To express the total number of books Julia read over \( P \) months, we can use the expression:
\[ \text{Total books} = 12 \times P \]
Now, we can evaluate this expression for \( P = 8 \):
\[ \text{Total books} = 12 \times 8 = 96 \]
So, Julia read a total of 96 books after 8 months.