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.

One Perfect Couple (Ruth Ware): I had a hard time getting into this one. Then, it became intriguing. Then it became far-fetched. So. If you like Ruth Ware, you will probably like this book. It’s a good beach read, but it’s also one of the least realistic ones.

The Twist of a Knife (Anthony Horowitz): I have a thing where I won’t read the next book in this series until the next one comes out so I always have an Anthony Horowitz book to look forward to. I love his books that much. Like all of the other books in the series, this story was perfection. I love love love these books and would give them a million stars instead of just five if Goodreads allowed it.

The Bingo Hall Detectives (Jonathan Whitelaw): I was intrigued by this book because it had so many five-star reviews, so I bought it last time we were in the UK. It was a sweet cozy mystery with a bickering son-in-law and mother-in-law. It felt very Marlow Murders but in the Lake District. I’ll definitely read the next in the series, and I bought the third one when it was on sale.

Long Island Compromise (Taffy Brodesser-Akner): This was another book that exceeded the Goodreads star system. This was brilliant. Truly the best satire I’ve read in a long time that hits such a deep truth and familiar space. I loved every second of this book.

What did you read last month?

If you are looking for a good show, we finished Bodkin on Netflix a few weeks ago. It was kind of all over the place, but I liked it a lot. And the Obamas produced it, which was kind of weird because it was a lighthearted murder mystery. Next up: excited to see The Perfect Couple.

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Note to self: Do not attempt to “fix” things when you are in the middle of doing other things. A case in point: I was heading into colonoscopy prep when I decided it was the perfect time to try to mend a tear in my iPad cover. I would just hot glue the tear closed and enjoy a repaired iPad cover after the procedure.

But hot glue didn’t work. Not a problem — I’ll just switch to superglue. The superglue also did not work, and I got it on the tips of four fingers. It wouldn’t come off. Then my alarm sounded to let me know that it was time to start the medication, and I had to go into prep with a broken iPad cover and fingers coated in a very uncomfortable film of dried superglue.

Tape held the whole thing together for a night, and we ordered an $8 case that is absolute perfection. So… yeah… this is more a note to myself to not start those DIY projects when I have other things on my plate.

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

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I’m not sure where I originally saw it, but someone posted a Twitter thread of pictures that represent moments from a 1980s childhood. All except maybe five or six triggered such a clear and happy (or sometimes unhappy) memory from elementary school.

It will likely only be meaningful to kids in the United States, but yes to all of this. This is what childhood in the 80s looked like.

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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.

Once upon a time, there were songs in books, and we had no idea how the tune went if we didn’t know the song. Sometimes, they would tell you that this was a made-up song sung to the tune of “Old MacDonald,” but more often than not, if it were an actual song, they would assume the reader would know it. For example, “Amazing Grace.” And some kids knew it, but some kids didn’t. I was one of those children who often didn’t, but because I was a good, rule-following child when I encountered a song in a book that I did not know, I guessed the tune. And then I sang the words in that tune to myself while reading.

Occasionally, one pops into my head — especially if it was in a book I re-read a lot — but now I can Google it. I first record myself singing or humming the tune so I don’t forget what I originally thought, and then I Google the song to see how far off I was. I really like my version of “Oh, You Can’t Get to Heaven” better.

Now, when I see a song, I click the title in the e-book, and it opens a Google search so I can listen to it while I’m reading. So I guess there won’t be a generation singing alternative tunes to popular songs now that people can get everything correct. And maybe it’s silly, but I think sometimes I miss out by knowing the correct tune.

I survived my first colonoscopy and do not have to return for another for 10 years. There are a few things that made prep easier, and I pass them along in case they help you, too. You can have dye-free lemon or lime Italian ice or popsicles. I bought both and ate them through the day, and I never got too hungry. In fact, I worked up until I started drinking the prep in the evening.

I added lemon Crystal Light to the gallon of prep before adding water (skipping the provided packet), but I only used half the amount of flavouring for the amount of water. I worried a stronger flavour would be harder to get down. Not sure if this theory was correct, but I had zero issues chugging a 12-ounce glass every 10 minutes for 2/3rds of the bottle. It tasted like salty lemonade. I had a harder time with the final third and had to sip it, but got all of it down without issue.

So I pass along these tips to you in case they help you make your appointment. Glad to have it behind me, no pun intended.

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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.

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And now the blogs…

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:

• “Talking About My Freedom” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Dear John took a road trip with her daughter and unfortunately ended their journey with the big Delta flight cancelation situation. But in between, it sounded lovely, with unexpected detours and beautiful sights. There is an ache behind the words, missing her husband while appreciating the time with her daughter.

Lastly, The Next 15000 Days has a post about hanging up a child’s art. A new friend comments they couldn’t hang up a child’s drawing in their house because “seeing them would break her heart every time. I told her I understood – that 15 years ago, I could never have had the drawings there either. But now I can.” It’s a lovely post about where life is now.

The roundup to the Roundup: Colonoscopy tips. 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 2 – 9) 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.