Hello fellow readers,

July was a heck of a month. I went to two very big book signings, read 7 out of my 10 books on my TBR, and had one book that moved into my top 3 books read in 2026.

I rated 1 book five stars, 3 books four stars, 1 book 3.5 stars, 1 book 3 stars, and 1 book 2.5 stars. I have now read 54 books this year, putting me right on track to hit my goal of 80 books in 2026.

My two big book signings were incredible. One was all horror authors at Bucket O’ Blood bookstore in Chicago, and Gen Con in Indianapolis was mostly fantasy and science fiction, with one notable horror author. I also went to a smaller signing with Paul Tremblay and Mallory Arnold, which was a lot of fun. I read Mallory Arnold’s debut this month and also picked up her new book, I Cross My Heart I Hope You Die.

I will do a separate post all about the book signings because there is way too much to discuss and share in this wrap-up.

Books Reviewed from Least Favorite to Favorite

2.5 Stars

The Children by Melissa Albert is literary fiction with fantasy elements. At its core, the novel explores where fantasy stories come from. They can be cautionary tales, escapism, or stories that hide deeper truths.

I thought this was going to be my book of the month, but sadly, it missed the mark.

I was drawn in by the premise, but I ultimately felt the marketing oversold the fantasy and horror elements. This is literary fiction first, with fantasy woven lightly throughout and only a brief touch of horror. Much of the novel follows characters searching for magic while remaining emotionally and psychologically grounded in reality.

This is very much a novel that asks readers to trust the ending. Everything builds toward Albert revealing what has really been happening all along. While I appreciated what she accomplished, I wasn’t blown away. I thought the ending was good, just not as good as I had hoped.

3 Stars

How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold is a locked-room mystery set inside a haunted house. It is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None meets Saw, if it were set in a haunted house. In this story, all the characters fighting to survive are horror writers.

The plot follows a deceased bestselling horror author who invites seven fellow horror writers to his estate for the reading of his will. Instead, they are forced to play elaborate life-or-death escape room games in order to survive.

The premise is a lot of fun, and the central idea is very strong. Unfortunately, I wanted much more from the characters.

I met Mallory Arnold at a signing with Paul Tremblay, and she was a delight. I bought her new book, I Cross My Heart I Hope You Die, and I’m looking forward to eventually giving it a try.

3.5 Stars

Headlights by CJ Leede is an FBI mystery set within a horror novel, all taking place in Colorado. There is also a horrormance subplot with a spicy scene that is so unbelievably messed up. The book also serves as both an ode to Stephen King and to John Denver. In many ways, it could double as a travel guide for Aspen and Denver, Colorado.

Headlights is an amalgamation of ideas. It doesn’t always work, but I appreciate the ambition, and the book is certainly never boring.

This is a truly one-of-a-kind novel that won’t be for everyone. There is a lot to admire, but most of what I loved comes in the back half of the book. Once it gets going, it becomes incredibly rewarding.

Stephen King fans will especially appreciate all the references and the ways Leede pays tribute to his work. The novel also doubles as an unexpected love letter to Colorado, making Aspen and Denver feel like characters in their own right.

I can only cautiously recommend this one. I think the payoff in the second half is strong enough to justify pushing through the slower, more frustrating first half. At the same time, I completely understand why some readers choose to DNF it.

I met CJ Leede at Author Con.

4 Stars

Event Horizon: Dark Descent by Christian Ward is a graphic novel prequel to the 1997 film Event Horizon, starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. Both the graphic novel and the film blend science fiction with cosmic horror.

Because this is a prequel, anyone who has seen the film already knows the first voyage of the Event Horizon doesn’t end well. The movie only gives us a horrifying twenty-second glimpse of what happened on that mission. I thought the graphic novel was at its strongest as it built toward that infamous moment.

The story shares some DNA with Alien. The crew has no idea what they’re facing until it’s far too late. The gore, however, feels closer to Evil Dead Rise meets Hellraiser. If you enjoy grotesque, Gothic horror artwork, this book delivers. The violence is disgusting, but there is a real artistry behind it that I appreciated.

One weakness is that the story doesn’t spend enough time developing its characters. Much like Alien, we learn about them during the crisis rather than before it. One storytelling choice I didn’t care for was having the narration simply tell us each character’s personal issue instead of letting us discover those things naturally.

You’ll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner is a standalone mystery about deep, dark family secrets and cursed land. Dig too deep, and you’ll be sorry. That’s exactly what a pair of new homeowners do after discovering a body on their property.

This is a fast-paced mystery filled with twists and turns. Gardner is a puppet master, distracting the reader with one mystery only to quietly introduce another before you even realize it. The novel juggles the mystery of the body, the mystery of the cursed land, and the personal mysteries surrounding several of its characters. I was able to solve some of them, but there were plenty that completely surprised me.

The characters are what make this novel stand out. It is told through multiple perspectives, something I’m not always a fan of, but Gardner gives each character such a distinct voice that I was never confused about whose perspective I was reading.

The Night Crew by Brad Ricks is a fun mix of action and horror as a crew hunts down a vampire horde. It reminded me of The A-Team if the team included a female member and a vampire, mixed with Marvel’s Blade. It’s horror written like an action thriller, and it is awesome.

The Night Crew is a fantastic blend of horror and action with excellent pacing. If you’re stuck in a reading slump, this is exactly the kind of book that can pull you out of it because it’s such a quick, entertaining read.

I expected a solid vampire action thriller, but the book exceeded my expectations thanks to its memorable characters, smart world-building, and a bold final twist that immediately made me want to pick up the second book.

I highly recommend The Night Crew to horror and action fans alike.

5 Stars

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino is an incredible, unhinged thriller about a woman who refuses to let go of her dream house. It is a brutal satire of the American housing market that perfectly captures the obsession of chasing the American Dream.

This is a novel I devoured in 24 hours. I could not pull myself away. The pacing is incredible, with short chapters that often end on cliffhangers. Margo is such an intriguing protagonist that I had to keep reading just to find out how everything was going to unravel.

Best Offer Wins is incredible. At only 277 pages, it flies by and would make an excellent book for anyone trying to break out of a reading slump. You’ll probably know within the first few chapters whether it’s for you.

This is my favorite debut novel I’ve read this year so far, and it has earned a spot in my top 3 books of 2026.

What were your best reads in July?