I’m typically a summer person. I cling to how wonderful it will feel to have the sun on my skin again when we’re up to our necks in snow, and the second I start to see green grass again in the spring, I can feel my spirits lift. 

That is until I had to spend a summer at peak pregnancy.

Being seven months pregnant in the dead of July is no joke. We’ve had week-long stretches where it felt like 45 degrees celsius outside and my body is having none of it. I had to give up wearing any type of jewellery a month ago because I’m so swollen and I sweat just making the trek from my front door to my car. It’s been a very unique way to experience what are usually my favourite months, and I can’t say that I’m a huge fan.

That said, if the heat has done anything good for me this year, it’s been to drive up my reading. I spend most of my days huddled in the air conditioning of my house avoiding going outside at all costs, so between that and the increasing discomfort that comes with just trying to stand up with this huge belly, it’s been very, very good for my reading life. My couch and books are my current sanctuary as we anxiously await baby girl’s ever-approaching arrival. 

In July, I managed to read nine books, which might be my best yet this year. I read a mix of fiction and non-fiction, with all of my non-fiction focused on baby girl’s arrival. I’ll break these two categories down separately since the latter may be of little interest to most.

Books Read in July 2024

For fiction, I had a pretty decent month and knocked a handful of books off of my Summer Reading Challenge. Books read included:

• A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer Armentrout: I think this may be my last in the Blood and Ash and Fire and Flesh series. I wanted to love this book, but I’m just finding at this point that this series and the world are repetitive and flat. This might be my lowest-rated book of the year at just 2.5 stars, and the best I could do was leave a review on my Goodreads. 
• Spice Road by Maya Ibrahim: I loved this one, it was such a lush YA fantasy set in an Arabian-style world that had some vibes that were reminiscent of the Daevabad series, but still felt like a wholly unique story. I listened to this one on audio and rated it 5 stars with a full review to come. 
• The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon: this is one of those rare occasions where the sequel absolutely lives up to the original in a series. I was completely enthralled with this continuation of The Bone Season and can’t wait to pick up book three. An easy 5 stars with a full review to come.
• The Titans Curse by Rick Riordan: this was the third book in the Percy Jackson series and it might be my favourite yet. I’m still making my way through this series on audio and intend on writing a full review of everything once I’m done, but for now, I’ll say this is such a solid middle-grade fantasy. Another 5 stars for me.
• Exit Strategy and Network Effect by Martha Wells: Books 4 and 5 from the Murderbot Diaries and both were excellent. Exit Strategy brought back some of my favourite characters, and Network Effect was the first full-length novel of the series, which just gave me more to love. I’ve never read such a reliable sci-fi series. 5 stars for both books with full reviews to come.
• When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker: another book I wanted to love, but that didn’t make the trip for me. While I felt like the world and the story had so much potential, the main character grated on me too much and detracted from the rest of the story. I’ve seen huge praise for this book online, so it’s likely my feelings on this one are mostly just personal preference. I rated it 3.5 stars and am very undecided about if I’ll read the next book when it is released.

In terms of non-fiction, I was fully baby-focused. Books read included:

• Babies Made Simple: The Modern Mom’s Road Map to Navigating the Overwhelming Baby Stage by Hillary Sadler: this book had a lot of good information and was fairly non-judgemental in approach, but I read it on Kindle Unlimited and felt like it could have used at least one more round of editing. It’s difficult to tell if some of the formatting issues were just related to the digital copy or the actual book, but it did detract some.
• The Newborn Handbook: Your Guide to Bringing Home Baby by Smita Malhotra: more like a high-level reference tool, this book was very non-judgemental, well-backed with research and encompassed a good range of information. It’s not crazy in-depth, but I liked that. It focused on critical, basic knowledge and felt like a good primer.

TBR Lists

When I went to see what I’d added to my TBR in July, I initially felt like it was very little. Turns out I spent a lot of time screen-shotting books across the internet because my list for this month is more robust than it’s been in some time.

Books I can’t wait to read soon include:

• The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood: a recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room. This sounds like a wonderfully unique premise and like a book that would be excellent on audio. 
• Blood and Steel by Helen Sheuerer: a romantic fantasy about a girl who has three years to become the warrior she’s destined to be before her death, according to a foretelling. This one has a lot of the tropes I like in romantasy, and I’ve seen a lot of hype around it.
• The Future Library by Peng Shepherd: a story about an arborist trying to save the last remaining forest who finds out a deep secret. Shepherd also wrote The Cartographers, which I loved, so definitely interested in pulling in another of her stories.
• Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis: described as a “high octane sexy space heist”, this one sounds super fun! 
• Illusion of Stars by Sarah Marie Paige: I’ve seen this one recommended heavily in the last month. It’s a romantasy involving a vengeful spy and an alluring general’s second in command, which sounds like an intriguing enough plot for me to add to the TBR pile.
• All This and More by Peng Shepherd: another one from this author, with a premise that surrounds a woman given the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made. I’ve seen this one described as being one of the most unique books to hit shelves in July, so definitely keen to read this.
• Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan: described as a tale for anyone who’s ever fallen for the villain, and also heavily recommended by queen Leigh Bardugo, this one releases in August and I can’t wait to pick it up. 

What I’m Loving Right Now

Since I opened this month’s wrap-up with a rant about what I’ve not enjoyed this summer, it feels appropriate to end on a high note. Despite this destitute heat, there was a lot of good in July too. Some highlights include:

The Best Ultrasound Ever

This is our first baby, so every appointment right now is a first. This month, we had an ultrasound where the nurse was able to give us a 3D image of baby girl’s tiny face, and I immediately burst into tears when I saw it. It was so incredible to see her as this full person now, just waiting for the right time to make her appearance. I swear I look at this picture 50 times a day.

All The Seafood

One of my favourite things about summer is ALL the seafood. We live on the east coast adjacent to the ocean, so technically we do have seafood all year round, but nothing hits quite like a fresh lobster roll on a patio on a hot and sunny day. 

So far this summer we’ve had every type of seafood that we could get our hands on, and I intend to continue this trend well into the fall. Some of my favourites so far have included lobster rolls, seafood chowder, massive Digby scallops, and some seriously outstanding local salmon and trout.

The Paris Olympics

I don’t regularly watch sports, but I spent my entire childhood as an athlete, and they’re some of the fondest memories I have. The Olympics were always such an exciting time, where it felt like your potential could be limitless if you just put the work in, and I still feel that way even as an adult.

I feel like the Paris Olympics have been some of the most enjoyable that I’ve watched in a long time. The Opening Ceremonies were so wonderfully diverse and well performed, and the athletes all seem as excited to be there as we are to watch them. My husband and I have exclusively had the Olympics on in the background since they began and likely will until they’re over.

So this was July! It was hot, but it was also full of good books, good food, and joy. I’m heading into August with a healthy dose of anticipation as we make our way into the very final stretch of this pregnancy, so between that and all of the exciting reads I have lined up, it’s bound to be a great end to the summer!