What I'll be reading in July 2017.

July is here. The month in which Wimbledon takes over our TVs, eating outside becomes more or less normal, pubs with proper gardens get their time to shine, the seafront gets mobbed by DFL types, pale legs get pulled out of jeans and forced into shorts...

But July is also the time when we bookish folks all start properly prepping and scheduling for YALC. It's when we fill our suitcases with the latest bestsellers to read by the pool in Spain, or between trains in the unfamiliar city. We'll be celebrating Harry Potter's birthday at the end of this month...and mine, the day after. Obvs. 

This month I will be continuing my YALC prep, which I began in June...turns out 1 month wasn't enough! Surprise, surprise. Over the next 3 weeks I'll be tearing through (not literally – although I do sometimes turn pages over...) as many YA novels as possible, or at the very least those which correspond with the authors I desperately wanna see in panels or for signings (the YALC schedule is driving me mad...in a good way).

I'll be mixing it up a bit too. I feel too much YA could make it all blur in my mind; I would hate to get plots muddled or characters' names wrong due to excessive young adulting...

My secondary reading in July will be: Hyped-up Hardbacks!

Snappy title, I know. And you must know what I mean by that, right? Well, let me explain... 

I hate hype. I really do. I think that's why I've been pretty lukewarm about 'When Dimple Met Rishi', a recent YA read (I like the story and the characters, it's super cute, just...not quite worth all the excitable screeching it's getting on Twitter?! Sorry, guys).

To this day, I have not read 'Gone Girl' (and probably won't, not now I've seen the film and Ben Affleck's bits), or 'Girl on the Train' (another hype last summer seemed to be referring to grown ass women as 'girls'?!), or 'The Da Vinci Code' (meh).

Now, these two novels have had a lot of good press lately, and I am willing to ride the hype with them. They are...  

'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine', by Gail Honeyman.

Firstly, I adore the names on the cover – Gail's, and her character's! YA books tend to have seriously OTT beyond-quirky character names, tbh, but adult fiction not so much, I find. So we're off to a good start – a strong character name. Box ticked. 

'Smart, warm, uplifting, the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open her heart.' - Goodreads. 

I managed to scoop up this brand new hardback in Oxfam Books Winchester (the shop I will not stop banging on about, soz) for only £1.50!

(Only HALF my haul from Oxfam Books!)

'How to Stop Time', by Matt Haig. 

I saw Matt conversing excellently with Bryony Gordon (currently my #1 wannabe friend crush) at Foyles last week, to celebrate the launch of this book. He then signed my copy, and was lovely as ever. I have actually only read a little of Matt's work – which isn't surprising, as he's written about 15 books – but what I've sampled, I've liked.

This novel tells the story of Tom Hazard, a man with a unique and arguably unfortunate condition; he ages super slowly. It means he's gotta keep changing identities as time wears on - but at least he has a good gig as a history teacher. Let's hope he can carry on and not fall madly in love, or anything...that'd be so inconvenient. 

 

Right so, I should end this blog post ASAP really because a) I have Wimbledon highlights to catch up on, and b) there's reading to be done!

Is anyone else preparing for YALC? Any tips for me, as it'll only be my second time attending...? Also, has anyone read either of these hyped-up hardbacks? Comment or tweet me, friends!

Hope y'all enjoy your July reading.