August 2022 TBR

Hi everyone! Today I’m sharing my August TBR! I can’t believe we’re already in August, this year just seems to be flying by! I’ve actually had to change this TBR twice before I made the post because I finished books that I had listed on this TBR in the last few days of July! I’m reading more this year than I think I’ve ever read, and I’m enjoying it so much!

Addicted to You by Krista & Becca Ritchie
I first saw this book listed on Netgalley, and then I suddenly started seeing it everywhere when I logged back in to my BookTok account and realized that it’s a super popular BookTok series! My expectations are definitely tempered now, because I find that a lot of the BookTok romances are…not the best. I’ve tried quite a few and hated the writing, but I’m hoping this one I won’t have the same issues with. I don’t remember anymore what the specific plot of this book is (although I do remember being interested when I requested it), and I think I’m going to keep it that way so I can go into it blind!

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The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
This book has been on my radar for quite a while, and at first I thought that it was going to end up being a fantasy that goes under the radar but in the last few months, I’ve been seeing it everywhere and it’s been listed as a most anticipated book of 2022 from multiple places! This is about two warriors who lead an ancient god to end the reign of a tyrannical family, and I’m excited about it and so far, the early reviews have been really high. This one comes out at the end of August, so I’m hoping I can get it finished before then!

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The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless
I was originally drawn to this book because of the beautiful cover, and then the synopsis made me instantly request a review copy on Netgalley! This is a historical fantasy surrounding Irish Mythology, an follows the widow of the Viking king of Dublin who has ambitions for her and her son, plus secret fire magic. I’m really hoping that I like this one, and again early reviews have been really positive. I’m just hoping that it won’t end up being like my experience reading The Lost Queen by Signe Pike, which was another similar book that I was excited for but I just got so bored reading it.

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Against All Gods by Miles Cameron
Another mythology inspired book I first saw on Netgalley! This one is inspired by Greek mythology, and I tend to really like those mythologies quite a bit! However, this is another one I’m cautiously optimistic about because I tried reading Red Knight by this same author and just couldn’t get into it, so I’m hoping this will be different. This one is about a god who sees how selfish the gods are becoming, and starts to meddle with the world of men because they believe it’s possible for men to unseat the gods themselves. At this point, I think this entire TBR can be described as ‘cautiously optimistic’!

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The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of Slavic mythology/folklore inspired stories lately, and this is the next one that caught my eye! This is a debut about following the immortal witch who becomes known as Baba Yaga who travels to Moscow and realizes that Tsar Ivan (Ivan the Terrible) is being manipulated by an old power. I think the last part of the synopsis describes perfectly what I want out of this: “This fierce and compelling novel draws from the timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves from oppression while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman.” It sounds a lot to me like The Book of Gothel in that it takes an “evil” woman and shows them from another perspective!

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Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Since I’ve been reading so much lately, I figured I’d try to get all my August and September ARCs done! The next one is Spells for Forgetting, which sounds like it’ll be a kind of spooky fantasy mystery! I really enjoyed reading A Sky in the Deep and Fable from this author, and I know she writes some really atmospheric stuff! I think knowing this has a mystery aspect, I’m not going to read too much of the synopsis except for this one line: “A rural island community steeped in the mystical superstitions of its founders and haunted by an unsolved murder is upended by the return of the suspected killer in this deeply atmospheric novel.”

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One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
The last ARC I want to read in August is one that I’ve had on my TBR since before it had a cover! I LOVE when fantasy books have a horror element, it’s like the perfect mix! This book is about a girl who uses the monster trapped in her head to survive in an eerie, mist-locked kingdom and find the cure to save the kingdom from the dark magic that is infecting it, all while the monster in her head slowly starts to take over her mind. I’m very excited about this one, and I can’t wait to read it!

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The Deep by Nick Cutter
I recently started scrolling again on my BookTok account, and I came across a BookTok account that recommends dark and twisted horror books and this was one of them! I’ve had The Troop on my TBR for a while, but I love ocean horror like Into the Drowning Deep! In this book, there is a strange plague where people forget everything, up to the point where their bodies forget how to function. The cure was found deep in the Marianas Trench, but there’s something strange and evil happening far below the surface of the water. I’ve been listening to this on audiobook and it’s so creepy!

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Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
This is another book I’ve been interested in for a while, and since I’m clearly entering my horror phase it’s the perfect time to read this! I actually didn’t even realize how short it was, so I should easily be able to finish this one in August! This is about Area X, which has been cut off from the world for years. There have been 11 previous expeditions into Area X, and this follows the 12th team as they try to map the terrain and make observations. I know this book is super weird, and I’m really looking forward to it!

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What books are you hoping to read in August? I’d love to chat!