#july botm

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

Review: The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

Author: Julie ClarkPublisher: Sourcebooks LandmarkReleased: June 21, 2022Received: Own (BOTM)Warnings: Drugging, Sexual assault I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love that BOTM convinces me to buy books that I might have otherwise overlooked or missed out on. The latest example of this is The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark. I had no idea it was released this month, so I was happy to snag…

[futurequibblerjournalist]

Do you think all of the S28 have crests/animals like how the Malfoys have their peacocks and the Averys have barn owls?

Yes, I do! Most of the Sacred Twenty Eight seem too stuck on their high horse to not have something like a crest/animals to represent them. I went with animals for this since I've got significantly more thoughts for that than on the crests, but I would imagine these also show up on some variant of a family crest as well. I got a bit of help from a friend with this one but,,, here are our thoughts lol

Abbot - Doves

The Old English derivative "abbod" is a reference to the head of monasteries and the Old French "abet" means "priest".

Avery - Barn Owls

Black - Black Ravens

This is canon, as seen on the Black family tree, but ravens are the specific corvus due to their symbolism.

Bulstrode - Marsh Frog

The Old English "bula" means "bull" and "strōd" means "overgrown marsh", yet bullfrogs are not native to the area.

Burke - Porcupines

Derives from the Norwegian name "Børke", which originated from the Old Norse "birki", meaning "birch forest", a location commonly populated by porcupines.

Carrow - Stoat

The Welsh surname "Caeriw" means "dweller at the fort on the hill", an area that stoats can be found. They are also a breed of mustelid that highly resemble a weasel, which highlights their Slytherin traits in reference to the phrase "weasel out of something", meaning to be cowardly.

Crouch - Lamb

The Old English term "crūc" means "cross", an item from a religion associated with lambs in direct correlation to their saviour. I especially love this for the religious context and it symbolically means innocence, purity and sacrifice. Especially the latter works great with how Crouch Senior sacrifices his son for the sake of his career but also how Artemisia Crouch (Barty's mother) sacrifices herself for her son (who she believes to be innocent as far as we're aware), something that she would have never done if she had not married into the Crouch family.

Fawley - Hare

The names originate from the Old English terms "fealu", meaning "fallow", or "colour", "fealh", meaning "ploughed land", and "lēah", which means "woodland clearing". The hare is a woodland creature with earthy tones, suiting each origin.

Flint - Otter

The Old English name means "stream", an otter's habitat.

Gaunt - Serpent

The Middle English term meant "slender", an apt description of a snake and a reference for their status as Slytherin's heirs.

Greengrass - Red Deer

An animal that takes residence in grassy areas.

Lestrange - Fox

The name derived from "foreigner" in French, which leads one to believe that they were perceived as outcasts, presumably to the Muggle world, as would likely be subsequently associated with the occult, of which foxes are part. Traits symbolised by the animal also follow Slytherin's creed.

Longbottom - Hedgehog

The Old English words "lang" and "botm" mean "valley bottom", where hedgehogs may be found.

Macmillan - Lion

Often depicted on the Macmillan family crests.

Malfoy - Albino Peacocks

This is once again another canon one. Lucius Malfoy even owns an albino peacock and it scares Yaxley when he arrives along with I believe Severus for a meeting in June or July 1997? Something along those lines.

Nott - Salamander

The surname may be a variant of "Cnut", which is an English variant of the name Knud, the king who brought England and Denmark together, and salamanders are animals found in Denmark whose features pair with Slytherin traits.

Ollivander - Cow

The name originates from the Greek "olive wand", and as the known Ollivander pairs wands and wizards, the animal was chosen from Hera's sacred cow, combining professions and origins.

Parkinson - Bat

The name "Parkin" meant "little stone" in Middle English, and whilst it is a wider stretch than others, caves are typically comprised of rock, where bats can be located.

Prewett - Lion

The name is a variant of "Prewitt", which meant "valiant", suiting both the animal and the House of Gryffindor.

Rosier - Bee/Swan

My friend suggested bees, as they are pollinators of roses, I personally like the swan. The swan is most commonly a symbol of love, similar to how the red rose is, but it is also a symbol of beauty, something I think the Rosiers value a lot. This also fits with my headcanon that the Rosier family has a lot of Veela blood in it, as the Veelas transform into a bird-like creature when angry. They're described as cruel-beaked bird-like harpy-esque creatures and as someone who's witnessed an angry swan, I think it all adds up lol.

Rowle - Eastern Osprey

I headcanon the Rowle family to have roots in Denmark (hence names like Thorfinn) and the Eastern Osprey is a bird fairly commonly seen in Denmark.

Selwyn - Goat

The name originates from the Latin "Silvanus", Roman god of the forest, where goats could be seen.

Shacklebolt - Horse

The name obviously refers to breaking shackles, thus freedom, which is often represented by horses.

Shafiq - Persian Leopard

Derives from "shafaqa", meaning "compassion". Felines are widely loved in the culture and leopards symbolise power, beauty, and wisdom.

Slughorn - Slug

Ignoring the obvious reasons the Slughorns would be represented by slugs, slugs are also known to symbolise adaptability which we see with the one Slughorn we know of. Snails in general often symbolise tests of personal strength and we've also seen Horace Slughorn deal with many tests of personal strength, first when he tells Tom Riddle about the horcruxes and later when he tells Hari about the memory of it.

Travers - Heron

The name meant "to cross" in Old French, typically crossing a body of water, an exodus that herons are known to populate.

Weasley - Weasels

Yaxley - Bison

The name comes from "gēac" and "leah" in Old English, respectively meaning "cuckoo" and "woodland clearing". As yaks are not as popular in Europe, bison bear a close resemblance.

There was a lot of overlap with what we thought for a handful of families, though most of the explanations are by @literallysleepy! Hopefully, you guys enjoyed them as much as I did,,,,

[booksyarntea]

Help me, Booklr, you're my only hope!

Updated 5/10/23: I found yet another small stack and added it to the list.

These are all the BOTM books I own. The intent when I signed up for BOTM back in 2020 was to try and read out of my usual comfort zone of Urban Fantasy (and the occasional fantasy book). My success with this challenge has been minimal — I started a couple of these books but ultimately didn't finish them. It wasn't because the books were boring, however. I was enjoying the couple I started, but I just ended up falling out-of-the-mood to read them.

The biggest problem I'm facing is just where to start with this massive (and ever growing) stack. Every single one of these books sounds amazing and interesting to read, but... I don't where to start! So I'm turning to you, members of Booklr, to help me choose which of these books to read next! These are stacked in no particular order, but for anyone that's having difficulty with images loading or can't see the images, here is a list for you:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo*

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Outlawed by Anna North

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Like A Sister by Kellye Garrett

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

The Verifiers by Jane Pek

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

The Survivors by Jane Harper

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Breathless by Amy McCulloch

Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang

Darling Girl by Liz Michalski

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

*This copy of Ninth House is not a BOTM book, I included it in the stack because it's the first in a series.

[coupleofbeesread]

BOTM Picks: July 2024

Today, Kayla and Becky discuss their  @bookofthemonth  picks for July. What are you reading this month? #booktok #bookwormsunite #booktube #booktuber

[pagesandpothos]

Mid-Year Challenge Updates

I've been participating in several reading challenges this year and since we're now halfway through the year I thought it might be fun to check in and see how my progress is going!

GoodReads Reading Challenge:

I have my yearly challenge goal set at 100 books and I've read 58 of those so far.

That means I am currently 8 books ahead of schedule. I initially set my goal at 50 books but I increased it once I passed that goal.

Buzzwords Reading Challenge:

I'm up-to-date on this challenge through June and I've picked out my July book. Here's the books I've read for the challenges to far and what I plan to read in July:

For January (There / Their / They're) I read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

For February (Positive, happy words) I read Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

For March (Character Names) I read Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

For April (Nature words) I read Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

For May ("Every") I read Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

For June (Repeating words) I read Someday, Someday by Emma Scott

For July (Measurement words) I plan to read A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke

Book of the Month Challenge:

Book of the Month does a yearly challenge for members and I'm currently working my way through earning their badges.

Book Boss (Read 15 of BOTM's hardcovers or audiobooks): 7/15

Debut Darling (Read 5 debuts): 1/5

Write-up Wizard (Review 5 BOTM books): 7/5

Page Pusher (Read 4 BOTM books over 400 pages): 3/4

Genre Genie (Read 6 BOTM books from 6 different genres): 5/6

[ghoulishbuck]

Here’s my recent haul of books and these should be the only books I receive this month. As I’m on a book buying ban— minus my BOTM subscription.

Playing the Palace was something I bought shortly after finishing Red, White & Royal Blue in July and was wanting anything with similar vibes. The shipping took a lot longer than expected— I actually received my BOTM for August three days prior to it arriving and I bought it mid-July.

Vampires of El Norte was my BOTM pick for August. And I will admit I was a bit disappointed in the options for the month. I was really excited for this book until I found out that it’s more of a romance than a horror but I decided to give it a chance even though I no longer have high hopes for it.

[mod-realty-okc]

I just finished my July bonus Book of the Month, “Dark Corners” by Megan Goldin, and I found it to be a page-turner. Another great mystery/thriller from Goldin, who authored the equally enthralling book, “The Night Swim.” Goldin weaves an intricate tale surrounding four seemingly unfamiliar characters with a couple of seemingly unrelated mysteries that they must connect to save those involved. A lover of mysteries, I found the plot unpredictable. A great, quick read.

The story follows crime podcaster Rachel Krall as she is summoned to a prison at the behest of the FBI and a prisoner about to released, with hopes she can help uncovered secrets surrounding old crimes and a recent disappearance. Unbeknownst to them, investigating attracts the attention of an underground serial killer who is tied to both the missing person and the prisoner.

#botm #ilovebooks #ilovetoread #realtorreader #justread #fortheloveofbooks #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #allbookedup #idratherbereading

[agardenandlibrary]

2022

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross*

Odder Still by D.N. Bryn

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd*

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel*

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Moira’s Pen by Megan Whalen Turner

Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen*

*Book of the Month

2023

The Pits by Katy L. Wood

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty*

We of Little Faith by Kate Cohen

2024 so far

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

The Amethyst Kingdom by A.K. Mulford

See, I was right! I picked up the BOTM subscription again this year, so as the prophets say: mama mia, here we go again.

thanks to @logarithmicpanda I started wondering how many books I read the year they came out. And now, brought to you by my reading spreadsheet, I have the answer. I know you've all been wondering too.

2015

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Jeweled Fire by Sharon Shinn

Winter by Marissa Meyer

2016

Pearl by Deirdre Riordan Hall

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace

City of Shadows by Pippa DaCosta

We Awaken by Calista Lynne

2017

Prince Orlofsky, Vampire Hunter by Isabelle Glass

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

2018

Tempest and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Failure is an Option by H. Jon Benjamin

Calypso by David Sedaris

2019

Naturally Tan by Tan France

2020

The Faceless Old Woman by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

2021

The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (x2)

2022 (so far)

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Odder Still by DN Bryn

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

I suspect the reason 2015 has so many is that I joined the book side of tumblr in 2015 and immediately added every popular book at the time to my TBR! I kept it up through 2016 then started moving away from that method of picking books haha.

However, I imagine this year I'll read quite a few more books published this year because I have a Book of the Month subscription and I'm trying to be good and read those pretty soon after I get them.

[wornpagelibrary]

For July, we randomly chose a member to decide our BOTM. And luckily for @laequiem, it was their decision!

We will be reading This Poison Heart!

GENRE: Urban Fantasy THEMES: LGBTQIA+, Retelling, Greek Mythology

If you can't buy the book, we provide it for you!

See below for a synopsis

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch. When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage. When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

wanna read it with us? find out how!

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Bad Tourists by Caro Carver

Author: Caro CarverPublisher: Avid Reader Press/Simon & SchusterReleased: July 9. 2024Received: Own (BOTM)Find it on Goodreads | BOTM | More Thrillers Book Summary: Darcy, Camilla, and Kate are best friends. So it’s only natural that they travel together – especially as they try and cheer one of their own up following her divorce. Unfortunately, they’re all traveling with a bit of…

[sunkissedandbronzed]

July Blog of The Month!

(June 1 - July 1)

♡ How to enter: 

Follow my June BOTM @sunnyqveen

Fill out this form

Follow @sunkissedandbronzed

Reblog this post (likes are for bookmarking they will not count)

♡ Rules: 

Must be an active blog

All blog types are welcome (except NSFW)

Must be following my June BOTM @sunnyqveen

Must be following @sunkissedandbronzed 

♡ Higher chances of getting noticed: 

Similar to my blog style

Reblog this post more than once

Reblog my uploads

Follow my instagram

Queue from @sunkissedandbronzed

♡ Prizes: 

You will be featured on my BOTMs wall of fame/BOTM tab 

Gain lots of following

Your blog will be exposed to 125.8k+ active followers

Lots of queues 

A new online buddy!

♡ Additional information: 

After you complete the steps above let me know what you did so I can keep track

You can enter as many blogs you like  

Good luck everyone! 

[onceuponabookblr]

Got my new BOTM box and I'm trying to decide which book I should read first: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia or Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein (I'm saving Normal People for a day when I'm feeling moody, haha). What do you think?

Btw, if you're interested in trying out Book of the Month, you can use this referral link to get your first book for $9.99.

[coupleofbeesread]

BOTM Predictions: July 2024

BUY When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has…

[xlfdesigns]

For @girlhy

[mod-realty-okc]

I just finished my July Book of the Month, “The Connellys of County Down” by Tracey Lange, and I found it to be light-hearted and entertaining. Lange, who also authored “We are the Brennans,” tells another great tale of a large and dysfunctional family. Contemporary fiction at its finest, the book told a whimsical tale of three struggling siblings who try to find their way in the adult world and overcome hardships interpersonally and as a family unit. They each have deep scars after their mom died when they were children and their dad abandoned them, leaving the oldest to become the caregiver. Although some of topics were sad, Lange always manages to keep it lighthearted. Good read. 📖

#botm #ilovebooks #ilovetoread #realtorreader #justread #fortheloveofbooks #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #allbookedup #idratherbereading

[romanrgers]

I’m a little behind on this but bear with me! I’m super excited to start up blog of the month again!

Rules: *must be following this trash can *reblog this post *ends July 1st; winners announced the 4th *1 winner and 2-3 runners up *this post needs at least 40 notes or i’ll be sad

Looking For: *friendly bloggers *marvel or 80% marvel blogs *extra points for clean themes, tagging systems, an abundance of chris evans, etc.

Prizes: Winners: *a follow from me (if not already) *a spot in my updates tab through the month of July *a group promo when the winners are announced *5 individual promos through the month of July (on request) Runners Up: *a follow from me (if not already) *a spot in my updates tab through the month of July *group promo when the winners are announced *3 individual promos through the month of July (on request)