July Reading Recap: A Return to the Familiar
Friends – it’s been a while, but I’m back to share the seven books I read this month as part of my July Reading Recap.
For me, this month was a return to the familiar. Ahead of a family trip, I was really interested in going back to a book series I’ve read and reading the next book in the series – most of which were middle grade and young adult. Truly, the ultimate comfort reading.
Check out the list below for the books I loved, really like, and liked enough to finish.
What did you read this month?
My Favorite Book of the Month
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Audio Print
Ada, a thirteen year-old girl with a physical disability, and her younger brother have been taken in by a women and community outside of London during World War II in this middle grade sequel to The War That Saved My Life. Brubaker Bradley depicts how a found family communicates, loves, and supports you in healing trauma in such a beautiful way. Historical fiction is not usually my favorite, but this series is. I read this one aloud with my nine-year-old.
Books I Really Liked This Month
Namesake by Adrienne Young
Audio Print
Fable is a deep sea dredger – essentially she dives to really deep depths with no breathing equipment in order to find jewels – in this Young Adult fantasy duology. My book club read the first book, Fable, last fall, (recap here) and I was intrigued by the world of dredging, and the twist at the end hooked me. Prior to going on vacation this month, I was in the mood to pick up a series I hadn’t finished, and this was top of my list. I liked this second, and final, book in the series even better than the first. I read this one in print.
The Vanderbeekers on the Road by Karin Yan Glaser
The Vanderbeekers are a family of seven living in New York City with a darling cast of characters surrounding them in community and love. In this edition of the middle grade series, the family goes on a road trip to California and chaos ensues, though we know it will always be a happy ending. This is book six of a seven book series and I highly recommend it for a read aloud or to share with your tween. I read this one in print.
In The Woods by Tana French
Rob Ryan survived a childhood trauma and became a detective in Dublin, and now a case he’s working on takes him back to the past he’s tried to avoid. This is darker than the usual cozy mysteries I read, but it worked for me on audio, largely because of the relationship between Rob and his partner Cassie. This is the first in French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. The series is up to six books now and the narrator of each book is a character from the previous book. I love this type of setup and I’m waiting on book two from the library.
Books I Liked This Month
Congratulations, The Best Is Over! by R. Eric Thomas
Audio Print
A collection of essays exploring life as a married gay man moving from the city to the suburbs during the height of the pandemic. I think R. Eric Thomas is just hysterical and his narration of this audiobook is great. For me, there were really thoughtful and funny parts to this collection, but it didn’t quite add up for me. I do still want to check out his debut collection Here For It and his young adult book Kings of B’More.
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
Maisie Dobbs is a female psychologist and investigator in 1930s England in this cozy mystery. This is the fifth in a series of 18 books (and counting), and I’ve been enjoying making my way through the audiobooks in 2024. They have a recurring cast of characters and all of the mysteries, so far, have to do with the implications of World War II.
Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Cristina and Clement are twin teenagers in New Orleans. They are also part of a community of different groups of people who can channel magic in different ways and for different purposes. In this young adult fantasy series, Cristina and Clement pick up where they left off in the first book, Blood Debts, attempting to unravel the complicated racial politics of the magical community and find a way to bring back to life Clement’s zombie boyfriend, Yves. I think this series is chaotic and absurd, and yet somehow when I saw this sequel on the library shelf, I couldn’t leave it there.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Even if you don’t use the links, I highly recommend checking out Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for access to tons of titles while still supporting an indie bookstore.
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