Welcome back to another monthly reading recap! This post contains affiliate links.
I have eight books to share with you during this month’s recap. As always, if you’ve read anything noteworthy lately, please share it with me in the comments! Love talking books with you guys and I’m so glad you love hearing about what I’ve been reading.
I have an affiliate account with Bookshop.org! (I still also have my Amazon shop page, if that’s where you prefer to get your books). Bookshop is a great way to get books online while also supporting local bookstores. I HIGHLY encourage you to shop through Bookshop and support Black-owned bookstores if you can. I have made two “shelves” on the site: my 2020 reads and some books that are on my TBR/books I’ve bought recently.
2020 READING GOAL UPDATE.
As I’m writing this, I am SEVEN books ahead of my reading goal of 52 books! At this point it looks like I’ve got my reading goal in the bag which I’m super excited about.
Now let’s talk about the books I read in July, my ratings, and reviews!
30. Incomparable by Brie and Nikki Bella
2.75/5 stars.
Read for the BBBC CelebriTEA Challenge.
Okay so I went into this with a very very vague picture in my mind of who the Bella’s were. Initial thoughts after finishing were that this was not a groundbreaking memoir and it was not particularly told well. I think my rating would be drastically different if I watched them during their WWE days or were fans of their reality shows.
That being said, I think there were some parts of this I found interesting even without knowing them or their backstory. I appreciated their stance on gender equality in WWE and admired their strength and perseverance.
Truthfully I was bored through a lot of it since I had no previous knowledge of the twins. This book fell flat in many parts because of that. They were vague when they discussed past drama which made it useless for a reader who doesn’t have the backstory already.
All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who knows nothing about the Bellas which might go without saying but had to mention it. I might start following them now though because they seem pretty cool.
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
31. Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim
3/5 stars.
This book was not written for me and I totally accept that. However, I’m glad to have read it. This book gives such an extensive list of recommendations of books to read by Black authors. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking to add more Black authors to your TBR (which you should be).
The concept of this book was great and it further solidified the extreme importance of having #OwnVoices authors. As a speech pathologist in a school setting, it really made me think critically about the types of books and materials I use and how important representation is for young kids. And as a bibliophile I found it super heartwarming to hear so many stories about how books made them feel.
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
32. The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
4/5 stars.
Another enjoyable Elin Hilderbrand read! I’m beginning to understand why people like her so much. This was my 3rd Elin book and while I liked it a lot, it still wasn’t 5 stars for me.
The Blue Bistro is about a woman who arrives on Nantucket looking for a job. She ends up becoming second-in-command at a famous restaurant called The Blue Bistro where the chef is mysterious and the food is divine. The story chronicles Adrienne’s experience working at the Bistro in its final season and the relationships/friendships she makes along the way.
Some thoughts:
-Loved the way the vibe at the Bistro was portrayed, I had such a clear picture of what it looked like and felt like to be there.
-Also loved Elin’s writing of the busy nights at the restaurant. She had a great way of making me feel like I was THERE in the thick of it with Adrienne and definitely felt my blood pressure go up during times of stress/overwhelm!
-I felt like the stuff with her dad/past relationships were just there to make her more ~interesting~ and I didn’t think they added much to the overall story at all.
-Personally it took me a little bit to get into this one. There were a lot of characters to keep track of both working at the restaurant and as guests which made it tricky!
-Wished we got more from Thatcher and Fiona and other characters at the restaurant. Would have been awesome to have more perspectives.
Overall, I liked this but still on the hunt for my fav Elin Hilderbrand novel! Stay tuned.
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
33. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
4/5 stars.
This memoir from Austin Channing Brown was super powerful. I loved it. I learned so much from her experiences and appreciated hearing her perspectives. It was a quick read and was packed with a lot of great stories and info. Highly recommend!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
34. We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union
4.5/5 stars.
Read for the Bad Bitch Book Club CelebriTEA Challenge
Really loved this memoir from Gabrielle Union! I knew next-to-nothing about her before reading this and came out the other side as a now loyal IG follower. I thought her stories were super relatable and funny. She spilled a good amount of tea and the book overall was really entertaining. Highly recommend this! I also listened to it and read it alternately and both were good.
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
35. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
4.5/5 stars.
I SOMEHOW avoided spoilers for this book for a very long time (this is extremely hard when you have a bookstagram and follow a lot of book lovers/bloggers). That being said, I’m SO glad I went into reading this with no prior knowledge other than it is a wildly popular book that many people love.
Where the Crawdads Sing has a little bit of everything, which is probably why people have loved it so much. It has mystery/thriller elements, it has love, it has a family dynamic. It’s a little bit historical fiction and a little bit coming-of-age.
My original thought when I finished was that this was a 4 star read. But now, thinking more deeply about it, there really isn’t much more I would have wanted out of this book. The characters were well thought out and the story was interesting.
Overall, so glad I finally read this and it definitely lived up to the hype. If you haven’t read it yet — try to go in with absolutely no expectations. I hardly knew what the book was about when I picked it up and I think that’s why I ended up having such an enjoyable reading experience
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
36. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
3.25/5 stars.
Another BBBC Nantucket Nights read! I enjoyed that this book was a bit different from other Elin books in that it was more about friendship than love (although there was still some of that throughout!) and I liked that it had some mystery elements to it!
I read a few other reviews that brought up good points so I’ll share some things that resonated with me:
1. There wasn’t too much action. There were a LOT of flashbacks. And there was a lot of repetition
2. Meredith was a super dull character. Actually, most of the characters were super dull.
3. Lots of predictability. Of course Connie’s brother is going to show up!
Overall it was a decent beach read. Kind of long, though. Less repetition would’ve made this the perfect length. It was decently fast paced and kept me wanting to know what was coming next. Not my favorite of Elin’s books but appreciated the change of pace
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
37. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
4/5 stars.
Desiree and Stella Vignes are identical twin sisters from Mallard, Louisiana. Mallard is a small, southern Black community where light skin is coveted.
The twins leave their hometown at 16 and begin living different lives – one as a Black woman, and the other passes as white. The story spans multiple generations as we see glimpses of their lives (past and present) and how their children’s lives intertwine.
I enjoyed this one and highly recommend! It made me think, had complex characters, and was honestly just all-around brilliant. However, I think I personally read it at the wrong time and therefore was left with a 4 star rating/feeling. Work was picking up and stressing me out a bit more, so I had a harder time focusing my energy on reading this!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
BOTM AUGUST PICK(S).
I always get a ton of questions about which book I picked for my BOTM box so I decided to add it into my monthly reading round-ups! For August, I picked: The Night Swim, The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes, and The Comeback.
Books I Bought in July.
The Vanishing Half (BOTM), Big Friendship (BOTM), The Shadows (BOTM), Felix Ever After, Redefining Realness, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Parachutes, Anna K, Purple Hibiscus, The Joy Luck Club.
Currently Reading.
I’m currently reading The Mothers in preparation for BBBC’s Q&A with Brit Bennett on Thursday! I’m planning to finish that one early tomorrow and then get started on Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand.
