The Adventure Log is my monthly wrap-up post!
Look, I know that I say something along these lines every month but how the heck is it already July? Time truly flies the older you get, and sadly it seems to fly when you’re not having fun as well. Gotta love that “life is passing me by” feeling, amirite?
You’ll notice the formatting and sections for my monthly adventure logs have been updated this month (and hello there new featured image… what are you doing here? 👀). I’ve largely decided to keep most personal updates on my Patreon to steer away from treating Reader Voracious as an online diary, but don’t worry – I’ll likely still overshare on Twitter and Discord!
Books I Read
I think I might have been replaced by a pod person, friends. I read so much in June. It’s literally been at least two years since I was in such a reading groove and I don’t want the feeling to go away because it was so much fun!
Books Read
Pages Read
DNF
The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis
✨ Atmospheric and engaging, The Lights of Prague swept me away to another time and place. This is a must read for fans of immersive historical fantasy.
I was wholly impressed with Jarvis’ debut fantasy and look forward to reading more from this author in the future! I enjoyed the characters and world created, as well as the vivid and immersive prose. Fans of V.E. Schwab’s writing style will certainly enjoy The Lights of Prague.
That Weekend by Kara Thomas
This book lives in my head rent free and rendered me speechless.
This is a book you should go into as blind as possible for maximum enjoyment. All you need to know is three friends go up on a mountain, but only one comes down. Told in dual and nonlinear timelines, the reader gets to try and pick up the breadcrumbs to see how we got to the present – which is one of my favorite plot devices!
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I waited months for my library hold to come through, and it was worth the wait!
This is a book that was perfect for me when I read it, as if the universe sent it to me when I needed it the most. This definitely is a book people will love or hate, but as someone who subscribes to existential philosophy, this was a compellingly beautiful read. Some people may find it depressing, thought.
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
🤝 This was a buddy read with Soph!
I pre-ordered two copies of this book (B&N edition and the UK edition) and let me tell you: I have zero regrets.
I still haven’t been able to write a review for this because it’s such a compelling and addictive read. It’s a fantastic piece of dark academia, tackling and dismantling the way spaces have been stacked against people of color in a thriller that will have you screaming.
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A dark tale of blood magic, revenge, and redemption, The Return of the Sorceress is a feat. With vivid descriptions, Silvia Moreno-Garcia says a lot in just about 100 pages while keeping a fast and engaging pace.
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
Read my spoiler-free ARC Review
Instantly gripping, The Taking of Jake Livingston is an impressive YA horror debut with its biting social commentary and nightmare fuel inducing ghouls.
Don’t the let the cover fool you, it’s definitely scarier than Goosebumps titles and it comes with biting social commentary.
For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten
🤝 This was a buddy read with Jayati!
This is one of my all-time favorite reads. Ever.
For the Wolf is the Beauty and the Beast + Red Riding Hood mashup of a retelling that I didn’t know I needed. Beautiful atmosphere, broody and protective “beast”, sibling relationship, a strong female character who wants to earn her own keep and protect the people she loves, and a medium burn romance that I can’t stop thinking about. I literally am begging the author to Midnight Sun this book because I want it in Eammon’s perspective, too.
What We Devour by Linsey Miller
🤝 This was a buddy read with Soph!
DNF @ 28% (through chapter 11)
It pains me to say that this book just wasn’t for me and I found it painful to read. Miller created an intricate and interesting world, but it fell short of its potential. The worldbuilding was overly complicated, the exposition convoluted, and I struggled to understand what was going on at any given time. Somehow the narrative was both vague and repetitive, which was frustrating for me to sift through. I’m a reader who’s big on worldbuilding and it’s a shame that it didn’t work for me. While I was intrigued to figure out what the heck was going on, unfortunately all of the characters fell flat to me and I just didn’t care.
The Game is Life series (#1 – 6) by Terry Schott
🎮 One of my all-time favorite indie sci-fi series holds up for another re-read!
Haley was complaining about Rabbits in my discord server and I recommended this series to her as it has the same Ready Player One and philosophical musings and is executed well. And then I spent days re-reading the books and loving every minute of it!
The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious #4) by Maureen Johnson
This may be the fourth book, but this is a standalone mystery and you don’t need to read the Truly Devious trilogy in order to understand and enjoy this book!
When a finished copy of this arrived at my doorstep from the publisher, I was confused. I thought it was a trilogy? And I’m still so annoyed with The Vanishing Stair that I haven’t read the third book. But it turns out it’s a standalone and the book is amazing. It’s the Stevie I love, her friends, and a new mystery to solve without it being stretched out into a trilogy for no reason.
July 2021 Read Voraciously Book Club Pick
Now that the Celestial Trilogy has completed, it’s the perfect time for me to get back on my Read A Spark of White Fire Agenda. This means my book club is casually reading & discussing the book this month! More information about the book club can be found in my Discord Server post, and you can join the server by clicking here.
Posts on Reader Voracious
It’s exciting to say that I feel kind of like I’ve settled into a groove (finally) and am really proud of the content published lately on Reader Voracious! Here are all June posts in case you missed them; click on the featured image to check out that post.
The Reader Voracious Patreon
As always there’s no pressure to join but if more behind-the-scenes blog content, reading vlogs, and extra essays are something you’d be interested in – for as little as $2 a month you can support me & my content, along with some cool features that are in the pipeline.
June Patreon Update for my personal update, content schedule for this month, and more!
I want to let you know that my patrons enjoy watching me suffer, and I’ll be reading Twilight this month for the Summer TBR Control. I expect these reading vlogs will be… amusing to say the least, in case watching my slow descent into madness is your kind of thing.
Posts Around the Blogosphere I Loved
I feel so rejuvenated and creatively fulfilled now that I’ve been able to get some blog hopping in again. I feel like blog hopping from my own blog’s comments is the most sustainable for me at this time and alleviates a lot of anxiety. Here’s a list of some fantastic posts I read this month.
- Avhlee shared a useful article on Improving Time Management we all could benefit from
- Here are 15 Queer Books to Add to your TBR thanks to Jayati
- Haley brings us another list of Pride Month Recommendations
- Is horror your thing? Cassie’s got you covered with this list of 10 Horror Book Recommendations
- Kate is here to recommend 6 Asian Adult Fantasy Books, Sapphic Adult SSF for Pride, How to Include your Blog on your Resume, and How to Overcome Blogging Fatigue
- Check out this post for reading recommendations about Palestine
- Marie is here with 10 tips to overcome reading & blogging fatigue and 5 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out
- Naty’s celebrating 4 years of blogging and sharing tips to stay organized
- Bianca is here to save us all with this Pinterest for Book Bloggers guide
- Here’s a thought-provoking discussion on #OwnVoices and We Need Diverse Books’ decision to move away from the term
- This is literally the funniest review that I’ve ever read and you all need to read it 🤣
- Yesha has a great post full of recommendations for how to comment on less interactive book blog posts
MK Blog Directory Are you a blogger?! Join now for free.
Announcing the Reader Voracious Shop & Commissions
A few very astute followers already found my new store last month, but I figured it’s time to officially launch it 🎉 I’m so excited and have a handful of projects in development for the future, but right now I’ve got two products available: a vinyl sticker featuring an Edgar Allan Poe quote (of course) and a blog audit.
I’ve already completed one Blog Audit for a friend and let me tell you: it feels so good to use those skills again! I’ve mentioned in the past that I (used to) work in marketing and content strategy, especially with social media. I haven’t been able to work since 2019 but I am finally in a place where I’m able to take on commissions.
Please reach out on Twitter or Discord if you have any questions, and patrons at the Bookish Adventurers tier & above receive a discount on all items!
Let’s Chat!
Despite it being a rather blah month for me personally, I had an amazing reading month and I love that for me!
💬 How was your June? Did you do anything fun?
💬 What books did you read and enjoy?
💬 Share a link to one of your June posts for me to check out!
Unfortunately, I had to DNF Ace of Spades. Nothing wrong with the book, one of the scenes just triggered me and I couldn’t continue. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy What We Devour. Also, A Spark of White Fire is one of my favorite books. I want to reread it before getting to the last book, but I’m not sure I have time this month. Thank you for mentioning my blog post!
I am so sorry that Ace of Spades didn’t work for you, but I know how hard it can be when a scene is triggering. I hope you have the time for re-reading A Spark of White Fire and enjoy A War of Swallowed Stars this month!
I really love reading your wrap up posts! They are so much fun to read! I am so glad that you had a great reading month and there are so many books on here that I wanna read 😊
Okay also how did I now know about the discord server! I’m so joining it, it’ll be fun 🤩
I hope you have an ever better July and happy reading 💕
Thank you so much and yea, I was pretty lucky with reads. YAY to having you join the Discord server, it’s a pretty fun and lowkey place to chat.
I just finished That Weekend last night. Another great one from Thomas. It did remind me a bit (plot-wise) of other stories I had read, but Thomas threw so great twists in there that was wholly her own. I love the way she lets her stories play out until the very end of the book too. Always saving something to leave us with a “whoa”.
Thomas is so talented, I swear! I agree that she makes the stories her own and manages to make them feel fresh. I’m glad you also enjoyed the book!
Wow, 14 books. I have never read that much in a month! Congrats and I hope July is just as good for you😁
I am still so surprised by all the books that I devoured last month, haha. But I am making up for it now… only read one book so far this month oops
You read so many books on my TBR! I can’t wait to read That Weekend!!
PLEASE READ THAT WEEKEND AND THEN BURST INTO MY DMS SO WE CAN DISCUSS!
NEW BLOG LOOK WHO DIS 👀 Also who are you and what did you do to the real Kal? Do I need to kidnap Devi in case you’re here to murder the poor baby?
I’m still bummed about What We Devour, but hey there are future books to enjoy! Also, I too, would like to watch you suffer with Twilight. (I mean, I could suffer with, since it’s been almost 15 years?!)
NEW BLOG WHO DIS INDEED! I am still so obsessed with the new theme layout. And uh, no. Leave my cat where she is. I would NEVER murder the cuddlebutt.
Yea I am really sad about What We Devour, too. Hopefully our next buddy read is more successful.
It seems like you had a fantastic reading month!! I’m so happy to see that you loved The Midnight Library, I read it earlier this year and it was such a great book ❤ You also make me so excited to read Ace of Spades and The Taking of Jake Livingston! 🥰
The Midnight Library really hit me in the feels and I adored it so much! I hope you enjoy Ace of Spades and The Taking of Jake Livingston!
Great post!!!! I haven’t been active on wordpress for the past month but it feels great reading posts again ❤️ I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy What We Devour, damn 😔 I hate when anticipated reads disappoint us 😔 Thanks so much for mentioning my post 😭💕💕
I know what you mean — I recently got back into the swing of catching up on posts and whatnot, and it feels so GOOD. I’m sad about What We Devour but am so glad so many people have been loving it!
Nice wrap up. I’m so glad you enjoyed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, I’ve heard it’s so good and it’s on my TBR.
I hope you enjoy The Midnight Library as much as I did! Some people find it depressing and it has some heavy themes, but I definitely recommend it for when you are in the right mindset for it.
I got The Taking of Jake Livingston NetGalley widget this month and I can’t wait to read it. Thank you for mentioning my post. Great wrap up! I like this format.
Thank you so much and I’m glad you like the new format. I hope you enjoy The Taking of Jake Livingston, I was so happily surprised by how spooky it was!
14 books! That’s amazing! I got to 12 this month, which is slow for me, but hopefully I get back on it this month! I need to read Ace of Spades!
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters
12 books is also amazing, congrats!!! I hope you’re getting lots of great reading in and enjoy Ace of Spades as much as I do!
Oh no, I’m really sorry about What We Devour and high key scared to read it now… I hope it won’t be one of those books that are written only for the ~vibes~
Don’t be scared about What We Devour — as a whole, most of the feedback I’ve seen has been positive and I hope you enjoy it!
We’re currently reading That Weekend and it’s amazing so far!
Ahhh, I hope you enjoy(ed) all the twists and turns that Thomas brought us!!!
I definitely want to read the Lights of PRague, it sounds fantastic. Pretty curious about Kara thomas too since I liked an earlier book of hers. The Box in the Woods as well, since again I read Truly Devious, but I haven’t read the rest yet.
I’m with you as well on time flying. July 14th? Already?? Wow this summer is flying…
I honestly have no clue where time is going and I don’t like it! If you are a fan of Kara Thomas’ other books, I definitely recommend That Weekend… and honestly? I never read book 3 in the Truly Devious trilogy and had no issues with The Box in the Woods!
Congrats on reading 14 books! It was so much fun reading For The Wolf with you – it was so so good.
All the best with your shop and commissions! I also love all the changes you’ve made to your blog!
Thank you for sharing my post too <3
Thank you so much and I’m so glad you like the new look! I hope we can have another buddy read soon xoxo
i feel the exact same way about not being able to review ace of spades — it’s just such an amazing books and did so many things masterfully that i have no idea how to do it justice with my words! and i’m glad you enjoyed the midnight library, i’ve been eyeing that one as i wasn’t quite sure if i’d love it, but more and more people i trust (like you) seem to be loving it so 👁👁 hope you’ve been having a good july so far!!
I want to review Ace of Spades SO BADLY because it is such an amazing book and deserves all the praise, but how to word? And there’s so much to unpack that I want to be all analysis-like as usual, and my brain is like “no.” the midnight library made me ugly cry!!! some people find it depressing, which is valid, but to this existentialist it was just… lovely. I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to pick it up
Kal, congrats on the launch of your store!! I won’t lie: I may need to save up and do an audit at some point, because that’d be so cool!! I hope you have had a great July so far!
Thank you so much, Nicole!! I am definitely here if you ever want to go for the audit because the data is truly eye-opening!