July Reading Wrap Up

Write Off the Rails

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: July 2024

     Back again for another fun month of book suggestions? Here are the things Kristin and I have been reading since the last wrap-up. Be sure to tell us if you see any of your favorite reads, something on the never-ending To-Be-Read list, or if you know of a comparable title we might enjoy. Thanks again for reading! Write on.

Kamryn:

I know I’ve been working through Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles series for several months now, but as I mentioned in last month’s wrap-up, I’ve finally finished up the final installment, Winter, and was planning to move on to the two bonus books that came with the set I bought. 

You can read more about the bonus books a bit more in depth in my last two blogs, but the first one I finished was a collection of short stories called Stars Above. It featured nine stories, eight of which were set before the events of The Lunar Chronicles main series and focusing in on the backstories of several main characters or important events we knew of but had never seen. The final story flashed forward to catch up with the main characters after the events of Winter as a nice way to tell where everyone was and what they were up to. I liked the way Meyer went back and gave insight onto important past events her readers would be familiar with, but it’s also nice to see a happy ending later on as well.

The second bonus book, Fairest, was a considerably darker addition to the set as Meyer chose to give us the backstory to Luna’s evil queen, Levana. This story explains a lot of the causes and reasoning for why Levana ended up being the villain she was in the main story, while also walking through notable events of her past the reader somewhat knew about but didn’t have a lot of information on. It’s dark, it’s tragic, and not going to lie, Meyer did get me with a plot twist at the end, so bonus points for that.

I’m not sure what I might go to next on the To Be Read list. I have several books to consider option-wise, but I think it’ll depend what I’m in the mood for after coming off a longer series. Guess we’ll know next month. See you then!

Kristin:  

Alright, so if you remember the previous month I had started a few books and I didn’t finish them yet and have added yet another book that I have partially started reading. I’ve been in a major reading rut and have no mental space for new stories. That being said, I’ve gone back and read a few volumes of Toilet Bound Hanako Kun by Aidalro. Yes, it’s a weird title, but it’s a fantastic storyline. It’s dark and mysterious and cute and sweet and angsty and one of my favorite ships, ever. And that’s saying something if you know me. Fun Fact: I got the chance to meet the English voice actor for the protagonist Yashiro Nene named Tia Ballard who was not only super sweet and awesome to meet, but she told me that this story is near and dear to her because it is a story retelling. So now, I’ve been torn between wanting to find the original story to learn what will likely be the fate of this story, or to go with the flow and see how it plays out myself. I suppose you all may find out in upcoming blogs! But! The recent updates lay out some major changes of the “let’s completely erase everything we’ve worked so hard for” levels and the chapter updates cannot come fast enough. I always love this story too while sad and angsty, the author really isn’t afraid of throwing conflict and the characters worst fears right in their faces. 

That’s all for this month! Be sure to let us know what you’re reading and we’ll see you in August! As always, write-on!