What I Read in July

Time for my July Reading Wrap-Up! I’ve read 17 books in July and beta-read another one (and I can’t wait for this book to be published too!). While again, I read more fiction than non-fiction, my choices were quite diverse in themes and authors so I’m having a hard time deciding which ones were my top 5 this month! I have been on the roll lately and I have enjoyed a lot most of the books I have read recently.

But it looks like a lot of my favourite this month had been audiobooks! (It means that probably a separate post about my favourite audiobooks is coming.) But audiobooks have such a potential to enrich the reading experience.

My Top 5 Books in July

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

My rating: 5/5
Genre: Biographical Fiction
Links: Book Depository & Amazon

I heard so much about this book for a while now, but I’m glad I ended up listening to the audiobook of it – I think that what made this book absolutely brilliant for me, and I don’t I would have enjoyed it as much in the written form. I will definitely be writing a proper review of this book later, but I just need to gather my thoughts about it. But I can’t recommend the audio enough! With a full cast of the narrators, the listening of Daisy Jones & The Six is such a wonderful experience.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

My rating: 5/5
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Links: Book Depository & Amazon
(Please note that this book is getting published on 15 October 2020, big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy)

My full review of this wonderful book will be posted closer to the publication date, but I would definitely recommend keeping an eye for this. Dolly Alderton’s writing style is really captivating, and Ghosts is such a raw and honest narrative. I still have to read Alderton’s non-fiction, Everything I Know About Love, but I’m certain I will enjoy it as much!

Mythos by Stephen Fry

My rating: 5/5
Genre: Myths Retellings (how one classifies the myths?)
Links: Book Depository & Amazon

Another book where audio format made me enjoy the experience far more. On the surface, I haven’t learnt that much more – having read so much Greek mythology as a younger girl – but it was so much fun listening to the book narrated by Stephen Fry! He has such specific humour (and accent too!), which made Mythos so much better. And I loved being back in the world of Greek mythology – it’s been too long since I have visited this world.

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

My rating: 4.5/5
Genre: YA Fantasy
Links: Book Depository & Amazon
Full review: here

We Hunt the Flame is the first part of Sands of Arawiya duology, and I must say I’m looking forward to the next instalment that’s going to be published on 19 January 2021. I have written a proper review of We Hunt the Flamepreviously (link above), but this is another book I have listened to, and I have enjoyed the narration very much. There have been the moments in We Hunt the Flame, where I felt that the story was a little bit overdone and that many tropes were overused, but it didn’t necessarily take away from my experience. Hafsah Faizal’s book has such a great atmosphere! I would definitely recommend this for those enjoying YA fantasy.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

My rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Literary Fiction
Links: Book Depository
Full review: here
(Please note that this book is getting published on 17 September 2020, big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy)

If you had read Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold and enjoyed it, I would definitely enjoy picking up this follow up to the original book when it’s released in September. I have read one after another, and I have enjoyed Kawaguchi’s writing style. It’s not for everyone, but I loved how detailed, slow-paced and character-driven both of the books were. With many new faces entering the café in Tales from the Café, the reader has so much to discover in this book, and yet some of the characters that have appeared previously in Before the Coffee Gets Coldget their closures here as well, and it’s wonderful to witness that.

What books have you loved in July?

Take care,
Alicja

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