Towering TBR (Part: July)

Welcome to another installment of Towering TBR! July was very exciting in both life and book buying *cough cough* I mean reading. So let's get going!

Starting TBR Count: 32

TBR Reads: 1

TBR DNFs: 0

Rereads: 2

Library Reads: 4

Books Purchased: 9

Books Gifted: 0

Final TBR Count: 31

Total TBR Books Checked Off This Year: 35

TBR Reads

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson - 5 stars

This is a hauntingly beautiful story about closure, grief, and the bittersweetness of human interaction. I read it in 24 hours and haven't forgotten it at all.

Rereads

Cress by Marissa Meyer - 5 stars

Reread book 3 in the Lunar Chronicles for my read-along! It's such an excellent series!

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke - 5 stars

I finally finished my reread from April! This is a massive book, but an incredible end to the original trilogy. These are my favorite books for a reason THEY ARE SO GOOD!! I finished it in time to pick up book 4 in October!

New Reads

The Living Force by John Jackson Miller - 5 stars

As of now, this is my 2nd favorite Star Wars book. Following all the members of the council helping out a planet that means a lot to all of them (plus a couple moments of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan throughout!!!), we get a cozy adventure, some intense action involving pirates, and laugh-out-loud moments between the Jedi. This is peak Star Wars.

For Unicorn Lover's Only by Penelope Gwynn - 4 stars

A cozy and informative guide perfect for any unicorn fan! The art was beautiful and I learned so many new things.

Library Reads

Dulcie's Taste of Magic by Gail Herman - 4 stars

Yummy food and over-working reign supreme in Dulcie's life, making it difficult to do what she loves. A little story about burnout that's fun with lots of delicious illustrations!

Silvermist and the Ladybug Curse by Gail Herman - 5 stars

Are curses real or are they just real when we believe they are? Everyone believes Silvermist is cursed and she might be proving them right! This story was entertaining but also chock full of wisdom.

Fawn and the Mysterious Trickster by Laura Driscoll - 5 stars

There's a prank war going on! This little spooky book was very funny and so delightful for fans of the animal talent fairies. Definitely a new favorite for me!

Iridessa, Lost at Sea by Lisa Papademetriou - 3 stars

Iridessa and Tinkerbell are stranded outside of Pixie Hollow! Although exciting, the two main fairies bickered the entire time about how to solve their problems and made this adventure less fun.

Books Purchased

Riddle of Hearts by Rosie Grymm - 4.5 stars

This Alice in Wonderland retelling was so clever and immersive with incredibly endearing characters! I adored the quirky autumnal aesthetic and all the twists had me TURNING PAGES. (Plus the author is super duper amazing and may or may not have been my roomie at Realm Makers.)

Birdsong by Melody Faith - 4 stars

This beautiful little collection of poetry was so raw and authentic. Many of the poems felt like prayers and psalms - a true gift to read.

The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes - TBR

Unbelievably excited for Nadine's new book. She never disappoints. Expect to hear me scream about this soon.

Down with the Prince by Xanna Renae -  TBR

The cover. The art. The premise. Everything about this looks AMAZING!!

Yours, Constance by Emily Hayse - TBR

After reading The Great Gatsby last year, I really need some more 1920s stories in my life and this one has FAERIES!!

Callie and the Pumpkin Seed by Sarah Beran - TBR

A Cinderella retelling centered around a fantasy pumpkin bakery?? This book sounds absolutely perfect for my fall TBR!

Suspended in the Stars by E.A. Hendryx - TBR

I have been recommended this book so many times AND it won 2 Realm Awards! I can't wait to dive in.

Of Fire and Ash by Gillian Bronte Adams - TBR

As a certified horse girl, I have been eyeing this book for a couple years and finally took the leap so I could get it signed!!

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unraveled by Shannon Messenger - preorder for 11/12/24

This series is one of my favorites of all time and I CANNOT wait for the next installment!

July Thoughts

It was a good reading month! Although it was mostly rereading and library books, the one TBR book I read was an immediate 5 star and is probably in my top 3 books for the year, which is crazy! 

It was incredible to go to Realm Makers for the 1st time this year. I made lots of new friends, learned a ton about the writing craft, and bought SO MANY books!! I absolutely broke so many rules in the process, but I let Realm Makers be a freebie haha! (FYI, I'm not including any new books in my TBR for this blog series since the main goal was to get through the books I bought 2+ years ago.)

I am very excited to read some more sci-fi books for Space Girl Summer next month and I am already planning out my autumn reading as well.

Until next time!

~K.J. Haakenson