whitneydaniell

Reading Recap: August 2025

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Reading Recap: August 2025

Pages, Plots & Personal Rules

Quite a few of my library holds came through this month, plus some NetGalley ARCs — and of course, I had to read them all!

I’m ending August at 90 books for the year! Only ten away from 100 — which feels wild. I’ve been tracking my reading since 2022, and this is easily my best streak yet, especially considering I didn’t even pick up a book until mid-March. Goodreads challenges and Libby have both fueled my reading momentum in big ways.

Even though I don’t engage with (or really enjoy) #BookTok, the same question always pops up: how do people read ten or twenty books a month? Here’s how I do it:

  • ✨ Know your sweet spot. Anything under 450 pages is my ideal. It’s not that I can’t read longer books — I just don’t want to.
  • ✨ Stick to what you love. I reach for authors and genres I know work for me. Sure, I test out new ones occasionally (and sometimes step outside my “norm”), but reading what I enjoy keeps me turning pages.
  • ✨ Limit screens. No more endless doom-scrolls. I cap TV at 1–2 hours a day — usually a single show or movie — and I restrict TikTok to mornings with breakfast or late at night before bed. Cutting screen time is hands down the easiest way to read more.
  • ✨ 100 pages a day rule. Every day I open a book, I must read at least 100 pages. Some days I read far more, some days less, but the daily baseline keeps me consistent.

Of course, this routine fits my circumstances: I work hybrid, avoid traffic, and my evenings are free to read from 5–7 PM. On weekends, I usually knock out 2–3 books between Friday and Sunday. Add in my early gym starts (6:30 AM) and early bedtime (9:30 PM), and you’ll see I run a pretty structured schedule. But that’s the secret — if you want to read more, carve out the time and commit to it.

As for the books themselves? This month’s lineup was mixed:

💖 Favorite: Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine. I loved it — even though I’m still mad about that ending!

👎 Least Favorite: The Sinfluencers (NetGalley ARC). Honestly, I wanted to DNF so badly, but I powered through for the sake of my feedback rating. (Publishers care about that, right? …maybe?)

👑 Big First: My first-ever Stephen King book! And I’ve already borrowed another on Libby.

🎉 Series Finish: Wrapped up Kristina Forest’s Greene Sisters series.

So while August’s ratings landed pretty average overall, the month itself still felt like a win. Ninety books and counting — September, let’s do this.

Anyway, here’s everything I read in August:

titleauthorgenre# pagessource⭐
Good DirtCharmaine Wilkersonhistorical346library⭐⭐⭐⭐
The House in the PinesAna Reyesmystery336library⭐⭐
Hunting AvaKiki Swinsoncontemp240ARC⭐
The Dating ProhibitionTaj McCoyromance315ARC⭐⭐⭐
The Rich Guy’s WifeBonnie Traymorethriller292ARC⭐⭐
Survive the NightRiley Sagerthriller337library⭐⭐⭐⭐
The SinfluencersK.D. Wongthriller295ARC⭐
BladeWendy Walkerthriller301ARC⭐⭐⭐
We Were Never FriendsKaira Roudathriller288ARC⭐
The StormRachel Hawkinsthriller304ARC⭐⭐⭐
A Family MatterClaire Lynchcontemp240library⭐⭐⭐
Caller UnknownGillian McAllisterthriller336ARC⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Love LyricKristina Forestromance400library⭐⭐⭐⭐
HeartwoodAmity Gaigemystery316library⭐⭐⭐⭐
JunieErin Crosby Eckstinehistorical368library⭐⭐⭐⭐
FeverBernice L. McFaddenromance352ARC⭐⭐
Never FlinchStephen Kinghorror448library⭐⭐⭐

Here are my current Libby borrows & holds:

titleauthor# pagesgenrepubdate
Julie Chan is Dead*Lianna Zhang320thrillerApr 29, 2025
Holly*Stephen King449horrorSep 05, 2023
The Blonde Dies First*Joelle Wellington336horror/YAJul 30, 2024
Slow Burn SummerJosie Silver352romanceJun 10, 2025
The Thursday Murder ClubRichard Osman382mysterySep 03, 2020
Great Black HopeRob Franklin320contempJun 10, 2025
Broken CountryClare Leslie Hall320historicalMar 04, 2025
*available to read

Here are my current NetGalley requests:

titleauthor# pagespub date
Two Truths One LieAlex SinclairOct 16, 2025
Balancing ActPaula Chase336Oct 21, 2025
Two Kinds of StrangerSteve Cavanagh400Mar 24, 2026
HoneyImani Thompson384Apr 21, 2026
I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement HomeFergus Craig272Feb 17, 2026
The House GuestsAmber and Danielle Brown384Dec 02, 2025
Very Slowly All at OnceLauren Schott320Jan 20, 2026
GrooveBernice L McFadden352Oct 07, 2025
This Story Might Save Your LifeTiffany Crum368Mar 10, 2026
The Girls BeforeKate Alice Marshall320Feb 24, 2026
Dating After the End of the WorldJeneva Rose303Oct 01, 2025

2 responses to “Reading Recap: August 2025”

  1. Shawnerly Avatar
    Shawnerly

    I liked Survive The Night as well! it gets such harsh criticism online! Also, please review Great Black Hope..its on my tbr but im side-eyeing it. I agree with how to read more books. I regularly dont watch tv or scroll social media! And i try to read 100 pages a night…my decompression time! ❤️

    Reply
    1. whitneydaniell Avatar
      whitneydaniell

      I hope to get to Great Black Hope. Life is lifing right now and I need to get back into a book! Thanks for engaging! I’m always tuned into what you’re reading 👀

      Reply

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Hello,

I’m Whitney

I’m diving back into reading and taking my time to really enjoy each book—soaking up the writing, analyzing the characters, and seeing what makes a story stick (or miss the mark). Right here is where I write honest, no-fluff reviews.

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