It’s been a great summer of reading. In total, I’ve plowed through about 30 books in the last 3 months! I owe a lot of my success to the various reading challenges that went up this summer, mainly from #MGBookVillage and #MGCarousel.

#MGCarousel’s Summer Reading Bingo: August

(links will take you to Goodreads)

A Crow on the Cover: Wizard at Work by Vivian Vande Velde
‘How To’ in the Title: How to Grow Up and Take Over the World by Vordak the Incomprehensible
Playing Cards on the Cover: One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin
A Book About School: The Jacket by Andrew Clements
Orange Cover: The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix by Kate Saunders

June | July

#MGSummer Reading Challenge from MG Book Village

I loved this challenge because it pushed me to try some new things. Some categories were easy to complete, like visiting the local library. Others required a little more forethought, like finding a translated title. Some of the most fun were the interactive ones, where I got to swap recommendations with friends or reach out to authors.

A few highlights for me…

Read a Graphic Novel: I treated myself to the first couple Cucumber Quest volumes by Gigi D.G. for this challenge, and I’m so excited to have the colorful collections added to the shelf! I have a feeling they’re going to get re-read a lot.
Post a Shelfie: We got a fun shot of me after opening a pre-order we’ve been waiting for, and I love that it highlights our amazing bookshelves. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to use them as a backdrop before!
Write or Draw for 10 Minutes: I actually did both over the summer! I enjoy my various creative outlets, so this was an easy one to check off. It felt pretty rewarding to put aside time for some of my non-reading activities this summer.
Reach Out to an Author About Their Book: This is something that doesn’t occur to me very often, I’m sad to say. I often assume that an author already knows how epic and talented and inspiring they are. It was a cool reminder to reach out and let those hard-working people know that their books found the right reader.

YA Reads

While I almost exclusively read Middle Grade, I don’t believe in boxing myself in. Reading is for fun, after all! Here are a few Young Adult titles I’ve enjoyed recently, all highly recommended:

• Beaumont & Beasley Book 1: The Beast of Talesend by Kyle Robert Shultz (re-imagined fairy tales, Steampunk elements, magic gone awry, and actually Laugh Out Loud funny)
• Forsaken Sons Book 1: The Three by Christa Kinde (action/adventure, halfblood angels, legends come to life, set in historical Middle East)
• Ashes by Grace Crandall (a free short story, gritty Medieval dystopian, spies & rebels, nice and angsty)
• Colors of Fear & Flames of Courage by Hannah Heath (fast-paced high fantasy short stories, desert elves, so much emotional depth)

*Please note YA titles may contain drinking, swearing, violence, character death, and other Teen-rated themes. If you have any questions about the content of a particular title feel free to ask!

That’s it for me! Your turn. What were the highlights of your summer reading adventures?