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July in Review | 2018

(Last Updated On: July 8, 2021)

How is it August already?!  I feel like I have stepped into a time machine and lost 20 days of my life – July just flew on by! Which is probably for the best because I feel like last month was really book-ended by highs and lows with a mental health downturn towards the end of the month. 😔 The good news is that I have an understanding support system and am on the up-and-up, so I am excited for a new month & new beginnings! 💗 So let’s dive into my July in Review to see what books I read, an update on how the book ban is going, and more!

Reading

I had a pretty good reading month and you can see the books that I read below!!! You’ll notice it was an ARC heavy month, and that is because I like to torture myself by sporadically requesting on NetGalley. Click the title links to be taken to the Goodreads page, and if my review has been published here on the blog I will also provide a link to it.

  1. * Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie 🌟🌟🌟 [ARC Review]
  2. * Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart 🌟🌟🌟 [ARC Review]
  3. * Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall 🌟🌟🌟 [ARC Review]
  4. * Literature by Guillermo Stitch 🌟🌟
  5. * Mirage by Somaiya Daud 🌟🌟🌟🌟 [ARC Review]
  6. * Silent Hearts by Gwen Florio 🌟🌟🌟
  7. * The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton 🌟🌟🌟🌟 [ARC Review]
  8. * The First Prehistoric Serial Killer and Other Short Stories by Teresa Solana 🌟🌟🌟
  9. * Contagion by Erin Bowman 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 [ARC Review] {#24in48 Read}
  10. The Afterlife of Walter Augustus by Hannah M. Lynn 🌟🌟🌟 {#24in48 Read}
  11. * The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé 🌟🌟 {#24in48 Read}
  12. * Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley 🌟🌟 [ARC Review]

ARCs/copies from author or publisher are noted above by an asterisk *

Total Books Read in July: 12

Total Books Read in 2018: 86
Goodreads Reading Goal: 50 100

#24in48 Recap

With a last minute decision, I participated in my first ever readathon last month: 24in48 (go big or go home, I say)! The goal was a big one: read a total of 24 hours in a 48 hour period broken down however you wanted, and with a free schedule and a TBR pile I dove in with both feet!

I am still in awe of how much I read that weekend, especially since I had set a goal of 750 pages within the full 24 hour period! 😲 I wound up feeling pressured in a way that I normally wouldn’t when I spend a weekend reading (such as feeling guilty for taking a 5-hour break after finishing Contagion because it WOWed me), but I really enjoyed the community aspect of it! I also am proud of not deviating from the TBR I set.

Book Haul Ban

I started a book ban in July and have decided to continue it for the foreseeable future as a way to stop buying books I will likely never read. I have a stack of physical books that I have bought that I want to read before I begin buying again – exceptions will be made thoughtfully for certain pre-orders – but I am going to try to stay on the ban for the rest of 2018.

Books bought: signed copy of Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody (this was the first book I have ever upgraded from eBook format!), a pre-ordered copy of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, a pre-ordered copy of Contagion by Erin Bowman, The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (for Melanie’s birthday buddy read, $4 used)

Full disclosure: I also pre-ordered on of the Owlcrate Vengeful boxes… this is how you do a book ban, right?

eBooks Purchased (all $2.99 or less, not yet read): Brightly Burning by Alex Donne, Nyxia by Scott Reintgen, The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky (free), And I Darken by Kiersten White

eARC approvals: Mirage by Somaiya Daud, Contagion by Erin Bowman, Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett, Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi, The Night Crossing by Robert Masello, Rule by Ellen Goodlett, Priest of Bones by Peter McLean, Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Community Love

Blog & Stats

I feel like I have really hit my stride and am finding ~my own voice~ a bit more with each post, and I am really passionate about my little corner of the internet! I actually upgraded to WordPress Premium last week and updated the blog’s layout a bit and am loving the CSS touches that I am able to incorporate now. So in case you haven’t noticed, welcome to readervoracious.com!

I am also excited to announce that I am officially posting five times a week now with the addition of a post on Wednesdays! I have so many ideas for things and am excited to have a posting schedule that accelerates my sharing them with you all. One of these projects is the Traveling Book Review, which I announced yesterday! I am also working on interviewing readers around the globe for an upcoming discussion post (probably will be a mini-series based on the response!), and another project that will probably launch sometime in September.

Here’s how Reader Voracious Blog did in terms of views & visitors in July 2018… look at the comparison to previous months!!! While it is exciting to see my words and thoughts being consumed rather than going into the void, I really enjoy interacting with you all and getting to know you! I feel like I have made some amazing new friends last month & am looking forward to growing those friendships. 💖

july 18 stats

Here are my most popular posts for the month:

Thank you everyone so much for visiting, liking, commenting, and sharing your bookish thoughts with me! I hope you all have a WONDERFUL August and Happy Reading!

spacer_wLet’s go on another adventure together!

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Reader Interactions

60 comments

  1. Oh wow, I am stunned to see that three of my posts are here. Thank you so much for featuring my work and for all the incredible support! I really do appreciate it, and we certainly need more bloggers like you! Y’all make the blogging world so welcoming and warm.

    It’s also great to see that you had a pretty good reading month. Hope that continues for the rest of the year! As well as your blog’s growth because you very well deserve it!

    Reply

    • The work you’ve been doing lately is just so incredible and helpful… and most of all POSITIVE! I really appreciate others that use their voice in positive ways.

      Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. 💖 I hope you also have a great reading month & year!

      Reply

  2. Wow, look at that jump in engagement on your blog! Well done! I’m enjoying getting to know you here and on twitter. You read a lot of great books last month too 🙂

    Reply

  3. Congrats on all those great stats, both reading and blogging!! I’m so glad I discovered your blog and look forward to many more posts:-)

    Reply

    • Oh gosh Sam, thank you so much! I honestly can’t believe that I am posting 5x a week either! I am a mood writer and have sparks of inspiration at the weirdest times – usually in the shower or riding my bike to/from work. It’s usually a nugget of an idea like “I wonder if I could interview international readers about their experiences” and then I start a WIP draft with that nugget so I don’t forget the idea (because inspiration usually doesn’t come with the desire to flesh it out at the same time). Then when inspiration strikes I flesh it out and schedule it out!

      Reply

  8. Wow you had a great month! And I am beginning my book ban too! For two months min 😉

    Reply

  9. Forever thankful for you and that $4 purchase. Seriously, means the world to me! Also – I’m going to have to pick up Contagion it looks like! Hahaha! Also, also – seeing you grow bigger and bigger in the book community? Warms my heart like nothing else. Amazing wrap up, love! Happy August and happy reading, always! 💖xx

    Reply

    • The book sounds SO GOOD??? And $4 to help celebrate one of my favorite people?! It was a no brainer, love! Contagion was incredible!!! Awww thank you so much for your kind words love, you mean so much to me!

      Reply

  13. Wow, this was a great reading month for you! It’s great that you read a lot of ARCs…I always request and then end up never reading them. My feeback ratio is pretty bad right now,oops. And your readathon is awesome! I would never be able to force myself to read for that long unless there were some REALLY good books involved lol

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, and I definitely am feeling a little burned out on all my arc reading but I went a little request happy a few months ago and didn’t take note of release dates oops. The readathon was such a challenge for me but I enjoyed the community aspect of it a lot!

      Reply

  16. All those reviews! The stats! The pie charts! The 24in48 success! I AM IN AWE. ♥

    Also, I may have told you this, but after I break my ban at the end of August to place a couple of orders to set me up for the rest of the year, I’m also resuming my ban until the end of 2018 – so I’ll be there to commiserate with you all the way through to the new year!

    Reply

  17. It looks like you got a lot done! It’s really great that you finished reading so many books. A bunch of the books you’ve read or bought are on my tbr so I’m excited to read your reviews & see what your thoughts are!

    Reply

  18. Congrats on your new URL, that’s awesome! And it’s always great to power through all of those built up ARCs, great job on that. I hope you have an incredible August filled with even more amazing books!!

    Reply

  19. Yay, congratulations on this great month of blogging, so exciting to get that little peak in your statistics and to see your hard work paying off 🙂 I’ve only been slowly discovering your blog, but I get why you’re doing so amazing, you’re doing such a great work and have such a lovely blog. I hope this will continue and I can’t wait to see your new projects in September and everything 🙂
    I’m glad you had a lovely reading month as well and yay for enjoying Mirage, I read and really enjoyed that one as well. I haven’t read Contagion, but it sounds really good, I’m happy to see you loved it so much 🙂
    Have a wonderful August and Happy reading 😀

    Reply

    • Marie thank you so much for your kind words, I really love your blog and your words of encouragement mean so much to me!!! I was so fortunate to have so many great reads last month, Mirage being one of them! Contagion was definitely my favorite! Happy reading and enjoy your trip to Edinburgh!

      Reply

      • Oh you’re so, so welcome, it’s my pleasure, really, you’re doing such a fantastic job with your blog and everything 😀 <3
        Thank you so much, you're so sweet! <3 <3

        Reply

  20. You’re killing the game, friend! I also so appreciate that you take time to shout-out other bloggers–such a great way for me, a new blogger, to find more people to follow, build relationships with, and, ultimately, more books to add to my TBR list! Congrats on such a great month!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, Bethany! Also thank you for being the reason I last minute dove into 24in48 – it was a crazy experience but helped me to knock out some reading on my list! Happy reading this August, love!

      Reply

  21. This is awesome! I feel like I really should try to come up with a blogging schedule and stick to it but I just am having trouble carving out that time every weekend.
    I am reading Bellewether and it is really taking it out to me. I’m not even halfway and I just don’t care 🙁 It bums me out. Also, the bad thing about getting and digital eArc is that you can’t physically see how enormous the book is! It’s like 600 pages long 🙁 Ahhhhh…. I’m interested in your review this weekend. I’m hoping to finish it and have one up on Monday. Fingers crossed I get through it :/

    Reply

    • The blogging schedule really saved my life personally, but it definitely isn’t for everyone. It saves me a lot of time though and helps me to stay consistent, which I love.

      Ugh Bellewether was kind of awful and I am sorry you are also struggling with it! I think the book was like 448 pages but it felt at least 200 pages longer I swear! It kind of makes me feel better that I am not the only one that just didn’t care at all about this book; I hope you are able to skim to the end and hop onto a better read soon!

      Reply

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