It’s time for my July 2023 TBR list! July is a busy month for me because my attention will be elsewhere for a bit. So I’m honestly not sure how many of these I’ll actually finish. But it’s good to have goals (or so I’m told), right? August has a ton of book releases, for which I have four ARCs, I believe. It may not seem like a lot to the bookish community at large, but it is when juggling travel, a full-time job, mundane house chores, and gardening.
That said, my intent is to focus on these August ARCs. But mood reading is good for the soul. And chances are I will stray from my ARCs to get a mood read or two in. So, let’s get on with my July 2023 TBR list!
Priority Reads
BRITTLE by Beth Overmyer: This is an August ARC. It’s a fantasy book with the fae and on the shorter side, so I decided to start with this one first.
FORGED BY BLOOD by Ehigbor Okosun: This is another August ARC, which hits shelves on August 9. It’s the first book in a duology “inspired by Nigerian mythology.” I love reading fantasy inspired by mythologies from around the world, and I’m excited to be introduced to some from Nigeria.
HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD by Shelley Parker-Chan: Yet another August ARC. It will be out in the latter half of August, but there’s a lot of hype surrounding this one and so I want to read it sooner rather than later. I really hope there’s a recap at the beginning of the book to help me remember what happened in the first one!
Hopeful Reads
THE PHOENIX KING by Aparna Verma: Surprise, another August ARC! This one hits shelves on August 29 in the U.S. The tagline describes it as “an Indian-inspired, action-packed debut of fire magic and ancient prophecy.” Sounds intriguing if you ask me!
SISTER, MAIDEN, MONSTER by Lucy A. Snyder: This is not an ARC (what??). Rather, it’s a library book on my Kindle. It sounds a little outside of my comfort zone given it’s in the horror genre. But I’m still intrigued! It’s “a visceral story set in the aftermath of our planet’s disastrous transformation and told through the eyes of three women trying to survive the nightmare.”
THE UNDOCUMENTED AMERICANS by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio: This one has been on my audiobook TBR for a while, so I finally checked it out from the library. The tagline is, “One of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate from Harvard reveals the hidden lives of her fellow undocumented Americans in this deeply personal and groundbreaking portrait of a nation.”
I may also throw in another book or two from my physically owned book collection. Or an audiobook from the library. We’ll see. But this is what I intend to focus on for my July 2023 TBR list. Are any of these books in your July 2023 TBR list?
I love the range of books on your TBR! I’m hoping to snag an ALC of The Phoenix King because I saw in their influencer newsletter that Hachette Audio is publishing it ? I’ve been dipping my toes more into horror lately so Sister, Maiden, Monster sounds right up my street! I hadn’t heard of it before so thank you for putting it on my radar! My own ARC TBR has been getting catastrophically out of hand so I am once again hoping I can make July a catch-up month…but maybe my mood reading will prevail in the end, who knows.
Thanks! I’m pleasantly surprised at the diversity in my TBR this month, too. I am not well versed in the horror genre at all. I think I’ve read maybe one book in the past couple of years that could be classified as such. But the synopsis of Sister, Maiden, Monster is very intriguing. I hope you like it if you read it. Enjoy your July reads!
This seems like an ambitious TBR, and I’m very curious about a few, especially Brittle. Sister Maiden Monster is crazy! Enjoy your books!
Unfortunately I ended up DNF-ing Brittle. I’ve been trying to decide whether to post my DNF review of it, and I think I will.
I allllmost requested Forged in Blood, so I’m really curious to hear what you think about it! Enjoy your reading!
I started it! But I’m not that far in, about 4%. I like what I’ve read so far, but my mind has just been preoccupied with other things this week, so I’ve put it aside until I can give it a fair shake. Which might be later today once my travel plans commence.
Good luck with managing to read all of these as it’s a great list. . I have He who drowned the world too and I am currently reading She who became the sun so that one at least will be fresh in my mind.
Thanks, Janette! I hope you enjoy She Who Became the Sun…it was such a different read for me at the time I read it. I’d read historical fiction set in China before, but it had been a while. Good idea to read them more or less back to back.
Looks like you have some great reads to look forward to! I have an arc of The Phoenix King as well. It sounds great. And I really like the sound of Brittle. Happy reading!
Thanks, Julie! Definitely looking forward to all of these. Have a great reading month!