I finally did it, friends: the reading updates are getting years on them now.

The Charmed Librarian has been back up and running full-time for over a year now! I’m wicked proud of that accomplishment, especially when it feels like thankless work – but in the end, I love having something so solid and consistent, that I built from the ground up, and can look back and reflect on from time to time. I love reading, and I love what all my reading has allowed me to build on here since 2019.

So, happy birthday, Charmed Librarian.

Sorry you had to see that.

As I write this, on the second to last day of the month, I read fifteen books in July. I can’t even believe that. I don’t think I’ve ever read that much in a month in all my years. That’s practically a book of every other day…insanity. And I don’t really know why, either; my schedule has remained consistently insane between multiple jobs and restarting my Etsy shop (shameless self-plug). Audiobooks definitely make a huge difference for my volume (six of the fifteen were audiobooks, which I can easily listen to at the same time as having another physical book going). Having my Kindle everywhere and anywhere has also been a help. I know some people really hate them, but I adore my Kindle. Maybe it’s not the same, but it’s hella convenient. Another five of the books this month were on my Kindle – which again, I can for some reason read while also having a physical book going.

Next on the agenda for this month: The 52 Book Club Challenge. I have just six prompts left, and one of them is 21. Published by Simon & Schuster, which I have already potentially filled with some books, if I move things around. I’m going to swap The Only Good Indians from prompt #1, to prompt #21, and fill #1 with Devil House. The other prompts I still have to go are:

16. A book you’ve seen someone reading in a public place

20. Related to the word “gold”

44. An anthology

47. Read during the month of November

and 51. The word game in the title

I have plans for almost all of these! Unfortunately, tragically, I basically never see anyone reading in a public place around here. However, the book list on Goodreads provides a myriad of selections that are primarily book club picks, including Where the Crawdads Sing, which sounds kind of awful but is *also* my local library’s book club pick this month as well. I’ve been wanting to attend that book club, as there is also alcohol involved, so I figure this would be a great way to hit two birds with one stone.

For #20, I’m thinking I might go with Carrie Soto is Back if that is in fact a Book of the Month pick for August…which the internet seems to think it will be. The book is about a gold medalist, and the whole cover is gold – so I think that’ll do just fine. For my anthology, I’m thinking Goblin by Josh Malerman, though I’m unsure if that counts. Any thoughts? I read anthologies are collected works by multiple authors, but this is an entire work by Josh Malerman that connects in the end.

#47 should be a walk in the park (just read *something* in November!), and for #51 I’m going with The Marriage Game by Sara Desai. That one has been on my tbr forever, too.

Now I just have to do all these things… home stretch!

I also finally read some of my Book of the Month picks in July! Neither were spectacular, but I liked them well enough. I get so excited when the new picks come out, and nothing is better than book mail. I can see why this is addicting. I’m counting down the months until I get my book BFF bag, with the book pocket. And that makes me feel absolutely ridiculous!

Here’s to another month of stellar reading! And maybe, some more stellar reads!