My July 2025 Round Up

- what I did this month -

Hello, friends, and welcome back to another Round Up! The month of July has gone by so fast, and I can’t believe it’s almost over already. There’s a lot to get into, so let’s get started!

What I’ve Been Reading Recently:

Absolutely Truly (Absolutely Truly Book 1) by Heather Vogel Frederick

Quick Book Summary: Truly Lovejoy wishes she was back in Texas. When her parents decide to move her and her four siblings to the tiny town of Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire, to help their retiring grandparents with their bookstore, Truly’s not sure what she thinks of the move. But once Truly and her new friends find a secret note in a first edition of Charlotte’s Web, they find themselves in the middle of a scavenger hunt. Truly doesn’t want to get too attached to Pumpkin Falls or her new friends, but what if chasing secret clues around town convinces her she wants to stay…

This book was incredible! I loved this cozy middle grade realistic fiction book and sped through it in two days. The mystery kept me hooked the whole way through, but I genuinely enjoyed the characters and can’t wait to read the next books!

My Friend Fear: Finding Magic In The Unknown by Meera Patel

Quick Book Summary: Have you ever wondered how to embrace your fear — not as a rival but as a friend? Fear has so much to teach us all about ourselves, and figuring out how to connect with it instead of being controlled by it might change your life forever.

I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but I read this book right before last week’s post (How To Escape The Self-Doubt Cycle While Writing) and I loved it! It’s such a wonderful insight into fear and how to tame it into something you can use to achieve your goals.

What I’ve Been Listening To Recently:

I found “The Place We Used To Go” on my Discover Weekly (Spotify) this month and really loved it! I like the beat and the lyrics, and it gave me serious nostalgia for the two writing retreats I was able to attend. (This song is for you!♥️)

Kaden McKay is one of my new favorite artists – I love the way he infuses musical theater tropes and drama into hilarious songs that follow a fast-paced stream of consciousness. “I Hate Auditioning For Musicals” is so funny and beyond relatable. Since I wanted to be a professional theater kid before becoming a writer, this song makes me very happy.

A Writing Update:

I have multiple updates this month!

Not only did I finish my reverse outline this month (loud cheering ensues), but I also wrote my longest short story to date for my summer writing class. It stands at over 6,000 words, while most of my previous short stories are around 3,000 to 3,500 words long.

I’m currently sifting through my first draft of my book, figuring out what to save and what to not use for my second draft. Soon after that, I’ll start my second draft (which I am really hoping I can start before the August Round Up!).

I know that last month I said I’d start the second draft, but life moves so much faster than I expect it to, and this summer has been wild! I’m working as hard as I can on my writing projects when I have time, though. 😁

A Life Update:

This month, I read a ton of really amazing books! One of my favorites was The Secret of Honeycake, which follows a girl named Hurricane as she moves to the city to live with her aunt while Hurricane’s sister gets treatment for her tuberculosis. It was such a rich, beautifully written, fun book. If you like historical fiction, feisty characters, and a lot of animal friends, I’d definitely recommend checking it out!

This month, I also found out that Jorge Rivera-Herrans, the creator of EPIC: The Musical, has started a new musical about the Iliad, called the Ilium. He shared a snippet of the first song, which I have already shared with my family members and talked about with multiple friends…can you tell I’m excited about the new musical? 😂

I’d love to know about your adventures in July down below!

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