My Month Is Booked: July 2026

Welcome to another My Month is Booked linkup! Sorry that this is a little late again! Hoping I’ll be able to do better with scheduling posts into the future like I used to, but definitely did not manage to do that this month!

My Month Is Booked: July 2026

Several depressing/devastating/haunting reads this month…

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The House at Watch Hill, by Karen Marie Moning – Zo is still reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a call from an attorney in Louisiana telling her that she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, but with terms that he will only discuss in person. There, she finds that she is the sole beneficiary to an enormous fortune and estate, but only if she lives in this house, alone, for 3 years.

The premise of this book was super interesting, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main character. The romance didn’t feel particularly developed (very insta-love-y) and I saw one of the “twists” from the beginning. This is part of a series though and I’m invested enough to want to see what happens, as it ends on a cliffhanger.

Daughters of the Sun and Moon, by Lisa See – Set in 1870, this is about 3 Chinese women living in Los Angeles:
-Dove, an innocent, bound-footed daughter of a scholar who has an arranged marriage to a much older wealthy Chinese merchant
-Petal, a daughter of peasants who is sold by her father to buy money for food
-Moon, the educated + beautiful wife of a well-respected doctor

Lisa See is one of my favorite authors (+ I got to meet her in person in June when she came for her book tour!)! I love the recurring theme of strong female friendships + all the research that goes into her books. <3 We chose this book for the book club that I run too! …This book wrecked me though, as her books often do. Beautifully written though, but just so many hardships and struggles for all 3 of these characters. :[ Would highly recommend reading this, but just know it definitely is not a fun/light/happy read.

I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman – A dystopian novel about 40 women who live imprisoned in a cage + are monitored by guards at all hours of the day/night. The women have no memory of how they got there and only a vague recollection of what their lives were like before.

This was definitely a disquieting/haunting read (but you will definitely know this from the start). If you’re looking for answers and/or a resolution of sorts, I would suggest to look elsewhere. It was an interesting + very short read and provides a thought-provoking story on what might happen when you’re the last people on earth + what becomes most important to you when you come to terms with that.

Here After, by Amy Lin – A beautifully written memoir that delves into the before, during, and after of the debut author’s journey through grief after her husband suddenly dies while running a marathon.

I like the way this book was written — vignette-style, with little bits and pieces of conversations and snippets of memories from before — I felt it showcased the way that grief is not a linear process, and we should be allowed to sit in it and just be, to help process those feelings. I definitely related to her in the “showing good signs” in hopes to not tire out her loved ones who were supporting her through her grief.

The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides – Alicia is a famous painter who is married to a popular fashion photographer. One evening after her husband returns home from a fashion shoot, Alicia shoots him in the face 5 times, and refuses to speak again. She is sent to a secure forensic unit where Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, tries to work with her to unravel the reason behind her husband’s murder.

If you’re in the mood for a psychological thriller, this could be a good pick! I was invested in finding out what happened/why, but did manage to guess it partway through.

• What did you read in July? I think I’ll be gravitating towards more light-hearted reads again for August…
• What are you currently reading? One of my patients recommended Rough Magic to me since it’s about a woman who decides to enter a horse race across the Mongolian Steppes, so I’m trying to finish it before I head off to Mongolia!