> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://liminal-2.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # August 2026 Reading Wrap Up - URL: https://liminal-2.ghost.io/august-2026-reading-wrap-up/ - Published: 2026-08-30T12:54:40.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-30T12:59:40.000Z - Author: Aaron Ebling Hello readers! Can you believe August is already over, and we only have four months left of 2026?! August has been a whirlwind of a month in terms of reading and here on Liminal! Before I get into my reading wrap up, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read Issue 0 that released earlier this month. The support has been immense. Furthermore, over on TikTok I hit 5k followers - which is an achievement I am super proud of and grateful for. Okay reading wrap up. For the month of August, I have read six books this month and DNF’d one. So let’s get into my thoughts. Dark Rise - C. S. Pacat - DNF ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/01/a701b82e-594d-41a6-b2f7-b865681391e6/content/images/2026/08/image-10-1.jpeg) So, I want to start with my only DNF of this month, Dark Rise. Unfortunately I got 45% into the novel, and it just wasn’t doing it for me. I chose this book after searching for some M/M Fantasy/Romantasy, however it was quite lacking in that department. I appreciate that it is a YA series and therefore isn’t going to be spicy, but I also wasn’t invested in the storyline either. I have since been recommending Pacat’s adult M/M fantasy novel - Captive Prince. So perhaps I should look into that one. Trad Wife - Sarah Langan - 4 Stars ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/01/a701b82e-594d-41a6-b2f7-b865681391e6/content/images/2026/08/image-11-1.jpeg) I am loving the various trad wife novels that are circulating the book-sphere at the moment, and this one did not disappoint! I was a huge fan of Yesteryear and therefore, wanted something similar but more in the horror genre. The novel is based on a journalist, Jenny Kaplan, attempting to save her career through staying with renowned trad wife queen Mia Wright on Black Swan Farm. Quite quickly, Jenny discovers the perfect image presented by Mia isn’t as it seems, when things start taking a horrific turn. Whilst reading this novel, I was drawn in by the mysterious nature and puzzle like elements throughout that kept me wanting to find out what was really happening. I rated it four stars as the horror side of things was quite a slow burn and I would have liked some more unexplained scary moments earlier in the book. William - Mason Coile - 4 Stars ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/01/a701b82e-594d-41a6-b2f7-b865681391e6/content/images/2026/08/image-12-1.jpeg) This was a fantastic psychological horror that I chose after pulling the ‘a book set in the future’ prompt from my TBR jar. I would describe William as a combination of a Frankenstein retelling mixed with the futuristic dangers of AI. The story takes place with an engineer, Henry, who has created a half formed artificial intelligence robot and his ‘smart house’. His fixation towards his work has caused him to have agoraphobia, which ultimately keeps him in his lab and even away from his pregnant wife, Lily. Lily decides it is time to show her friends the smart house, but inevitably end up also meeting William. This is where things go from strange to terrifying, as the house and William decides no one is allowed to leave. The twist in this story really caught me off guard. A Short Stay In Hell - Steven L. Peck - 4.5 Stars ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/01/a701b82e-594d-41a6-b2f7-b865681391e6/content/images/2026/08/image-13-1.jpeg) I purchased this book in the 99p Kindle deals at the beginning of the month, mostly because it was a short novel at 110 pages. I love a short story as a palette cleanser. Despite this novel being on the shorter side, it served a gut punching amount of emotions. Words that could describe this book could be, bizarre, emotional, existential, and humorous. Mormon and family man, Soren, unfortunately dies and discovers himself in a hell waiting room, of a religion he has never even heard of. Following this, he gets sent to a hell in the form of a vast never ending library. Within this library, every possible book imaginable is stored. We are talking any possible book you could think about its in there. In order to leave this hell, Soren has to find the book that perfectly contains the story of his life. Golden Son - Pierce Brown - 4.5 Stars ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/01/a701b82e-594d-41a6-b2f7-b865681391e6/content/images/2026/08/image-14-1.jpeg) THIS BOOK. When I tell you, Red Rising was not the one for me. Last year, I DNF’d it and then finally finished it, pushing me into a reading slump. But, with the amount I see people adoring this book series on the socials, I truly felt like I was missing out. And honestly, I really was. This book alone completely flipped my thoughts and I bought book 3 asap! If you like a fantasy with politics, trauma and a gut-wrenching journey of emotions, read this! Mercy House - Adam Cesare - 3.5 Stars ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/01/a701b82e-594d-41a6-b2f7-b865681391e6/content/images/2026/08/image-16.jpeg) My latest ARC read (thanks Netgalley). In all honesty, this was a wild read that left me feeling sick on multiple occasions, due to the graphic gory body horror. I knew what I was signing up for. It was a good read, but left a lot of unanswered questions. Mercy House is a retirement home, presented to be orderly, clean and crisp. However, the residents begin noticing an awful rotting smell, which the nurses and visitors don’t seem to notice. Somehow, this oder causes the older residents to turn into these zombie-like murderous creatures. My disappointment was that we never find out what the smell is and why it causes this transformation. So there we have it! My August reads. Let me know what has been your top read from August!