july 2026 reading wrap

I am a bookworm at heart, so I wanted to share what I read in July.

Two notes:

1. The summaries are all my own. If I misremembered the story or miscommunicated something, I apologize.

2. I don’t rate everything I read, usually only fiction and only books I’ve read for the first time.

The 5 books I read in July

The books I read this month:

• Inbetweens - Faith Erin Hicks

• soft magic - Upile Chisala

• Hooked - Asako Yuzuki (translated by Polly Barton)

• The Creative Act - Rick Rubin

• The Cemetery of Untold Stories - Julia Alvarez

Onto the book reviews!

Inbetweens by Faith Erin Hicks

Image from Faith Erin Hicks website

Rating: 3/5

Inbetweens is a graphic novel set in 90s Canada and follows twin 13-year-olds, Ash and Sloane, who dream of becoming animators. They spend a few weeks in the summer doing an animation intensive at a Canadian university, where they make friends and learn from industry professionals about the basics of animation. I believe the title references the in-between drawings that make an animation flow together (don’t quote me on that).

The artstyle is really graphic with heavy linework and a relatively muted colour palette. I found the commentary on the animation industry in Canada interesting. It isn't a surprise that the holy grail place to work is Disney/Pixar, and that there are definite biases prevalent in the industry. I liked that Hicks highlighted that Disney isn't the only place people can animate, and that there are ways to animate in Canada. Following the 13-year-olds brought me back to that time in my life when every decision felt like it was all or nothing and that it would affect literally everything and my life would be over.

I gave it a 3/5, because I thought it was perfectly readable. But it isn't a graphic novel I would reread.

soft magic by Upile Chisala

Rating: No rating, this is a re-read for me.

A friend gifted this to me years ago after I introduced her to Upile on Instagram. After reading Creative Writing with Miss Mary Mac in June (a graphic novel aimed at young writers, focusing on the basics of writing and poetry), I was interested in reading some poetry. This is Upile Chisala’s debut collection of poetry. The poetry is accessible, about family, love, and being a black woman. For those not versed in poetry, this (and Upile’s Instagram) is a great introduction to the genre.

One of my favourite poems:

"Some days our prayers are twice as loud

And thrice as long,

Some days they need to be."

Hooked by Asako Yuzuki (tranlated by Polly Barton)

Rating: 3.5/5

I read Asako Yuzuki’s Butter sometime last year, because Sha’an d’Anthes had suggested it in a vlog of hers. I enjoyed Asako's unique depiction of relationships between women and the world. So, when Hooked came out, I knew I wanted to read it.

The story follows two women who aren’t great at making friends. Eriko is a corporate woman who follows Shoko’s blog. Shoko is a housewife, who has a decent following online on her blog about being a lazy housewife. Eriko orchestrates a chance meeting between her and Shoko after reading a few posts. The plot then rolls out from there following the progression of their friendship. Similar to Butter, Hooked is a commentary on women relationships/friendships and misogyny.

I gave Hooked a 3.5/5, because while Polly Barton’s translation and Asako Yuzuki’s writing are still captivating in this novel, I found the plot uncomfortable; the internal monologues near unbearable; and both characters particularly unlikeable. I’m pretty sure that was the intention, as the denouement and ending were all the things I loved about Asako Yuzuki’s writing in the first place.

I will read another Asako Yuzuki book in the future because I love her writing/Polly Barton’s translation, but this one was not for me.

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Rating: No rating

I’m on a creative journey this year (hence the blog, sharing my art and writing, etc.), which has led me to read more books on creativity. This is one of my brother’s favourite books, and he recommended it to me years ago. After reading and completing The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (I might do a post on my experience following the curriculum in the future), I moved onto The Creative Act as part of my morning pages journalling practice.

I would say that this is a watered down version of The Artist’s Way. That’s not to say that Rick Rubin’s words of wisdom aren’t worthwhile or enlightening, but I found the concepts and the mini essays about the creative process similar as The Artist’s Way. Having just read Julia Cameron's, I didn’t find The Creative Act particularly useful at this point in my creative exploration. I think it would be a great supplement in the future if I need a creative revitalization.

I appreciated that he covered all aspects of the creative process: the source of your inspiration and collecting all ideas (even if they wind up being pretty shit), using that inspiration in your work, seeing a project at all angles, artist block, sharing your work. His essays about sharing the work being part of the finishing of a project helped me to let some of my work go. To share it with the wider world and to let other people interact with it, because I'm already moving onto the next piece.

Rubin’s expertise and experience with his own creative process is evident in the short essays, the real-life stories he describes, and the metaphors he creates. For those not interested in reading The Artist’s Way, or who were put off by the heavy God/spiritual focus of it, The Creative Act is a nice alternative.

The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez

Rating: 3/5

The history of the Dominican Republic, a book about writing, a book centered on women, older characters. Standing in a bookstore, the synopsis on the book flap was enough to put the book on my TBR. I love books about books, about writing, about authors. Books with older characters also draw me in, because sometimes I just want to know what's in store for the future, haha.

This book is very character-driven with only hints of actual plot moving the story forward. The characters are fleshed out with in-depth personalities and the characters that Alma buries in her cemetery are my favourites in the novel. I prefer a bit more plot in my stories, and I did find some of the formatting a bit jarring at first, but overall, a decent read.

While aspects of the story were interesting, the book wasn’t entirely what I expected based on the synopsis. That mismatch of expectation and reality is likely the reason that I only rated the book a 3 and not higher.