August is here, which means we’re barrelling towards the end of summer. Unfortunately, there’s no end in sight when it comes to the drought we’re currently experiencing. Thankfully no wildfires here, but it’s still a tough time to be out and about.

This might be why my book buying habit has also been on pause. I didn’t buy a single book in July. Looking at it, I actually haven’t bought any books since my trip to London in the first half of June. Not a deliberate book-buying ban, but a reflection of the fact I haven’t actually gone anywhere that has books on offer.

There’s a good chance that I’ll be breaking that streak in August. For a start, I’ve seen a rather nice looking bundle of Venture SF books on eBay that will hopefully fill some holes in my collection. In other news, I’m trying to get on sufficiently on top of work that I can take a day off at some point this month. If I play my cards right, that day off could well take me near some of my favourite used bookshops.

Until then, I’m going to keep plucking away at my existing TBR. There are currently forty books sitting there (25 unread, and 15 planned rereads). There’s a solid possibility that I’ll complete this TBR by the end of the year, depending on what new books I pick up. The more immediate problem I have is that I’m running out of space to put all my books. So if any of you happen to have a pocket dimension you’re not using, let me know.

Anyway, my TBR for August is a bit of a grab bag. I was torn between reading from oldest to newest, or doing it the other way around. When I asked for suggestions, people were equally split. I love democracy. I’m going to start with the last of the 2026 releases I have, which is M. John Harrison’s The End of Everything. It’s short and probably won’t take too long to finish, which means I’m still looking at quite a significant backlog of reviews to work through for the start of the month. With that in mind, I can no longer put off the longest book on my TBR, Christopher Ruocchio’s Shadows Upon Time. The beast must finally be slain.

Continuing to work backwards chronologically will bring me to my purchases from last year’s FantasyCon. It’s probably a good idea to get these under my belt, not only because they look interesting, but because I’ve now booked tickets to this year’s FantasyCon in Glasgow. Time will tell if I’ll be on any panels this year.

I’m also determined to finish The Long Earth. Despite my love of all things Stephen Baxter, my dislike of Terry Pratchett’s comedic stylings have slowed down my readthrough of this five-part series. I have a feeling that August is the month to wrap things up. Speaking of which, I’ve still got two John Scalzi novels floating around in my reread plans. Those are bound to be quick reads that will tidy things up nicely.

The Boundary’s Edge Book Club read for August is Van Jensen’s Godfall, about what happens when a three-mile long alien corpse lands on Earth. I’m very much looking forward to that one, and am close to finalising the last three book club reads of the year. On a related note, I’ve got a few potential buddy reads for the next month in which an expert in the field will introduce me to Octavia E. Butler and Jeff Vandermeer.

In non book news, this month I’ll finally finish Starfleet Academy‘s first season, which I have loved pretty much every episode of, and then head straight into the new season of Strange New Worlds. I will also reach the end of Sugar‘s second outing, and finally be free of Silo‘s third season. That will free up time in my schedule for Star City, and then I’ll have to see what else is out there. Probably something no science fictional, but you never know.

Dates for your Diary

6/8 – The Infinite State, by Richard Swan – I’ve got this one pre-ordered on audio. Swan has made a name for himself in grim fantasy, so I’m interested to see what he can bring to the SF table. dystopia and revolution, by the sounds of things.

12/8 – The Clarke Awards will be announced. I’ve only read two of the six nominees, and all I can say is that There is No Antimemetics Division impressed me more than Dungeon Crawler Carl, the latter of which is eligible for this year’s awards through the technicality of being rereleased by a traditional publisher.

18/9 – The Survivalist, by Amanda Bridgeman – The near-future crime series comes to an end, reminding me that I still need to read the second book before I can fully enjoy this one.

27/8 – Star Wars: Zero Company – I’m trying to cut back on my gaming to focus on writing, but an X-Com style game in the Star Wars universe is going to be a major temptation.

27/8-31/8 – WorldCon is held in Los Angeles this year, and while I’m not attending, I am keeping an eye on any news and announcements from the vent, which will of course include this year’s Hugo Award ceremony.

That’s it from me. As ever, if there’s anything you think I’ve forgotten or overlooked, let me know in the comments.