Remember how I said June was the start of the summer season when many publishers tend to push their bigger titles? Truer words have never been spoken, because July’s book‑sub lineup is stacked. The suffering and middling picks of January through April are gone! The shelves are filling, the wallet is emptying, the TBR list is growing, but the book blog and love for reading are thriving.
Confirmed Book Picks:
Aardvark Book Club (Skipped)
Edited 7/2/26: Aardvark picks are out and it’s a pretty good lineup! The two books that caught my eye are Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle who’ve I read before and own his most recent book that I haven’t gotten to yet along with Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay which wasn’t one of my top reads, but certainly on my longlist of books. With my current backlog however, I’m opting to skip this month as both books listed are those I’d definitely read but don’t necessarily need to own. I’m hoping Aardvark picks up the third book in Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shadow of Leviathan series which is due to be published next month which I’d definitely order where I might be able to slot one of these two books in then to save on shipping if they’re still available.
Goldsboro Fellowship: The Harbour of the Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan (Renewed)
There was a time early this year when I considered axing Goldsboro—not because the picks were terrible, but because I had to cut down on subs and they’re one of my more expensive ones. I’m so glad I didn’t, because they’ve been on a roll the last few months, and July is no different. This book was one that a bookstagrammer accidentally posted as Fae Crate’s last pick (which was actually The Girl With a Thousand Faces), but it was something that sounded interesting to me as well.
I was a little hesitant since Eliza Chan’s previous duology Fathomfolk didn’t get the most positive reception, and East Asian fantasy has historically been rough for me. But I’m going to trust Goldsboro’s curation, this sub’s past books are currently tied for the second‑highest average along with TBB. The cover is already gorgeous, but the matching edges make it even nicer. I don’t know, I’m just really looking forward to reading this one even though, on paper, it may not be the safest pick for me.
The Broken Binding Fantasy: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Renewed)
I was half‑awake first thing in the morning when I opened Instagram and my email and witnessed the book‑box community collectively losing its mind at the announcement that TBB Fantasy’s next series would be Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Piranesi. An unexpectedly huge score for TBB, these two editions are gorgeous and packed with extra features for the same renewal cost as any other month.
Not only will both books have sewn binding and acid‑free paper, but they’ll also be full of stunning black‑and‑white illustrations—Piranesi in particular featuring exclusive art by the amazing Alice Cao. I feel like these two books are going to be worth so much more than the sub cost (tier‑1 copies are going to be so valuable). I’m also trying to imagine how massive Jonathan Strange will be in hardcover, since it’s nearly 1,000 pages. I didn’t think anything could match the hype of John Gwynne’s set, but these two certainly do. I was also on my reading hiatus when Piranesi came out, so I’m excited to finally check both off my TBR. One of the easiest renewal decisions of my life.
The Broken Binding Scifi: Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O’keefe (The Protectorate #1) (Renewed)
Unlike Simon Jimenez and Hugh Howey’s books, which I already knew about and wanted to read, this series is one I’m not familiar with. That’s not a bad thing, though, since I got this sub specifically for scifi curation to expand my reading and cover series I may have missed during my decade‑long reading hiatus.
Although this first series is considered inferior to O’Keefe’s more recent work, reactions to the announcement were mostly positive, and I liked the digital mockups for the first two books. One of the best things about TBB’s Scifi sub is that it’s bimonthly which I’m increasingly preferring, too many monthly subs can bury you alive in books. If this were monthly, I’d have to seriously consider whether it was worth getting blind. But as a bimonthly sub with only two series per year, I’m down to give it a chance. Traditional and epic scifi is also historically male‑dominated, so I’m always excited to see more women authors in the space, pun intended.
Inkstone: The Calamities by Chuck Wendig (Renewed)
I shouldn’t be added any new subscriptions considering I have so many, but two weeks ago I finally got an invite to Inkstone Book’s quarterly epic SFF sub which has been one of two subs remaining that were my dream pickups (the other being FairyLoot Epic Fantasy which will never happen at the speed the waitlist is moving). The invite actually was for their Q2 book The Eye of the Leviathan by M.A. Carrick, just making the cutoff in time which was another epic fantasy book that was on my TBR. Back to The Calamities however, Chuck Wendig is an author I’ve really wanted to read for quite some time, this being a great opportunity with this book looking like blend of his past fantasy and horror works. I’ve waited over a year for Inkstone’s invite and I’m so excited to finally have it.
Side note: Fae Crate was axed in order to add Inkstone. I was already iffy on their book picks and I’d much rather have a new quaterly sub vs a monthly sub that had limited skips and one I was struggling to maintain.
Surprise Book Picks:
Illumicrate (Renewed)
A Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner
Teased far earlier than most other picks, this book was one of my biggest anticipated reads of the year, along with their September pick. Of the big three fantasy book‑box subs, Illumicrate is the only one that regularly features authentic epic fantasy, and I was thrilled when this one was teased.
I originally hoped to read Kaner’s previous trilogy since I managed to get the Waterstones editions secondhand, but I likely won’t get to them in time. Still, I’m feeling confident about this series as TBB also carries her books, and both TBB and Illumicrate are two of my favorite subs in terms of curation. The recent Illumicrate classified newsletter also teased a preview of the hardcover design, which looks nice. I’m feeling really good about this one despite still trying to avoid trilogies when possible.
Illumicrate Afterlight (Skipped)
Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi
While I commend Illumicrate for their diverse picks and representation, this book sadly doesn’t interest me in a month full of exceptional picks. I generally don’t enjoy wedding‑based stories, and I especially don’t enjoy multigenerational family drama, so this one gets a respectful pass.
Owlcrate Adult Fantasy (Skipped)
These Immortal Truths by Rachelle Raeta
Though OwlCrate has had an excellent lineup so far in 2026, none of their next‑quarter picks interest me which works out fine since OwlCrate has unlimited skips. This indie book getting traditionally published is very popular and hyped, but I’m hesitant after seeing so many mid to mediocre attempts at the Addie LaRue premise. I might read it via Libby, but July is stacked and this one isn’t a great fit for me personally. I’m happy for those excited for it, though.
The Broken Binding SF&F (Renewed)
The Infinite State by Richard Swan
I woke up and literally jumped out of bed to do a happy dance when I saw the teaser reel suggesting this pick, TBB being UK‑based means their teasers always drop at 2-3 AM for me. I’m thrilled this was chosen, as it’s one of my top anticipated scifi reads of the year, and Richard Swan is an author I’ve heard great things about from his high‑fantasy work.
My only mild worry is that Starbright might overlap with this, but that’s hopefully unlikely since UK publishers usually don’t allow multiple subs to carry the same book. I’m so excited for this, even though some fear the redesign won’t be as nice as the UK trade cover. Meanwhile, those of us in the US get a tasteful but subdued cover, TBB’s will be a definite upgrade.
FairyLoot YA + Adult Combo (Renewed)
The River She Became by Emily Varga
I decided to renew my combo mostly for the adult book pick this month, but the YA pick The River She Became is by no means a bad either and is one I’m optimistic about. This book was picked as the YA book for three different book box subscriptions which is usually a promising sign, or there were few other choices which is unlikely to be the case during the summer months that are stacked with newly published titles. The Fae Crate edition of this book is gorgeous and I’m curious to see what FairyLoot does with their edition!
The Winged Game by Sophie Kim
It was leaked late last year this book would be featured in a FairyLoot sub but it wasn’t clear whether it would be in the adult or romantasy sub. I’m quite excited for this book and I enjoyed Sophie Kim’s God and the Gumiho and am intrigued about a fantasy romance crossed with sports romance which is I’ve unexpectedly liked. It’s also a rare standalone book pick for FairyLoot which is always appreciated.
Off Months / No Renewals:
- Illumicrate Mindsight
- Illumicrate Starbright
Recap:
Needless to say, July is a great month for books and a horrible one for my wallet and overgrowing TBR. But I’m not mad at all as some of the books selected were my top to-read picks for the year. It’s still early and can change in the common weeks, but the silver lining is August’s picks are not quite my thing with far more renewals skips which will balance out this month’s craziness slightly. I’m still so thrilled to finally be able to add Inkstone to this monthly list and am eagerly awaiting for their first book from quarter 2 to arrive soon!