I finished my virtual internship with a book publishing company last week, and I’ll be moving into university later this month.

In June and July, I read a lot of books. As I find myself aging out of reading YA, I’ve found many new books/authors. Here are a few standouts:

1. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li – a art mystery about a group of Chinese Americans. Also discusses the consequences of colonization/critiques museums.
2. Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri – while I liked The Jasmine Throne more than these two, I still felt that these two books (which take place in the same world) were engaging. I’m excited for The Oleander Sword!
3. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah – my new favorite fantasy series! There are three perspectives. The worldbuilding is gorgeous and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Books I’m Looking Forward To

1. Babel by R.F. Kuang – I’ve seen so much praise for this book and I am so excited! This is an academia fiction historical novel. It’ll be interesting to see R.F. Kuang write in a different genre.
2. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean – I love books about books!
3. The Decoy Girlfriend by Lillie Vale – I loved Beauty and the Besharam which came out earlier this year, and I’m glad that Lillie Vale is writing more books. Freya Lal impersonates a famous actress and poses as the girlfriend of a famous actor.

How was your July and August?