July 2026 Wrap-Up & August Plans

Happy August, y’all! How are we already in August? Am I the only one who feels like this year is speeding by? July was an interesting month, filled with holiday reads. Those helped a bit with all of the heat and humidity that lasted a couple of weeks. But let’s get to why we’re all here-my July 2026 wrap-up and August plans!

July 2026 Reading Wrap-Up & August TBR

I didn’t include a TBR in my June Wrap-Up because I had a post with just a July TBR. You can find that TBR here. I won’t share the list in this post because it would make this post clunky. Just know that all ten books on the list were Christmas-related.

Books Read in July

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My July TBR was a challenge; why did I think I’d read ten holiday books in one month? That said, I did manage to read six out of the ten. I also managed to knock one book off my summer TBR. I even managed to read an ARC this month that isn’t coming out until September.

Did I read a good book in July? I would recommend any of the books I finished. My favorite read of the month was A Killer for Christmas by Kim Harrington, which I gave 4.5 stars. My honorable mentions are The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan, A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli, and The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman.

August TBR

Back to regularly scheduled TBRs, and this one is a bit of a doozy! Fingers crossed I can get them all read. I also have an ARC left over from July to read; it was approved late, and I wanted to spend the month on my holiday reads. One of the books on my TBR is also a September release, but it’s in early September.

• Freyja by Margrét Ann Thors
• Everything Comes Back to You by Jackie Khalilieh
• Asha in Her Garden by Anita Rau Badami
• The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die Quietly by Katarina Bivald
• Philippa Flynn’s Year of Panic and Piracy by Jacqueline Firkins
• Mistress of the Persian Boarding House by Marina Nemat

July Blog Wrap-Up and August Plans

I did it, y’all! I managed to post 31 posts in July, all of which were holiday-themed.

In July 2024, I shared my review of the Too Good to Go App (if you haven’t checked it out, you really should), and it was the second most popular post in July. Of the 31 posts I published in July, the most popular was the one where I shared my most anticipated holiday releases.

What does August have in store for the blog? My brain melted down working on my July posts, so I’m honestly not sure what I’ll be doing in August. I am planning on having five reviews and four Top Ten Tuesday posts. I’m hoping to have a goal check-in and possibly a tag, too.

Personal Stuff

July went pretty much as I expected. Other than the fact that the “quiet” week at work wasn’t quite like I’d hoped. They decided to do construction 3 of the 5 days. While the construction wasn’t in the building, it was just outside. Imagine the dentist’s drill outside for eight hours a day. UGH! Thankfully, I was able to escape everything for a week at the end of the month. We ran away to a small town about three hours east of Toronto. It’s great to be able to stay on the riverfront for a few days. The pictures below are a shot of the resort where we stayed (taken from the river) and the historical railway tunnel.

What does August have in store for us? Well, I’ll be working at a different location for a few days. The first will be to train on their processes; the second will be to cover a shift so someone can have a Saturday off. And then right at the end of the month, I’ll be on vacation again. This time, though, it will be at home.

That’s my July in a nutshell. How was your July? What was your favorite read? What are your plans for August?

Are you looking for more reading ideas? Check out my other monthly reading wrap-ups.