Monthly Reading Wrap Up -- July 2017

Really, everything I needed to say about my reading experience for July is also kind of reflected in my Booklikes-opoly wrap up. I didn't read as many books as I did the previous month, but July was still a great reading month, if only because I made a lot of great progress in my Personal Series Challenge. And while COYER wasn't as successful this month for me, I can now dedicate myself to my Summer Reading List with BLopoly's ending.

July Reads

Also Read short story:

Dream a Little Dream (short story) by Jill Shalvis //

included in A Christmas to Remember anthology

Books Dropped/Put On Hold

DNF'd @ 26%

Currently Reading

Mystique by Amanda Quick / narrated by Barbara Rosenblat
Loose and Easy by Tara Janzen

July Reading Stats

Total works read: 18

16 print/e-book novels
1 anthology
1 short story

Average rating: 3.44 Stars

Highest Rated: 3 books; 1 short story // 4.0 Stars
- (1) Hot on the Hunt by Melissa Cutler
- (2) Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz
- (3) Ravished by Amanda Quick
- (4) Dream a Little Dream (short story) by Jill Shalvis
Lowest Rated: Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell // 2.0 Stars

Series I started reading:

Lawyers in Love by N.M. Silber -- DNF
Liar's Club by Celeste Bradley

Series I completed:

ICE: Black Ops Defenders by Melissa Cutler

Series I have made progress on:

Colorado High Country by Pamela Clare
Nikki Heat by Richard Castle
Arcane Society by Jayne Ann Krentz / Amanda Quick
Harmony by Jayne Castle (a.k.a. Jayne Ann Krentz)
Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis
Steele Street by Tara Janzen
Extrasensory Agents by Leslie A. Kelly

Favorite reads: To be honest, all the books I read in July were kind of "I liked this book" to "I really liked this book," but nothing too outstandingly awesome. So the few books I DO want to mention include Susanna Kearsley's The Shadowy Horses, which, while wasn't the best book, was enjoyable and beautifully written; Ravished by Amanda Quick, which was typical Amanda Quick fun and good; and Northern Lights by Nora Roberts, which was more enjoyable than I'd expected it to be.

Disappointing reads: Really, the most disappointing read I had in July would be The Law of Attraction by N.M. Silber--with all the positive reviews I saw for it, I'd expected witty, fun, breezy, and sexy; instead, I got childish, boring, and eye rollingly over-hyped. The other book I was a bit disappointed in was Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell, which is surprising since it's not like I've always loved her books, ya know.

Reviews & Notable Posts

Reviews Written

Coming Up In August

Tentative TBR

Other Stuff

Is there such a thing as a Reading Game Hangover? Because that's kind of what I'm feeling right now. The fact that I won't be reaching for my dice roller app and rolling for the next book... it's making me feel a little lost. How am I going to decide what to read next without a nifty set of game cards telling me what direction to go? How will I keep from starting ten new books within the week without the game play rules keeping me in line?

What am I going to do with my life now?!!

Ahem...

Anyway... I've still got COYER and some other year-long challenges going, and so, to be honest, it really IS going to be a bit of a feat choosing books to read based on what I want to read rather than based on what books will fit what game squares. But that just means I'm going back to my tentative reading schedule lists, and that I don't have to worry about not finishing a book in time to roll again. And I definitely won't be thinking about saving certain books for "just in case I land on such and such square," or NOT reading a book yet because "I need to read this other book for xyz square."

Nonetheless... it was kind of nice being told what to read next, even if you still had a modicum of choice.

I suppose this is why I like Reading Challenges. =D