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July 2016 Reading Wrap Up and a Look to August

july 2016 reading wrap up

After a very slumpy month of reading in June, it seems like my energy came back this month. Thanks to the Fourth of July weekend and a mini-readathon a couple weeks ago, I managed to finish seven books this month and, in an exciting twist, I even managed to review four of them, like an actual book blogger!

Here’s what I finished in July:

  1. Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam (fiction)
  2. The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood (fiction)
  3. You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein (essays)
  4. Something New by Lucy Knisley (memoir)
  5. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (fiction)
  6. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore (memoir)
  7. In the Country We Love by Diane Gurrero (memoir)

On the whole, the month was pretty excellent when it comes to reading choices. I like the mix of fiction and nonfiction, and the books touched on a lot of my favorite topics — it’s tough to pick top reads for the month.

A Look to August 

With our move coming up in just a couple of weeks, I can honestly say I have no idea what my August reading might look like. I am hoping to finish For Love of Politics by Sally Bedell Smith, a look at Bill and Hillary Clinton’s time in the White House, before we go, since I need to return it to the library!

The other work of nonfiction I’m looking forward to this month is Riverine by Angela Palm (Aug. 16 from Graywolf Press), the most recent winner of the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize. Past winners of this prize have included two books I loved — Leaving Orbit by Margaret Lazarus Dean and The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. Needless to say, I’ve got high hopes for Riverine. Happy reading!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links through Amazon. If you make a purchase through any of those links, I will receive a small commission.

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  • Sarah's Book Shelves August 4, 2016, 6:31 am

    Good luck with your move!! And I’m hoping to get to The Natural Way of Things soon.

  • bermudaonion (Kathy) August 4, 2016, 8:08 am

    I wish I could come help you move. Don’t worry about reading until you’re settled in.

  • Jenny @ Reading the End August 4, 2016, 7:21 pm

    Diiiiiid you like Rich and Pretty? I super want to read it, and I’m trying to convince myself it’s not worth a whole independent trip to the library this weekend just for that one book. :p

    • Kim August 13, 2016, 12:31 pm

      Yeah, I did a lot! He really captured how friendships can change as we age, and the way it can sometimes be hard to understand the way choices diverge.

  • Shaina August 4, 2016, 9:39 pm

    Hearing you so much on the moving thing. Currently trying to speed-read through a few books just so I can donate them and not have to move with them! 😛

    Glad to hear your reading has been so good! I’m real excited to finally dig in to The Natural Way of Things and I REALLY want to get to Something New. I grabbed Riverine at BEA as well, but it’s already been packed away for the move! At least it will be waiting in Seattle for me. 🙂

    • Kim August 13, 2016, 12:32 pm

      I decided to pack most of my BEA books last, just in case I find I really want to read them. Packing books is hard… what if I want them before we unpack?

  • iliana August 5, 2016, 7:57 pm

    I hope all goes well with your move. And, how many book boxes are moving with you? You’ll have to tell us about those. Riverine does sound interesting!

    • Kim August 13, 2016, 12:33 pm

      I got about half packed this week… 13 boxes and counting. Yikes!

  • Kailana August 6, 2016, 8:09 am

    I hope you find some time to relax with a book amongst all the other craziness this month. 🙂

  • Unruly Reader August 10, 2016, 7:47 am

    Nice July wrap-up! Best wishes with your upcoming move. (I always feel for readers when they move, because books are so darn heavy. But you got this!)

    • Kim August 13, 2016, 12:33 pm

      So heavy! I’m trying to pack small boxes, but that’s doesn’t always help. Pumped up biceps, I guess.

  • Rachel Bishop August 10, 2016, 11:46 am

    Klein’s book has been one of my favs this summer, loved it! Also I am reading A.K. Driggs’ book Abandoned in Search of Rainbows and what a life she has had, she has had quite the life and her words are so inspiring, I recommned it. Her site for it is abandonedinsearchofrainbows.com, I think there is great info there.

  • Chelsey August 14, 2016, 5:42 pm

    What an awesome list for July! The only one I’ve read myself is Something New but a ton of the others are on my list! Will have to scroll through older posts to see what you thought of the Jessi Klein because I’m super curious about that one!

  • Buried In Print August 15, 2016, 12:29 pm

    I had a lot of fun with the Jessi Klein pieces too. Not my usual fare, and it was a much-needed change! Good luck with the move (which is likely well-underway by now)!