I couldn’t give up book reviews entirely! I still don’t want to write individual reviews for everything I read, but I need to have a list somewhere of the things I’ve read so that when someone asks for a recommendation, I’ll know where to go. I think a monthly compilation review will be a good compromise!
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
I LOVED this book. It has enough familiar tropes to feel comfortable (ordinary girl is actually a powerful magician, unlikely romance develops between two opposites) but adds some really creative twists to the world-building and plot. I was so impressed by Novik’s work that I immediately went to the Kindle store to buy her dragon series. This is not a part of that, but I have a feeling Novik is going to be an author I can trust.
The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
This book is almost the opposite of Uprooted. It is incredibly unique (girl lives on a pirate ship that can travel throughout time and space with the help of special maps) but unfortunately devolved into common tropes. I am TIRED of unnecessary love triangles. This seems like the beginning of a series, and I would be super into it if it weren’t for that pesky trope. It just. The book didn’t need it! She’s already dealing with a relationship with her dad and the fear of being snuffed out of existence because of time travel! One love interest is enough.
Love’s Executioner by Irvin D. Yalom
My counseling professor recommended this book years ago, but I only just got around to reading it. Dr. Yalom describes ten of his clients’ stories, which is interesting enough. But he also goes into a lot of detail about how he felt about each person – the attractions, the frustrations, the disgust – and how he worked through those feelings in order to work with them. I think this book would be interesting to most people, but it’s undoubtedly for counselors who might benefit from a behind-the-scenes look at a successful counselor’s methods.
Not many for July, but I’m 300 pages into Dostoevsky’s The Idiot, so…hopefully that counts as enough of an explanation
It Is Trish 
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