Goodbye, July! As soon as August hits, I always feel like summer is on its way out. July is the core of summer for me, the essence of what I look forward to as the break between school years. Here’s what I got up to this past month:
- P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
- This Common Secret by Susan Wicklund
- The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte
- The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
- I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- Til September Petronella by Jean Rhys
- The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
- The Big Short by Michael Lewis
- Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Billy Budd by Herman Melville
HOW DID I MANAGE TO READ SIXTEEN BOOKS THIS MONTH?!?! (Answer: the Reading Rush, but STILL.) It feels great to have knocked so many books off of my TBR, especially since some of these (like My Beloved World, This Common Secret, and P.S. I Still Love You) had been on my TBR for ages. My goal was for this to be a summer of reading, and I’d say that I definitely accomplished that!
Choosing a favorite read this month is DIFFICULT because I read some genuinely fantastic books in July. Instead, I’m going to pick my top three: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor, and Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton. These are three very different books, but I loved them all!
+ TO WATCH: STRANGER THINGS
Like seemingly everyone on earth, I spent my Fourth of July weekend binge-watching the new season of Stranger Things with my mom. I have some conflicting feelings about this season (a little too gory for me, too many fighting scenes and not enough actual plot, etc.) but the ending RUINED ME so I have to give it an A+ for emotions.
+ TO LISTEN TO: THE WILD REEDS
I started listening to this wonderful band this month and their music is just like a breath of fresh air. So many of their songs speak to me in a way that makes me feel like I’m not alone–that other people also experience these surprisingly specific feelings. A few favorite songs include “Recognize,” “Capable,” and “Where I’m Going.”
+ TO EAT: BLUEBERRIES

My mom and I always pick berries in the summer, and July was time for round two: blueberries! And the best part? The pie that inevitably follows.
+ TO GO: WHITE LAKE STATE PARK

For over a decade, my family and I camped in a tent for one week at White Lake State Park every summer. Same week, same campsite, same tent, same lake. I have so many fond memories in this campground, and it’s always nice to visit each summer even though we don’t camp there anymore.
July was surprisingly a lot busier than I expected! Alongside work I managed to squeak in plenty of beach days, day trips with my family, and lovely weekends with friends. The fact that I’m moving out soon to start law school is slowly starting to become a reality… and it feels simultaneously scary and exciting! I also participated in the Reading Rush this month, which was an absolute blast (click here to see my wrap up!).
July has always been a bit of a strange month for me. I generally like to be kept busy, to constantly work towards a goal, but July always seems to be lacking in that regard. This summer especially has been a strange limbo between college and law school, moving out and moving in, seeing friends and making new ones. Again, a nerve-wracking but exciting time. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m glad that August is finally here.
Here are some posts from other bloggers that I’ve loved this month:
- Ally gives tips on how to get that ~aesthetic~
- Camillea puts indie books in the spotlight
- Lindsey list six reasons why she loves audiobooks
- Mandy reviews books written by celebrities
- Tracy asks: Would you read that ugly book?
- Lory wonders how we remember what we read
- Kelly highlights small things she loves about books
- Tabby share some weird happenings at the library
- Emer shares why she loves reading
- Kay shares mini rant reviews for all 19 books she read in high school (!!!)
Here are some notable posts from my blog this past month:
- Returning to Oxford | Holly Goes Abroad
- Mid-Year Freak Out Tag 2019
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han | Review
- Reading Rush Wrap Up
How was your month of July? What was the best book you read? Did you do anything really fun or exciting? Let me know in the comments section below!
Yours,
HOLLY
i totally relate to the “end if summer” feel in august, its been a weird July!
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Glad I’m not the only one! 🙂
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Phew! Your month was certainly busy! I’m so glad to hear that you got in some very nice relaxation days!! ❤
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Thank you!! Very much looking forward to a few more of those days before law school starts ❤
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Wow! You read so many books! Honestly I read just one book which I didn’t really like… haha! Have a wonderful day ✰
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Oh no!! Some months are like that–highs and lows! I hope you have a wonderful day too ❤
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Congrats on getting so much reading done. I read Of Mice And Men in high school and really liked it. I need to read more Steinbeck. I hope you’re having a good August!
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Thanks!! Of Mice and Men was so good–my first Steinbeck novel and I’m already itching to read more. I hope you’re having a good August as well 🙂
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Great wrap up of your month Holly. Thanks for linking to my post ☺️ And I so relate feeling that August is already the end of summer!! I want it to be June again lol 😂
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Thanks! And of course! ❤ Haha same–think of all the summer days we would have left if it were June again! But we'd also have longer to go until autumn, which is my absolute favorite season…
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i read my beloved world for ap lang in july and i really enjoyed it! of mice and men is one of my favorite books. hope you have a great august(:
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Ahh that’s so cool that you were assigned to read it for a class! I wish my reading lists for AP classes had been that interesting haha 🙂 Hope you have a great August as well!
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You read so much! I also read a lot and it was definitely due to all the readathons I participated in last month!
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Woooo! We love a good motivating readathon!!! 🙂
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Sixteen books!! That’s amazing, Holly! I wish I could have joined the Reading Rush but I was out of my city for most of the days and I wouldn’t have gotten any reading done, unfortunately … Maybe next year!
Ok, I’m a bit confused right now! If you don’t mind me asking, how does the education system work? You just finished college and still have to go through law school? I’m asking because here, you gotta go through four years of a Law bachelor, then two more of a Master’s and I suppose Law students still have to go through some other evaluations but it doesn’t seem similar to what you’re experiencing …
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Thanks, Marta! ❤ Haha yeah the American system is very long… so you can't actually study law in undergrad, you have to major in something else (literally anything else) and then go through three years of law school. Basically there's no way to become a lawyer unless you go through seven years of schooling at least… quite the process!
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Oh okay, thanks for explaining that! It really is a lot! I think the amount of years, comparing, would be almost the same, but here, it’s law all the way haha
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WOW that’s a lot of books this month! I agree on Stranger Things, I like season 1-2 much better but that ending.. ;-; ❤ all of the feels for it.
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Glad I’m not the only one! but yes, still all the feels!!! ❤
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Wow you read so many books! I’ve heard a lot of people say they loved ‘Of Mice and Men’, I guess I’ve got to read it! 🙂
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Of Mice and Men is so good!! Very emotional, but worth it 🙂
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Teach me your secret for reading so many books in a month 😭
I totally agree on Stranger Things; it seems that this season was more about action and less about plot and character development. Either way I loved and that ending !!!
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Two secrets: listening to audiobooks and doing motivating readathons! 🙂 Even still, I’m shocked at how much I was able to read this month haha
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Sounds like you had a great July ❤ Congrats on reading so much!!
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Thanks so much!! 🙂 Happy August!
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Wow omg, you read so much! I’m curious what you thought about P.S. I Still Love You! And blueberries are definitely my favorite berry. 😂
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I was kind of conflicted about PS I Still Love You… mostly just frustrated because I think Lara Jean deserves better than Peter *gasp! I said it!* but it was still a great read, and I’m really looking forward to reading the third one!
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OMG NOOOOO I LOVE PETER (jk of course you’re entitled to your own opinion). But I really thought both the sequels were so unnecessary! It was a great standalone imo but the sequels didn’t contribute anything to the story
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I remember seriously loving the novel Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros — but that ending! My soul almost drooped in disappointment. I’ve also read The House on Mango Street and did not find it as rich as the best parts of Caramelo.
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I’ve never heard of Caramelo, but now I’ll definitely have to give it a try! Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
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Hmmm, blueberries. I love blueberries. And blueberry pie. … wait, what were we talking about?
You read so many books this month, Holly! What did you think of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs? I’ve had my eye on it for a while.
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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs was so good! I listened to the audiobook, which I also highly recommend. I learned so much from it and it was also a really funny and entertaining read 🙂
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July is the time of snowboarding and reading, for me the most pensive month is always early January as I consider what I will do in the new year! It’s inspiring how you keep so busy!
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True, January is a really pensive month! And thanks so much, Emily! 🙂
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It’s amazing you read soo many books in July. July went pretty quick for me as I am adjusting from retirement from my full time admin assistant job. And I’m loving the idea of beginning my own blog site. Happy reading!
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Thank you!! And definitely! Blogging is so much fun 🙂
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