July 2020 TBR

I’m struggling to come up with an interesting intro today, so let’s just jump into what I hope to read this month.

July 2020 TBR List

📚 Immersed in West Africa by Terry Lister – Nonfiction Travelogue

Since I’m a few days slow in posting this TBR, I have already read this! It only took two days, and I will have a review up soon.

📚 In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende – Fiction, Recent History (1970s) OR The End of the Spear by Steve Saint – Nonfiction, Biography

These are my choices for the South American portion of my goal to read a book set on every continent this year.

🎧 Throne of Grace by Cecily Wolfe (Cliffwalk Courtships #1) – Historical Fiction, Clean Romance

I read this series and fell utterly in love with it last year! Now, it is being made into audiobooks, and I am excited to revisit the characters and get to hear their voices.

🎧 Neverseen by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities #4) – Middle Grade Fantasy

I’m consistently working my way through this series, and this book promises to be very exciting!

📚 Never Say Goodbye by Sarah Grace Grzy – Christian Contemporary Fiction

My copy finally arrived toward the end of June! I think I am looking forward to reading this book more than any other this month.

📚 Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests by Cynthia Orr – Nonfiction, Library Science

This is a pre-grad school suggestion, and since school starts in August (how did that get to be so close??), I want to read through it this month. I checked it out from the library about a week ago, and was surprised to realize how like a textbook it is. So, I may not end up reading all of it, but I definitely intend to flip through and spot-read the sections that look most useful!

📚 The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin (Sunrise at Normandy #2) – Historical Fiction (World War II)

This is a “just for fun” book that I’m using to round out my 20/15 Books of Summer goal.

📚 A Strand of Hope by Amanda Tero (Librarians of Willow Hollow #1) – Historical Fiction (Great Depression)

I have been looking forward to reading this since the series was first announced! It will be published very soon, and I received an ARC to review as part of the launch team. I’m very much looking forward to reading and celebrating this book!

 

Other Goals

📽As a nod to Jane Austen July, which I do not have room for in this year’s reading schedule, I plan to watch the 1999 adaptation of Emma and Love and Friendship. I also have the new 2020 version of Emma reserved from the library, but the list is pretty long so I’m not sure how long it will take to get it.

🐝 Finish everything that needs to be ready/done by the time I start grad school in August

📝 Post at least 4 reviews

📝 Just keep up despite everything that is going on, and try to have a positive attitude

Walking around Hobby Lobby the other day (while wearing a mask and doing my best to stay away from people), I was happily surprised to see an aisle filled with Christmas tree ornaments! Most of the store is decked out in fall/Thanksgiving-themed decor, and it was difficult to not scoop up all of the leaves, pumpkins, and coffee-scented trinkets and candles. I usually say that I don’t have a favorite season, because I love at least some aspects of every season, but this year I feel like I am looking forward to autumn more than usual. Maybe it’s a subconscious hope that life will go back to normal, maybe it’s partially excitement and nerves about starting graduate school, I’m really not sure. But as the sun beats down and my favorite coffee shop remains open only at odd hours, I can’t help hoping for the cooler weather and cozy aesthetic of fall. However, I’m sure that once it gets here I will be startled by how fast time is moving. So today I’ll focus on July, and this list of books that I hope to read this month, and know that this is enough for now.

Do you have any plans for this month? Did you celebrate the first or fourth of July last week?

Until the next chapter,

Jana