July Recap…and BUG BUG Turns Six!

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I can hardly believe that today marks the SIX-YEAR anniversary of this blog. How have I been doing this so long? And for so little payoff, ha? 😂 When people say that sometimes you do something for the pure-and-simple joy of it, well, that exactly describes Bug Bug for me. I mean, I do get free books sometimes, so I wouldn’t say I get nothing out of it. But still.

So why put in the time? I keep asking myself that. What a huge timesuck, Lorilin. Why are you even still here? But then it’s so clear to me that I will always be here—with a blog or without. Books are my everything, and I can’t not read them and talk about it. I don’t even care if no one is listening. Truly, I am a selfish bastard who reads and writes mostly for herself.

I love books. I love to read. I love to escape in stories. Books keep my brain occupied and active. They give me something to think about. They help me understand people, which isn’t always easy for me to do. They satiate my curiosity. They comfort me and make me laugh and give me permission to feel big feelz. They are a portal out of the dog shit. They are the passageway to something ordered and understandable, a beginning and an end, a knowable and complete, whole story. They are the narrative that makes sense. They are the black and white, words on a page, unspoken laid bare. Books are the navigation. Books are the constant.

So happy birthday to you, dear blog. Don’t you look so organized and neat? So clean with your white background and sharp book cover images? You make me feel like I’ve accomplished something, checked a box, made progress. You make me remember that I’ve made contact, that I’ve connected. Even if the author doesn’t even know it. Here is the proof that I have communicated and understood another soul on this planet, and I don’t know why that makes me feel so good, but it really does. It’s one-sided, but god damn it, I’ve still participated.

Anyway. Now I’m babbling.

July was a good month of books for me. Lots of five- and four-star reads:

5 STARS

4 STARS

3 STARS

If you have to choose one book to read, let it be Nothing to See Here. I put off reading it for forever because it sounded so weird. And it is weird. But God, in the best way. I loved it so much.

So that’s all. Here we go, August. You’re here. School’s in session. My kids will be learning remotely, because I have no desire to be the one unlucky family that has the kid who reacts badly to covid. Stay safe out there, my friends.