July has been an interesting read.  In addition to reading different books than my usual fare, I vacationed in Charleston, SC, with my family.  It was hard not to star every title as one of my favorites this month.

93) *The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling – brilliant, funny, and heartbreaking

94) *The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner – haunting and lovely

95) *Missing Microbes by Martin J. Blaser – I pointed out this book to my daughter while we were waiting in line to check out books at the library.  She grabbed it to add to our stack, but I ended up reading it.  Who know microbes could be so fascinating?

96) Getting Started as a Freelance Writer by Bob Bly – I learned much from this one, and am still learning thanks to the resources shared in the end.  There is solid information on both the writing and business aspects of freelance writing.

97) The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell – Packed with information and humor, this guide shows wanna-be writers like me how to get started and persevere.

98) *Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue by Tom Angleberger – I loved this conclusion to the Origami Yoda series.  Help for the rebels comes from an unexpected source as they fight the evils of standardized testing.

99)  *I’d Tell You I’d Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter – My daughter has been begging me to read this series for years. Once Sync YA offered it as a free download earlier this summer, I put it on my iPod.  I probably ran more in the month of July just so I could listen to it.  I loved how Cammie and her friends put their super spy skills to use solving the biggest mystery of all time–boys.  The humor was spot on.

100) Fidelity:  Five Stories by Wendell Berry – I was not familiar with Berry’s fiction until my former pastor brought this by to share with me.  I fell in love with the people and place of Port William.  I took a long time to finish this one because I wanted to savor each story and not rush to the next one.

What were your favorite reads for July?  What are you looking forward to reading in August?