wrap up

July 2026 Wrap Up

Hello, reader!

We’ve gotten to mid-August, so I figured it was about time I did my July Wrap Up! July has to be one of my best reading months when it comes to star ratings because I was reading banger after banger. I also read the most books out of any month so far! It was a good, freakin’ time.

Now, let’s get into the wrap up!

July Reading Stats

In July 2026, I read 12 books for 4,152 pages and I had one DNF. That two months in a row with a DNF! It really gets easier and easier the more you do it 😂 The book deserved it, though, because it had the nerve to be boring and have a plot twist that pissed me off! One or the other, I’m not dealing with both.

Once again fantasy has come out on top! Are we at all surprised? It’s my favorite genre after all. I did read a lot more romance than usual, though. I did say I was in a romance mood and I leaned into it. Maybe that’s why I read so many books in July… I actually followed my mood for what I wanted to read! Still, I have a pretty good spread of genres from last month which makes me happy.

Ohhhh, we have an upset in the format section! Physical books were 50% of my reads in July. And audiobooks are at the lowest since the start of the year. I even read two e-books… that’s unheard of for me! This is the most I’ve diversified my reading, I think, but I’m kind of happy I read so many physical books. I’ve been neglecting them a bit because I’ve been so into audiobooks lately. Perhaps we can keep this going for the rest of the year.

My average star rating in July was a whooping 4.21! I told y’all I had the best reading month of the year (so far) in July! I read so many books that I thoroughly enjoyed and even came out of the month with another five star. I did unfortunately DNF Swept Away by Beth O’Leary because I could not get past the third act drama of it. Not to mention I was bored which is a feat when they are quite literally fighting for their lives out on the ocean. Still, at least it was balanced out by all the amazing books I got to read!

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cant wait wednesday

Can’t Wait Wednesday: August 12th, 2026

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Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a meme where you get to flail about whatever upcoming book you’re excited to read. Though it is generally a new release, it certainly can be any book that’s on your TBR! This meme is currently hosted by Wishful Endings and it’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Hello, reader!

We’ve arrived at the middle of the week and I want to talk about one of my most anticipated books of 2026. That’s why I’ve decided to do another installment of Can’t Wait Wednesday! As we work our way through August, I can’t help but wish it would move along. Why? Because September is not only my birth month but there are so many great books releasing that I want to read! So this seems like a good time to talk about at least one of them.

Let’s jump in!

Featured Title

Again, this book is releasing in the Best Month Ever™️and I’m so hyped for it! Here’s some hints as to what it might be:

This is the newest release from one of my favorite authors
It’s kind of a departure from this author’s usual genre
The cover is stunning 🤩

The book I’ve chosen for Can’t Wait Wednesday is…

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Past August Reads

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish back in June 2010. It is currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and, as is stated on the blog, it was “born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.”

Hello, reader!

I was so excited when I read the topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. Why? Because it’s just so fun! This week, we’re taking a trip back in time and I’ll be sharing the ten books I was reading on August 11th for the past ten years! Or, at least, as close to August 11th as I can get, haha. Thank goodness I’ve been on Goodreads since 2011 because my memory is not that good 😅

It was fun looking at my past reads and now it’s time to share them with you!

My Past August Reads

2016: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (⭐⭐⭐)
2017: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
2018: The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
2019: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
2020: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

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goodreads monday

Goodreads/TBR Monday: August 10th, 2026

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Goodreads Monday/TBR Monday is a bookish meme hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog invites you to post about what books are on your Goodreads “to read” lists or TBR lists, the progress you have made on your current books and reading challenges, and any other bookish news!

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another Goodreads Monday! I’m still sitting at 829 books on my Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf which isn’t bad. I usually add at least one or two books to my digital TBR a week 😂 Now it’s time to see what random book I’ll be judging. Will it get to stay on the TBR or will it get tossed?

Read further to find out!

Random Goodreads Pick

Book:
Hamnet

Author:
Maggie O’Farrell

Publisher:
Tinder Press

Publication Date:
March 31st, 2020

Pages:
372

Genre:
Historical Fiction

Synopsis:
Drawing on Maggie O’Farrell’s long-term fascination with the little-known story behind Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play, Hamnet is a luminous portrait of a marriage, at its heart the loss of a beloved child.

Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.

Award-winning author Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes, and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history.

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the sunday post

The Sunday Post: August 9th, 2026

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The Sunday Post is a blog news meme created by @CaffeinatedReviewer! It gives you a chance to post a recap of your last week, whether that pertains to books or not. You can talk about however much (or however little) you would like.

Hello, reader!

It has been a lazy Sunday here in the McBookNerd household, but now it’s time for another edition of The Sunday Post! I’m not feeling too great today, but I wanted to get on real quick to wrap up my past week on the blog and in real life. And then I’m going to lie back down with my book, haha.

Right, let’s get to it!

Week in Review

I had to work five full days at work because I wasn’t working a weekend and it felt so long 😂 Coming off of a weekend where I wasn’t feeling the best, the work week definitely dragged. I felt like I did a lot while simultaneously getting nothing done, ya know? Ugh… here’s hoping this up coming week is a bit more productive.

In more exciting news, my husband and I spent yesterday celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary! Our actual anniversary isn’t until tomorrow but going out on a Monday night is not feasible for this almost 44 year old. I need my sleep! Anyways, we took a dinner sunset cruise in the Boston harbor and it was absolutely magical. The food was delicious, the weather was perfect, and the views were just stunning. We spent most of our time on the top deck enjoying the sunset and the weather. And our waiter brought us a special anniversary dessert! It was the perfect night 💕

Today was less fun because I was not feeling great. It was nice to be able to rest, though, and I think I really needed it. Here’s hoping this next week is a good one!

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book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: Editor, Writer, or Reader

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The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Crazy-For-Books and is currently being hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Prompt

Do you see yourself more as an editor, a writer, or just a reader?

Submitted by Billy, Coffee-Addicted Writer.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: August 7th, 2026

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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re sharing on social media, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Happy First Lines Friday, everyone! I hope you all had a good work week and are ready for the weekend. I know I am because this work week was looooooong. Now, it’s time to lose myself in talking about one of my favorite things. The book I’m featuring today is one I started reading recently. I get the feeling this is one that a lot of you will recognize quickly because I feel like one of the few people who hasn’t read it 😅😂

The first line had me intrigued, so let’s see if it gets you, too!

The Line(s):

“I am dangling, and it is only my father’s blood-slicked grip around my wrist that stops me from falling.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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monthly tbr

August 2026 TBR

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Hello, reader!

We are in the dog days of summer or at least it feels that way here in New England! It has been hot and muggy and sunny. I’m a summer girl, so I’ve been loving it 😁 I think it’s good reading weather, as well, since it encourages you to stay inside with the A/C and curl up with a book, haha. But to the point of this post! It’s a new month and, with that, comes a new monthly TBR! I have no solid reading plans for August, so this is gonna be a bit of a random mix.

Now let me share my August TBR!

The Book Club Reads

Always Fully Booked (AFB) Book Club
- The Will of the Many by James Islington
- That’s right, y’all. I’m finally going to be starting this series! This book has been all over the place the past couple of years and I was getting a severe case of FOMO because I hadn’t read it yet. Thank goodness for book clubs because it gave me just the nudge I needed to bump this up the TBR. So far, I’m having a great time with this!
Literally Dead Book Club
- We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry
- I know absolutely nothing about this book, lol. I didn’t know it existed until it was picked for this book club! I’m honestly waffling about whether or not I’m going to participating in this read. I have a couple of big books I want to get through in August and this one might ended up getting skipped because of that. We’ll see.
Weirdo Book Club
- A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
- We have another instance of a book club pushing me to read a book that is already on my TBR! In this case, this poor book has become a shelf veteran because I have owned it for ages and haven’t picked it up once. I was, obviously, intrigued by the premise of the novel enough to pick it up, so I’m looking forward to finally giving it a chance.

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: August 5th, 2026

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It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham: Y’all, I’m stalling out on this one 😣 I don’t know if it’s just because I’m reading the e-book and that is my least favorite format or if this one is going to end up not being for me. I’ve but the audiobook on hold at my library to see if maybe it’s just a format thing. It’s bothersome because I’ll find myself really loving a section and then my enthusiasm swiftly peters out. I’m hoping the audiobook will help me sink into it.
The Will of the Many by James Islington: I’ve only read the first chapter so far and I’m already hooked! There are so many juicy secrets I can sense lingering right under the surface. I’m excited to dig into the story and see if I can figure them out. I’m enjoying the writing style, the setting, and the main character. He seems very intriguing. I’m certainly excited to read more!
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas: This is my current audiobook read. I was looking at my 26 books in 26 list that I have been woefully neglecting because I couldn’t decide what my next audio read was going to be. This was the first one that was available in Libby and, so far, it is a hit! The world being built is so lush and vivid that I just want to luxuriate in the story. I’m loving the characters, too. I feel bad for neglecting this book for so long but I’m happy I’m finally giving it a chance.

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Covers With A Summer Vibe

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Hello, reader!

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is a cover freebie! So, since we’ve entered August, the last full month of summer, I figured I’d make my favorite season the theme! I’ve picked some books that I’ve enjoyed that have covers that give me a summery vibe! It doesn’t necessarily mean that anything contained within the book is summery, but the cover makes me think about hot weather, lazy days in the sun, and vacations.

Now let me share what I’ve picked!

Books With Summery Covers

Heartstopper Vol 3 by Alice Oseman
The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

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