July Reads Ranked
$5 Friday
Before we dive into my reads from July, today is the first Friday of August, which means it is $5 Friday! This is a chance for you to donate $5 (or more) to an organization and feel good about doing a something for others. Easy peasy. This month, we’re donating to Schools on Wheels. Based in the greater Los Angeles area, they’re a nonprofit that helps children experiencing homelessness get the resources they need to thrive in school. This includes offering tutoring, back-to-school supplies, scholarships, and more. And since it’s back-to-school season, this felt like a very timely fit.
If you don’t know what $5 Fridays are, check out the post from February when we kicked this whole thing off, and then come back and join us here!
I’ve been telling you every single week since that damn World Cup started that it was ruining my reading life, and now after five weeks of soccer (and a trip to NYC), this month’s reading wrap-up is looking sparse as hell. Sometimes you gotta put the books on the back burner when Jude Bellingham is an option.
If you’re also not done thinking about soccer, or if you’re looking to become a fan beyond the World Cup, check out this bonus episode I did with my brother, Brady Thomas, on all things footie.
Before we get to the rankings, I’ve got a very quick little recap of The Stacks episodes from July.
The Stacks in July
One of my favorite nonfiction editors, Julianna Haubner, came on the podcast to talk about the art of editing and nonfiction in general. Yes, we totally geeked out!
’ debut novel, The Great Wherever, is easily one of my favorite novels of 2026, so I was thrilled to get to talk to her about having a ghost narrator and sibling drama.
Con men, investigative journalism, and prisoner advocacy are easily three things I love to read about. Put them all together and you’ve got Pamela Colloff’s bestselling book, Catch the Devil. Pamela came on the show to talk about all that and more!
When was the last time I mentioned my 40th birthday? Not recently enough, because guess what, it just happened in July, and to celebrate, I had four of my faves interview me. On this extra special (and very long) episode, you’ll get convos with me and Rachel Lindsay, Sam Sanders, Becca Tobin, and .
I already mentioned my brother and I gabbing about soccer above, but if you want to know what it is like to be in my family, this episode is the closest you’ll get.1
A very mixed book club conversation for our July pick Behind the Beautiful Forevers with the brilliant Julianna Haubner.
July Reads Ranked
I read eight books this month, and only by the skin of my teeth. Going into the week of July 27th, I had read four books. Ask me how many hours of soccer I watched or how many lemon drops I drank in July, and those numbers would be considerably more impressive. Life is about ebbs and flows, and July was a flow for IRL fun and an ebb for reading. Truth is, I needed this slow season because fall reading looks too legit to quit2.
