Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: July 2026

So, let's begin the inaugural Monthly Reading Wrap Up for July 2026! Better late than never!

I'm a data nerd so let's go over the stats real quick. So, I read 4 books and a total of 1,491 pages. The average length was 373 pages and it took me an average of 11 days to finish a book. There were 3 e-books and 1 paperback. All of the e-books were library loans. 

July was a slow month in my reading with my Kindle being MIA. I know it's in a box, somewhere, in our house. It'll get unpacked eventually. So, I've been roughing it with the Kindle iOS app and Libby iOS app. I didn't realize how much of a difference it was until I found myself getting distracted every other chapter with notifications.

My July reads were:
The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo
Ward D by Frieda McFadden
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

I kicked off July with The Witches of El Paso as a random TBR selection and it was such a good choice. It has magical realism, family drama, time travel all packed together. I really enjoyed the Borderlands setting and the juxtaposition of the two cities. The other themes of the novel having to balance different parts, whether it be identity, family, ambition, or internal parts, felt natural against this backdrop.

I followed this up with Ward D to work through some of my paperbook backlog. I do have a love-hate relationship with some of Freida's work, mainly the writing on some of the female main characters. But, I typically like her writing that has medical/healthcare involved and this was no exception.

If time had let me, I would've devoured Pachinko in one sitting. Watching the characters tackle identity, family obligations, culture shifts, and seeing it evolve within each generation was fascinating. As a pocha, I really found Solomon relatable. I found myself putting my phone down and feeling devastated at multiple points of the novel. I'm contemplating a free trial of Apple TV so I could watch the series.

To finish up the month, I finished another thriller with None of This is True. This had also lingered on my TBR for awhile. I was surprised with the podcast within a documentary premise but felt like it was executed well. I don't know if the author intentionally played into cultural biases but it felt like it. I'd been so focused on one aspect of the novel that the final twist came down on me like a sledgehammer.

My favorite of the month was Pachinko with The Witches of El Paso coming in at a very close second. I loved the intergenerational saga and watching the characters evolve. I could probably yap about this one forever, watching the family dynamic of immigrant families and assimilation but then the later generations lose touch with their culture and get lost in the middle as they were too foreign for their birthplace and too far removed from their homeland.

So, now I've got some planned reads for August. I'm going to pick some off the "Well Read" TBR I've posted and my regular TBR. I'll be starting a new job in August, so I'll be content if I'm able to finish all four even if I read nothing else that month.

August Planned Reads:
Beloved - Toni Morrison
The Odyssey - Homer
Daisy Jones & The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All - Laird Barron

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