As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from July.

Chosen Family (Madeleine Gray): I’ll start by saying that I related to this book A LOT. It dredged up a lot of feelings, in a good way. There is catharsis, but if I have a complaint about the book, it’s that she takes you past the point where you need the catharsis. Which means you read a big section of the book feeling unease instead of release. And when you get to the moment of catharsis, you take with you feelings that I don’t think she intended you to have about the characters. I am glad I read this book. I am glad I own this book and can read it again. But I wish it had been less “hurt people hurt people” and more cycle breaking.

The Shampoo Effect (Jenny Jackson): 4.5 stars rounded up. The writing is great, and I wanted to spend time with all the characters. There is not really a plot. But maybe look at it as hanging out with friends at the beach more than a cohesive story. Totally enjoyable, whether you’re reading it at home or on a beach yourself.

The Artful Anna Harris (Tracy Maton): The first half was a nice thriller but I didn’t get the big deal. People were raving about this book, but it felt pretty standard. And then the switch. The second half was a wild ride, and I totally understood the praise. Very well done.

Ungodly Rich (Katharine McGee): Fun and fluffy with all the usual Katharine McGee characters — it was Thousandth Floor or American Royals but with Greek gods. It ends with a cliffhanger, so I’m hoping there’s another book in the future. It’s a good vacation read, fast-moving and easy to keep the pantheon in your head.

Pagans (James Alistair Henry): What a great story and world. I am so bummed that it will be a year until book two, but this one was so good that I’ll pre-order it. The world took work to sort out in my brain, but I enjoyed doing that work. Entertaining, educating, and thought provoking.

Alan Opts Out (Courtney Maum): This was a joyful ride, and the ending was superb. (Lenny, obviously, but I’m talking about those last few lines.) My heart hurt sometimes for Vivian, but I loved how she grew and changed AND stayed the same. Great story.

What did you read last month?

A few weeks ago, I was in Cornwall. You know, the place that just experienced a 95% solar eclipse. It wouldn’t have been difficult to get to Spain from there or somewhere else that was in the 100% covered path.

I know I wasn’t going to hang out there for an additional six weeks, and we couldn’t move the trip because it aligned with the twins’ programs this summer. Plus, while I technically knew about this eclipse because after the last solar eclipse (my niece and I looked up all the upcoming solar eclipses and said we should all go to Spain for this eclipse), I didn’t remember there was going to be an eclipse until the BBC started posting on Wednesday about how Cornwall (remember, that place I just was) was experiencing a 95% solar eclipse.

I need to write these things down.

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Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

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But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• None… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

It has been two months since Slaying, Blogging, Whatever’s father died, and she reflects on the time between that loss and now. She writes: “It feels bizarre how time goes slow/fast through our lives … A little over two months ago I was on the most strange and sad and nice road trip with my brother to North Carolina.” Time moves strangely with grief. Sending a hug.

Lastly, No Kidding in NZ also reflects on the time between her husband’s death and now. She explains: “I’ve always said writing helps. And it really does. But in the absolute depths of grief, writing has been, and still is, too hard.” Everything reminds her of her husband — she carries 40 years of memories with her as she moves through her day — and holding it together takes a toll. Sending peace of heart.

The roundup to the Roundup: Summer slow down. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 7 – 14) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

I was alone in the house and anxious, so I cleaned out the refrigerator. I took everything off each shelf, bleached it, and then put things back in the correct place, dumping anything expired. I pulled out the drawers and bleached the area under them. I checked every piece of fruit or vegetable, making sure everything I returned to its place in the refrigerator was something we would eat this week.

I took everything off the outside of the refrigerator and bleached the doors, too. And then I sorted the magnets and lists and photographs into piles. I didn’t need to keep old Bat Mitzvah invitations, a calendar from 2019, or coupons that expired half a decade ago. I threw out the magnets from two different power-washing companies, a school calendar from a real estate agent for a school system we no longer attended, and a jury summons that had already been filled.

I looked through the old meal plans from the pandemic when we would shop once for two weeks, and I had to plot out fresh vegetables for the days after the shop and frozen vegetables for the days close to the end.

And in the end, instead of anxiety, I just felt sad. It’s strange how a cleaning session can do that to you.

I had Acts of Cupidity on my TBR for so long that the second book in the series was on the shelves before I could pick up a copy in Belfast. I knew within a few pages that it was the perfect book for me and that I would want to continue with the second book in the series. The only problem was that the bookstore was sold out of the book.

No worries. We would pass dozens of other bookstores on our travels, and I would pick it up at another one. But it was sold out throughout London. Sold out in Exeter. Sold out in every bookstore in Cornwall, except there was one copy for a hot minute in Truro, which disappeared before we could take three modes of transportation to stop at a bookstore. The ChickieNob ran into a bookstore in Oxford, which had a few copies, but they refused to sell them to her. They said it was embargoed, which made no sense because the second book had been out for months.

Not being able to get it just made me want it more.

I ordered it when I got home, after finishing the first book. (My instincts were correct! I knew I wanted the next book from the first few pages.) I was able to order it, though it got lost in the mail, and meandered across the states until it finally landed in my hands.

It was a rare case where a long-awaited story met expectations. I’ve been reading it slowly, only allowing myself a chapter each night, which means I have to balance multiple books at once. But I love being in this world.

And a third book is on the way in 2027. Something to look forward to when this one is done.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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I am normally not a fan of games with timers. Even if I tell myself that I won’t care about time, I still care about time. I try to work quickly. Or I cheat and turn off the phone to think. In any case, I usually click away the moment I see a timer that I cannot turn off in settings.

But I like 18 words because the timer doesn’t feel unreasonable. I’m not working frantically. It’s just trying to get me to focus. The timer resets with each word, and you rarely need more than 30 seconds per word. If you mess up one word, the game doesn’t stop. You keep your place and try again.

18 words is a gentle word unscrambling game, perfect for even people who dislike timers.

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.