Video: https://youtu.be/VTZl6Bs_y9M
Time for another book wrap up! My VidCon vlog is coming soon, I promise.
Hello, I’m Rogan and welcome to my July book wrap up. This month, I read nine books. Let’s get into it!
First book that I finished this month–and about time too–Lord of Snow and Shadows. I… Thought this was very… Interesting. It’s about a boy who grew up without his father, just his mother. Until one day, he finds out that his father is a lord, a king of a faraway country that is very rough and wild. With that discovery, he also learns that he inherited some magic from his father, who’s now dead. This story has a lot going on. A lot of intrigue, political backstabbing, a lot of things happening. It’s a lot, I’m telling you. I… This is book one of a series. And, okay, this is thick. It’s, what–Almost 500 pages. So… I don’t know if I will continue with this series. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really interesting, and an interesting idea of magic, a little different than the usual. But… I don’t know if I’m really ready to invest in this world.
The second book I read this month was after constantly seeing it mentioned by Adriana of perpetualpages, and that is Circe. And… Let me tell you, I love this. I love it. I’m definitely reading Song of Achilles next. I’ve seen this story called an epic, and yeah, I agree. This story happens over… Thousands of years? I’m not even sure. But this basically follows the whole life of Circe, and her experiences from when she was recently formed to her exile to the island, to…later. It will introduce a lot of figures in Greek mythology. It’s really fascinating. I personally grew up loving Greek mythology, so this was a great read for me. I really enjoyed seeing all of the references to all of the different characters in this story. So if you really like Greek mythology, this is definitely a good read.
The third book this month was a reread, because I thought I would be loaning to a friend soon, so I wanted to reread it. But it ended up that I didn’t. Anyway, that’s not the point. The book is The Prince and the Dressmaker. This book is EVERYTHING. I do not regret rereading it. I… Yes. This, I feel this will be one of those that I reread often, because the story is just so touching. For those who don’t know, basically, it’s about a prince who wears dresses and hires a dressmaker to make them for him in secret. Until… Of course, disaster happens. That sums it up pretty well. Let’s move on!
The fourth book this month is one that everyone’s been discussing a lot lately, and that’s An American Marriage. I…liked this a lot better than her other book, Silver Sparrow. I’ve mentioned this before, in a wrap up a long time ago. The story is about newlyweds Celestial and Roy. They’re the epitome of the American Dream and New South. Roy is a young exec, and Celestial is an artist on the brink of success. Until they get separated, and Roy is convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. So they have to deal with that, Roy being in prison for twelve years, sentenced with twelve years. Celestial tries to maintain the relationship, but struggles with that. As a white person, I can’t relate to this experience. I don’t really know people who have been in prison, or have close friends that have been in prison. So… I can’t speak to…the authenticity of this story, but I think this is a really important story for today. Because this happens to SO MANY people, wrongly put in prison for a crime they didn’t even commit. Or the sentence is increased for way more than what it really should be, way more than a white person would have gotten. And…yeah. I think this is a really touching read.
The fifth book this month is A Conjuring of Light, the third book in the Shades of Magic series. I can’t really say much about it, because it’s the third book in a series, so… I don’t want to ruin anything, but I will say I did enjoy this. Maybe not as much as the second book, but I really did like the worldbuilding the author did. She expanded, and built more in the third book. Which is always great to see the author adding more to their world.
Sixth this month: Sovereign. It’s the second book in the Nemesis series, the first book is Dreadnought. And… Yes. More queer superhero stories, yes please! Obviously, this is the second book in the series, so I can’t say much, but I will say I loved it as much as the first book, and I am READY for the third book.
The seventh book this month, another reread, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Now, the reason why I reread this book is because I was part of a project called #travelsimon. What is it? A book, a paperback of the book, that is sent to a list of people all over. So when I get the book, I read it and as I read, I write my thoughts in it. Maybe how I felt during that part, or comments on something they said, or whatever. Then it goes to the next person, and they do the same thing, on and on until that list is completed, or until the year is done. It’ll go back to the person who started this, Shelly. I thought this was a really cool and fun project to be part of, because I got to write my thoughts in a book. I don’t normally write in books. And also, I got to see other people, what they think about the book, their comments. “Oh yeah, I didn’t even think about that!” or whatever. It’s really cool. SO. I’ve decided I want to do my own project. I will make a social media post about it, so don’t worry about it. But I will do it with Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, because I really like this book. And I happened to see this at a bookstore for three dollars, so… Why not? I will be reading this and sending it out. Let me know if you want to be part of this project. And… If you’re not sure right now, that’s okay. I’m not planning to do this for a while anyway, because I’m a little busy right now, but anyway. The point is, watch my social media, like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, for more details.
The eighth book I read this month is by one of my favorite authors. Cyclops by Clive Cussler. This is like… Number eight in this series, Dirk Pitt series. And while the story is really interesting, there was some language in it that I don’t like. I looked at the year it was published, 1989. So… Yeah, just a little problematic language in this in relation to indigenous people, and… That kind of thing. And sexist language too. So. The story: Dirk Pitt finds a blimp with four people dead on it, but none of them are the people who own the blimp. That sets him on an adventure, trying to find out what happened. And he sets off on a search for the Gold City… Indirectly. And also, the President finds out there’s a group of people who somehow managed to get a colony on the moon… Without anyone knowing. And that’s all I’m going to say. It’s not a Clive Cussler book without the world about to end, or being on the brink of war, or whatever. I did enjoy this book. I mean, who doesn’t love books that include space?
And ninth, I finished reading The Handmaid’s Tale. I… Yes. Yes. By now, most of you probably already know what it’s about. It’s… It’s really twisted, but really good. And now I’ve finished reading it, I plan to watch the TV show. So I will get on that soon? Maybe?
Have you read any of these? What do you think about them? Or do you want to read any of them? Let me know below. And that’s it for me.
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