The Looooong and the Short of It + a Giveaway: July 2024 Wrap-Up Post and Looking Forward to August

Wow, I can’t believe how fast July went by! My one month off of school, even with some meetings meaning it wasn’t completely off, and I started back to work on the 30th anyway! The weather was actually nice for a lot of the month compared to normal July weather. Although it heated right back up at the end. I got to meet a couple authors with a short overnight trip to St. Louis. Finally got the tree cleaned up in my backyard, but still working on getting my shed replaced and fence fixed.

My reading was a little better this month for sure. So that’s nice, more time to read. Being able to stay up past my normal bedtime reading. I did still have less time sitting and reading while I ate because I’m still having more meals with my mom trying to help her keep healing and grieving for my stepdad.

I did start using the Bookly app this month, I like the graphics it makes!

I got 15 books finished, that’s 2 more than last month.

Here are my StoryGraph stats for July:

So I joined Bookly because of the cool graphics they make, and then this month, Story Graph also created monthly graphics. The only thing the Story Graph one is missing that I like to share above is that I like the graph with my average ratings, and it just shows what the average # is. So here are the two graphics side by side and I need to decide which I like best! While it’s nice that the Bookly does put all the book covers on the graphic, I kind of enjoy making up my themed monthly buttons like I have above. I also just noticed that because one of the books I finished this month was one I started months ago, my average time to finish a books is 172 days, lol.

My Reviews

Of the 16 specific titles listed last month, I got 13 read and most reviewed, 1 DNFs/start again later, and again I didn’t get any TBR books read for my Beat the Backlist Challenge that I’d listed. I did finish a TBR book though that I started a while ago.

• [3 Jul] Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong ★★★★½
• [4 Jul] 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards ★★★★½
• [5 Jul] Thank You, Next by Kathryn Freeman ★★★★★
• [6 Jul] It Started With a Book by Camilla Isley ★★★★
• [8 Jul] The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos by Melissa de la Cruz ★★★★½
• [11 Jul] If You Want Me by Helena Hunting ★★★★½
• [12 Jul] Hold Me If You Can by Cheryl Terra ★★★★½
• [15 Jul] The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce ★★★★★
• [17 Jul] The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa ★★★★½
• [18 Jul] Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley ★★★½
• [20 Jul] Asking for a Friend by Kara H.L. Chen ★★★★★
• [24 Jul] The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas ★★★★½
• [29 Jul] A Family of Killers by Bryce Moore ★★★★
• [30 Jul] Under the Surface by Diana Urban ★★★★
• [31 Jul] The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren ★★★★½

Challenge Check-In

My goal is 24 for the year using the prompts that are listed, I got one more done this month. I’m still behind! Need to be at 12 by now.

1. Prompt: On your TBR 5+ years – Five Minutes Late by Rich Amooi
2. Prompt: Anthology or omnibus edition – The Natural History Novellas by Erin Mallon
3. Prompt: We all scream – horror – The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4. Prompt: Walk through history – Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
5. Prompt: Writing about writing – The Nerd and the Neighbor by Lainey Davis
6. Prompt: STEM stan – Co-Wrecker by Meghan Quinn
7. Prompt: 4 Word title – Getting Lucky Number Seven by Cindi Madsen
8. Prompt: Coffeehouse Reads – Cleave by Boyd Bauman
9. Prompt: Creature Feature – Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

My goal was 6 for the year and I got one more done this past month.

• [6 Mar] Discussion Post: Just Can’t Get Enough or Do You Also Want All the Special Editions and Book Boxes?
• [22 Mar] Discussion Post: Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now, or Do you still host giveaways on your blog or enter on other blogs?
• [14 May] Lisa Loves to Discuss #1: Do you listen to podcasts?
• [16 Jul] Lisa Loves to Discuss #2: Do You Dog Ear?

My Goodreads and StoryGraph Goals of 150 books are on track with books 99 read so far, putting me ahead of schedule. I’m also still trying to keep my Netgalley percentage above 80%, and I did get it back up to 81% this month, but then I got an e-galley the last day of July and it dropped back to 80%.

I decided to do the Chapter Break Bingo Challenge for July, and here are my books that fit each spot, I’d say I got 24 squares again!

• The Honeymoon Crashers: Fireworks – literal or figurative, Audiobook, Library book,
• Under the Surface: Free book, Free space
• The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos: Read a physical book
• The Backtrack: Unusual mode of transport – through time with a mix CD/boombox, Airplane – you or a character, Multi-verse
• A Family of Killers: Shock/Fright/WTF, Paranormal
• Hold Me If You Can: In a series
• Finding Mr. Write: Not in a series
• It Started with a Book: Read an ebook, Heist
• The Ex Vows: LOL, Lights/Visible lights
• Asking for a Friend: Choices/possibilities, Eye roll/sarcasm
• Do Me a Favor: Red/White/Blue on the cover, Set on an island
• If You Want Me: Animal/Pet
• The Fiance Dilemma: New release
• Paperbacks from Hell: Shelf Love

What to Expect in August

Guessing with school being back in I’ll get less reading done. Although I won’t be able to be working in my actual library the first week or so due to the electricity being out in our building until they get some parts to fix the electric panel. I’ll be finishing up my last online continuing education class so I can get a salary increase. Also helping out my self-published author friend Michelle Sodaro with another book event as her assistant!

Here is my proposed TBR for August:

1. Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson – Have an e-galley that I think I requested from Edelweiss, reading right now, not sure when I’ll post the review, maybe the 2nd or 3rd? Or maybe in my L-L-L post at the end of August.
2. Love Lessons by Sidney Halston – have an ARC and hope to post my review on the 3rd
3. Witty in Pink by Erica George – an e-galley from the publisher, hope to post my review on the 5th
4. Bananapants by Penny Reid – an e-galley from the author, review to post on the 6th
5. This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings – an ARC the publisher sent unrequested, so if I get time to read, I’ll post the review around the 7th or again maybe my L-L-L post at the end of August
6. Northern Twilight by Samantha Young – an e-galley from author’s review team, review on the 8th
7. Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca – an e-galley I requested, hope to review on the 12th
8. Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks – an e-galley I requested, review on the 17th
9. Bridesmaid Undercover by Meghan Quinn – egalley for author review team, review on either the 19th or 20th
10. A Scottish Highland Hideaway by Julie Shackman – an egalley for Rachel’s Random Resources blog tour on the 21st
11. The Lies of Alma Blackwell by Amanda Glaze – an ARC from the publisher, review on the 24th
12. The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs – I think an ARC of this from the publisher is supposed to be coming? For a review on the 26th
13. Breaking the Ice by Whitney Dineen – another possible e-galley from either the author or maybe a blog tour? Should post a review on either the 28th or 29th
14. The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood – got this one and started reading it in July when I got to meet the author, it is really good, so I’ll probably fit it in before the end of the month and post the review in my L-L-L post for August.
15. The Beat the Backlist titles I have proposed for this month are maybe to finish Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa, or maybe the 3rd Outlander book I’ve been working on for a while, or the Paperbacks from Hell nonfiction I’ve also been working on for awhile.
16. Other Beat the Backlist titles I’ve penciled into my calendar and still want to read like Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala, or else maybe Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Anger Bang by Avery Flynn, American King by Sierra Simone – although I might save that for a September Sequels challenge. All but one of these were on the list last month and didn’t even get started.
17. Any other audiobooks I listen to, although I will also be starting one for a September tour too, Fireball by Lainey Davis, probably won’t get it finished this month though since the review isn’t due till September 10th I think.

Final Thoughts

I’m still broke and trying to finish getting all the stuff that the tree that fell damaged taken care of with insurance as slow as molasses. Started back to school after what seems like a blip of a summer break. Had the cooler weather and then back to the normal summer heat by the end of the month. Similar number of books planned again, maybe a few less other than hoping to get some TBR books read. Going to skip a trip to Branson one weekend in August just because I need to be home blogging, finishing up my class, and not tempted to spend any money! Hoping this school year will be a better one. We shall see!

Which of my graphics from StoryGraph and Bookly do you like best?

What are you planning or looking forward to in August?

Giveaway

So I decided that my finished ARC pile was getting big again and that I needed to have another giveaway. This is going to be a pretty basic giveaway. Just 3 books of your choice from my finished ARC pile in the picture below. There may even be more choices as we get to the end of the month, as these are only the books I was finished with by the time this post went up. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! Unfortunately this is US only since it is something I have to pay to ship.

a Rafflecopter giveaway