IMWAYR and Reviews

Aug 02, 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other. Make sure to visit these blogs (and those linked in their posts) to find new books and new friends.

(The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.)

You can view all of my July reads here, but below is a list of the books I read this past week and my thoughts. Comment below if you've read some of these or want to know more.

Books I Finished between July 25-31

This week I finished 8 books! 4 adult, 2 young adult, and 2 middle grade books. Here are some of the books I read and my thoughts! Have you read any of them?

Middle Grade

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this magical story of love, finding yourself, and…magic! The illustrations were so great, really full of life and character.

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Ham Helsing #2: Monster Hunter (Ham Helsing, #2)

Ham Helsing #2: Monster Hunter by Rich Moyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the humor in the first Ham Helsing and the second kept that up! The characters are hilariously oblivious to campers going missing all around them and I kept giggling when I would see one of them go missing from the pages. It was a fun read, full of adventure, humor, and a good message at the end. I think kids will love this series.

View all my reviews

Young Adult

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a great gothic horror story. The story is told through Merricat's eyes and she is quite a character. She has a lot of strong opinions on her neighbors and feels a deep love for her sister. I can't say much more because I don't want to give this book away, but it is definitely a unique story that is full of mystery, suspicion, and a fantastic setting.

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The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love all of Karen's books and this one was a really unique read! I enjoyed the mystery surrounding this family and the description of their ridiculously rich lives. The multiple point of views and twists and turns kept me reading and I honestly did not guess the ending-which I love when I am taken by surprise.

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Adult

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I do love a good dystopian that is real enough to really frighten me...and this one was terrifying. I may have started a plan if I am separated from my husband in a disaster! Ha! I absolutely devoured this book with its twists, its mysteries, the superb character arcs, and the mixed media. I did find some of the things that happened were a little wild, but that's what makes a good dystopian. Definitely a must read!

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Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My first of Brown's work and not my last. I enjoyed the science behind emotions and how all of that information led to meaningful connections and how we can understand ourselves and each other. It was a beautiful read that helped me name some of the feelings I have and gave me ways to cope with others.

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Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1)

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A really good Tolkein-ish fantasy that had great adventure, strong world building and fantastic characters. It took me awhile to get through it, and sometimes I lost track of characters, but overall a very entertaining read and look forward to the next.

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Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good twists and turns and quite frightening to say the least. It's not a book for the faint of heart, but a good read for those that love a good thriller.

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Option Pile-Books I May Pick Up This Week

Challenges

30 books in 3 months

I am participating in Jessica Brody's 30 books in 3 months challenge. I have decided to adapt it to 30 ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) to help me stay focused on the books I NEED to read. I have so many ARCs, I need to be making a bigger dent than I have been. (I am a very distracted and moody reader!)

30 Arcs in 3 months by Alexis Ennis

Summer Book-A-Day

Each summer, I challenge myself to a book a day-inspired by Donalyn Miller (The Book Whisperer). This year, it is 74 days/74 books! I will update as often as I can! :)

2022 Summer Book-A-Day by Alexis Ennis