I’m trying to keep on top of these monthly round up posts even if I haven’t made as much progress as I’d like. My reading is still slow at the moment. As I’ve mentioned we’ve been having various trips away and then hosting visits from family and friends so everything has been slightly chaotic. During my last round up I listed nine books that I needed to read for July. I’ve not done as well as I’d like with this but I managed to read five of those books. I still have a couple of reviews outsanding and I’m in the middle of one of the other books.

These were the books I read in July:

1. This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara
2. Nine Goblins by T Kingfisher
3. The Eye of Leviathan by MA Carrick – currently reading
4. The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
5. The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by HG Parry
6. The Winter Folk by Jen Julian

What’s On My Plate: August

1. The Unknown by Riley Sager
2. A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
3. Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst
4. The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty
5. The Two of Us at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher
6. Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher
7. They Say A Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough

This is a more manageable size list I feel – but, obviously I still have some catching up to do from the past couple of months so we’ll see.

Backlist Book

For the moment I’m not tackling the list I created at the start of the year as I’d like to catch up with my review books from the last few months to get back on track.

Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt Book Bingo

And the ‘wordy’ version:

Picture Prompt Book Bingo 2026 (text version)

1. A teacup and saucer	2. A set of weighing scales	3. A moth	4. A hand holding some fanned out playing cards
5. A hot air balloon	6. An acorn	7. A human eye	8. A cooking pot hanging over a campfire
9. A griffin	10. A large, old key	11. A hand holding a threaded needle	12. An octopus
13. A plant being repotted	14. A skull and crossbones	15. A decorative water fountain	16. A pinch-clip purse

This month I have no books that fit the prompts – or at least I don’t think so. Here’s the books I ticked off last month:

A plant being repotted – Green and Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons (this really is a perfect fit)

A hand holding some fanned out playing cards – The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru – I’m thinking of the card readings (tarot but playing cards can also be used)

A moth – Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher – gothic horror with insects, maggots and more

A human eye – A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett – this may seem a bit random but Ana, one of the two main characters in this series usually chooses to wear a blindfold in order to help her restrict all the sensory data and improve her thinking

A large, old key – The Children by Melissa Albert – keys, very unusual keys I might add, play a large part in this beautiful book

A Griffin – This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews – there are a few critters in this

A hand holding a threaded needle – The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett a group of women coming together, forming bonds and found family, there is actually literal stitching involved as well but I’m going more for the abstract idea here of the women joining together in times of need