Awesome July Reading List
Welcome back, fellow readers! I enjoyed several recently-released novels in July. I was surprised and pleased that the library got them in for me so quickly. If you’re looking for some intriguing books, check out my July reading list!
Like last year, I’m planning to read at least 40 books in 2018. Having this goal really keeps me on track, and ensures that I make time to read. I read 6 books in July, bringing my total to 33 so far this year.
Related post: How to find time to read when you’re just too busy
Without further ado, here are the 6 books I read in July, and whether or not I’d recommend them to you!
This post may contain affiliate links. You can view my full disclosure policy here.
My July Reading List
Note: I purposely don’t share many details of the plots, so as not to spoil anything for you. : )
1. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Plot: Celestial and Roy are newlyweds in the deep South. Just as they are settling into their new life together, Roy is convicted of a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. As their lives move in separate directions, can their marriage withstand the circumstances?
Wow, this one was so good! It’s part of Oprah’s book club, so I figured it would probably be brilliant. It gave me heartfelt insight into what it’s like to be a person of color, and the horror of being wrongly incarcerated.
The book is a layered love story, with a marriage put to a variety of tests, ranging from the mundane to the appalling. There is an array of well-written and interesting characters, and the story moved quickly and totally held my interest.
The point of view shifts between Celestial, Roy, and one of their friends, who is also integral to the story. I think you’ll have mixed feelings about all of them. The book can be depressing at times, but I still enjoyed the writing, and felt connected to the characters. I definitely think An American Marriage is worth your time!
2. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Plot: Hal, a young tarot card reader receives a mysterious letter stating that she is the recipient of an inheritance from a relative she’s never heard of. Even though she knows the letter isn’t meant for her, she’s completely broke, and attends the funeral in the hopes of tricking the family into giving her the money. When she gets there, she realizes there’s something very strange about this inheritance, and the people involved.
I’m a fan of Ruth Ware, so I couldn’t wait to read this new book. My favorite of her books remains In A Dark, Dark Wood, but this one was relatively intriguing as well. It was suspenseful, though mostly in kind of a ‘slow burn’ way. The plot certainly has some twists and turns. I kept guessing what would happen next, but as usual, was wrong about most of it.
It had a Hitchcock feel to it, and I give it bonus points for taking place in England. Overall, I’m glad I read The Death of Mrs. Westaway, but would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a smidge disappointed.
3. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Plot: In 1969, four siblings visit a mystical psychic who is traveling through their New York City neighborhood. She claims to be able to tell everyone the date they will die. Will the psychic be right, and how much will her revelations affect the children as they enter adulthood?
This was my absolute favorite July read! The storyline was fascinating, and the book gripped me from the beginning. It really demonstrates how our belief systems shape our lives, and makes you question how much of our reality is made up of self-fulfilling prophecies.
The book is divided into four sections, one for each of the siblings, and the plot spans several decades. There certainly is sadness throughout, but I appreciated the originality of the premise, and the distinctiveness of each of the characters.
FYI: There is some unexpected graphic sexual content in the first section.
I definitely recommend The Immortalists, and would love to hear your thoughts if you read it!
4. Reading People by Anne Bogel
The tagline: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything. It is written by lovely blogger Anne Bogel, who is the voice behind Modern Mrs. Darcy. If you like to read, her blog is a must visit.
In this book, she takes a deep dive into a variety of personality types and factors. You will learn a lot more about yourself, and better understand what makes the people around you tick.
Anne breaks down a few different personality frameworks, including Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, and Enneagram in a very relatable way. She shares her own personality type and stories from her life as demonstration.
I discovered that my INFJ (Myers-Briggs) personality type makes up less than 1% of the population. Maybe that’s why I always feel like a weirdo (hehe). I was not too surprised to learn that I show tendencies of being a Highly Sensitive Person (yes, it’s a real thing!), which explains why I get so easily overwhelmed in crowds, take things too personally, and can’t stand clutter.
I learned a lot from Reading People. If you’re curious about personality types, or want to improve your understanding of yourself and others, I think you’ll really like it!
5. Almost Missed You by Jessica Strawser
Plot: Finn and Violet finally manage to find each other, despite fate seemingly trying to keep them apart. Thinking her marriage and life is pretty perfect, Violet is shocked to discover that Finn has suddenly taken their young son and disappeared from a hotel on their first family vacation. She begins to suspect that she never really knew Finn at all.
The story alternates viewpoints between Finn, Violet, and their friend Caitlyn. It really demonstrates the damage that secrets and ‘holding stuff in’ can do to oneself and those around us.
I thought that the story line was pretty good, and enjoyed the twists that I didn’t see coming. Almost Missed You was definitely a decent read, and I would check out other books by this author.
6. The Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert W. Bly
As you can probably tell, this book was an instructional guide to copywriting. In the interest of improving my writing skills, I wanted to delve into the concepts behind writing copy. It covers tips for writing headlines, sales copy, email marketing, and much more.
To be completely honest, I didn’t read every single word of this book. I skimmed a couple chapters that didn’t really apply to me. The material was a bit dry, as expected, and somewhat outdated.
But if you’re in a situation of wanting or needing to learn how to write copy, The Copywriter’s Handbook can be an excellent resource. It has great reviews on Amazon.
There you have it, my July Reading List. Overall, I was very pleased with my choices. I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading lately, and what you recommend!
READING RESOURCES:
Kindle First Reads (a free ebook on the 1st of every month)
Amazon Prime: Free 30 day trial (borrow ebooks from the Prime lending library for free!)
Audible: Free 30 day trial (+2 free audiobooks)
Previous Reading Lists:
Linking up with Jana and Steph for Show Us Your Books
i haven’t read any of these! i quite liked Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser so I might pick up her other one. I’m on the fence about The Immortalists, glad you liked it!
Hi Kristen! I’ll have to give Not That I Could Tell a try soon. The Immortalists was definitely very good, just not uplifting exactly.
One of my biggest fears is people being imprisoned for something they didn’t do and I’ve avoided that book because of that but I think I should get over it and read it.
I absolutely share that fear, and know that it happens all to often. I do think you would probably still enjoy the book, despite its premise.
Like Steph said, I hate the idea of people being in jail for a crime they didn’t commit, but at the same time, I’m so curious about An American Marriage.
-lauren
Hi Lauren! An American Marriage is such a powerful story that I think it’s a must read. You won’t want to put it down!
An American Marriage was amazing. I can say without a doubt it’s one of my favorite books of the year and it’ll be hard to top it (it’s tied with Ohio by Stephen Markley for #1 at this point)
I’ll be adding Ohio to my TBR list now, Jana. Thanks for the suggestion!
I LOVED the Immortalists. Simon’s story broke my heart. Just broke it, even though you almost immediately know what’s going to happen to him given the time period. But it didn’t make it any less heartbreaking for me. Klara also devastated me because I did not expect her ending. I actually read it last December and still think about them.
Oh I totally agree, Tanya. I ‘enjoyed’ Simon’s and Klara’s portion of the book more. I guess maybe they were just more interesting or developed characters. Their stories certainly broke my heart too. I kind of hope it becomes a movie, though I know I’ll just be disappointed in it!
My book club read The Immortalists, but I ended up not getting the book in enough time to read it! I need to go back and request it from the library!
Hi Ashley! I hope you do request The Immortalists again. It’s so good!
Such a diverse bunch of reads. 🙂 I’ve heard nothing but great things about An American Marriage. 🙂 XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
Haha yeah, my book choices can certainly be random! An American Marriage really was so good!
I have been waiting patiently for The Death of Mrs. Westaway from my library for months! I love Ruth Ware (Especially Woman in Cabin 10) and really want to read this one, however, I’m sad so many people aren’t loving it, however your review has been the most positive yet!
Hi Kasey! I was surprised how quickly I received The Death of Mrs. Westaway. My library account said I was number 56 in the queue, but then I got the text that it was in. Even if it isn’t Ware’s best book, I think you’ll still enjoy it. : )
I’ve given up on reading Ruth Ware after being disappointed by The Lying Game and In a Dark, Dark Wood. Even though I really enjoyed the Woman in Cabin 10. I read Reading People recently and it will be in my book post for next month.
Hi Nancy! It does seem like Ware’s plots are decreasing in quality or something. I look forward to your Reading People review!