It’s August! And I can confirm following my previous post, the heat was turned down – a bit too much! As I type this it’s very gloomy and grey outside. We just can’t seem to win! But even with miserable weather we’ve had days where it’s been miserable and muggy – it would be nice to have a bit of stability, really.
How was July for you? For me, it was pretty exciting – I got to go meet my baby niece! She was only 5 weeks old when I met her, and we had plenty of cwtches. I cannot wait to see her again, and she’s right at that stage where she changes every day, so I’m constantly requesting photos from my sister-in-law. Reading-wise, I think I did pretty well – I feel like I’ve read a lot, but sometimes I don’t really have a solid idea exactly how much I read until I sit down and check out my challenges progress.
Reading Challenges / Update #1 / Update #2 / Update #3 / Update #4 / Update #5 / Update #6
Goal – 57/70 (+8)
Disney Reading Challenge
11/40 (+1) Prompts Completed
Read
The Little Mermaid – a book with a kiss in the title
I really liked this – Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) was a sweet YA Romance with two great characters as its focus, and I definitely want to check out more from Tess Sharpe. The audiobook is great, too.
Books to Read: A Terrible Kindness, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, The Rose Daughter
2023 Tarot Reading Challenge
11/164 (+4) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
The Hermit – A book that caused you to contemplate something in your reality
Mentioned last time, too – yeah, I’m taking my time reading this one. Not That Bad is a really good essay collection, but the subject matter means I’m having to just step back from it now and then. I’m not too far off finishing, though.
Death – A book that explores themes of death/mortality
I’ve only just started Selling Dead People’s Things on audiobook, so I’m not far enough in to make any judgements on it yet. But it’s definitely a fascinating topic, so I’m intrigued to see where it goes.
Read
The High Priestess – a book featuring religion, spirituality, or intuition
Rebel Witch was a good read and very informative. I don’t think the witch path is one I’ll follow, but if I do want to explore it in the future I know now exactly where to turn. If you’re interested in becoming a witch, I definitely recommend this.
The Empress – A book with a beautiful cover
Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend was a really fun, short look throughout time at different aspects of mythology and legend, highlighting those gods, saints, and others who could be considered queer. It’s informative and fun, and I really enjoyed it.
The Empress Reversed – A book featuring a relationship that makes you uncomfortable
I’m guessing I initially picked No Ordinary Thursday for this prompt because of the age gap mentioned in the blurb (guessing because it was quite a while ago!) but once I actually started reading it, the age gap didn’t make me feel uncomfortable – other parts of the book did though, in a way it’s supposed to, and although it’s a dramatic, well written story, it’s not one I got on with all too well.
Wheel of Fortune – A book with a happy ending
This book kept me nicely distracted from being on a rammed, standing-room only train heading to a station where we’d then have to get a replacement bus due to a track bursting into fire at one of the stations we were supposed to pass through on a recent trip – all that is to say, She Gets the Girl is sweet and engaging, and I really liked this one.
Books to Read: Hel’s Eight, Hummingbird, As Far As You’ll Take Me
Netflix Movies & TV Shows
9/24 (+2) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
Don’t Look Up – Involves current issues
Used Not That Bad for this one too, and of course as noted above am still reading this.
Candy Jar – Enemies to Lovers
My Own Worst Enemy is one of those books where my enjoyment level is a bit up and down. Some of it is great, but ultimately I think it’s just a bit too long than it needs to be, and feels like there’s a fair bit of filler. Should finish this one fairly soon.
Read
Anne With an “E” – Historical Romance
So previously I mentioned I’d DNF’d the book I was using for this. I replaced it with A Duke of a Time, which was an enjoyable enough read.
Five Feet Apart – Obstacle keeping love interests apart
I really enjoyed Made in Manhattan, a reverse My Fair Lady set in Upper East Side Manhattan. I totally sank into this one and loved the two MCs.
Books to Read: So You Want to Talk About Race, Daisy Jones & The Six, Foxglove King
For those keeping count, that’s another 7 off my total list! I’m definitely not going to finish either the Disney or Tarot challenge by the end of the year, but maybe the Netflix one, which is a start and finish when you like challenge anyway. It’s definitely helped me focus my reading a bit more, and I think I’ll likely do one more month of just reading challenges books before going back to including other books between, but we’ll see how it goes. As always, if you’re participating in any challenges, or have read any of the above and want to share your thoughts, feel free to comment below.
Unwrapping Words 