waving the pages of july
the books and stories of the month: collected here with each of july’s weekly reading book review videos.
PLUS nifty links to shop your new faves at bookshop.org where each purchase supports the indie bookstore of your choice! huzzah!! :D
happy colourful reads & endless coffee cheers to thee,
💖xo,
*hallie 🤓
✨📖 weekly reading book review july 2025: episode one!! 📖✨
💙 this week i finished:
💜 DREAMSLINGER by graci kim
📝 SPRING, SUNMER, ASTEROID, BIRD: THE ART OF EASTERN STORYTELLING by henry lien (oh gosh! read it!! soak in it! revel in it!!! diversity isn’t just the color & creed of our characters, but in HOW we can tell a story!! preach!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🎉🎉🎉🎉🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 also includes how the house of mouse so missed the point of MULAN and how we’ve misappropriated the title/phrase “well-behaved women seldom make history.” gah!!!)
🎭 HENRY V by wm shakespeare (do listen to the "shakespeare anyone" pod's wrap-up on this one!!)
the podcast ep: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shakespeare-anyone/id1545505801?i=1000709234981)
📚 currently reading:
💜 A WIZARD’S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING by t. kingfisher
💚 FAULT LINES by janet sumner johnson (sequel to the must-read FINAL WORD !!)
🎧 HOLLOWPOX: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by @digressica (audio re-read on @librofm to prep for NEVERMOOR no.4: SILVERBORN !!)
on libro.fm (audiobooks supporting indie bookstores): https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781549124167-hollowpox-the-hunt-for-morrigan-crow
🎬 watched:
📺 BEN-HUR (1959; hadn’t seen it since high school. "what went wrong" recently covered it, so i watched it again! over the course of 2+ weeks… 😂)
imdb listing: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052618/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
podcast ep: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-went-wrong/id1512847066?i=1000709870095
🍎 SNOW WHITE (2025; didn’t hold up to a second viewing, but i still love a few things about it! 💘🎶🧵🪡)
imdb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6208148/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
📚 things from the depths of the TBR i miiiiight read next:
🎭 HENRY VI PART 1 by wm shakespeare
💛 ON AGAIN, AWKWARD AGAIN by erin entrada kelly & kwame mbalia
🩷 LOST SOULS MEET UNDER A FULL MOON by mizuki tsujimura (coming this fall from scribner !! 🤩)
❤️🔥 RED QUEEN by victoria aveyard (so late, i know; but she’s besties with soman chainani & i’m obsessed with @plottwist_pod , of course!! 🥰)
✨📖 weekly reading book review july 2025: episode two!! 📖✨
📚 here’s what i read this week:
💜 A WIZARD’S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING by t. kingfisher
💚 LOST SOULS MEET UNDER A FULL MOON by mizuki tsujimura (coming this fall from scribner; thanks for the free review copy, simon & schuster!!)
❤️ THE DOLLHOUSE ACADEMY by margarita montimore
📺 watched:
🎬 YOUR NAME (2016, japanese animation, directed by makoto shinkai; mentioned in henry lien ‘s marvelous SPRING, SUMMER, ASTEROID, BIRD)
imdb link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5311514/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
saw live, to be blogged about:
🎭 TWELFTH NIGHT (https://greenvilleshakespeare.com/)
🎭 LIFE OF PI (at the peace center; https://lifeofpibway.com/)
also hoping to catch our upstate shakespeare festival's production of TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA a) once i can breathe outside and b) if a performance is ever not cancelled because of thunderstorms :/
📝 currently reading:
🎨 THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH by kat zhang with eric darnell , art by phoebe zhong (thank you for the free copy, random house kids!)
📚 miiiiight read next:
🎃 LONG LIVE THE PUMPKIN QUEEN by shea ernshaw (came out this week in paperback!)
my b&n edition here
also NEW this week, it’s “long-awaited” sequel:
HOUR OF THE PUMPKIN QUEEN by megan shepherd
my indie pre*order signed & personalized copy from malaprop's in asheville!
https://www.malaprops.com/book/9781368089302 (you could call & ask if they have any signed copies left!)
b&n special edition here
🎭 HENRY VI PART 1 by wm shakespeare (the next play in my alphabetical read-through for my self-inflicted "brush up your shakespeare 2025 challenge")
🌳 A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by betty smith (for this month's book club i host locally)
💜 WITCHWOOD: A RAVENWOOD NOVEL by kalyn josephson
💙 BLACK WOODS BLUE SKY by eowyn ivey
my copy from book of the month; my referral link to try for $5: https://www.mybotm.com/4fk6zo9eig4
💖xo,
*hallie 🤓
✨📖 weekly reading book review july 2025: episode three!! 📖✨
☕️ this week i read:
🖌️ THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH by kat zhang with eric darnell , art by phoebe zhang (thank you for the free c copy, @randomhousekids !! #randomhousekidspartner )
bonus: the sequel comes out next week!
❤️ LONG LIVE THE PUMPKIN QUEEN by shae ernshaw
my bn paperback edition here.
the long-awaited follow-up title, THE HOUR OF THE PUMPKIN QUEEN, by meghan shepherd, is now available, too!
📝 STILL WRITING by dani shapiro (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟!! for all creative sorts!!)
😳 STRANGE HOUSES by uketsu
🔎 MONTGOMERY BONBON: MYSTERY AT THE MANOR by alasdair beckett-king , illustrated byclaire powell (obsessed with this hilarious mg series!!)
📚 currently reading:
🌳 A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by betty smith
👑 soon to read:
🎭 HENRY VI PART 1 by wm shakespeare
🌟 have been binge*listening to:
🎧 MAGIC LESSONS (the podcast) from elizabeth gilbert
with bagels on the brain,
💖xo,
*hallie 🤓
👉🏽 p.s. NEW picture book dummy & process video coming to the crayon box (my patreon community!) in the next day or two! yay!! 🥰✨👻🐰🎭✏️😸
✨📖 weekly reading book review july 2025: episode four!! 📖✨
📚 the book i read this week:
💙 YOU BELONG HERE by megan miranda (first bit felt like a slog; got good when you learned just how many people were keeping secrets in this small college town.)
or try book of the month for $5 with my referral link: https://www.bookofthemonth.com/refer/4fk6zo9eig4
yep. that was it!
📚 currently reading:
🌳 A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by betty smith (for book club wednesday!! 💚)
🎬 watched:
📺 NATIONAL TREASURE (for the first time! 😂🤪 #alwaysbecaging )
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368891/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
forgot to mention, but looooooving the stop*motion animation of:
🎀 MY MELODY & KUROMI (on netflix)
https://www.netflix.com/title/81318403
currently listening:
🎧 MAGIC LESSONS podcast with liz gilbert & co.
📽️ what went wrong podcast: ALL THAT JAZZ
📚 miiiiight read next:
🩵 LOVE AT FULL TILT by jenny l. howe
👞 THE LIBRARY OF UNRULY TREASURES by jeanne birdsall (author of THE PENDERWICKS series! my free copy sent to me from random house kids / knopf #randomhousekidspartner )
🐧 PENGUIN HIGHWAY by tomihiko morimi (author of the TATAMI TIME MACHINE BLUES which i 💜ed!)
👉🏽 DON’T FORGET!! 👈🏽
💌 link to FREE STICKERS (i made the art) & see the timelapse creating videos i made for evelyn skye on her substack HERE:
https://www.creativeinspiredhappy.com/p/book-swag-artist-collaboration
🖍️ free COLORING PAGE (i designed) for dear greenville & stationery store day 2025 link here: https://www.deargreenville.com/free-stuff
& 🥳 last call for THE CRAYON BOX july sticker (& chubby kitty tattoo) mail!! link to join here: https://www.patreon.com/halthegal
😎
whew.
k.
gonna go paint some trash pandas… 😏
🧀xo,
*hallie 🤓
what stories are you loving right now?!
🥰📖🎬❣️📽️🎧📚🎨🎟️🩰🎭
(email me or dm me on insta!) :D
stay tuned for our favourite reads o’ the month stack! :D
(which’ll also be sent to my newsletter -free substack “monthly marker re*cap” - this week! make sure you’re subscirbed here: https://halthegalstoryart.substack.com/subscribe )