Reading Roundup: July 2025

I am very impressed by how much I read in July, and this was more eBook novels than audiobooks!

I got heavily into reading X-Men on Marvel Unlimited, so a lot of this post is my reading log for those collections, which is why I’ve added a table of contents here for those people who do not care about comic books! I read so much X-Men through a combination of wanting to power through the Rachel Summers plot I was not enjoying at all, and then hitting the incredibly (shocking) Morlock massacre, which was excellent X-Men storytelling! And I am VERY EXCITED to get into Mr Sinister. He’s been mentioned, I can’t wait!

7 books read: 3 audiobooks and 4 ebooks!

Foxglove Summer (Rivers of London #5) by Ben Aaronovitch⭐⭐⭐

I did not like this one. There is the occasional book in this series, it seems, where Aaronivitch only uses the ingredients that I don’t like and leaves out the ones I do: Peter, when operating without a partner, the male gaze (Beverley Brook), cringe sex scenes, lack of Nightingale or any of the characters I enjoy. This one isn’t even set in London and drops the Faceless Man plot.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed re-reading this! It’s very dated now, but I found it more fun for that! Remember VHS machines and 1471?!

My Husband by Maud Ventura ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh my gosh, I loved this! I’ve thought about it a lot since and debated bumping it up to 5 stars. If I’m still thinking about it at the end of the year, I might do that! Such an interesting unreliable narrator, a tricky character study, and a masterclass in slow-building tension… plus the ending! I need to look out for more from this author.

Equal Rites (Discworld #3, Witches #1) by Terry Pratchett ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another re-read, this time on audio! It’s so fun on audio, but it does mean I don’t get to save all my favourite Granny Weatherwax quotes. Excited to (re)read more of the Witches.

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino ⭐⭐⭐

I did not love this as much as I wanted to. It’s perfectly fine, just nothing to write home about. The alien angle is a total gimmick; it’s a very standard coming-of-age story of an outsider (neurodivergent) type, and the sci-fi element is meaningless. Worse, it’s one where the protagonist moves to New York (yawn)! I’ve read much better “alien reports on weird humans” stories; this felt derivative to me and with nothing new to offer.

The Hanging Tree (Rivers of London #6) by Ben Aaronovitch ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We’re back on form with this one! It might be my favourite so far… or maybe tied with Broken Homes! Back in London, focus on The Faceless Man, Lesley returns, lots of cool magic action, Nightingale, Guleed is now Peter’s partner, no cringe Male Gaze and no mention of Peter’s penis!

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley ⭐⭐⭐

I wanted a lighter, easy read, and this was perfect. I read it very quickly, and it’s a cute romance between two 50-ish year olds, which was a very refreshing change. I appreciated the healthy relationship and communication, and the inevitable third-act miscommunicate trope was well handled. I also loved the main male character. Overall, though, I think it is forgettable.

Marvel Unlimited

I really powered through X-Men this month! Mostly this is because the story got bogged some in a plot I am not enjoying, and I just wanted to get through it to the more interesting Storm stuff and hopefully see her get her powers back. I got to some Big Events and ended up hopping around a bit between New Mutants and X-Factor is another new series that’s intersecting.

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Collecting Uncanny X-Men 168-175

I’ve lost track a bit of which issue is in which collection because I read them so fast without stopping to record!

This run of issues had the introduction of Madelyne Pryor… and I found it very strange how nobody questioned how healthy it might be for Scott Summers to have a relationship with (and marry!) a woman who looks exactly like his dead ex-fiance… Nobody thought this might be a bit fucked up… They also move very quickly. Like they’re married within months of meeting! I’m sure it’ll be fine…

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Collecting Uncanny X-Men 176-188

In this, Scott and Madelyne are on their honeymoon, Wolverine and Mariko break up on their wedding day, and Kitty gets kidnapped by Morklocks and nearly forced to marry Caliban.

There is an interesting Rogue plot where she deals with more of the consequences of stealing Carol Danvers’ memories and emotions. She ends up Public Enemy number one, and the anti-mutant sentiment continues to hot up.

The best issue in this is the amazing “Lifedeath” part one with Storm and Forge, dealing with the fallout of her losing her powers due to the weapon that he designed.

Rachel Summers arrives towards the end of this collection, I think. She’s the first of the Summer’s time-travelling future children (before Nathan / Cabel!), and I hate her hair with the stupid rat tail!

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 11 ⭐⭐⭐

Collecting Uncanny X-Men 189-193

I’ve not read the Kitty and Wolverine in Japan stuff! (You can’t make me enjoy Kitty!)

The New Mutants are shoehorned into a lot of this, and since I’m not reading that, I wasn’t interested in them. The first issue focuses on Rachel Summers and Amara (who I think is Magma, but I remember it she gets named as that) getting caught up with The Hellfire Club and their new Black Queen, the sorceress Selene.

In general, the Rachel Summers plot is developing at a glacial pace… and it seems like nobody has told Scott about it? The X-Men seem very unconcerned about her story.

There was also a two-issue arc where a Skrull sorcerer Kulan Gath took over, which really dragged. Warlock featured in the second part. He’s very weird, but I do like him; he’d be the only reason I’d be interested in New Mutants. The following issue has his Dad come to Earth to hunt him, which I guess just be picked up in NM because it is dropped in Uncanny X-Men!

I hope this mashing of New Mutants doesn’t go on for too long. It makes the stories too crowded and incomplete.

There is still this rumbling story of Kitty and Collosus’s failed romance, which I hate because, again, she’s a 15-year-old child, and it’s revolting for adults to be encouraging it!

It really is Storm’s personal journey, with having now lost her powers, that is keeping me going. I am also enjoying Rogue’s slow integration into the team, and I am now seeing how she turned into such a fan favourite (she is my fave from the cartoon!).

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 12 ⭐⭐⭐

Collecting Uncanny X-Men  194-200

I was bored for a lot of this. I’m only bumping up a star because it includes the wonderful second part of Storm’s Life Death arc in Africa. That was something special. And there was a Juggernaut story! And I’m glad Rogue is growing out her terrible haircut and working towards a less offensively ugly costume! She calls people “sugar” with increasing frequency, too!

There was one story with the Power Pack in it, which I hated! I just don’t like stories with kids in!

Also, an arc where The Beyonder came back and NIMROD is about, but nothing very interesting has come of either yet. In general, the anti-mutant sentiment in the world is reaching a boiling point, that is in the background of every story.

But … I’m really not into the Rachel Summers plot! I don’t like her as a character; it’s really dragging, and I cannot wait for this whole thing to be over. How does Scott still not know?! I hate the latest development of her taking on the Phoenix name and costume.

I am honestly also just missing Scott on the team! It isn’t he same without him. I look forward to this Madelyne story coming to an end (I hope soon.. she’s fit to burst with their baby …!)

I’m still struggling with the insertion of New Mutants into so much of the X-Men. You just can’t make me care about them! The only one I find interesting is Warlock, and that’s because he’s not a human teenager!

I felt like I had to go off and read the New Mutants Special Edition (1985) and X-Men Annual #9 because it might explain how the hell Storm went from hallucinating and wrestling with a poisonous snake in Africa to on holiday with the New Mutants in Greece… but no! I found the messing about in Asgard quite tedious, mostly because it was 90% the New Mutants, whom I don’t know or care about!

Back in Uncanny X-Men #200, it ends with Magneto’s trial, fighting the Striker twins and then Prof X at death’s door, handing over the school to Magneto before he’s taken off into space by Lilandra and Corsair, who hope they can heal him.

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 13 ⭐⭐⭐

Collecting Uncanny X-Men  201-209

The main story is still stuck on Rachel Summers, and while I understand all her PTSD, the head fuck of the time travel and the family issues… I just don’t like her character; I find her endless angst tiresome. It is also driving me mad that Scott still doesn’t know!

I also hate her hair with that horrible rat’s tail!

The good bits were the Wolverine issue and Storm being a badass leader of the X-Men, despite still not having any powers. Rogue has been used really well recently, too. I love it when she absorbs the powers of others on the team. Also, Nightcrawlers lament that being an X-Men isn’t as fun as it used to be, the heroic victories are few and far more often they’re in battles it’s impossible to win.

Aside from Rachel, the main antagonists are Selene and the Hellfire Club (which is Rachel’s fault!) and another big showdown with NIMROD. I can’t remember if the Beyonder stuff was at the start of this collection or the end of the previous one, but that was also kind of Rachel’s fault!

I was hoping Rachel might actually die, but it seems Spiral is up to something now…

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Collecting Uncanny X-Men  210-219

Rachel is gone for now (hurray)! So we can get into significantly more interesting stories, and OH BOY do things kick off!

A group of psychopathic mutants called The Marauders horrifically massacred the Morlocks, and honestly, I found the brutality quite shocking! I can’t imagine what that was like to read when it was originally published! This was really great storytelling, the stakes felt incredibly high, and I could hardly put it down.

It ends up with Colossus, Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler all out of action and in need of critical care on Muir Island. I need to make a note to myself to go and read FANTASTIC FOUR VS. X-MEN #1-4. to see what happens with Kitty and Doctor Doom.

Psylocke is introduced, I believe, in a New Mutants Annual, but I didn’t bother with that. Also, Longshot and Dazzler also join the team. With Storm and Wolverine off trying to find Forge and Madelyne, and Colossus, Kitty and Nightcrawler all out of action, that leaves just an inexperienced Rogue with Psyclocke, Longshot and Dazzler (who she tried to kill once).

At this point, I was reading the Vol. 14 collection but got to around #221 and was too confused about Jean not being dead and why Scott had apparently left his wife and child that I had to go off to read X-Factor!

Essential X-Factor, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐

Collecting X-Factor (1986) #1-16

I hopped over from reading Uncanny X-Men to find out WTF is going on – how is Jean not dead and what the hell is X-Factor! This series is by Bob Layton, not Chris Claremont, and I could really tell the difference!

It starts with an extremely forced retcon of the Phoenix Saga in order to bring Jean back from the dead. The Phoenix was never *in* her body; it had stashed her in statis under the ocean and had just copied her body and personality… for reasons, don’t worry about it. So when Phoenix sacrificed herself, it wasn’t Jean that died. It’s really stupid and doesn’t make sense.

Resurrected Jean also doesn’t feel like Jean to me either. Plus, conveniently, she no longer has her psychic powers (only telekinesis), so she can’t read anyone’s mind to find out Scott married a woman that looks *exactly* like her and they have a child…?!

Anyway, Jean’s return brings the original X-Men together (Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Angel, plus Jean, as the token girl). The idea behind X-Factor is dubious, and it never sat right with me. They soon realise this, though! Things have gotten very messy and confusing in the world with all the different mutant factions. Apocalypse shows up (ready to collect his horseman), and the story crosses over to the Marauders’ massacre of the Morlocks. X-Factor are in the tunnels at the same time as the X-Men, which we knew from the X-Men recognising Cyclops’ optic blast. The X-Men side of the story is leagues better!

This isn’t great. The writing is nowhere near as good as Claremont’s X-Men, and the characters don’t feel as real. It’s reminded me why I didn’t click with the original X-Men – they all act so fucking weird about Jean, and she’s nothing but an object for their inappropriate comments and relationship drama. I could not describe what Jean’s personality is! Scott acts like a complete dick to everyone (it takes 6 issues for her to find out the truth, and he isn’t the one to tell her!), plus Warren is inexplicably also now in love with Jean despite having his superhot and very cool, long-time girlfriend Candy Southern!

<sarcasm>I can’t wait until Wolverine rejoins this “I’m hopelessly in love with Jean and it’s ruining my life” club, too. </sarcasm>

Honestly, X-Factor is just a fucking Soap Opera, and not a good one!

Oh yeah, also Hank gets turned back to human-looking looking which is boring. I like him blue and furry! That story introduces Artie, who is cute, and I do like him a lot. We also meet Rusty, who is X-Factor’s first student.

I’ll think read enough to catch up on what I’d missed and then jump back to where the superior Uncanny X-Men picks this up. I really miss the proper X-Men!

Currently reading

I just finished Retreat by Krysten Ritter last night (I was pleasantly surprised by it!), so I need to pick a new read, and I’m not quite sure what yet! I am going on a mini-break at the end of next week, so I’m considering re-reading Ubik by PKD as I’ll have some reading/thinking time!

On Audio, I’m just finishing Lies Sleeping (Rivers of London #7) and I have False Value (#8) lined up ready to go.

Adding to TBR

I’ve been good and I’ve not bought any!

Book Tag/TTT!

I’m really loving joining in with Top Ten Tuesday! I’ve now added a category to my blog for these posts to make them easier to find. It is a really fun way to find new blogs and potential book friends.

1. 10 Books I’d Like To Re-read
2. 10 Literary Books With An Honourific In The Title
3. 10 Literary Books Set In The 1980s
4. 10 Big Fat Books I’d Need To Read On Holiday