August 2026
I don’t always feel like writing a full review for everything. I was inspired by Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Quick Lit posts and decided to do something similar as a way to briefly discuss the books I read in a month but don’t write full reviews for.
We will not talk about how long it’s taken me to get to my August reads…we’ll just get right to talking about what I read that month!
In August, I finished reading eight books, and have reviewed two of them separately:
Incidents Around the House, Josh Malerman; and
The Unknown, Riley Sager.
Here are my thoughts on the rest of my August reads:
Out of the Loop, Katie Siegel (purchased) – 3⭐
The premise for this one is so great that I was so certain I’d love it. But while the time loop stuff was super interesting, the mystery itself could not keep my attention or get me invested, and it took me ages to finish reading.
All the Suspects on Campus, Heather Day Gilbert (e-ARC) – 2⭐
This is another that sounded fun from the premise, but upon reading, was not for me. I’m a bit hit or miss with cozy mysteries, but I loved the idea of a secret library, and decided to check it out. Unfortunately the book and the characters were not a good fit for me. I found the protagonist incredibly judgmental and overbearing, and just could not enjoy the story.
Her Last Breath, Taylor Adams (purchased) – 3.5⭐
When I read the synopsis for this one, it reminded me of Caitlin Starling’s The Luminous Dead, which I loved when I read it a few years ago, so I was excited to check this one out. What I really liked about this was the descriptions of the cave, which were so claustrophobic and tense. I am very much not the kind of person to go caving, so this convinced me even more that caving is not for me! This was a fun, intense thriller but I felt the end veered into too-many-twists-just-for-the-sake-of-it territory.
The Extra, Annie Neugebauer (library) – 4⭐
This novella was such a fun, fast read! I had to get the next in the series as soon as I finished.
The Other, Annie Neugebauer (library) – 4⭐
This sequel to The Extra is more like a companion novella, since it’s a separate story but set in the same world. I liked this just as much as The Extra and am so eager to read book three, which isn’t out until next year!
Reliquary, Hannah Whitten (e-ARC) – 4⭐
The beautiful cover caught my eye, and the premise sounded eerie and intriguing, so I was pleased to receive an advance copy via Netgalley. This was a really moody, eerie, atmospheric story that I quite enjoyed.
