It’s a new month! That means it is time to share a new TBR. I have so many ARCs to read for August that I’m sure they will probably dominate my TBR, but let’s see. Without further ado, let’s dive into my August 2026 hopefuls and a brief recap of my reading from last month!
Recap of Last Month
July was a much more productive reading month for me than June. I read five out of my six priority reads and one of my other hopefuls. They were all pretty great reads, too, which is always nice. As a reminder, here were my priority reads for last month, along with my rating for the ones I read:
- The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen (4.5⭐)
- The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by H.G. Parry (5⭐)
- Sunsplitter by S.A. MacLean (4.5⭐)
- A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett (NOT READ)
- Arcana Academy by Elise Kova (4⭐)
- We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune (4.5⭐)
I did finish a few other books in June for a total of 10 books, 4325 pages, and an average rating of 4.35 stars. I think that might be my highest average rating ever, which shows how much I really enjoyed these books. Fantasy was the top genre of the month again, which was no surprise. Here’s a quick look at everything I read along with some stats from StoryGraph:
August 2026 Priority Hopefuls
I’m sticking with six books again for my priority reads. Four of them are August ARCs, A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett (also the holdover from last month’s hopefuls), Bridget & Gabe Are Not Okay by Lex Croucher, The Salt King by Natasha Pulley, & The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims (my Camp NetGalley pick). I’ve also chosen two recent releases. I plan to read Prince of Swords by Elise Kova while Arcana Academy is still fresh in my mind. My final pick is The Lord of the Wood by E.M. Anderson, which was a preorder that arrived at my house a couple of weeks ago.
Other August 2026 Hopefuls
Most of my other hopefuls will remain the same as last month, with the goal to work on some backlog ARCs. With that in mind, here are all of my other August hopefuls:
The Lie That Binds Them by Matthew Ward, Witch Queen of Redwinter by Ed McDonald, The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton, All We Have Is Time by Amy Tordoff
Well. Those are my August 2026 hopefuls. I’d love to read everything listed on this page, but that is unlikely. If I make it through six of them, I’ll consider June to be a success! Do we have any hopefuls in common this month? Happy reading!
I think I’ll probably also be reading A Trade of Blood this month. Some friends are going to grab it for a lake weekend, so I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Interested to hear your thoughts on Pulley! She’s always got the most intriguing premises for books
I just started A Trade of Blood and am already hooked after only the first chapter. Ana and Din are just such magnetic characters that I was drawn straight into it. I’m really looking forward to the Pulley. Her books are always so unique, and I’ve yet to come across one that I didn’t like.
That’s a really high average rating for the month! Obviously you jived well with what you read. I don’t think I’ve ever had an average over 4 stars for the month 😂 At least, not in recent memory. I hope you enjoy your August reads just as much as July’s!
Right? I surprised myself with that average. lol. I’ve had some months that were 4.1 and 4.2 averages, but never one that was 4.3 or above. It was a really great month of fantastic books. Here’s hoping the streak will continue!