The Sunday Salon #7

Cookies and ice cream; a double rainbow the day after my birthday; the governor's palace in Williamsburg

Welcome back to the Sunday Salon (hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz)! I've been joining the linkup on the last Sunday of every month to share both life news and bookish updates.

All covers are linked to Goodreads.

July News

1. This year for U.S. Independence Day, I went to a free outdoor concert followed by a showing of Hamilton with my parents. Even though weather was extremely hot that weekend, it was a fun experience! We only stayed for the first half of the movie, since it was 10pm by that point, and I watched the second half on my couch the next day. (This suited me just fine, as I was able to weep at the ending in peace.)

2. My birthday was this month! Every year, a private school that our church is very connected with puts on a concert at the end of their weeklong summer strings camp. It always falls near my birthday, and my dad and I always do a "Daddy Daughter Date" to go see it. This year, it happened to fall on my birthday, so that was a fun way to celebrate! The theme was "Medieval Times", so they played music from How to Train Your Dragon and Brave, among other pieces. I'm always impressed at how well the kids do, and I absolutely love getting to hear live music! The day after my birthday, my husband and I went to my parents' for dinner, so that was fun. Also, my husband gave me a Kindle!! I want to read more indie authors, and I don't like reading on my phone or laptop; a Kindle will make indie books more accessible to me.

3. This week was busy, but in a good way! On Thursday, my husband and I went to see a live stage performance of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, which was very fun! On Friday, I drove to Williamsburg for the weekend to visit my sibling, who is working there for the summer. We spent all of yesterday walking around, which was great!

Just Finished Reading

On Thursday, I finished Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari. Highly recommend! I do not, however, recommend The Girl from Greenwich Street, which I finished listening to on my way to Williamsburg.

Currently Reading

I'm currently reading Timothy Hickson's On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume III as well as Cast & Crew by Jenny Langford and Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright. 

I also just started listening to The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson, which is my book club's pick for September (I'm getting started early since it's such a hefty tome). I might switch over to the print copy, however, as I'm having a hard time keeping track of names and facts with the audio version.

Last Week on the Blog

July 2026 Goodreads TBR Cleanup (the start of a monthly series!)

How was your July? What did you do for Independence Day (if you're in the U.S. and choose to celebrate)? Let's chat!