July Wrap UP and August Goals

Another month down during the pandemic. All of this staying home has really given me more reading time and this month I read 31 books!

Here is the list of the books I finished in July and below this, I have my thoughts on my top reads. All of the books I read were worth reading and amazing in their own way. Most of the books were shared with me through NetGalley and my Lit Review Crew or directly from publishers and authors. I thank all of you for sharing your books with me and the Lit Review Crew!

Books I Finished in July

July Bingo Card

My NetGalley stats at the end of July:

Approved Titles: 317

Feedback Sent: 98

Feedback Ratio: 31%

Memorable Reads in July

You do have to wait a month as Teen Titans: Beast Boy does not release until Sept 1, but GET IT ON YOUR RADAR NOW! This book was magnificent and so much fun to read. I enjoyed the themes of finding yourself and friendship. I gave this book FIVE STARS!

Primer is my new favorite DC heroine. She is spicy, spunky, and sassy. She is powerful and fun and I loved the art in this comic. It was beautiful and vibrant. The best part about Primer is that she is appropriate for most age groups! I can’t wait to share her with my students. FIVE STARS.

In today’s world there is so much information available to us, yet it is hard to get the full story. I am so glad that Kate Messner has decided to “smash” what we “know” about important moments in our history and found information that most of us do not know. I am so happy that the younger generation will have these books so they can begin to think critically about the world around them. I look forward to reading her entire series. FIVE STARS.

What Lane will be a great addition to classroom libraries. It is a shorter novel and is very straightforward to readers about important issues. I am amazed at the powerful message Torrey was able to bring forth in such a short amount of pages! Absolutely wonderful. FIVE STARS.

Quintessence is an absolutely beautiful magical realism story of finding your value and your fire. I loved how Jess Redman portrayed Alma’s anxiety and how she brought four very different characters together to both save a star and to save each other. I am so excited to share this book with my students. FIVE STARS.

After reading American Dirt and the controversy surrounding its release, I really wanted a book about migration from the “Northern Triangle” (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala) to the United States. This book tells each child’s migration story through beautiful writing and illustrations inspired by local folk art. I loved the symbolism and the connections between the illustrations and the characters. FIVE STARS.

Closer to Nowhere is a book in verse, one of my favorite styles of writing. Ellen Hopkins has written a raw story of understanding other’s stories and learning to accept change. I enjoyed reading how Hannah changed throughout the story as well as watching Cal’s growth. FIVE STARS.

Nikki Grimes is an author that has made a name for herself as a must read author. Anytime I see her name on a book, I know I have to read it. Legacy does not release until January 2021, but you need to preorder now. This collection of poems celebrating women poets of the Harlem Renaissance is unlike any other poetry collection I have read before. She tells these women poets’ stories through poems of her own, all in the style called “The Golden Shovel.” In this method, you take a line from a poem and use those words as the last word of each line in your poem. What a beautiful way to celebrate a poet’s work! The artwork is also fantastic. This will be great for teachers to use, but is also just a must read. FIVE STARS (preorder now)

August Bingo Card

School begins this month, so reading will slow down. However, I plan to keep reading as much as possible and have still made a Bingo card to keep myself focused. I think I will make a card each month as I have found it is really helpful and motivating!

How is your reading life?

Take care of yourself. Sending love.