July was a better reading month. I tapered off in May and I slumped in June due to my father’s passing. But in July I caught my second wind. My total number of books read so far this year is 89. This sounds like a lot, but it also takes into account some short middle grades and novellas, poetry books, recipe books, art and photo books, and some reference or coffee table style books where I don’t always read every word. But it still includes 52 conventional novels and 10 long form nonfiction works. My stretch reading goal for 2026 is 100 books, so I am sure I will make it and will probably have to set another stretch goal.
I mostly knocked it out of the park on my Tier One books.
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
It’s taken me three months to read this due to the length, but I did really enjoy the book. It’s spicier than I typically enjoy, but for the most part it didn’t detract from the story. The ending was a surprising but natural twist, in my opinion. I think the world building had some suspend your disbelief moments, but I don’t tend to throw too many stones there if I am enjoying the story. Violet learning to ride dragons worked for me. It was a little more cutthroat than made sense to me, but I could let it pass. I will read the sequel, but not until next year. I have too many other books planned.
- Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maerher
In this grumpy sunshine fantasy with light romance, the main character takes a job with an infamous villain to support her ailing family. Her crush on the villain and the people trying to sabotage him just complicate things. I adored this book. It was lots of fun. It had just the right amount of whimsy and a low enough spice level in the romance aspect. It was a perfect mix. I am looking forward to book two, but I probably won’t read that until next year.
- Spear by Nicola Griffith
My reading journal theme this year is Arthurian/Holy Grail, and so is this book. As a result, I had wanted to read this one. I haven’t DNF’d a lot of books this year, but when I gave this one a try, it just didn’t hit for me. It has a very distant intro, like watching the characters through a telescope. I tend to like a closer point of view, so I couldn’t get into it, and I am still close enough to my June reading slump that I need a book that engages me right away. I can’t say I’ll never pick it up and try again, but it definitely wasn’t working for now.
- And the Ocean was Our Sky by Patrick Ness
Spear met a couple of reading prompts for me. When I DNF’d it, I needed a replacement that fit the same prompts. This graphic novel that’s an upside down retelling of Moby Dick from the whales’ perspective fit them. I’d been meaning to read it for some other prompts later this year, but moving it up worked for all of them except the Arthurian angle. Oh well. I am not big into graphic novels, but this one was a nice choice and a quick read. It was light on illustrations and longer on text than I think many of them are. At least I think so. I read an electronic library version, and I can’t be certain that all of the graphics were included. I thought it was a bit unusual that it was so light on illustrations, but maybe it was the version. That said, the illustrations I did see were well done and supplemented the text nicely. And I did feel that it was a good retelling of Moby Dick, as I understand it. I haven ‘t read the original, but this version was thoughtfully written.
- Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
This fits a prompt for a 90’s throwback read for one of my challenges. I was more interested in it than the other options because it is a thriller and because I have read some Patterson already. I enjoyed this one. I didn’t guess the twist. It was an interesting throw back to a 90’s environment – pre-internet, pre-cell phone. Are the 90’s historical fiction now? Shudder. There’s too many books in this series and too many other books on my TBR to commit to reading more right now. But I wouldn’t say no in the future.
Here’s the Tier One Graphic.
For Tier Two, I tried to finish some books from June. I didn’t manage it, but I made progress.
- Fields of Prosperis by Claudia LeBeouf
I did finish this book. It is a Chanticleer Cygnus award winner for 2025. I met the author at the Chanticleer Author’s Conference and got to know her, and she’s lovely. We are going to share a table at the Novel Lattes book festival in Sioux Falls in October. In this book, a space pilot sets out to restore a telepathic adolescent to her clan in defiance of the law. The stakes were high, Russ’s and Teresa’s stories really grabbed my heart, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
- Dune by Frank Herbert
Paul Atreides is the heir to a noble family tasked with ruling Arrakis, where “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness, is found. When his family is betrayed, Paul joins the Fremen and becomes Muad’Dib, fulfilling an epic destiny in this alien world. This was a reread and I finished it. It was on my 26 in 2026 list for the year. I had been “meh” on this book when I read it in my twenties because the character point of view depth felt a bit distant, and as noted above, I like a close POV. I also think the themes went over my head when I was younger because I was so distracted by the POV issue. It was less of a problem this time, and as an author now myself, I have a much deeper appreciation for Herbert’s handling of POV and the way the theme played out against the plot. It’s now soaring toward the top of my favorite reads this year. I will definitely read the sequels, though it won’t happen until next year.
- The Jøssing Affair by JL Oakley
This is a historical fiction about the Nazi occupation of Norway in WWII. It’s been a slower read for me, since historical fiction is not one of my most read genres. The detail about Norway during the war is phenomenal and I want to be sure I am absorbing everything, so I am taking my time. I have made some progress on the book and will continue to work on it until I am done. I highly recommend it so far, and will write a review when I finish.
- Nemesis by Isaac Asimov
In this SF novel, a young telepathic girl on a space colony discovers that the new star they’ve gone to is a threat. I gave this one concerted effort, but stopped at the 25% mark. Asimov was very info-dumpy early in this book. It was heavy with backstory and I was losing interest and patience, especially with that recent reading slump. I have read that this is not one of his better works. I have also heard it improves further in, but I just have too many books on my list to focus on one that isn’t grabbing me right now. It’s a DNF. At least I’ll get it back to the library in time.
I had a few more books slated for Tier Three. This was my least successful tier.
- Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
I have had this historical fantasy fiction on my TBR for quite a while. It is Holy Grail themed, so it fits my reading journal vibe. It is long and it is historical, taking place during the siege of Carcassonne, so it is out of my comfort zone. I just didn’t have time for it, but given the grail theme, I am going to try to read it later this year.
- Breathless by Amy McCulloch
I did finish Breathless. I keep saying that thrillers are my escapist reads. My popcorn reads that keep me turning the page. And boy did I eat the popcorn this month while I was reading! It’s a thriller about a journalist who is on a high altitude summit expedition in Nepal. She’s there to interview a world famous climber and ends up having to evade a killer in the death zone. The author has actually summitted the mountain featured in the book, so there was a lot of realistic detail. I like adventure books set in risky environments, so combining this with a thriller was appealing, and it paid off. I enjoyed the book. I narrowed down the suspect list, but I wasn’t 100% sure who the culprit was among the choices, and I didn’t guess the why, so it kept me glued to the page. I do recommend it.
- Cleopatra’s Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
This is an award winning action thriller from the author who won overall best book at the CIBA’s in 2025 (different book than this one). With a kidnapping and a cabal hiding ancient secrets, this is right in my wheelhouse. I didn’t have enough time to focus on reading this book in July. I am still very intrigued by the premise for this thriller and I hope to try it later in the year.
- The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
This book is a beautiful combination of drawings and essays about the birds the author encountered in her own backyard during a time when she was searching for peace and connection to nature. Bird watching is one of those hobbies I have dabbled in and would like to go a little deeper. There’s a lot of birds in my yard right now. My cat is glued to the window closest to the resident goldfinch. I started the book late in the month and am not finished with it yet, so it will stretch into August. I am also dabbling in watercolor lately, so I appreciate that Amy Tan’s drawings are really detailed and beautiful. The essays are conveying a lot of interesting information about birds as well. It’s a gentle and soothing choice.
I did finish all four books in Tier Four – which is really my miscellaneous tier, so I think I will call it that from here on out. These are books that fit certain categories I read in, but often aren’t novels, and I usually finish them.
- The Gut Friendly Cookbook by Alana Scott
I am choosing a cookbook to review for recipes for each month, either to find healthy ones, or to work through my backlog and either use or unhaul cookbooks I haven’t touched much. This choice was the former. I have been struggling with digestive issues right now, but I still need healthy choices. I have recently discovered a low FODMAP sourdough bread store in my area, and the breakfast toast recipes, especially nutty banana toast, are working great. I want to try caramelized banana oatmeal next.
- Cat Tales by Charles Wysocki
This short book is more about the art of Charles Wysocki, who paints whimsical cats, than the words. But accompanying the lovely and detailed illustrations are charming little stories about the depicted cats. I collect cat books, and enjoyed this on my first read a number of years ago. It was time for a reread. It went quickly and I finished it.
- Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
It’s a classic I have heard about since my childhood, but I had never read it. I am using this as my “poetry” pick this month, given its inspirational tone. In it, a seagull breaks from his flock’s conventional ways to pursue his passion, discovering deeper truths through his spiritual journey. I did finish it and enjoyed the message. I was a bit underwhelmed given the reputation and had expected something a bit more profound, but it was worth the time I spent, and it’s a lovely little book.
- The Writer’s Garden by Jackie Bennett and Richard Hanson
This is a coffee table book. I have a number on my shelves that I haven’t actually read yet, and I am trying to slowly remedy that. I had slated this one earlier in the year and didn’t have time for it, but I did fit it in this month. It’s the kind of book I would have bought as a gift for my mom and we could have read it together. I really enjoyed reading about the authors and their gardens. It’s inspiring me to consider reading work from some of the featured authors I am not yet familiar with. Maybe next year.
If you have a favorite read to recommend, or a favorite book challenge for 2026, be sure to comment!
Thanks for reading!
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