whitneydaniell

72 Books and Counting: My Surprisingly Stacked July.

I surprised myself this month. I really thought I’d end up reading less than I did in June—especially since I took another mini vacay for my niece’s birthday—but I actually finished a book while I was there.

I’m still sticking to my #NoSpend when it comes to books. No Audible. No Barnes & Noble—even though they’re opening a new one right by my house! I’m only reading what I can get from the library and any advanced copies I’m approved for on NetGalley. It’s been 140 days, and I’ve only spent $45 on books—that’s progress. Now… what to do with all the physical books I impulse-bought back in 2022 and 2023?

We’re halfway through the year, and I originally thought I’d get through about 50 books. But I’ve already read 72. I’m hoping I can keep this momentum going through the end of the year (and beyond). Seasonal depression always hits me hard around the end of October, so we’ll see. I should probably update my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge while I’m at it. I’m also working on their Summer Challenge—so far, I’ve earned 6 out of the 9 achievements. Once I finish Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson in August, I’ll have 7 of 9 completed. For whatever reason, my ADHD brain is wired to overachieve if there’s a challenge involved.

All that aside, I read some really great books this month. Bitter Honey by Lola Akinmade Åkerström was another strong one—such a thoughtful side story to her previous series. I also finally got my hands on The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee and Jayne Allen. Totally worth the hype. But King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby? That one disappointed me. Everyone and their momma seemed to love it, but it really came up short for me.

Anyway, here’s everything I read in July:

Here are my current Libby holds:

Here are my current NetGalley requests: