It has been hot this year! As I write this, there is finally some relief to the heat, to the point that I’m actually feeling a tiny bit chilly today, but the weather forecasts it shooting back up again in the coming week, so by the time I finish this update I might just be a melted puddle! If it’s hot where you are, how are you coping? Do you find you read more – being stuck inside and avoiding the sun – or less, because it’s too difficult to follow words when the heat is sapping every inch of energy? (You can tell I am really not a heat and sun person, can’t you?)
It feels like a really successful July for reading for me! I’ve got through quite a few books and even completed two challenges! Which leaves me two to focus on, with a couple more optional ones I might pick up if I feel like it.
2026 Reading Challenges
Updates: #1 / #2 / #3 / #4 / #5 / #6
Goal: 46/70 (+8)
The Divination Hollow Reviews Horror Challenge 2026
12/12 (+1) Prompts Completed
Challenge Completed
Read
Written by an author who isn’t cis, het and white
All the Hearts You Eat is a fantastic book by a brilliant author – and what a book to end this challenge on! I’m really pleased with how this one has gone as a whole, and I loved the prompts we came up with as a DHR team. I’m so excited to start working on the next one and to see what prompts we end up with for 2027!
Books to Read: None!
Musicals Reading Challenge 2026
13/24, +1 Bonus (+4) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
2010s: The Greatest Showman – From Now On – Found Family
I ended up DNF’ing Homegrown Magic, so needed to find a new book for this prompt. I settled on Drawn Together, and though it’s early stages…I’m really enjoying it! I think I’ll be pleased with this one – the FMC is very likeable, and though I was concerned about the hero being, well, a bit beyond grumpy…I’m warming up to him already!
Read
A Chorus Line – Dance Ten, Looks Three – Shallowness and/or beauty standards
A Dorian Grey remix felt perfect for this, and I very much enjoyed This Wretched Beauty – a more explicitly queer retelling with a very sympathetic MC!
The King & I – Getting to Know You – Featuring a governess or teacher
Erica Ridley’s The Governess Gambit was delightful! This is a prequel novella and I will absolutely be continuing with this series.
Funny Girl – I’m the Greatest Star – Featuring an entertainer
I adored Leather & Lark! This is such an excellent, dark, funny series and I’m going to be getting the audiobook for Scythe & Sparrow as soon as I can.
Enchanted – Happy Working Song – Set in a workplace
Another one I absolutely loved – Conflict of Interest. This book was so fun and lovely and just…everything you want from a romance. Definitely a new favourite author!
Books to Read: London: The Biography, Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night, Lady Eve’s Last Con
Twenty Genres in 2026
12/20 (+2) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
Mystery
For this one, I settled on The Diabolical Bones – a kind of gothic mystery which has the Brontë sisters as the main characters, trying to uncover the truth behind bones stashed in a chimney. It’s okay, though quite slow going.
Contemporary or BOTM
It’s been on my TBR for a long while, and I’m so glad I am finally listening to the audiobook of Honey & Spice! A really fun romance so far, and I love the narrator.
Read
LGBTQIA+
I’d originally picked a different book for this prompt, and though I do still want to read it, I really didn’t get along with the audiobook! So I went for Conflict of Interest instead.
Comedy
I felt really disappointed with The groom that got away – a book that promises to be fun and flirty but delivers on neither! It also claims to be ‘second chance’ but it really wasn’t!
Books to Read: Rainbow Wales, Maria the Wanted and the Legacy of the Keepers, Dot Slash Magic
Grim Readers 2026 Horror Reading Challenge
12/12 (+2) Prompts Completed
Challenge Completed
Read
Folk Horror
Yes, another challenge completed! And as much as I enjoyed most of the books I read for this, I’m kind of glad to be putting horror aside for a bit! I love the genre, but too much is too much, and two horror focused challenges this year almost left me burnt out. Anyway, folk horror – I read the anthology The Fiends in the Furrows II, and definitely recommend it if you’re looking for folk horror or a good Halloween read.
Body Horror
Maeve Fly was absolutely fantastic! Maybe not as much body horror as I initially thought, but I think it’s got just enough to count, and Maeve goes through a very interesting transformation through the book. Another recommendation from me.
Books to Read: None!
Netflix Movies & TV Shows
16/24 (0) Prompts Completed
And no progress on this one, again. But with two challenges now completed and as I’m making good progress on the others, I think I’ll actually be picking this one back up soon! Once the Musicals & Twenty Genres challenges catch up to this, I’ll be back to working on three.
Books to Read: So You Want to Talk About Race, All That Remains, A Discovery of Witches
How did your reading go over the last month? Making good progress? I often find myself starting to worry this time of the year, especially if I haven’t reached halfway on multiple challenges, but I’m doing better with these than I ever had before so I’m very confident I’ll clear the last two before 31st December!
With that said…I’m finding there’s a bit more demand on my time at the moment, a bit less time for the blog, and I’m scrambling to keep posts going more than a few days in advance! So I’ll be taking another hiatus through August to give me a chance to catch up. That means no Monday Moods either, but I’ll be back in September with more and hopefully this just gives me an opportunity to breathe, especially as I have quite a bit going on this month! You’ll still see reviews from me pop up, but everything else will be on hold. So, see you in September!
Unwrapping Words 