I am happy to report that we are having a perfect Atlantic Canadian summer. The weather has been gorgeous, full of sunshine and clear skies, we’ve had ample time off to take little adventures, and baby girl is absolutely thriving with all the time that we have outside. In the deep recesses of a Canadian winter, these are the exact kind of days that I daydream about, and what a joy it is to see them unfold in real-time. 

July was also a fairly good month for reading. I knocked out four books, including two five-star reads, both of which became fast favourites. I’m extremely close to hitting my reading goal for 2026, which I set at a modest 30 books because time has been so limited in this season of life. It’s a delight to hit my target so early, and I’m hoping by the end of the year I might be able to edge closer to 50.

But for now, let’s focus on July.

Books Read in July 2026

1. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Volume 3 by Beth Brower: another stunningly clever and wildly entertaining addition to the Emma Lion series. These books are so cozy and enjoyable and I absolutely loved the addition of some romantic tension into this instalment. In a first for me, I went ahead and bought all the remaining books in the series because I am that confident that I’ll love every one of them, so expect many more Emma Lion reviews. This was an easy 5-star read with a full review to come. 
2. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews: I’m calling now that this will be possibly my favourite book of the year, and undoubtedly a new favourite book of all time. The premise, which follows a woman in her 20s who falls into her favourite fantasy novel with no explanation, was executed perfectly, and I fell completely in love with the characters. I loved every second of this book and will be waiting on the edge of my seat for the second one to release. An easy 5-stars with a full review to come.
3. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman: this book took me completely by surprise. I expected something of a feminist story and what it really was instead was a deeply thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a person and the ways that culture impacts (or doesn’t impact) you. It was unique and gripping, even through a running stream of consciousness style that I wouldn’t typically favour. This was a 4-star read for me with a full review to come.
4. Lightlark by Alex Aster: this was my treadmill read of the month, and it was the perfect format for this book. The story follows Isla, a powerless ruler who enters a competition with the other rulers to attempt to heal their kingdoms. It was entertaining the full way through, and while some aspects felt a little predictable, that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. I rated this one 3.5 stars with a full review to come.

TBR Lists

I managed to add a couple of different books across genres to my TBR this month. The ones I’m most looking forward to include:

• The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett: a story set during the early days of the Great Depression that follows three girls from different backgrounds seeking ways to find freedom and independence by banding together. This one sounds equal measures entertaining and heartwarming, so I’m thinking it’ll be a good treadmill read.
• Soul Sworn by Kate Dylan: the story of two assassins meant to destroy each other who instead fight falling in love. I love a good enemies to lovers and when this one releases in November, I hope to pick it up.

What I’m Loving Right Now

Life feels very sweet these days, but here are a few things that are pushing it right over the top:

A Glorious Summer

I live for Atlantic Canadian summers. We’re surrounded by some of Canada’s most beautiful beaches, every square inch of our province is covered in foliage and dense, gorgeous forests, and there’s an endless number of things to do outside for those willing to explore. Baby girl and I took off for a week of vacation in July and we covered everything from free outdoor splash pads and huge playgrounds to lighthouses and ocean swims. We ate Cows ice cream (IYKYK), we took a ride on the Harbour Hopper, and I sat back and listened to her giggle and laugh uncontrollably while running around outside with her cousins. On the east coast, we really come alive in the summer, and I’m doing my best to sit in that joy for every second possible.

A New Vehicle

The husband and I are generally very frugal, which means that when it comes to large purchases, they are few and far between. We spend a lot of time thinking about the things we’d like, and even more time researching, and even then, sometimes we still don’t end up pulling the trigger. 

We’ve been talking for quite some time now about all the travel we’d like to do around Canada and beyond as baby girl continues to grow, but our vehicles were both making that reality a nightmare. Every time we go anywhere, the three of us and our dog are crammed so tightly that no one can move an inch, so we finally became fed up enough to invest in a larger vehicle, and I could not be happier about it. 

We are now the proud owners of a beautiful truck with at least four times the space of what our previous SUV held. We got a fantastic deal on a used one, which made us both feel even better, and I can happily report that after our first weekend away as a family, everyone had far more space and comfort than we’ve ever had before. We’re ready to tackle some longer distances now and are looking forward to our next out of province trip already!

Weighted Vest Walks

I am perpetually invested in monitoring the latest health and exercise fads and trying to discern if they hold any value, and weighted vests has been one of those trends that I’ve been eyeing closely. As someone who has extremely limited time for exercise (literally just my lunch hour Monday-Friday), it’s important to me that I can get as much value out of that time slot as possible, so after much careful consideration and research, I decided to give the weighted vest a try.

There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence out there about the benefits of weighted vests and little by way of actual quality research, but let me tell you that from my perspective, it’s been a real game changer. I genuinely can’t believe how much harder of a workout I’m getting when I wear it for walking intervals or incline walks, so much so that I can feel it all through my legs and see it in my elevated heart rate. It was a fairly reasonable investment for the return and I’m thrilled with how much of an impact it’s had on the cardio portions of my workouts. I’m looking forward to continuing to use the vest and adding weight to it as my capacity evolves. 

So this was July! August is already off to a great start, as I’m on another week of vacation with very little planned to do. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store, both for reading and otherwise.