My reading (and listening) has slowed down this month and I read less than in June – mostly due to the numerous end-of-term activities, and the kids finishing school for the summer! I did manage five books, though, with three of those being for my book clubs, so I didn’t read much of my own choosing!

I also managed another book for my 12 books recommended by 12 friends reading challenge. I’m still behind like last month, but I’m determined to get there by the end of the year!

The majority of the books I read in July were audiobooks, and the other was an ebook: all of them were fiction. Storygraph tells me I physically read 228 pages and listened to just over 53 hours!

When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker 3*

Although I love the cover for this one, it wasn’t really on my radar as I can rarely get on with high fantasy. However, it was chosen for one of my online book clubs so I gave it a shot. I did try physically reading reading it to begin with but I found myself with no motivation to pick it up so I switched to audio. It was easier to engage with in this format.

It wasn’t what I was expecting – I don’t know what that was, but this wasn’t it! With so much character and world building, I did struggle and considered DNF’ing at around 40% but I decided to keep going. It started to pick up for me after a while but I still couldn’t love it. I perservered though and managed to finish it.

It did make me laugh at points as although it felt slow, the story flowed and the atmosphere was palpable. I couldn’t warm to any of the characters but I did like the back and forth between present day and the diary entries. The spice was probably my favourite thing about it! I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel to this one.

Ward D by Freida McFadden 3.5*

This was one of my own choices for this month and I’m slowly working my way through Freida McFadden‘s library. (Even though her female characters irritate me, they are gripping reads!) This was the book I was most looking forward to, but it ended up being my least favourite. It started off well and I knew there was something amiss between two of the main characters. I didn’t figure out what it was, though, until right before the big reveal.

I did like the way it swapped between past and present with the storytelling. What I didn’t like, was the way mentally ill patients were represented throughout the book – it just felt a bit “ick!” And once again, the female main character annoyed me with hankering after males that she shouldn’t be.

It did keep me intrigued and wanting to know what happened next but I wasn’t as hooked as I have been with Freida’s books I’ve read so far. I will continue to read them, though!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki 4*

Although I’m more drawn to books involving dogs than cats, this was on my tbr as I’m loving Japanese fiction at the minute. This was another of my online book club reads, so it bumped it to the top of my list. I found it easy to get into and want to stick with throughout.

I really loved the magical realism with the talking cat waiters, and the food narrative had me sucked in too. I’d love to visit the coffee shop myself! I found the philosophy and astrology quite thought provoking, too.

I did feel like the whole book was too focused on the first character and would have liked it to go more in depth with the others. However, I thought it worked well with how all the characters were connected. I really recommend this if you’re a fan of Japanese and cosy fiction!

The One by John Marrs 3.5*

This book was also on my tbr before being suggested for my 12 books recommended by 12 friends reading challenge, so it bumped it up to this year’s reading list. It was an easy one to get into and I found it gripping for the first third or so, however I found it started to drag around half way through. Saying that, there were a lot of twists and turns that kept me hanging on!

I will say it’s not quite what I was expecting (for the second time this month!) The scattered humour was surprising but it did add a relatable dimension to the book. The darker themes running through the story made it more intriguing.

Usually I enjoy a book with multiple points of view, but there were a lot to keep up with in this one! I can’t say I was drawn to anyone in particular and the ending felt a bit abrupt. I will check out more by the author as I’ve been told they aren’t like this one at all.

Molly & The Captain by Anthony Quinn 2.5*

This was the monthly read for my in person book club. It’s not one we would have chosen or submitted on our list, but it was provided to us by the library and we thought it sounded interesting. However, we all found it boring and disappointing!

It was difficult to get into. Although, I did like the first part of the story in the format of letters written by the main character from that time period. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters in this part, or the second (which was a different time period.) It was almost a dnf  this book too: I only kept going because it was for book club!

I “enjoyed” part three the most, which was from the most recent period of history. The story was more relatable and the characters were easier to connect with. It still fell a bit flat for me, though. The best thing throughout the whole book was the atmosphere. However, it was clever how all of the characters connected through history.

It’s obvious from my star ratings, but The Full Moon Coffee Shop was my favourite read in July! Have you read any of these? What was your favourite book of the month?