August 2026
Welcome to The Book List!
Hello!
Even though the books I read this month were woefully disappointing, I am still desperately in love with reading, so much so that I stroked a book the other night because I didn't have time to pick it up. Like it was a neglected dog that needed love. "I'm sorry, buddy. I wish I could spend time with you right now."
When I have a disappointing reading month, I can overreact and overcorrect. It's like New Planner energy. I've got to figure out why things aren't working and orchestrate some New and Awesome Plan to get back on track.
But really the plan is just to read. I haven't had as much time in July because the second half of summer was a bear of inconsistency. Long days, late nights, big projects, and reading took a hit.
And frankly, I read some pretty mid books. It happens.
I do think I'm going to prioritize books I've chosen from subscription boxes since I've already decided they're worth it, but I won't overthink it. I'm just going to choose what sounds good and start reading when time allows. I will eventually finish that Tana French book that's been 75% read for three weeks. I believe.
Alright, on to this month's books!
This Month’s Books
Book Reviews
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: some language, some sex but talked about in almost a mechanical way
Casting: Since Anne Hathaway is producing and starring in the adaption, I naturally imagined her. She was terrible and great. No one else got a specific face.
Book words: propulsive, intriguing, sharp, divisive
I vowed not to read this. Influencers, mockery, Anne Hathaway. Just... no thanks. But then Book Twin Katie read it and texted me.
"You would be entertained."
Well, I do love that. So I grabbed the audio on Spotify and gave it a try. I was hooked almost immediately and even used an Audible credit to buy it after I ran out of Spotify listening minutes. I could not let it go, and I still think about it.
You probably already know this, but Yesteryear is about a modern-day influencer who lives on a farm and creates content as though she does everything herself and from scratch. Behind the scenes, we see that she has three nannies, a producer, and her farmer husband has dozens of folks who work the land while he does not. Then she wakes up one morning on the same farm but in the 1800s, where she actually has to live the life she's been romanticizing on Instagram.
I loved the mystery. How did she time travel? How did she become an influencer in the first place? What do the nannies think of her? How much does her rich father-in-law with presidential aspirations impact her life?
Katie and a backcover reviewer both said that this book felt like Gone Girl. Not the plot but the feeling: a page-turning juggernaut of questions and vibes and deeply unlikeable people. Plus, it's taken over the cultural conversation, and when a book does that, it's special even if you hate it.
This wasn't the greatest book I've ever read or even the best thriller I've read. But any book that can grab me like that, destroy my patience, compel me to use an Audible credit, and still be on my mind weeks later deserves five stars. All day.
Summer in the City by Alex Aster
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: spice level approaches a 4/5
Book words: spicy, bantery, typical E to L stuff, lots of fun NYC things though which is an added bonus if you like the city
As always, a romance ends exactly how you expect it to, but the fun is figuring out how they'll get there. This story had its fair share of grand, romantic gestures, but that's because one of the characters is an actual billionaire and doesn't quite know how to just be with a woman.
Elle is a successful screenwriter who writes under a pseudonym. Unfortunately, the project she's working on is set in New York City, her least favorite place, partially because it was where she was rejected and made to feel small by some guy she made out with a party. (I mean, let's get some therapy, girl.) She reluctantly returns to NYC to write this screenplay while also housesitting in a fancy apartment building. Turns out the guy who lives across the hall (of course) is the guy who rejected her all those years ago.
Also, he's a tech billionaire. Because of course he is.
Parker needs a fake girlfriend for the summer to take the focus off of a big merger or something, and Elle needs Parker because being around him is the only thing inspiring her to write her screenplay. It is as ridiculous as it sounds and is also a good time. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, so I'm a sucker.
Casting: Yes, it's Jamie again, but he's a really good brooding billionaire. I don't make the rules.
Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: some language from what I remember, and it's about the obliteration of existence so, like, not a fun hang
Casting: Tom Hanks, no, I'm kidding; no casting they're robots
Book words: sci-fi, dusty, violent, honestly kind of boring for being a Western with robots
I really loved Cargill's book Day Zero. A super entertaining apocalyptic read. Naturally, I had high hopes for this one. Y'all, I just could not get into it.
Here's what I think. The story is all about robots. Humans are gone. Robots are all that's left, and some of them are going rogue to avoid joining their intelligence to One World Intelligence. So it's kind of a space opera but in the desert? With robots? I don't know.
I think I need people. Robots alone won't cut it for me because I honestly don't care about them. They're robots. And the protagonist of this story did not endear himself to me right away. He's kind of a bad robot at first. I loved Day Zero because it was about robots trying to save the humans that are left. It felt - forgive me for being so on the nose here - human. That story had warmth and flesh and feeling. This one honestly felt robotic. It was too slippery to grab hold of.
Maybe it was a wrong book at the wrong time thing, or maybe I just need people in my stories. My guess is the latter.
All Her Fault by Andrea Mara
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Content warnings: child kidnapping
Casting: none
Book words: thrilling, multiple viewpoints, twisty
Short version: riveting story, disappointing ending.
The premise is awesome if you like thrillers. A wealthy suburban mother goes to pick her son up from a playdate, only to find that her son isn't there. Not only that, the family that was supposed to live in the house does not. Wild.
Obviously the whole book is about finding the kid but also figuring out who is responsible. It's a great page-turner in that way. I just really really did not like the ending. It felt forced and intentionally unbelievable. I read it rolling my eyes. But even though it didn't land the plane the way I'd hoped, it was still entertaining and might be for you, too.
Ask Better Questions of the Bible by Marty Solomon
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: Bible talk
I really enjoy the BEMA Podcast, a show co-hosted by the author of this book. I think Marty Solomon asks great questions, talks about the Bible in a beautiful way, and has created a lot of great opportunities for me to explore Scripture.
That said, I thought this was just okay. I wanted it to be clearer and more organized, and I found it hard to follow. I know how hard it is to write a nonfiction book, so I have a lot of compassion for Marty and the process of writing your first one. But if you were wondering if you should listen to the podcast or read the book, my personal suggestion is to listen to the podcast.
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Narrated by Christine Lakin
Content warnings: drug use, suicidal ideation, human trafficking
Casting: none
Book words: literary, dark, character-driven
I did not know any of those content warnings going into the book. In fact, I thought it would be light and funny because of this description: "Rippling with humor, warmth, and style, Lost Lambs is a new vision of the charms and pitfalls of family dysfunction."
Good time, right? Yeah, it very much was not. This was so sad and dark and depressing. A family is falling apart. Parents don't want to be married anymore. One wants an open relationship, and the other does not. The daughters have their own issues as they grow up in a small town. Just a lot of hurt people missing each other.
The narration was great. Truly. Christine Lakin did a wonderful job with the voices and emotion. I just kept waiting for the humor and warmth, and all I got was depressing cold. I do suppose the ending had some warmth and redemption to it, but I didn't like how long it took to get there.
But listen. If you like a family saga and don't mind sadness and some darkness, you'll love it.
Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests by KJ Whittle 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Jacqueline King
Content warnings: murder in multiple ways
Casting: none
Book words: mystery, multiple viewpoints, almost like a locked room mystery, modern Agatha Christie
I enjoyed this but felt it was a bit melodramatic. Maybe I just hang out with a different kind of person, but going to these lengths to murder someone (and over kind of petty stuff?) is bonkers to me. Just see a therapist, and let a friend love you, pal. There are better ways to get over your hurt.
That said, it was entertaining. A group of disconnected people show up at a dinner party, not knowing what it's for. Then midway through the meal, they're all given a piece of paper that says the age they'll die. When one of them does, they all start to worry.
The narration is great. I love an old British lady telling me a story. And the story is good, too. I just didn't (again) love the ending. I feel like authors are great at coming up with a premise, but you have to land the plane. This one landed, albeit bumpily, but it wasn't a home run. Solid. Solid is great. And again, top-tier narration.
Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Rebecca Lowman
Content warnings: drug use, mental illness
Casting: none
Book words: NOT RAUCOUSLY FUNNY
And once again, we have a deceiving endorsement line, and this one is slap on the cover. "Raucously funny, insightful, and tender." Insightful, probably. Tender, sometimes. Raucously funny? You guys, this was so the opposite of funny I don't even understand what is happening.
It was so depressing. Two sisters grow up very differently. One's a good girl, and the other is not. Like, steals from her parents. And not just ten bucks from the mom's purse. The story follows Amy and Oli (short for Olivia) Shred from kids to adults, exploring what it's like to be a family torn apart by a kid who keeps disappearing and reappearing over time.
I mean, I cannot explain how sad this is. I never laughed. I can't even recall a line where I would have smiled. I feel duped. This was supposed to be raucous, and instead it was like sitting in on someone's therapy. If I wanted to do that, I would've become a therapist.
(Omg I would be a terrible therapist.)
Again, if you like emotional character-driven books, it was excellent. Well written, perfectly narrated, a really good book. Just not raucously funny in any discernible way.
The Smart Girl's Guide to Revenge by Jessica May Harper 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Kaya Scodelario
Content warnings: stealing, conning, and gaslighting, but in a very Ocean's 11 kind of way
Casting: none
Book words: fun suspense, low stakes, propulsive, splashy
This was like a heist story, only it's a heist of revenge. You have a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde who come up with a grand plan to fake his death so they both can get the big life insurance payout. But then the not-dead guy takes all the money for himself and leaves her holding the bag.
In prison, she vows to get revenge on him, and the story is how she does it.
I love Kaya Scodelario. She played a no-nonsense drug lord in The Gentlemen, and her narration was great. The story was fine, too. A little rushed at the end (why can't authors figure out the end?!), but a good time.
The one thing that really got on my nerves is that only some of the story had audio effects. Like, you'd go several chapters with just Kaya reading. Awesome. Then randomly you'd hear a phone ring or a door slam or water running. It was so few and far between that I thought the sounds were from my own phone and door and sink. Just... weird. Why put it in there like seven times if you're not going to do it the rest of the time? I think someone fell asleep on the job.
Other than that taking me out of it a bit and the ending being a little too tied-up-in-a-rushed-bow, I liked it.