What I Read in July 2022
Every month I think I’m going to post more than one blog and then life happens and I’m lucky to get up my monthly reading recap while it’s still relevant. There’s been a lot of chatter on the internet about social media lately. I can barely keep up with one platform, let alone make time to post to multiple channels. There are days where I think I’m going to pour myself into this blog, pin posts to my Pinterest, and start up my newsletters again. Most days I’m lucky to make dinner before crawling into bed. It’s been a tough season of motherhood and I’m in survival mode without much time for “extra” activities. I know you understand. The one thing that’s been bringing me glimmers of joy is escaping into books. Here are the 8 books I read in July , some of which you should add to your summer reading list.
Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood
Goodreads Synopsis:
It will take the frosty terrain of the Arctic to show these rival scientists that their chemistry burns hot.
Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…
Hannah’s got a bad feeling about this. Not only has the NASA aerospace engineer found herself injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station—but the one person willing to undertake the hazardous rescue mission is her longtime rival.
Ian has been many things to Hannah: the villain who tried to veto her expedition and ruin her career, the man who stars in her most deliciously lurid dreams…but he’s never played the hero. So why is he risking everything to be here? And why does his presence seem just as dangerous to her heart as the coming snowstorm?
My Thoughts:
This was super cute and makes me even more excited to get around to reading The Love Hypothesis! Ali Hazelwood nailed the romance in this steamy, STEM-y novella. There are a couple of open-door sex scenes that were realistic without making me cringe.
Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff
Goodreads Synopsis:
In Hunt, Gather, Parent, Doucleff sets out with her three-year-old daughter in tow to learn and practice parenting strategies from families in three of the world’s most venerable communities: Maya families in Mexico, Inuit families above the Arctic Circle, and Hadzabe families in Tanzania. She sees that these cultures don’t have the same problems with children that Western parents do. Most strikingly, parents build a relationship with young children that is vastly different from the one many Western parents develop—it’s built on cooperation instead of control, trust instead of fear, and personalized needs instead of standardized development milestones.
Maya parents are masters at raising cooperative children. Without resorting to bribes, threats, or chore charts, Maya parents rear loyal helpers by including kids in household tasks from the time they can walk. Inuit parents have developed a remarkably effective approach for teaching children emotional intelligence. When kids cry, hit, or act out, Inuit parents respond with a calm, gentle demeanor that teaches children how to settle themselves down and think before acting. Hadzabe parents are world experts on raising confident, self-driven kids with a simple tool that protects children from stress and anxiety, so common now among American kids.
My Thoughts:
If you've read Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, this is similar in that it's one woman's experience of traveling and observing another culture's parenting tactics. There is very little based on data and science. What Doucleff observes is a combination of several popular parenting styles like the Montessori method and positive parenting. She presents a lot of advice that seems contradictory. My main takeaway is to model the behaviors you want your child to exhibit. Nothing groundbreaking. Skim the book and read the chapter summaries and you'll have everything you need to take away from this one.
The No-Show by Beth O’Leary
Goodreads Synopsis:
Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.
These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They've all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up--Valentine's Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they've all been stood up by the same man.
Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go....
Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?
My Thoughts:
Oh my goodness. This was not at all what I was expecting... in the best possible way. It's hard to write a good review without a bunch of spoilers so I'll just leave it at this: I'm so impressed by how clever O'Leary's writing is in The No-Show. It's by far her best book yet. She's written something that is simultaneously heartwarming and hopeful yet misleading and heartbreaking. I spent the majority of the book rooting for one outcome that was completely shattered and changed my perspective on the entire reading experience. Now that I know what happens in the big reveal, I'm curious if I would catch on to some of the clues with a re-read. I was expecting a romantic comedy but I think this ended up more like a cozy mystery in some respects. If you're looking for a quick read with a unique concept, pick this one up this summer!
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Goodreads Synopsis:
End the struggle, speak up for what you need, and experience the freedom of being truly yourself.
Healthy boundaries. We all know we should have them--in order to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people, and enjoy rewarding relationships with partners, friends, and family. But what do healthy boundaries really mean--and how can we successfully express our needs, say no, and be assertive without offending others?
Licensed counselor, sought-after relationship expert, and one of the most influential therapists on Instagram Nedra Glover Tawwab demystifies this complex topic for today's world. In a relatable and inclusive tone, Set Boundaries, Find Peace presents simple-yet-powerful ways to establish healthy boundaries in all aspects of life. Rooted in the latest research and best practices used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), these techniques help us identify and express our needs clearly and without apology--and unravel a root problem behind codependency, power struggles, anxiety, depression, burnout, and more.
My Thoughts:
This book came highly recommended by so many people and after reading it for myself, it's easy to see why. Tawwab does a great job at laying out in very plain language why boundaries are important and how they can change your life. As someone who has been struggling with burnout recently, there are tons of passages I bookmarked and will refer to in the weeks and months to come as I try to implement changes to reduce stress in my life. She starts each chapter with a scenario and then breaks it down into possible action items. Tons of listicles! There's also a great appendix with additional suggested readings.
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain
Goodreads Synopsis:
Albert Entwistle is a private man with a quiet, simple life. He lives alone with his cat Gracie. And he’s a postman. At least he was a postman until, three months before his sixty-fifth birthday, he receives a letter from the Royal Mail thanking him for decades of service and stating he is being forced into retirement.
At once, Albert’s sole connection with his world unravels. Every day as a mail carrier, he would make his way through the streets of his small English town, delivering letters and parcels and returning greetings with a quick wave and a “how do?” Without the work that fills his days, what will be the point? He has no friends, family, or hobbies—just a past he never speaks of, and a lost love that fills him with regret.
And so, rather than continue his lonely existence, Albert forms a brave plan to start truly living. It’s finally time to be honest about who he is. To seek the happiness he’s always denied himself. And to find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he loved and lost—but has never forgotten. As he does, something extraordinary happens. Albert finds unlikely allies, new friends, and proves it’s never too late to live, to hope, and to love.
My Thoughts:
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a very sweet second-chance love story that follows Albert, a man in his mid-60s as he forms some unexpected friendships that give him the courage to reconnect with his true love, George. The plot was fairly predictable and at times I was a little bit underwhelmed by the journalistic way the author incorporated descriptions of the injustices towards British gay men in the 1950s. I thought the narrative was extremely important but the presentation could have used a bit of finessing for a romance novel. Some aspects felt very stereotypical. I also could have done without the side character Nicole. She's a lovely friend to Albert and helps him gain enough confidence to come out but including her story as a second POV didn't add much to the plot. The author seemed to use her character to add in a lot of social commentary in an attempt at seeming relevant. Even though the book was a little twee and maybe over the top in its Britishness, I did enjoy it... especially on audio! The narration was lovely. Read this book if you enjoy TJ Klune. Adding content warnings for homophobia, abuse, death, and racism.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Goodreads Synopsis:
Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.
For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.
When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic story of love and the people and choices that mark us forever.
My Thoughts:
Our Canadian summers have been a little less drama-filled but I can’t tell you how invested I was in this novel set in Canada’s cottage country. Carley Fortunes’ debut novel Every Summer After immediately drew me in with its dual timelines. The tension between Percy and Sam was so real. I felt myself holding my breath at times waiting to see their story unfold. Absolutely swooning. The dialogue is so well written and EMOTIONAL 🥹 The open door love scenes were intense and left me wanting more of the “now” timeline. This is absolutely the “it book” of the summer and now I understand why it’s been all over my bookstagram feed. Pick this up NOW if you love childhood friends to lovers tropes, coming of age stories, dual POV, alternating then/now timelines, second-chance romances, small town vibes, lake life, and read/watched The Summer I Turned Pretty. Feeling all the nostalgia right now. I can almost taste that poutine.
Content Warnings: cheating, panic disorder, cancer, death of a family member.
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn
Goodreads Synopsis:
A madcap romantic adventure, Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron has appeared in several Julia Quinn novels and enthralled some of her most beloved characters. Now, this delicious tale of love and peril is available for everyone to enjoy in this wonderfully unconventional graphic novel.
Born into a happy family that is tragically ravaged by smallpox, Miss Priscilla Butterworth uses her wits to survive a series of outlandish trials. Cruelly separated from her beloved mother and grandmother, the young girl is sent to live with a callous aunt who forces her to work for her keep. Eventually, the clever and tenderhearted Miss Butterworth makes her escape... a daring journey into the unknown that unexpectedly leads her to the “mad” baron and a lifetime of love.
My Thoughts:
This was bizarre and not at all what I expected! I should have read some of the other reviews first. Don't go into this graphic novel thinking you're getting the typical Bridgerton narrative
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
Goodreads Synopsis:
Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act…different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
My Thoughts:
I can't believe it's taken me so long to read this book! It's not what I'd usually pick up but after seeing so many friends rave about it, I decided to give it a go on Audible. I think because I listened to the story, parts of it weren't as gory or horror-filled as they might have been (which was good for me because I'm a little queasy and super scary stuff seems to stick in my head). I adored Gretchen and Abby's friendship and all of the '80s pop culture references. Was it over the top? Yes. Did it work? Absolutely! The whole book felt like a throwback to some of the '80s teen horror films. It was so fun reading a book about Charleston, having lived there for years. Super fun, quick read! Definitely pick this one up if you're looking for something a little different.