July 2022 Reads
Hi All!
I don’t know about you but I love it when a new month starts on a Monday so Happy August and Happy Monday to you all!
July was one of those reading months that made me grateful how completely comfortable I am with putting down books that aren’t working for me. I picked up and put down countless books this month- so many just weren’t working. But fortunately, I didn’t get stuck behind any of them and a lot of books did work so details below!
Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo- This Read with Toni book club book is the sad and thought provoking story of a Nigerian couple. Each time I struggled to understand the decisions made by a character I would learn more and wonder what I would actually do in that situation.
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka- I read this book with the Daily E-Book Deals Patreon community and it was wonderful. I went knowing nothing which was the perfect way to read it so that is all I will say for this one : )
IT by Stephen King- Talk about a book that has been on my to be read list forever! Laura Tremaine chose IT for one of her Stephen King Summer book club books and wow. In my opinion, it was too long but I also recognize King’s genius story telling and will be thinking about both these characters and the story for a long, long time.
The Local by Joey Hartstone- If you have been looking for a John Grisham type read for as long time as I have been, here it is! Fun characters, great plot and fast paced.
A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett- I read this with a Toni Reads to Learn group and am so grateful I did. While I knew about the problems with the criminal justice system, the personal stories told in this book made me angry and determined to work for change.
Oh William by Elizabeth Strout- I had a lot of house projects to do one day last week so I listened to Oh William on audio and it was the best company. It’s part of a series but definitely can be read on its own and I loved every minute of it.
Night Crawling by Leila Mottley- This book was the perfect fiction pairing for A Knock at Midnight. As I read, the privilege in me kept thinking there was no way that so many terrible things could happen to one person and then I remembered what I had learned. All the trigger warnings apply for this book but if you are not a sensitive reader, I highly recommend it.
Please let me know if you have read any of my July reads- I always love to talk about what I have read! And any questions are welcome too.
xo, Stacey