July 2026: Books I Read Last Month

Written by Graeme

June was a bit of a tricky month for me. I traveled a lot, hitting up three different states over the course of 12 days, and spending some time in Toronto with visiting friends playing tour guide.

So I didn’t get as much reading in as I wanted. But I read some solid books, and I also read one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Let’s start with that, shall we?

The Traveler by Joseph Eckert: This one is right up there with Replay by Ken Grimwood and 11/22/63 by Stephen King for me.

That famous S-tier of books that sits above the usual 10/10 star rating.

It’s about a man who is driving along one day, when suddenly his car disappears and he is stumbling onto the road. From what he pieces together, it appears he has time traveled forward a day. The very next morning at the very same time guess what happens? He time travels forward again….but this time two days.

The next day? Four days. Then eight. Then…..you get the picture?

I don’t want to say anything else. Superb book – my highest recommendation. While I read it, I may listen to it at some point as the amazing Ray Porter narrates it.

The Divorce by Freida McFadden: Saw a decent amount of criticism for this one but I enjoyed it. And I’ve been harsh on Freida before – I’m not one of those weird zealots she has. I rated the most recent one Dear Debbie 4/10 for example.

This was a 7/10 for me. Solid enough thriller, kept my attention, a bit silly in parts and some infuriating characters, but hey, I got what I wanted out of it.

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss: This had a good premise about a reality show escape game, and was in the YA genre. I definetely enjoyed some aspects of it but it just fell flat for me. Characters were all interesting and well-written but I just wasn’t super into the story.

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover: This is the second book I have read by Colleen Hoover and I gotta say – I’m a fan! I didn’t think I would be but I really do enjoy her books.

And I mean the plot of this is nonsense! Here’s a summary;

Morgan is married to Chris. Back when they were teenagers, Morgan dated Chris, and her sister Jenny dated a fella called Jonah. Jonah suspected they were with the “wrong people,” however, before he could elaborate on that, Morgan told him she was pregnant with Chris’s baby. He then just broke up with Jenny and disappeared the next day. Like 17 years later, he met Jenny at some event, had a one-night stand with her, and she got pregnant. So he did the right thing and stuck with her. Then Jenny and Chris both die in a car accident together – and it is revealed that they were sleeping together, and cheating on Jonah and Morgan. Oh, and the baby Jenny had with Jonah? Actually, with Chris.

But what sticks out for me is the characters. Really, really good characters and they make for a great book. The story itself you get into as long as you don’t think too much about it. So yeah I am a fan and will read more of Colleen for sure.

The movie adaptation SUCKED though. I mean – it was fun to see it come alive right? Most of the time it is. But it was just so poorly done. So many parts omitted that actually threw off movie audiences if you hadn’t read the book. I saw all these people after with questions about something key and they thought the movie was stupid due to it – but in reality, it was just because they omitted a key detail from the book.

As an adaptation it’s still worth watching I’d say even if it’s not that great. As a standalone movie – nope.

Deadline by Steph McGovern: Debut author about a reporter who is conducting the most important interview of her TV career, when she hears a voice through the headset telling her that the communication has been hacked, and the person speaking to her has kidnapped her wife and son.

Overall enjoyable book. Got a tad silly and required to suspend disbelief at the end but I tell you – Steph has talent. The writing of the one character Ollie and his storyline arc in particular was fantastic. I’ll certainly read more by this author.

GThe Long Weekend by Gilly MacMillan: I listened to this one. A thriller about three women who go to a remote cottage for a weekend getaway with their husbands expected to come up the next day. Then they get a message when they arrive stating that upon their return, one of their husbands will be dead.

Solid premise but it just wasn’t that enjoyable a book. The story was alright and I mean it kept me interested enough. But I was certainly glad when it was over. Average at best.