July 2020 Wrap-Up and August TBR

Reader, it’s August, and with August as come a whole spat of cold and rainy weather, with just a touch of fall in the wind. As everyone knows, in Canada, we have four seasons, which are winter, black fly, mosquito, and fall, which is basically just rain and mud with a few warm days thrown in for good measure. Sometimes there is one warm week in July. I think we’ve passed that one warm week, and we’re into fall. I would really like it if I am proved wrong about this, I am not ready for all the warm weather to be over!

I seemed to have wandered a little bit off-topic. Before the cooler weather of August completely consumes us, let’s take a look back at all of the books I read in July, for which the grand total was a solid 16.

So let’s get right to it!

1. Girls Rule! by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

I meant to read this in June, but I didn’t quite squeeze it in, so, whatever. It’s the first read of July. This is the 10th book in the Girls vs. Boys series, so you think it would be getting old at this point, but nope. It’s still delightful. This book is less focused on tricks, and more on the two groups attempting to convince themselves that they won’t miss the other group if the girls move. There’s also various shenanigans involving termites, which I won’t spoil, but this shift in focus allows to the story to focus on different aspects of the characters and new dynamics, while still keeping all the fun of the earlier books in the series.

Final Grade: A+

2. Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

This was a fun hard-boiled detective story from the 30’s, that didn’t really surprise me, given that it used a lot of tropes and tricks that are still in use today (although it probably helped create them), though I still really enjoyed it. It follows an insurance salesman who plots with a housewife to create the perfect murder, and the perfect way to collect life insurance money on the murder victim. It has all the elements that you’d expect from a book like that, from the femme fatale to the anti-hero, and it was a super fast and engaging read, even if I could kind of guess where it was going.

Final Grade: A

3. Roughing It by Mark Twain

Boy, was this book a real slog to get through. Honestly, I’ve been reading it for two months and I thought it would never end! Mark Twain is the type of author who is funny in small doses. Given too much free reign, he tends to just blather on and on and on, with little thought to audience or interest level. While there were various funny moments and scenes within this book, there was also way too much random anecdotes that didn’t make tons of sense and failed to amuse. There was also a certain amount of unfortunately period-appropriate racism that made this quite challenging to read with a modern eye. Overall, a not amazing end to my string of Mark Twain books.

Final Grade: B-

4. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In the Age of ColourBlindness by Michelle Alexander

This was a book that was both excellent and terrible to read. It was excellent because it’s an extraordinarily well-written and researched book that was both accessible and enlightening. It was a terrible book because the topic it was covering was thoroughly horrible. As a Canadian, I have absolutely no experience with the American criminal justice system, so reading this book was thoroughly eye-opening and shocking. I think as many people as possible should be reading this book, especially in light of the protests that are currently happening in the States. It’s an issue that needs to be brought to light.

Final Grade: A+

5. Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

My Sarah J Maas reread continues apace, and as such, I will continue to share my old wrap-ups with you:

“And now we have the solid block of character building that is Heir of Fire. This type of story is the one that Sarah J Maas is best at writing (see also Tower of Dawn and A Court of Mist and Fury), and it’s equally compelling here. I think it’s especially well-done here because unlike Chaol or Feyre, Celeana has actually done some pretty horrific things in addition to her extensive trauma, so she’s got a lot to work through. Pairing her up with Rowan is inspired, at least in this book when they’re still platonic. The bond is super strong and well-defined, and the healing process is so relieving when she finally takes little Aelin’s hand and stands up. So sad and so beautiful. Additionally, this book sees the introduction of my precious Aedion, who I so strenously adore. The whole section in Rifthold is really suspensful and ends perfectly too. The only weak spot in this book is Manon, who will eventually develop into one of my favourites, but who right now, is kind of blah. Except in her trip to the Stygian Spiders which contains foreshadowing for Kingdom of Ash I missed the first time around. That’s impressive worldbuilding right there.” (Check out the full wrap-up here).

Final Grade: A+

6. The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

This is a series I’ve read several times over my life, but because it’s been a couple of years since the last time, I’ve never wrapped it up on this blog. This book follows Sophie and Agatha, two girls who live in the town of Gavaldon. Every four years, two children are kidnapped from the town, one good and one evil, who are taken into the Woods to the School For Good and Evil, where they train to become fairy tale characters. Sophie, with her penchant for pink and princesses, is desperate to go to the School For Good. Agatha, who lives in the graveyard and hates other people, is afraid of ending up in the School For Evil. But when the kidnapping occurs, the two girls end up in the wrong schools. Even though it’s been almost 10 years since I first read this book I still love it. Each reread casts a light on the depth that’s underneath this fish-out-of-water story. Chainani expertly plays with expectations of what makes good and evil, of the morals that are taught in fairy tales, and the value of friendship. The bond between Sophie and Agatha, is fascinating and ever-evolving, and it’s their relationship that anchors this story. I’m so glad I reread this, and I can’t wait to reread the others.

Final Grade: A+

7. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

I had pretty high hopes when I started this book, since it’s been one of the buzziest books of the past couple months, but unfortunately, it didn’t really deliver. Though DiAngelo had some good points and interesting ideas, she utterly failed to back any of it up with evidence, so the reader is left to take her word for it based on anecedotes that she shares, all anecdotes that are based on her interpretations of the situation. I think, if you’re going to make a specific argument, you need to have evidence to support it beyond your personal opinion, and DiAngelo didn’t. I do think she had good advice for conflict resolution, but that’s not really what this book was gearing towards. She also repeated herself an awful lot, which created the appearance (whether or not it was true) of filler, like she only had one good idea and she was trying to fill up the word count.

Final Grade: B

8. A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

The second book in The School For Good and Evil series, this is probably my least favourite of the original trilogy (which is not the same as saying that it’s bad, it’s still an absolute delight). The divide between girls and boys, while just as fascinating as the divide between Good and Evil, is not quite as fully developed as the first book. The themes that Chainani is playing with aren’t quite as subverted as usual, so the book lacks a little bit of punch. However, it’s still a rollicking good time with characters I love, and spending more time with the Coven from Room 66 is amazing, and less time with Tedros, which is also amazing.

Final Grade: A

9. So You Want To Talk About Race by Iljeoma Oluo

This book did everything White Fragility failed to do, and then some. Iljeoma Oluo is a phenomenal writer, making the academic accessible, and treating even the heaviest topics with a light hand. The book reads like half advice column, half memoir, and unlike DiAngelo, she gives practical, understandable advice to her readers that makes sense in a real-world context, advice she backed up with solid facts (something DiAngelo failed to do). If you are looking for a starting place on some complex topics, you could do a lot worse than So You Want To Talk About Race, and honestly, I don’t know if you could do any better.

Final Grade: A

10. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

The next book on my Sarah J Maas reread, and my favourite in the series, here is my previous wrap-up for Queen of Shadows:

“Continuing on with my Throne of Glass reread, I started off the month with probably my favourite installment in the series Queen of Shadows. This book is probably the strongest, as it takes all of the awesome epicness and character moments that are in Kingdom of Ash and condenses them to a manageable length. The quest to free magic and kill the king has been built up to for three (four if you count The Assassin’s Blade) books, and it all plays out so satisfyingly here. You also have the introduction of Lysandra, Elide, and Lorcan in a very non-forced way, the continued development of Manon, the return of the toxic Arobyn-Aelin relationship, fascinating character work on Chaol and Dorian, and best of all, the reunion between Aedion and Aelin, which is a series highlight for me. And some of the best quotes in the entire series are from this book. It’s so good, that’s what I’m saying. It’s just so good” (Check out the full wrap-up here).

Final Grade: A+

11. The Last Ever After by Soman Chainani

Continuing with my The School For Good and Evil reread, I finished up the original trilogy with The Last Ever After, which was obviously excellent. The friendship between Sophie and Agatha remains the heart and soul of this series, and seeing the way it grows and develops as they grow up and mature, and occasionally turn into Evil dictators, is wonderful and amazing. All of the secondary characters in these books are just as interesting with the introduction of Merlin, Lancelot, and Guinevere adding some familial drama and giving Tedros some much needed character growth. Also, Lady Lesso and Clarissa Dovey continue to be extraordinary badasses, as do Hester, Anadil, and Dot, so all around, a stellar end (but not really the end) to a stellar series.

Final Grade: A+

12. Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women A Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

This is a collection of essays that anyone who cares about feminism should read. It goes into depth about the issues facing women of colour and the ways in which mainstream feminism has failed them, and continues to fail them. Though at times difficult to read, it is a very informative and powerful book that anyone who wishes to be a better feminist and a better ally should read.

Final Grade: A+

13. Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

From my favourite Throne of Glass book, to my least favourite Throne of Glass book, here’s my wrap-up for Empire of Storms:

“Much as I adore Sarah J Maas, even I have to admit that Empire of Storms is probably her weakest work to date. After all of the forward momentum in Queen of Shadows, we’re back to very slowly moving pieces around and getting things set up for the final confrontation. In addition to that there is a dip in the quality of the writing and increase in the level of cringy sex scenes, so, not a good mix. I mean there are still great things in this book. Elide/Lorcan is a great thing. Fenrys is a great thing. Manon’s fight with her grandmother is a great thing. Aelin being Celeana again to trick Rolfe is a great thing. The entire final confrontation with Maeve is a great thing. Aedion is a perfect thing. But that’s kind of it. And in an almost 600 page long book, that’s kind of a problem.” (Check out the full wrap-up here).

Final Grade: B

14. Quests For Glory by Soman Chainani

Moving onto the second half of the trilogy (and the half I’ve only read once), I dived into Quests For Glory, and am shocked by how good it was! I mean, I enjoyed it the first time but wow. What I find most impressive about this book is the way it plays with Truth vs. Lies, and who controls a story, and what makes a leader, and the rhetoric of Law and Order. For anyone paying attention, those are extremely political relevant topics, and just as he did with the first half of this series, Chainani expertly subverts and plays with these topics with an extremely deft hand that reveals how clever he is. I also am loving the depth with which both Sophie and Agatha are written, four books in. Neither one of them is one thing, there are a lot of layers, Sophie is allowed to be glamorous, Agatha isn’t forced to be glamorous, it’s so well-done. Really, the only weak point in this triangle is Tedros, something I hope is resolved in One True King, because man. I hate to side with the villain (LOL, I love siding with villains), but Tedros kind of deserves what he gets. Just saying.

Final Grade: A+

15. Boys Rock! by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Continuing with the Boys vs. Girls series, I don’t really have anything new to say about this book that I didn’t already say about Girls Rule! They’re very similar books. The boys and girls have reached an uneasy sort of truce, that is nevertheless broken with a few tricks every once and awhile, with the moral high ground going a bit more to the boys this time around. Caroline and Wally remain delightful though, with Caroline’s attempts to create an “aura” resulting in some truly hilarious moments.

Final Grade: A+

16. A Crystal of Time by Soman Chainani

And I finished up the month with the 5th School for Good and Evil book, and the only one I have a full, proper review posted for, which you can check out right here.

Final Grade: A+

And there you have it, those are all the books I read in July. I am participating in the N.E.W.T’s in August, so my TBR for that is as follows:

Ancient Runes-A: A book with an author whose first or last name starts with B: Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper

Ancient Runes-E: A classic: Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery

Charms-A: A humourous book: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

History of Magic-A: An historical fiction: The Alchemy of Murder by Carol McCleary

History of Magic-E: A book with a black cover: Cinder by Marissa Meyers (yes, I’m finally reading it!)

I also have a bunch of books left over from July that I haven’t got to yet, including White Rage by Carol Anderson, You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson, Opposite of Always by Justin Reynolds, and One True King by Soman Chainani. I also want to read the first two books in The Children of Blood and Bone series by Tomi Adeyemi, and the first two books in the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson. And if possible, I want to reread the 1000 page Kingdom of Ash and the about-the-same-length House of Earth and Blood, both by Sarah J Maas. So, basically, I’m being super ambitious.

And that’s all I’ve got for you today, you guys should let me know in the comments what books you read in July, stay safe, and I’ll see you on Saturday.

Until the next time.