August Wrap-Up

My August Reading

Remember that big TBR purge last year? Well, cleaning up the remnants of what stayed and probably shouldn’t have, on top of me FINALLY being able to DNF galleys, means I nearly had an upside down month — I DNFd just as many books as I finished. But, aside from a few 2026 releases, I plan on having no TBR to speak of for the new year.

FINISHED

📱 Boundary Broken (Boundary Magic, 4) by Melissa F. Olsen (2019) ★3
While not technically “successful” this was an easy urban fantasy that made for a great palate cleanser.

🎧 The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (1968) ★4
Beagle has created a world of wonder, cloaked in sadness and dread, but beautifully written.

📱 What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (2025) ★4.5
McEwan's construction of the future and deconstruction of the past are only small components of this incredible novel.

📱 The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (2025) ★3
Couple of larger issues here, but Clark has written a propulsive thriller packed with all the right ingredients for a compelling story.

🎧 The Director by Daniel Kehlmann (2023) ★4
An excellent book — Kehlmann’s command of character, period detail, and the language of cinema shines through on almost every page.

🎧 The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh (2022) ★3
The intention of this one must've languished on the ... you know where ... before being remembered and retrieved off the floor near the end. But, my word, can she craft a sentence.

🎧 Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (2013) ★5
reread. One of the most touching and brilliant books I've ever had the privilege to experience.

🎧 The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (2011) ★4
I'm new to Barnes — and I'm not sure this was the best example of his work — but it was definitely easy to digest for a first bite.

📖 The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” by Alan Light (2012) — ★5
Light’s expertise and unwavering devotion of such a transcendent song stays strong throughout the entire book.

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DNFs

🎧 The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song (2024)

📖 Giant Love by Julie Gilbert (2024)

📱 The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison (2025)

🎧 The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen (1929)

🎧 Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (1977)

🎧 The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen (1948)

📱 A Family Matter by Claire Lynch (2025)

🎧 Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones (2023)

📱 The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce (2025)

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CARRYING OVER TO NEXT MONTH

🎧 The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (1905)

📖 Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake (2020)

Full reviews and thoughts can be found on Goodreads.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copies provided.

Happy reading!
—C.