July 2024 Wrap-Up 🌤

Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles!

Somehow July’s already over…it felt awfully fast, yet the heat made the evenings so slow…time, huh?

Let’s begin, shall we?

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

July for sure had its ups and downs; I was getting hit with the election anxiety big time at the beginning of the month…so naturally, I was overjoyed at the prospect that Biden had dropped out of the election. Comforting that my options aren’t just “old white man with dementia” and “old white man with dementia who also happens to be a felon.” (Still. No excuse to vote for the felon, folks. Harris 2024!). So my faith has been restored on that front, and I’ve ended the month on a much more hopeful note, thankfully. America remains a dumpster fire, but least there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.

I was able to read a good amount this month, though! As is with every year, I was scrambling to find more and more books with disability rep for Disability Pride Month (there’s a solid amount out there, but it’s still fairly scarce), but I ended up reading some excellent books as a result! Summer has confined me to the house for the most part, what with the miserable heat (listen, I like summer, but not 90 degree heat, let me be clear), but it’s given me plenty of time to read—and to write! I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo this month, and as of today, I reached my goal of 50,000 words a day early! I had no idea that I’d be able to pull it off a day early—I had my ups and downs as far as motivation goes, but now, I’m a little over halfway through my first draft of this novel! I’ve also had fun with my blogging this month, and I feel like I’ve written some productive reviews.

Other than that, I’ve just been drawing, playing guitar, drinking a ton of tea, watching Succession (nearly finished with season 2!), watching and re-watching several Studio Ghibli movies (technically, I saw Ponyo when I was 5, but it felt like a fever dream back then…MUCH more beautiful now!), and doing everything I can to get out of this heat.

READING AND BLOGGING:

I read 18 books this month! As with every month, there were some hits (nearly 5 stars) and misses (an unfortunate DNF…), but I especially had fun reading books for this year’s Disability Pride Month!

1 – 1.75 stars:

• The Secret Summer Promise – Keah Brown (DNF – ⭐️.5)

2 – 2.75 stars:

• Cascade Failure (Ambit’s Run, #1) – L.M. Sagas (⭐️⭐️)

3 – 3.75 stars:

• Promises Stronger Than Darkness (Unstoppable, #3) – Charlie Jane Anders (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
• Sixteen Souls – Rosie Talbot (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
• Joined at the Joints – Marissa Eller (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
• Love Letters for Joy – Melissa See (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
• Finna (LitenVerse, #1) – Nino Cipri (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
• The Last Murder at the End of the World – Stuart Turton (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
• To a Darker Shore – Leanne Schwartz (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
• Stars in Their Eyes – Jessica Walton and Aśka (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75)
• Accessing the Future: A Disability-Themed Anthology of Speculative Fiction – edited by Kathryn Allan (anthology) (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75)

4 – 4.75 stars:

• Goldilocks – L.R. Lam (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
• The Stars Too Fondly – Emily Hamilton (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
• The Vela: A Novel – Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huang (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
• Rosewater (The Wormwood Trilogy, #1) – Tade Thompson (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
• Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire – edited by Alice Wong (anthology) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
• Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life – Alice Wong (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In – John Wiswell (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH – Someone You Can Build a Nest In – 4.5 stars

POSTS I’M PROUD OF:

• I had fun reviewing The WondLa trilogy, Stars in Their Eyes, The Vela, Finna, and To a Darker Shore!
• The WondLa TV show, on the other hand…not nearly as fun. Here’s my review.
• Music rambling! Here are my Sunday Songs for 7/7, 7/14, 7/21, and 7/28.
• I made a list of recommendations for Disability Pride Month!

POSTS FROM OTHER WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT I ENJOYED:

• Disabled Dahling made a wonderful post about the history of Disability Pride Month!
• Janet @ Rainbow Reading Nook posted a great list of books with trans and nonbinary characters!
• kat @ The Night Owl Book Blog talks about re-reading books she loved in middle school!
• Alia @ Sunlit Tomes recommended books based on your favorite Sanrio character!

SONGS/ALBUMS THAT I’VE BEEN ENJOYING:

Today’s song:

That’s it for this month in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!