A 2025 Summer Reading List (Generated by a Human)
American / arab / Australian / Book Reviews / British / comedy / fantasy / historical / Japanese / nonfiction / Palestinian / queer / Swiss / The Latest / translation

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

“See Friendship”: How is Social Media Changing the Way We Remember Our Past?
American / Book Reviews / The Latest

“See Friendship”: How is Social Media Changing the Way We Remember Our Past?


An unexpected revelation of how an old high school friend died breaks Goldberg out of this listlessness. And he becomes acutely obsessed with how his old friend, Seth, died. Rumours fly as Goldberg reaches out to old school friends. He decides, in true male millennial fashion, that he will do a podcast about his friend’s death that will feature interviews that will eventually reveal the truth about Seth’s life and death, like all morbid murder and death podcasts do. Continue reading

Review of Orla Mackey’s Debut Novel “Mouthing”: A Powerful Depiction of Post-partum Depression
Book Reviews / Irish / The Latest

Review of Orla Mackey’s Debut Novel “Mouthing”: A Powerful Depiction of Post-partum Depression


The double-edged sword of the close-knit community of the fictional country town of Ballyrowan is that it is both beautiful and utterly debilitating. The things that bring the community together over these decades are also what tear it apart. The secrets, resentments, love, and anger are all-consuming and impossible to untangle. Continue reading

A Review of “The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida”: Magic Realism & Art
Book Reviews / queer / Sri Lankan / The Latest

A Review of “The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida”: Magic Realism & Art


This is all a very roundabout way to say that The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was an amazing book and went against every apprehension I had. As soon as I started to read it, I could not put it down. I felt completely immersed in the story – carried with the winds of the in-between with Maali – and I was utterly hooked. Personally, it has been a breath of utter fresh air to have found Karunatilaka’s novel at a time where I haven’t always felt on my reading A-game. Continue reading

A Review of “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan: a powerful historical fiction about teen pregnancies
Book Reviews / Irish / The Latest

A Review of “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan: a powerful historical fiction about teen pregnancies


Keegan is an Irish author who grew up in Ireland but she has also lived in the United States, Wales, and is now back in Ireland. Her writing, like all Irish writing seems to have to beauty and softness about it that I can’t quite explain, but truly love to read. I’ve written about my love of Irish authors a lot on this blog and one of my favourites is Niall Williams’ This is Happiness. You can read my review of Williams’ book here. Continue reading

An Authentic Memoir About Dying: “Walking Him Home” by Joanne Tubbs Kelly
American / Book Reviews / nonfiction / The Latest

An Authentic Memoir About Dying: “Walking Him Home” by Joanne Tubbs Kelly


While Kelly memoir is about Alan, it is also about her own journey with finding love in her partnership with Alan, but also being able to love herself. It is a story of discovery through love and loss, and Joanne writes candidly about what her life will be like once Alan is gone. In many ways, it honours Alan and also caries his memory forward. Continue reading