The temperatures rose in July — and so did the number of books we’re cruising through this year. Well… at least for one of us.

Summer reading looked a little different for each half of Craft’n Pages this month. Wendy kept flying through her TBR, while Sarah traded some of her usual reading time for walks, garden days and soaking up summer. But there was one thing both of our reading lists had in common:

A whole lot of Craft’n Pages homework.

And truly? Reading books and calling it “work” continues to be one of the very best perks of this little business of ours.

Some of July’s reads were potential future box picks. Some helped us narrow down what wasn’t quite right for a box. And a couple of them are books we can’t tell you about just yet because, well… you might be seeing them again very, very soon.

Here’s what we read in July!

Wendy’s July Reads

By the numbers:

• Books read: 9

• Books read in 2026: 66

• Average rating: 4.1 stars

At least half of my July reading was either directly for Craft’n Pages or inspired by all the reading and researching we do behind the scenes. I also rediscovered an author I’ve fallen completely in love with this year, squeezed in a couple of classics and started an August read that I already cannot wait to tell you about.

What I Read:

Craft’n Pages book — romance — 3.75 stars
Nope. Can’t tell you this one yet!

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden — 3.75 stars
A fantasy-meets-historical-fiction read and one that definitely gave me plenty to think about.

Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout — 4.75 stars
Rediscovering Elizabeth Strout this summer has been one of the highlights of my reading year. There’s something about the way she writes ordinary, complicated humans that gives me Fredrik Backman vibes — which is one of the highest compliments I can give.

Another Craft’n Pages book — thriller — 4.75 stars
Very suspiciously high rating, don’t you think?

Yet another Craft’n Pages book — romance — 4.5 stars
We swear we’re not trying to torture you with these unnamed books.

Good Girls Don’t by Mara Wilson — 4 stars
Yes, that Mara Wilson — the child star from movies like Matilda. She talks about growing up in the spotlight and navigating her early adult years, and I especially loved hearing her tell her own story.

Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer — 4 stars
Classified as a “domestic horror story,” this was a quick, short read that I really enjoyed.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson — 3.5 stars
I’m very late to this one and admittedly had higher hopes. Drugs, hallucinations and some truly gnarly illustrations pretty much sum up the experience.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie — 4.75 stars
My first Agatha Christie novel — somehow! — and I LOVED it.

Apparently, I’m an Agatha Christie Reader Now

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that And Then There Were None was my first Agatha Christie novel.

How did it take me this long?!

I first heard more about this particular Christie mystery while we were reading Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests for our very first round of Craft’n Pages boxes last year. It stuck in my head, so I finally gave it a try.

I listened every chance I got, suspected approximately everyone and still didn’t manage to figure out the whodunit before the end. So many tricks. So many twists. So much fun.

There will absolutely be more Agatha Christie in my future.

If you’re already a Christie reader, tell me: which one should I read next?

Sarah’s July Reads

By the numbers:

• Books read: 4

• Books read in 2026: 63

• Average rating: 4.1 stars

It’s summer! I didn’t read nearly as much in July, mostly because I’ve been spending my free time on walks and in the garden — which feels like a pretty fair trade.

But what I did read? Mostly Craft’n Pages homework!

What I Read:

Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth — 4.25 stars

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean — 3.75 stars

A Craft’n Pages September book — 5 stars
👀

Another Craft’n Pages September book — 4.25 stars
👀 👀

We’re going to be very annoying about keeping those last two secret for just a little longer.

The Book That Was Almost in a Craft’n Pages Box

Any other Divergent fans around here?

I was SO excited to pick up Veronica Roth’s Seek the Traitor’s Son — especially because, for a while, we were seriously considering it for a Craft’n Pages box.

And then we got to the end.

A brutal cliffhanger.

Which led to a very real Craft’n Pages question: would it feel fun to receive a book in your box only to discover that the story ends on a giant cliffhanger… with the next book not yet available?

Ultimately, we decided that probably wasn’t the experience we wanted to give you.

That is legitimately why we let this one go!

But if you’re a dystopian fan, I still think it’s worth adding to your own reading list. Veronica Roth stuck to the roots that made so many of us love her writing while mixing in romantasy and, in my opinion, a little sci-fi too.

The downside? Now I’m itching for the next book in this unfinished series.

And perhaps that proves our point.

So… What’s Going on Your TBR?

Between the two of us, July gave us mysteries, memoir, dystopian worlds, romance, literary fiction, classics and several books we are currently sworn to secrecy about.

And that might be one of our favorite things about reading: there’s always another direction to wander.

Maybe you finally pick up the classic you’ve somehow missed all these years. Maybe you return to an author you already love. Maybe you try something completely outside your usual genre. Or maybe you spend the month reading four books because the garden and sunshine are calling louder.

It all counts.

So tell us: did anything from our July reading lists land on your TBR? And what was the best thing you read last month?

Happy reading!

P.S. Want even more book ideas? You can browse our running lists of Sarah’s reads and Wendy’s reads for everything we’ve been reading this year — including plenty that never make it into a Craft’n Pages box.