(July) August 2026 Reading Wrap Up
Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!
Today I'm going to be doing my July August wrap up. Last month was extremely hectic for me, and so that is why there wasn't a July post. Also because I only managed to read one book last month, so obviously it seemed kind of a waste to make a whole blog post about just one book. At least in August I managed to turn that around!
In the month of August I read 7 books: 5 novels, 1 graphic novel, and 1 play. This is all due to Bella's TBR game for the months of August and September, without it I don't think I would have picked up most of these books. I'm just glad that I have finally managed to get my reading groove back, after so many months of only reading 2 or 3 books. Everyone pray with me that this is the end of the slump!
5 out of the 7 books I read were purchased this year, and 1 was from the library. This is just because the majority of my books are still packed away in moving boxes, due to a lack of bookshelves. I only have ready access to about 20 books, purchased after I moved across the country. You'll also notice that most of the books were under 300 pages. Anything to get me out of that slump, I say!
(I will also put the single book I read in July in this wrap up, just so I don't lose it at the end of the year.)
Okay, let's get into it!
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Novels
1. The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
Age range: Adult
Format: Physical
Star rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Page count: 336 pages
Day(s) read: 6.01 - 7.26
Final thoughts: I really enjoyed my time with this book, even though it took me two months to get through. I went down a rabbit hole about Anne of Brittany's life and Tudor era France because of this book, which I think is a mark of a great story. I'm finding that I really like books that take a real person from history and make a new story around that person. Historical Fiction at it's finest. So far, I haven't found a single Katherine Arden book that I haven't loved.
2. The Suicide Museum by Ariel Dorfman
Age range: Adult
Format: E-book
Star rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Page count: 608 pages
Day(s) read: 7.19 - 8.23
Final thoughts: I was initially really excited about this book, and I'm very disappointed to say that it just didn't pan out for me. It was another moment in history that I'm very interested in - Salvador Allende and the Chilean revolution - but this book ended up not talking about that much at all. I don't know a lot about Ariel Dorfman and his life, but this book makes me think I won't like his other work. It was just a touch too experimental for my own personal tastes.
3. The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Wren James
Age range: YA
Format: E-book
Star rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Page count: 320 pages
Day(s) read: 8.06 - 8.07
Final thoughts: This is probably the ultimate mashed potato book for me. Unfortunately, my potatoes were cold in this instance. (A mashed potato book is a term coined by Ariel and Raeleen of Books Unbound podcast, which basically means a book that you put off for the perfect moment, a "save the best for last" type of mentality. Except it doesn't always work, aka the potatoes are cold.) I think if I had read this book eight or nine years ago, I would've fallen completely in love with it and it would have been a fundamental book in my life, another Fangirl moment. But sadly, I do think I just aged out of this demographic.
4. Stoner by John Williams
Age range: Adult
Format: Physical
Star rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Page count: 278 pages
Day(s) read: 8.08 - 8.20
Final thoughts: Congratulations to the only book that made me cry this month! And it was an ugly cry, too. Though, I'm not sure how much of that can be credited to the ending of the book, and how much of it was because my grandfather passed away two days before I finished it, and I was still processing those emotions. Either way, I know that this is a story that will stick with me for a very long time. I feel a connection to William Stoner on a deep, emotional level. His love for literature makes him a kindred spirit in my heart.
5. The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden
Age range: Adult
Format: Physical
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 262 pages
Day(s) read: 8.09 - 8.29
Final thoughts: Objectively, this book is probably more emotional than Stoner, but it wasn't tearjerking. Emotionally devastating? Yes, absolutely. Did it make me cry? No, not really. The plot twist at the 70% mark was so gut-wrenching that I needed to take a step away for a few hours before I felt well enough to finish the book.
We all know that romance isn't usually my cup of tea, and I don't think I would actually classify this as a romance (at least, not like how the next two books of this wrap up are). It's more a love story, something that is strong and deep and all consuming. I know this might just be my personal bias, but when I think of romance novels, I think of fluff and heartwarming love, not this.
6. Behind Five Willows by June Hur
Age range: YA
Format: Physical
Star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 307 pages
Day(s) read: 8.23 - 8.26
Final thoughts: June Hur is an auto-buy author for me at this point, she always writes excellent stories about Joseon-era Korea. That being said, this is probably my least favorite of her novels (The Silence of Bones and The Red Palace being my favorites). As a Pride and Prejudice retelling, I knew the basic plot points and I think that deterred from my enjoyment a little bit, because in all of her other novels you never knew how they were going to end. However, it did give me another new hyperfixation topic in the Munchebanjeong fiction ban. Absolutely fascinating.
Graphic Novels
1. Heartstopper vol. 6 by Alice Oseman
Age range: YA
Format: Physical
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 439 pages
Day(s) read: 8.05 (ONE DAY READ)
Final thoughts: I can't believe this wonderful series is at an end! I could probably read about Nick and Charlie throughout their whole lives and never get bored of them. This final volume has been a long time coming, but I'm so happy that Alice took the time to make sure that she was doing these characters justice. It makes me smile knowing that kids all over the world will have Nick and Charlie to help them get through high school, the way I wish I had.
Plays
1. Norma Jeane Baker of Troy by Anne Carson
Age range: Adult
Format: Physical
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 68 pages
Day(s) read: 8.06 (ONE DAY READ)
Final thoughts: Talk about emotionally devastating! I don't know how Anne Carson managed to think up a comparison between Helen of Sparta and Marilyn Monroe, but after reading Norma Jeane Baker of Troy I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't make that leap. Anne Carson, the writer that you are.
It makes me so sad that I'll never see this play preformed live, as it was originally intended. I've watched the three or four clips we have available about the production on repeat since finishing this little play, because the creative minds attached to the project were so brilliant. I just wish someone had recorded the final product.
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Total page count: 2,618 pages
Favorite book in August: The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden
August DNFs: Dune by Frank Herbert
August Carryovers: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Storm by George R. Stewart
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And that's all for August! I'm so happy that we're in the 'ber months. Autumn and Winter, here we come!
What was your favorite book that you read this month? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Until next time, friends!
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