I’m not sure how we got to August. I’m not too sure of many things right now, but what I do know is that I read (and listened) to a lot of books in July. Eleven books, to be exact. For a lot of reasons, July felt stressful. Reading was how I chose to decompress and escape the world and social media for an hour or two.
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What I Read
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides
If you are looking for a book to pick up and read right now, get The Silent Patient from your local bookstore, Amazon, or the public library. I ended up reading this entire book in one day. The Silent Patient was the first thriller I read in years, and it was a great way to jump back into the genre. In short, the book follows a woman who murdered her husband but became a mute and a psychotherapist trying to get her to talk. One of the reasons I think this was such a quick read for me is that it unfolds in a captivating way.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner
I keep picking up books about fictional bloggers and Instagrammers, and I am here for the subject’s cultural commentary. The story follows a fashion blogger who is invited and attends her ex-BFF’s wedding, meets a mysterious man, and finds herself in the middle of a murder case. If you have walked by the entertainment section in target recently, you have probably seen the ad for Big Summer play on the TVs.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
WHISPER NETWORK by Chandler Baker
I didn’t know what the Whisper Network was about when I picked it up, but I loved reading the story the book gave me. The book follows four different women working in corporate America who begin to speak out about sexual harassment. While the book does start a little slow, somewhere along the way, the story grabbed me and kept surprising me little by little.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars on Good Reads
ALL ADULTS HERE by Emma Staub
If you like reading books about family dysfunction, you might want to read All Adults Here. I enjoyed reading the book and getting to know the different family members, but I think there may be too much going on. Some storylines seemed incomplete or too easy. Others were complex and interesting. I still think it’s an interesting read about how family differences can either tear you apart or bring you closer together.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 on GoodReads
THE UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren
If you want to go to Hawaii during the pandemic, just read this book, it will take you there. Olive finds herself on her sister’s honeymoon after some unfortunate wedding reception food poisoning. However, Olive has to pretend to be married to her sister’s brother-in-law, whom she does not like. You can probably guess what happens next as Olive and Ethan spend their unhoneymoon in the same suite, doing the same activities, and keeping up pretending to be married while hanging out around the hotel. Even though the storyline was predictable, it reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie in a lot of ways. Sometimes we need a fun, easy read to get us through the bad days.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
BEACH READ by Emily Henry
I loved this book because it’s about two writers who unexpectedly become neighbors while trying to work on their novels during the summer. January writes romance, while Gus writes high brow literary fiction. They decide to challenge themselves to write in the other author’s genre, and their story unfolds as they spend time in each other’s writing worlds. The characters of this novel are well written and complex. Both January and Gus are trying to deal with family and romantic relationship baggage throughout and how it affects their relationship. I thought it was a fun read, and I loved the witty banter between the two main characters.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST by Megan Miranda
I liked this book enough. It was another quick thriller read for me. At the beginning of the book, Avery’s best friend Sadie dies, and law enforcement rules her death a suicide. However, with any good thriller, Avery thinks someone else was responsible for her death. The story jumps between the summer before Sadie dies and the summer after her death. There are big secrets in this book and moves at a fast pace. I read this book over two days.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
Audio Books I Listened To
OPEN BOOK by Jessica Simpson
I enjoyed listening to this memoir written by and read by Jessica Simpson. Listening to this book was like sitting down and having coffee with a good friend. I laughed, and I cried along with her stories about her life. There were some juicy gossip and hard moments, but it was a memoir worth listening to (or reading if that’s more your jam).
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
THIS IS WHAT AMERICA LOOKS LIKE: MY JOURNEY FROM REFUGEE TO CONGRESSWOMAN by Ilhan Omar
I’m so glad I listened to this memoir read by Ilhan Omar. She starts the book with stories from her childhood as a Somali refugee and her family’s journey to America. Going into this book, I had little knowledge about Somalia, Omar’s life, and how she decided to run for Congress. We need more women in government, and I enjoyed hearing a first-hand account of her life.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
WHITE FRAGILITY: WHY IT’S SO HARD FOR WHITE PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT RACISM by Robin Dianselo
What is there to say about this book. First, it’s a book written by a white woman for other white people. If you are looking to start expanding your knowledge about racism and being an antiracist, maybe start here. I have a complicated relationship with race as a mixed-race person and have always struggled with where I fit in. It’s hard for me to review the book, given the complicated relationship. I did appreciate the time spent with the book, though. The book will be uncomfortable, convicting, and eye-opening.
Note: there are conflicting reviews if you google the reviews for White Fragility. Some say that it is a good start, and others will say, skip it and read something by an author of color. I don’t know what to think about the reviews, but I didn’t give a rating for the book.
HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi
You should probably read this book. This idea of being an antiracist is explored and explained by Ibram X. Kendi. This book has become required reading for many people in the last couple of months due to BLM and police brutality protests.
What I am Reading Next
Physical Books:
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
American Royals by Katharine McGee
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan (I am reading this through Book Of The Month)
The Comeback by Ella Berman
Audio Books:
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Recursion by Blake Crouch
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
For more reading suggestions check out Books I Read in June, follow me on GoodReads, and sometimes I post what I am reading on Instagram.