I haven’t done a monthly wrap-up in quite a while and it feels way too late to try doing one for each month now. I thought it would be best to group the summer months together.
This summer was great for me. I traveled, met new people, started a new job and became an English major. Things are falling into place, even if the Fall semester is already stressing me out.
I had less classes to worry about this summer, which meant way more time to blog. Summers tend to be when my blog grows the most and this one blew previous summers out of the water. I also got a lot of reading done, which is what I’m going to talk about today.
So, let’s get into it!
May
My summer starts the first week of May, that’s when our last few exams happen at my university. In May, I went on a cruise, came back, went on a trip with my school’s Student Government, and then started my summer classes. I only took two this summer and one of them was a six week course, so it was over by July.
Once I was done with those trips, I finally had time to read again. I read the copy of A Man Called Ove that a friend had given me back in the Spring. I also went to the library that month and picked up a copy of Ghost by Jason Reynolds, which didn’t take long to finish.
June
I started June off with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda which led me down my LGBTQ+ representation train. I’m happy I got to read some new perspectives this summer.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you already know how much I love to rave about Renee Watson’s This Side of Home. It’s been three years since I read it and I’m still give it a plug every chance I get. When I saw Piecing me Together at the library, it was the perfect next read.
I decided to try out another one of Becky Albertalli’s books. Leah and the Offbeat wasn’t at the library so I picked up The Upside of Unrequited. It was definitely a cute summer read.
July
I forced myself through Love, Hate & Other Filters (which was disappointing for a number of reasons) so I could read Watch Us Rise. I had some mixed feelings about Watch Us Rise, but I liked it overall.
After I got through the library reads, I treated myself by reading the copy of With the Fire on High that I bought from my local bookstore. I love going to that place and I also love With the Fire on High. Everything about it was so perfect. Definitely worth the hype.
The Reading Rush started that following week, so I had to throw together a TBR. I finished three wonderful audiobooks during it. I tried getting through My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich but that just wasn’t working out.
Monday’s Not Coming was so thrilling. I don’t usually read psychological thrillers anymore, but this one has gotten me back into the genre. I’ve also been meaning to get into Tiffany D. Jackson’s work, so this was a nice way to start.
After that, I listened to Odd One Out. After reading Dear Martin, I found out that Nic Stone is such a cool person and great author. I didn’t like Rae, despite our shared name, but I loved Courtney and Jupiter so that made up for it.
I also reread The Poet X. It was a cool experience hearing it in audiobook form this time around. It definitely gave me a new perspective on the story.
August
I read all four books over the course of my week’s vacation in Haiti. I had a fun time there, but I also had a ton of free time, hence the reading. It was a great way to spend my last week of summer.
In August, I finally got through My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. I really wanted to get through it before the official release date and I ended up doing just that.
My reviews for Darius the Great is Not Okay, Slay, and Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday will be up later this month. Yes, Friday reviews are back for September. I don’t know about after that, though.
All I’m gonna say is that I loved two out of four of my August reads.
School started back up two weeks ago for me and I’ve been super busy with my classes and on-campus job. I added English as a second major, so I might actually have some more bookish posts soon enough.
This summer was so much fun. I got to travel, try new things, and read some new stories. It was such a blessed summer!
Rae's Reads and Reviews 
Leave a comment