A 2025 Summer Reading List (Generated by a Human)
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A 2025 Summer Reading List (Generated by a Human)


So, I thought. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so terrible to make a summer reading list written and recommended by an avid reader and book-loving human with some literary qualifications up her sleeve.

Below, you’ll find six books that I highly recommend for reading over the summer. Some are new releases, and some are recent. There is a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. They are weird, serious, and hilarious. Hopefully, there is something for everyone. You get extra points if you read all six over the summer and let me know what you thought of them in the comments below. Continue reading

Socktober and 5 Spooky Audiobooks to Listen to While You Knit Socks
audiobooks / Book Reviews / historical / Hobbies / nonfiction / Opinion Pieces / The Latest

Socktober and 5 Spooky Audiobooks to Listen to While You Knit Socks


I love October as a month completely dedicated to all things spooky. I love to read scary books, I love to watch scary movies and T.V. shows, and it also coincides with Socktober – knitting as many socks as you can. With still a few days to go before Socktober ends, I am currently sitting on 3 pairs of socks with a fourth pair on the way. I have loved the challenge, but am also very ready to go back to my neglected knitting and crochet projects. Continue reading

Lizzie the grateful servant in “The Dictionary of Lost Words”: why do authors keep getting class horribly wrong?
Australian / Book Reviews / British / historical / The Latest

Lizzie the grateful servant in “The Dictionary of Lost Words”: why do authors keep getting class horribly wrong?


On the surface, this all seems good and well. Although, I want to take a closer look at the relationship Esme has with her servant, Lizzie. Esme is motherless, and Lizzie acts in many ways like an older sister and motherly figure all in one. This plot device of women who have lost their mothers and their fathers aren’t great at raising them is a bit tiring and overused for me. Although, I might just read too many books… Continue reading

“The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafak: Intergenerational trauma and healing through writing
Book Reviews / historical / The Latest / Turkish

“The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafak: Intergenerational trauma and healing through writing


Shafak’s novel has a simple premise, love. And it might seem like a cliche, but it just works for this beautiful story. Defne, a Turkish woman, and Kostas, a Greek man, fall in love at the peak of the conflict in Cyrpus in 1974. Their love is helped along by a beautiful mixed Turkish and Greek couple Yusuf and Yiorgos and a little tavern called “The Happy Fig”. Continue reading

Four Shakespearean-Era Tributes Hidden in Maggie O’Farrell’s Award Winning “Hamnet”
Book Reviews / British / historical / The Latest

Four Shakespearean-Era Tributes Hidden in Maggie O’Farrell’s Award Winning “Hamnet”


Maggie O’Farrell won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020 for Hamnet and if you have read her novel, it is easy to see why. It is not easy to take on a literary great like William Shakespeare, yet O’Farrell does so with grace. The story of Hamnet is gripping as it chronicles Shakespeare’s career … Continue reading

"Paris Savages" Review: how do we write about uncomfortable history?
Australian / Book Reviews / historical / The Latest

"Paris Savages" Review: how do we write about uncomfortable history?


Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. I picked up a copy of Paris Savages when I was in Hobart, Tasmania this February. Thinking about how easy it was to fly there and how care-free we were is a … Continue reading