Forever Lost in Literature: Month in Review: July 2024

I can't believe we're already a week into August! July ended up getting really busy for me so I took some minor impromptu blogging breaks (which basically just means I just didn't get as many reviews as I meant to up, sorry!). Among all of the normal things like work and general life going on, I'm also going to be partaking in my first aerial performance at the end of August, so I've been prepping for that as well and am both nervous and excited for it!

In reading news, I managed to read the exact same amount of books I read in June, and among those were some truly excellent reads. My favorites were probably The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean, which I highly recommend and brought me so much joy, as well as H.G. Parry's Heartless, a Peter Pan retelling that I truly adored and was a bit heartbroken by. I also recommend that one! I also continued my nonfiction journey of learning more about North Korea, and after the last one I think I'll move on to another nonfiction area to explore!

How was your July? Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

# books read: 12

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was such a wonderful story that made me feel so happy. I can't recommend this one enough!

Heartless by H.G. Parry

Source: Purchased | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: This is one fo my favorite Peter Pan retellings and I absolutely loved it. It made me very sad (which is what I want from a good Peter Pan retelling) and really left me with a huge book hangover. If you are at all a fan of Peter Pan retellings (or even if you aren't), this is a really great one you should check out.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: Stephen Graham Jones absolutely never disappoints, especially with slasher-themed stories. This was another incredibly story from him and I would absolutely recommend it, especially as we get closer to fall.

After Oz by Gordon McAlpine

Source:NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: I've never read a Wizard of Oz-inspired retelling so I thought this was a really fun idea. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I still had an enjoyable time with it.

Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was an overall very disappointing collection of short stories. I talk about it a bit more in my review, but I really didn't care for this one.

How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive by Craig DiLouie

Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: This definitely won't become a favorite, but it was certainly an entertaining idea for a horror story. Craig DiLouie always brings ideas and executes them with intensity and goes full force with them.

The White Guy Dies First: 12 Scary Stories of Fear and Power edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This collection of horror stories was incredibly hit or miss, with some really fun stories and some letdowns. Still, a solid collection for anyone looking for some short horror.

Dallergut Dream Department Store by Mi Ye Lee

Source:Purchased | Format:Paperback

Thoughts: This wasn't quite as wonderful and dreamy as I expected, but still a hugely enjoyable story with some really neat ideas.

Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi

Source: Library | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: I've really enjoyed Bacigalupi's writing and this collection was no exception. There is some incredible writing in here and there are equally incredible (and creative) stories in here.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This is a novella that I hadn't ever heard of, but that I think could easily be considered a sci-fi/dystopian classic akin to something from Margaret Atwood. Well worth a read!

Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This is another installment in the unofficial 'Jordan reads about North Korea' series and was really fascinating. This author wanted to write an investigative journalism story, but her publisher wanted a memoir, so it's a bit confused about what it wants to do, but overall it's very insightful and was a great read.

The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un by Anna Fifield

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I've been working through a number of books on North Korea lately so I can get a better overall picture of it (we all go down random rabbit holes sometimes, right?) and this was probably one of the most enlightening one that I've read. This was filled with a lot of information I didn't previously know and gave some fascinating insight into areas I hadn't read about before (I've largely read stories from defectors and those from the camps) and makes you feel even worse about North Korea, to be honest.

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright

This was an ARC from the publisher that I do plan to revisit and finish, but at the moment it just wasn't working for me. The story seemed interesting, but for some reason I just was not enjoying the writing.