Mid-Month Reading Check-In: What I’ve Read, What I’m Reading & What’s Next

We’re officially halfway through the month, which means it’s time for a little reading check-in! I always like doing these mid-month updates because they give me a chance to pause, look at what I’ve actually read so far, and think about what I still want to pick up before the month ends.

If you’re anything like me, sometimes the reading plans we make at the beginning of the month… don’t exactly go as planned. And that’s okay! Reading should always feel fun, not stressful.

So here’s a quick look at how my reading month is going so far.

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The Book I Finished This Month

So far this month I’ve finished one book, which honestly isn’t as many as I originally hoped to read — but it’s still a start!

The book I finished was:

📚 Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

Quick thoughts:
I actually picked this book up on a whim while I was in Chicago last summer and I am so glad I did. The book was entertaining from beginning to end and I cannot wait for the second book to come out this summer. Definitely adding these to my list as books I would re-read. 

Even if I don’t get through a huge stack of books in a month, I always try to remind myself that one good book is better than rushing through several just to hit a number.

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What I’m Currently Reading

Right now I’m in the middle of:

📖 Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

So far this one is:
Interesting. I am not sure how I feel about the book. I love a good mystery, especially when it's based on true stories. But I think I'm getting caught up because there is a lot of history lessons in the beginning of the book. I believe I will be more into the story once I make it past the background of the story and into the murder. 

Sometimes I find that the middle of the month is when my reading really starts to pick up, especially once I get into the rhythm of a book I’m enjoying.

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My Reading Mood Right Now

Lately my reading mood has been leaning toward:

• Books that are lighthearted and make me laugh
• Books that hold my attention
• Books that don't take the story too seriously.

I go through phases where I want something super fast-paced, and other times I just want a cozy story I can slowly settle into at night. Right now I’m definitely in a mood read kind of reading phase.

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What I Hope to Read Before the End of the Month

Even though the first half of the month was a little slower reading-wise, there are still several books I’m hoping to get to before the month ends.

Here are a few that are high on my list:

📚 Until the World Falls Down by Jordan Lynde

Synopsis: 

Her freedom or her heart…in forty-eight hours, she'll lose one forever

When a brutal betrayal leaves Nell heartbroken and alone, she makes a desperate wish for love, recklessly offering anything in exchange.

Her plea is heard by Enver, an immortal as wicked as he is beautiful. He sweeps Nell away to his castle that seems to exist out of time and presents her with a bargain: escape his labyrinth within forty-eight hours or surrender to eternity as his lover.

Nell vows to conquer the labyrinth, despite the dangerous attraction she feels for its monstrous ruler. But every stolen moment with him leaves her craving more. And every step deeper into the castle reveals hidden truths about herself…and the curse that holds Enver captive.

Torn between her desire for love and the dark being incapable of loving her, Nell faces an impossible choice. And her time is running out.

📚 Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Synopsis: 

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love—this time among the stars.

We’ll see how many of these I actually get to — I’m trying to be a little more flexible with my reading instead of putting too much pressure on myself.

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Final Thoughts

Even though this hasn’t been my most productive reading month so far, I’m still excited about the books I have lined up next.

Sometimes reading seasons ebb and flow, and I’ve learned that that’s completely normal. The most important thing is still enjoying the books when I do get the chance to sit down and read.

I’m hoping the second half of the month brings a few more cozy reading nights!

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I’d love to know:
What’s the best book you’ve read so far this month?

Have a wonderful day,
Jackie
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