July Reading Wrap Up

July Reading Wrap Up

Welcome to my July reading wrap-up:

The total of books I read in July was: 13

Of these: I didn’t read any Library Books, 8 were E-books and 5 were from my physical TBR pile

Then: Out of the books I read I discovered 7 ‘new for me’ authors (i.e. the first time I have read their work).

And: 4 of the books read were written by Australian authors.

Best Book of the month: I had 3 ‘A’ books in July. I give ‘A’s (or 5 stars) to books that, regardless of genre, are complete page turners for me, that have me reading late into the night, suck me straight into the story and leaves me wanting more at the end; and of course, it should go without saying, I utterly recommend you read it. If I give a high score to a book it means it is a top example of whatever genre it belongs to. Someone else may turn their nose up at giving 5 stars to a light and fluffy romance, but if it is the best example of a light and fluffy romance then it is just as worthy of 5 stars than a dreary angst ridden book that wins some great literary award. If I give a high score to a book it means it is a top example of whatever genre it belongs to.

The two genres that made it into my top 3 were a Contemporary Romance, a Paranormal Romance and a Classic Children’s Fantasy. The books were Only We Know by Victoria Purman, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Gouge and The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter. Both were books I read from beginning to end without pause. Both were excellent examples of their respective genres. However I can only pick one, so my book of the month for July was THE LITTLE WHITE HORSE by Elizabeth Goudge. It is a story I have read over, and over, and over again since I was around 12 – it is timeless and I never, ever tire of it.

Least Favourite Book(s):

I say ‘least favourite’ because my lowest ‘score’ still means it is very readable, but for one reason or another I found it a bit of struggle to stay focused and finish. I only struggled with two books this month The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory and Lord James Harrington and the Winter Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz. Actually I really, really struggled with Lord James Harrington and it came very close to being a ‘Did Not Finish’, so this is why it has won the dubious honour of being my least favourite book of the month. This is just my personal opinion and you may find that it may very well be perfect for you.

General Summary:

Because I am an eclectic reader I read many different genres, sometimes at the same time! This month the different genres covered were Young Adult, children’s, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Historical (set over 50 years ago), Contemporary Fiction (set in the last 50 years), Dystopian and Science Fiction. Many of the books were a blend of two or more genre.

The 4 Australian authors for July was one of the new-for-me authors Vicki Tyley; along with Kate Forsyth, Victoria Purman and Rinelle Grey. Just to clarify an Australian author is defined by me as either an Australian born author no matter where they live and write in the world now, or an author who currently lives and writes in Australia even though they have been born elsewhere.

Finally, the 7 ‘new-for-me’ authors this month was my Aussie author Vicki Tyley; along with Heather Blake, Antonia Honeywell, Amy Engel, Kristen Painter, Ovidia Yu and Lynn Florkiewicz. With the exception of Lynn Florkiewicz I would happily read all of these new authors again.

Interesting book related links that I’ve come across this month:

Looking at one of my favourite genre – Young Adult – which lends itself to so many sub-genres:

What’s behind the boom in dystopian fiction for young readers?

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/06/14/fresh-hell-2

Reading list of Science Fiction recommended for Young Adults

http://davidbrin.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/science-fiction-for-young-adults.html

And when they are not struggling with a new world order, or whizzing around in out space – Young Adults are falling in love and solving mysteries:

Romance – http://www.epicreads.com/blog/30-contemporary-ya-romance-reads/

Mystery – http://www.cozy-mystery.com/agatha-awards-best-children-young-adult.html

The List

So let’s get onto what this post is about – what did I read during July? Here is the list of books that I read during the last month (each group is in the order I read them):

A (5 stars) = Excellent Stuff – a real page turner and hard to put down

Only We Know by Victoria Purman – Contemporary Romance

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge – Children’s Fantasy

The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter – Paranormal Romance

B (4 stars) = Really Good Read

It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake – Paranormal Mystery

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman – Fantasy

Thin Blood by Vicki Tyley – Contemporary Mystery

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel – YA Science Fiction/Dystopian

The Beast of Blackmoor Bog by Kate Forsyth – Children’s Fantasy

Aunty Lee’s Delights by Ovidia Yu – Cosy Mystery

The Ship by Antonia Honeywell – YA Science Fiction/Dystopian

Waking the Dragon by Rinelle Grey – Fantasy Romance

C (3 stars) = Above Average – very readable and enjoyable

No ‘C’ reads for me this month

D (2 stars) = Average – it was OK, a bit of a struggle to finish

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory – Historical

Lord James Harrington and the Winter Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz – Mystery

So onward to August – Woo Hoo! I wonder what book goodies I will discover this month? My daughter is getting married mid-month and there will be an intensive week and a half of catching up with friends and relatives which will seriously impact on my reading!

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