Welcome to my July 2026 book blog wrap-up! This is, again, a longer post because I talk about my trip to Taiwan and Japan after all the bookish stuff. So just navigate around to whatever interests you. I got a decent amount of reading done and made some progress on some backlogged ARCs, which made me happy. Travel forces me to read exclusively from my kindle, which is where all my ARCs are, so that’s a win. The other TLDR is that my views were way down for July, more than I think is normal. Did anyone else experience that?
Book Reviews
I posted three book reviews in July. From earliest to latest they are:
- Letter to My Transgender Daughter by Carolyn Hays
- The Feywild Job by C.L. Polk
- Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow
Blog Statistics
Every month I share some statistics from Google Analytics because I think it helps put expectations into perspective for other micro-bloggers like me who are out there. These statistics are from Google Analytics 4.
My top five posts for total page views are (as of the evening of July 2X):
- STEMinist Romance Books: 480 views
- Arthurian Retellings Reading List: 315 views
- Dungeons and Dragons Romance Books: 164 views
- July 2026 Book Releases: 120 views
- Book Review: To Bleed A Crystal Bloom by Sarah A. Parker: 87 views
My views are down even more this month. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t think it’s just because it’s summer break right now, especially after comparing July 2026 (~5,500 views) stats to July 2025 (~7,500). Part of me wonders if Google’s new search algorithm, which is more AI-based now, as is my very limited understanding, is stealing normal traffic. I usually get hundreds of views for a monthly anticipated book releases post, but barely surpassed 100 views for July’s post. That is very strange because those types of posts usually perform pretty well for me. I don’t really know what to do to fix this issue except wait it out and see if anything changes.
Did anyone else have much lower viewership than usual in July? I’m so sick of AI everything.
#BeattheBacklog
I finished only one book that I had on my TBR prior to 2026. That book is EMPIRE OF STORMS by Sarah J. Maas. However, I made progress on a handful of backlogged ARCs.
Other Bookish Items
I read six books in July:
- ROSARITA by Anita Desai (audiobook)
- BUFFALOR DREAMER by Violet Duncan (audiobook)
- EMPIRE OF STORMS by Sarah J. Maas
- THE REASON I JUMP by Naoki Higashida (audiobook)
- THE WITCH BELOW THE DREAMING WOOD by H.G. Parry (ARC)
- STRANGE FAMILIARS by Keshe Chow (ARC)
I also finally started DAUGHTER OF THE OTHERWORLD by Shauna Lawless. This is an ARC from last year, shame on me, and I should probably read and review it before requesting the next book, which is already on NetGalley. If Head of Zeus doesn’t hate me after being consistently late for the last few books, maybe they’ll approve my request!
Anyway, I started off strong, but after I got back from vacation I really didn’t read a lot. I had to get back into the swing of regular life and the like.
Other Media Wrap-Up
JAWS: It may be hard to believe, but I’d never seen this movie before until I watched it on the plane this month. I didn’t expect to jump as much as I did! I thought it was a pretty good movie and I can see why this is a classic. Plus John Williams scored it and I love a Williams score.
ELEMENTAL: This is another movie I watched on the plane. It’s animated and geared toward kids. It’s about a fire being who realizes she doesn’t want to take over her parents’ shop, which they built from scratch after immigrating from their homeland. It was pretty cute. It wasn’t a new favorite, but it was entertaining.
MERLIN: I’d been wanting to rewatch this mini series for a while. When Sam Neill passed away this month I somehow still managed to find a used copy on eBay. The formatting on a newer TV makes the video display a bit wide, but I don’t think there’s much to be done about that since this DVD might be out of circulation. (My 20-ish year old HP DVDs have the same issue, only worse.) I have some nostalgia for this series, so I’m still happy to own a copy now. As with all things from childhood, it is a bit cheesier than I remember, but it’s all in good fun. It has a phenomenal cast.
Non-Bookish Items
Travel
My husband and I traveled to Taiwan and Japan this month. It was kind of last minute since we made the decision to go about one month prior to our departure date due to waiting for another aspect of our lives to come more into focus. Anyway, luckily my husband had already researched these places last year since we’d considered adding them on to our South Korea trip last October. So the big lift was more or less making an itinerary and not so much deciding what to do, just when to do it. I’d been saving my airline miles for ages and we got a sweet mileage deal on the tickets, so that saved us some coin, which we’re thankful for.
Our flight over got canceled because of Typhoon Bavi, so we arrived a day late, which meant one less day in Taipei, so we missed out on a few things we wanted to do. The trip was all around great. The only big con was the heat, honestly. It gets really hot in northern Virginia and I thought I knew all about humidity. Turns out I didn’t because the heat and humidity combination in Taiwan is insane. I was so hot and sweaty and wet the entire time I was outside. We were supposed to do a short hike in Taiwan’s Taroko National Park, but abandoned that idea. Our daytrip guide was probably thankful we did that, though he was professional and didn’t say anything about it. Even he kept commenting how hot it was. Like, literally everyone is sweating all the time.
Anyway, we had some proper oolong tea, which made me realize I actually like oolong. Whatever I’ve tried here in the U.S. was crap (probably Twinings, which lately I’m liking less and less…has the quality been enshittified?) and so I thought I didn’t like it. Now I know I like the lighter oolong teas that are closer to green tea and don’t really like the more roasted ones. We visited Jiufen, which is known for its Old Street lined with lanterns.
After Taiwan we flew to Okinawa, which was marginally better humidity-wise, so it felt a little more like the Washington, D.C. area, but was still more humid. I guess that’s not surprising because it’s also a smaller island. We flew into Naha, which is the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, and stayed within walking distance of the markets and shopping street. The monorail there is cool and we took it to see Shuri Castle. We could only see the outside because it’s undergoing renovations after a 2019 fire. We tried some bitter melon (goya in Japanese), which is bitter, but I think I liked it? They also have something called seagrape seaweed, which is a delicate seaweed with lots of fluid-filled spheres that pop in your mouth when you eat it; that was delicious. From Naha we took a ferry to Zamami Island and stayed for two nights.
We did some snorkeling on our own as well as on a guided tour. On the tour we got to get pretty close to a sea turtle and watch it eat things off the ocean floor. That was amazing. The water there is gorgeous and I loved the laid back vibe. Because we booked everything so late, we couldn’t get in at some traditional Japanese restaurants because their reservations were all booked up. Luckily, though, the first night we were there we found a small, outdoor traditional restaurant and it was delicious. That was a lucky find because they next night they were closed! Tacos are also a big thing in Okinawa Prefecture, so we had that a couple of times because honestly at that point I was tired of rice. (Since surgery over a year ago I can’t eat too much rice because, let’s just say, it slows things down, lol, and makes me feel bloated.)
From there we spent <1.5 days in Tokyo and just bopped around since we’d been there before. We went to a light show where each room has a different light art display in it. That was pretty cool. I wanted authentic tempura, so we found a place for that (so good). We also went to this area in Tokyo known for having a ton of shops that sell dishes and cookware because I was looking for some soup spoons, specifically the kind used for miso soup in Japanese restaurants based in the U.S. Interestingly, every time we were served miso soup it didn’t come with a spoon, so my theory is they usually just sip from the bowl.
Garden
Our tomato plants are in full chaos mode right now because we were gone for two weeks and obviously no one was home to continue to stake them up vertically. They’re all laden with fruit and we picked a bunch of tomatoes when we got home. A couple of plants aren’t doing so well, specifically the Wapsipinicon Peach tomato, which is surprising because it’s an Iowa heirloom, so I’d expect it to do decently in Virginia with its similar climate.
While we were away most of our pepper plants finally grew. They’re still not very tall, but they bushed out a lot. Same with our eggplants. This year I tried a new pickling cucumber and a new melon and both are doing very poorly. I suspect they don’t have a high tolerance for the diseases that the cucumber beetles carry. I’ve already replanted the cucumber. I might pull both up and put something else there. My butternut squash plant also died, which sucks because we had a huge yield last year; I think it was because of the vine borer beetle, which attacked my poor pumpkin plant and those fruits are barely hanging on.
And with all this cyclospora outbreak going around, I planted some lettuce seeds. For some reason I’m not great at growing lettuce, but I’m hoping the universe will allow good germination this time. I also planted seeds for frisee (a type of endive), raddichio (first time trying), kale, swiss chard, collards, and napa cabbage. I just can’t seem to get the timing right for cabbage, so I’m trying again.
Lastly, I had my first big basil harvest and now need first batch of pesto for the 2026 season!
What a fun trip to Asia (except for the heat). I would love to go snorkeling and see a sea turtle😁 I lived in Tokyo for a year and I remember having to eat soup without a spoon, and coming home and eating it the same way and getting lots of strange looks from my family, lol. My stats seem similar to last month, but I feel like AI and bots have messed up everything, maybe for good😥
The snorkeling was awesome! And ok, glad to know you just ate soup without a spoon when in Japan. That’s probably why it was so hard for me to find a soup spoon!
Huh, while I’m glad your stats stayed the same, what the heck is going on with mine?! Despite going on vacation I still posted and did a little blog hopping. But the fact that my July anticipated books post flopped tells me there’s something going on with SEO, or the algorithm that supports however it works.
I love batch making pesto! Nothing is better than an ice cube tray filled with frozen pesto ready to throw in a pot whenever you need it
Absolutely! I also love a surprise find in the freezer of pesto I didn’t know I still had!
Your trip sounds so fun! The humidity does sound miserable, though. I would’ve cancelled the hike, too. lol. My tomatoes are going wild right now, too. We’ve been picking a ton of them, along with a bunch of green beans, cucumbers, squash, and jalapenos. My other peppers are still struggling, though. The aphids just will not give up even though I spray everything with soapy water multiple times a week. My spring planting of lettuce has bolted. So, that’s done, and I’m just waiting for the seeds. Overall, it’s been a pretty successful year so far, except for my peppers.
As for views, this was actually my best month in a really long time by A LOT. My July new release post was my best-performing post with almost 500 views. So, I’m not sure what is going on.
The humidity was pretty miserable, but everything else was great!
I’m glad your tomatoes are growing so well. My green beans are just now starting to pop off, but I got them in the ground a bit later, plus we have a drought. That aphid situation sounds super annoying. The only other organic thing I can think of is trying diatomaceous earth, if you haven’t already?
That’s great you had a good July with respect to blog views. Tammy and Janette did fine, too, so I don’t know what’s up. I don’t think it’s because I went on vacation since I still had scheduled posts and did blog hopping. Bah.
Your trip sounds amazing but I definitely couldn’t cope with the humidity. I’ve got Empire of Storms waiting for me at home as I didn’t bring it on holiday with me.
Interestingly, my viewing stats were higher during July than the previous months.
I hope you enjoy Empire of Storms. Stuff gets real in that one! And I’m glad your stats were higher in July…so far I haven’t heard from anyone else whose stats were lower, though the sample size is small.
From gardener to gardener: you have to keep “feeding” the plants nutrients a few times a week. I just had to buy a separate (magnesium) fertilizer for my tomatoes because too many leaves turned yellow! I recommend anything from Bloom City! You can get those products online or in nurseries. I hope this helps your garden.
Thanks for the gardening tip! To be honest I think it’s because we’re in a drought where I live. With respect to the tomatoes, only one type (the roma tomato umbrella) keeps getting the blossom end rot and I think it has something to do with lack of calcium intake caused by not enough water (need water to uptake nutrients, of course!).
Sometimes rot is caused by overwatering; but, most of the time it’s due to lack of nutrients. I’ve had to water my plants with a hose because the last few summers were dry.
Now, even with the rain, I’m scrambling to make sure all of the vegetables (I have cucumbers, too) are getting nutrients. I skipped the nutrients because there was so much rain and I didn’t want to overwater the plants. If it’s not one thing, then it’s another one.
Right?! Every time we figure one thing out something else crops up. After our super cold winter, I’m surprised at how many vine borers we’ve had this year. They’re the pest I hate the most.
It sounds like you had a wonderful month with the time away. Im glad you got to experience so many new things and had a wonderful time. Considering how badly I’ve been coping with the heat in the UK I don’t think I could cope with Taiwan’s temperatures though 🥵 me and humidity do not mix well it seems. The light show sounds interesting. My initial thought was that I didn’t fancy the seaweed for the way you mentioned it bursting but I guess that’s a bit like those fruit flavoured pearls you can get in cocktails tbh. I’ve only ever tried milk oolong which I loved but its pretty expensive and I only ever see it in one store here.
If it makes you feel better I’ve still never seen Jaws 🙈 I also didnt realise Sam Neill was in Merlin. Maybe I’ll have to give it a watch one day.
I’m glad you’ve managed to get some arc catch up done and hope you’re continuing to enjoy TOG.
Good luck with your garden plans. Your cabbage struggles sounds like mine with cornflowers. I thought I’d finally gotten one to take only to realise it was a daisy variety once it bloomed 🙈
My stats in the last 30 days were up but they’ve dipped a bit in the last week. I don’t really track them closely enough to know if anything odd lead to the rise though.
I hope you have a wonderful month 🥰
The seaweed was actually pretty good. The tiny orbs had a nice delicate pop and briny-ness when we ate them. There was another type of seaweed that Okinawa is known for that we didn’t like…it was brown and the way it was prepared at one of the restaurants was not to our liking; it was very…slimy. And I know what you’re talking about with the pearls…I think you mean the tapioca pearls, or boba, that are at the bottom of milky tea drinks? Those are a big thing in Taiwan. We have them here in the US, too…they’re not too hard to find where I live.
Rewatching Merlin as an adult was fun, but it was definitely more cheesy than I remember when I saw it as a kid. The story also lacked a lot of detail, so it didn’t really make a ton of sense, but alas…it was some good nostalgia.
I’ve only ever had the crispy kind from a Chinese. Slimy really doesnt sound appealing 😂 theyre similiar to those but I’ve had ones that are more like bursts of fruit juice that you can add to cocktails. They look pretty similiar though. I was given them as a Christmas gift once. I haven’t actually tried the tapioca ones but I’ve seen them around a lot here too.
Im glad it was still good from a nostalgia POV. Its a shame it felt more cheesy. I worry I’ll feel similarly with some of my childhood favourites. Did you ever see the version of Camelot with Eva Green in it?
Yes! I watched the first season with Eva Green in it. I tried to rewatch it some time ago and it also seems kinda cheesy to me, but in a goofy kind of way. I remember liking it when I was a teen, though!
I loved it when I first saw it and now I’m nervous about trying it again given your experience 😂 I figured you may well have seen it though given your fondness for stories about Camelot.