Our August 2026 Reading Recap!

August reading brought five-star surprises, major disappointments, and plenty of unfiltered opinions. We’re recapping the romances, fantasy epics, literary fiction, sci-fi, and horror that defined our month, then revealing the one book each of us recommends above all the rest. Pour yourself a drink, prepare to add to your TBR, and join the conversation! What was your best—or most disappointing—read of August?BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Blood Over Bright Haven — M. L. WangThe Sword of Kaigen — M. L. WangFourth Wing — Rebecca YarrosA Photo Finish — Elsie SilverHeartless — Elsie SilverSeed — Ania AhlbornThe Unseen — Ania AhlbornThe Shuddering — Ania AhlbornBrother — Ania AhlbornThe Night We Met — Abby JimenezSay You’ll Remember Me — Abby JimenezJust for the Summer — Abby JimenezI Leave It Up to You — Jinwoo ChongThem — W. H. ChizmarScion — James IslingtonThe Will of the Many — James IslingtonThe Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1 — Beth BrowerThe Renovation — Kenan OrhanMalice — John GwynneValor — John GwynneRuin — John GwynneA Time of Dread — John GwynneThe Wolves of War — John GwynneWe Burn So Bright — T. J. KluneThe House in the Cerulean Sea — T. J. KluneSomewhere Beyond the Sea — T. J. KluneThe Bones Beneath My Skin — T. J. KluneThe Knight and the Moth — Rachel GilligThe Knave and the Moon — Rachel GilligOne Dark Window — Rachel GilligTwo Twisted Crowns — Rachel GilligThe Calamity Club — Kathryn StockettThe Help — Kathryn StockettThe Murderbot Diaries — Martha Wells