oliver has been struggling ever since his twin brother and boy-band mate died.  When he discovers that he got Emery fired he hires her to be his personal chef and the story really takes off from there.  



11. Vanilla Beaned by Jenn McKinlay (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #8)-- Mel, Angie and Tate are working on franchising the bakery.  They head to Las Vegas to meet with a potential baker but when explosions and bodies start turning up Mel is determined to figure out what is going on and help move the franchise forward. I actually figured out who was behind the attacks quite early on in this book but it didn't ruin it in any way for me.  


12.  Glory Road by Lauran K. Denton-- Jessie owns a flower shop and is raising her daughter with the help of her mother on Glory Road.  With her daughter heading into high school, her mother showing signs of Alzheimer's, and her business struggling due to a new store opening in the area, Jessie is feeling overwhelmed. Then she meets Sumner Tate and reconnects with an old high school "almost" boyfriend and starts to wonder if she's really as satisfied with her life as she thinks she is.  Truth be told I'm only 3/4 of the way through this one but I am really enjoying this sweet family of women. 



DNF--

Freckled: A Memoir of Growing up Wild in Hawaii by Tw Neal-- I wanted to love this memoir but I had such a hard time with the tone of writing; each chapter is written from the perspective of herself as  a child at that time. So in the first chapter she is 4 and while the vocab is obviously of an adult all the memories are strung together with the understanding/ confusion of a 4 year old.  I just had a hard time falling into the story because I found that dichotomy off putting. 


So far this year I've read:

7 Books in January

10 Books in February

11 Books in March

11 Books in April

10 Books in May

13 Books in June

That's a total of 74 books; which puts me well on my way to my goal of 120 books this year. 

What great books have you been reading? I'm always looking for suggestions! 

Linking up with: Spread the Kindness, 














Comments

  1. You certainly get through a lot of books! I am a much slower reader but do appreciate your recommendations. My boys loved the Rick Riordan books when they were younger. #MMBC

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    1. I have enjoyed listening to Riordan's books right alongside them.

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  2. Just started Soulmate Equation- hoping to love it as much as you did!

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  3. I loved both Shipped and The Soulmate Equation. Some great summery reads here!

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    1. Yep, I am really embracing the summery books right now.

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  4. One of my favorite Peloton instructors was mentioning Elin's book in class this week. She is apparently given a shoutout on the back flap!

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  5. What a great selection of books. I am not a big reader but do fancy reading a few of these. x

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    1. Thanks! I have always been a very big reader.

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  6. Oh, The Soulmate Equation sounds so good! I'm going to check out my library app and see if they have one available right now!

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    1. I hope they do and that you enjoy it too.

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  7. I love all of these lists. It's fun to get book ideas from others.

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  8. Looks like you read a lot of great books this month!
    Jenna ♥
    Stay in touch? Life of an Earth Muffin

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  9. I love Elin books so I am adding that one to my list. You read a lot this month!

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  10. You are really on a reading roll! I'm going to pass on Golden Girl because I've seen so many so-so reviews. Thanks for linking up!

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    1. Yeah, I was rather bummed... I seem to like most of her older works more than her recent stuff.

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  11. I need to write a couple of these titles down: I need to grab more books from the library! It took me most of the summer to read the Eragon series that I borrowed from my son so I now need some new material!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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    1. I have heard the Eragon series is supposed to be quite good but I haven't given them a try yet.

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  12. Wow I've not heard of these books before, but theres more than a few that have peaked my interest, I'm a pretty slow reader but I do love a great book xxx

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  13. Wow, an impressive number of books! I'm new to the Elin Hildrabrand party, but I just read Identicals, and picked up A Summer Affair and Summer People. Right now I'm reading France: A Love Story, which I'm enjoying, and will read Italy: A Love Story next.

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    1. I'm going to have look those two up; they sound like something I'd enjoy!

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  14. That could be you on the cover of The Lake Season book. Your photos and lake are even more spectacular. I enjoy Christina Lauren books, too. And had suggested The Soulmate Equation for the book club to read. Need to read it myself. We are delving into The Personal Librarian for August. Sounds really good.

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    1. LOL; it sure could! I think I'm drawn to lake books for that reason. It sure feels like Lake Season over here and I am loving it.

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  15. Thanks for the recs! Visiting from the party in your pjs link party.

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  16. I like the idea of listening to books on CD in the car together. My second thought is wow, you burn through a lot of books! Good for you #anythinggoes

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    1. My boys and I have listened to so many great books on CD while driving around; it's such a fun way to pass the time and gives us plenty to talk about when we're not in the car.

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  17. So many great choices. Great selection. Thanks for linking up with us #CreativeMondaysLinkUp

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  18. That is an awesome reading goal, Joanne! I do wish I could get back on my reading game! There is so much great stuff out there to dive into. Thanks for sharing and linking.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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    1. Thanks! It's kind of stressing me out to try and keep that goal going every month but I am pretty determined.

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  19. You read some interesting books. I have read Shipped and thought it was a cute story.

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    1. I have been finding lots of interesting books lately!

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  20. What a great reading month!! I am very curious about those Cupcake Bakery murder mysteries. Love a good cozy mysteries. I just read the first in Ellie Alexander's bakeshop series, called Meet Your Baker.

    Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  21. The Soulmate Equation kind of reminds me of the show The One (on Netflix) all about finding your match through DNA. It was more of a thriller / drama but this sounds more up my alley!

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    1. I haven't heard of that show; but the book was definitely more love story and less sinister.

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  22. I havent read a Christina Lauren book in such a long time. I should check this one out

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    1. I've only ever read the Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren before this one and I really enjoyed them both.

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  23. Another Eve Dallas fan!!! YAY! I have Faithless in Death on my kindle but haven't read it yet. I've been in a bit of reading slump lately and normally I devour an In Death book the moment it comes out. Maybe I will give it a shot this weekend because Robb/Roberts never lets me down. The Cupcake Mystery series also sounds good. A bit lighter mystery (I assume) but still entertaining, although I do fear that it will make me crave cupcakes the entire time!

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    1. They do make me crave cupcakes! LOL. But yes, they are a bit lighter mystery and remind me a bit of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

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  24. I feel like I'd like The Mixtape. It sort of reminds me of a Tiffanie Debartolo's book.

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  25. Two books in one month with the title Lake Season....funny! I enjoyed The Soulmate Equation and Shipped! Float Plan is on my to read list.

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    1. Right?! I went to reserve one through my library and the other one sounded interesting too so I put a hold on them both!

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  26. Yours is not the first disappointed review of Golden Girl that I've seen and I wonder if part of the reason she wants to get out of beach books is because she's completely over it and wants to try historical and supernatural themes. I feel like I'm running out of time to read beach books!

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    1. Maybe but I guess I'm kind of surprised she didn't try writing a new genre under a different name like so many authors do or some variation of her name... or maybe not put a beach girl on the cover. I get that she might be sick of writing the same themes but she did spent years building up her brand on them and that's what readers expect when they pick up her books.

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    1. LOL! That is the only downside of that cute series. I crave cupcakes all the time now.

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  28. A really good mix here. I love the title of Mixed Tape - and would be drawn to it from that, I think. It's interesting what you said about how The Float Plan wasn't a light read - when the cover would indicate the opposite. Thanks for linking up!

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    1. I used to make mixed tapes all the time. I was surprised at how much Float Plan dealt with grief and loss (based on the cover) but it was a great book.

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  29. Wow! Way to go on your reading for the year!

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