August First Book Picks

 Coming up on my TBR for August! 

I went through my Goodreads TBR shelf and narrowed it down to a handful of physical books to read this year, (I read on my Kindle a lot, but I still love a good physical copy) and these are just a few that will be on my August list to read. 

 First up, we have You Belong Here: A Novel Hardcover – July 29, 2025 by Megan Miranda. I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but until last month, I had never read one of her books. I picked up Daughter of Mine and really enjoyed it, so I decided this would be my BOTM pick (from July… that I’m starting in August), and I’m excited for it!

Since the resale value is so low for BOTM books, I donate all of them when I’m done to my Free Little Library (you can check it out on Instagram here). I also love the idea of sharing annotated books, so I’ll be annotating this one before I add it.

Annotating definitely slows down the reading process for me, like, a lot, but it also keeps me from getting too in my own head and rushing through a book. It’s honestly really good for me to annotate one every now and then. Kind of keeps me grounded, I think. lol

Anyway… that’s book number one! I’m excited to add it to the library later this month :)

The second book I bumped up on my priority list, since it was a Goodreads giveaway win, is Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. I actually did not read the blurb at all on this book before entering the giveaway, as I wanted to read it based on the cover and title alone. Isn't it cute?! I think so, anyway.

And honestly, I am still not reading it (the blurb, not the book) as I want to be surprised and go in with no expectations on what I am going to be getting into while reading this book. I have honestly found so many fantastic books that way, with some of them being life-long favorites.  

Third book on the list is going to be Lucy Undying. This one has been on my TBR for a while, and I picked up a like-new copy from PangoBooks for $12! I was a little burnt out on sapphic vampire books when this was delivered to me back in early July, so put it off for a while. And to be honest...I may even push it off to read in September. I feel like this may be a more sliding-into-spooky-season book. But I am a mood reader so we will see what happens. I make a tentative plan, and then it all flies out the window. 

I am still reading the Edge of Collapse series on my Kindle but did put in a request on NetGalley for a new book that is coming out in October titled Moth Dark. The reviews on Goodreads sound so good that I don’t want to wait until October for this one.

Have you seen it yet? What do you think? I’m a little worried it might be overhyped, but the cover is so appealing—I know I need to give it a try. I'm really tempted to pre-order it from my favorite bookstore Auntie's Bookstore, as they are offering the beautiful exclusive copy with the sprayed edges as well. 

But I am also looking at my PangoBooks haul, as well as the one book I did order from Amazon because I couldn't find it elsewhere, as well as my list of Kindle books and ARC requests/giveaways and...I am thinking I need to slow down a little. 

I started out this year with thousands of books on my Goodreads TBR and actually whittled it down to books I actually really wanted to read, starting with the physical copies on my shelf, and have made such good progress. Now I only allow one small shelf for my physical TBR and it is full, again. 

So, the first three books for August are tentatively planned! What's on your reading list for the month? Any of the same books? If so, I would love to do a buddy-read, just let me know in the comments! 😊

Happy Reading!

The Scribbler