Do you read more in the summer, less, or the same?
In general, I think these past few years I’ve read a bit less in the summer. Before having a kid? Maybe it was more. But now, summer is all about taking advantage of the weather to go do allll the things while we can!
However, I did claw my way out of my physical book reading slump in July somehow, so I’m happy about that. Let’s see if I can keep the momentum! I need to read Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake within the next 2 weeks for a book club so I better figure it out!
Here’s a peek at what we were reading in July.
Cathy
The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
I donโt think I will ever get bored of cosy stories about coffee shops or book shops, like ever. The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a pop-up coffee shop that only appears on the full moon and can only be found by those who need it. If you manage to discover it, the talking cats that run the coffee shop will read your stars and give you insight into your life. The book is split into smaller stories about five different characters – who are all interconnected and the thing that connects them is revealed at the end of the story – who stumble upon the coffee shop and have their stars read.
I like the structure of the story, splitting it up into shorter stories that focus on different characters really appeals to my nosey side as I enjoy reading about different people. And I feel like this is one element of this genre that I enjoy most. The cats who read your stars and then give you advice is great – and there are even some illustrations of the characters’ birth charts so you can actually see what the cats are talking about. I liked the authorโs approach of dealing with the astrology side of things, as it could have gotten bogged down with detail, but you get a straightforward explanation of astrology and what it means in particular for the character.
I read the English translation of the Japanese original and really enjoyed the translatorโs work – there were some great choices of words and, again, the translation seems to have followed the original and I found it easy to grasp the astrological side of things.
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Bees in June by Elizabeth Bass Parman
Iโve been lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Bees in June through Literary Quicksand. It tells the story of Rennie King, a woman dealing with the loss of her newborn as well as her increasingly-ill elderly uncle (who raised her). Rennieโs uncle has an infinity for bees and has a special connection to the bees he keeps in his garden. When he falls ill, Rennie looks after him and soon finds that her uncle and the bees have a lot of wisdom to share.
Iโm about halfway through this story and have been enjoying it – I find bees fascinating and love the idea of them communicating with Rennie (especially as I think bees communicate with each other via dance? Correct me if Iโm wrong though). I like that Rennie grows and gains strength through the story, the whole book has a very hopeful vibe thatโs comforting and interesting. And Iโm a sucker for magical realism as I feel like we have a habit of missing the magic around us in the real world – which Rennie did too until sheโd spent a little time with the bees.
The story deals with grief in different forms – Rennieโs heartbreak, her husbandโs anger – in a sensitive way. Iโd expected the story to be quite depressing but itโs turned out to be the opposite, itโs very light and hopeful.
Itโs four stars for me.
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Joli
I was able to make it through my reading burnout and finished two physical books (and an audiobook) in July!
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
This book played a big part in busting my physical book reading slump. Annie Hartnett became an auto-buy author for me after I read and absolutely adored Unlikely Animals back in 2022. In fact, it was one of my favorites of the year and, dare I say, one of my all-time favorites in general.
SO, The Road to Tender Hearts had some big shoes to fill, and I’m so happy to report that it definitely did!
Annie Hartnett’s writing is just the best mix of snark + hints of magical realism (intuitive animals) + dark, intrusive thoughts + sweetness. I know that sounds a little random and those things don’t necessarily go together, but somehow she just makes it all work and it comes out as art.
I’ll try to write a full review of this one so I can talk more about it, but in short, imagine Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here mixed with The Guncle and you’re getting kind of close.
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The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
I’m never sure what to expect when fantasy month rolls around at book club. I’ve liked fantasy books chosen by my book club before (hello, The 10,000 Doors of January…do I sense a door theme here?).
I’m happy to say I ended up really enjoying The Book of Doors! It was certainly entertaining, and I had fun thinking of all the different books there could be in a world where magical books for different feelings and things exist.
I liked the fast pace and the dramatic scenes. That said, a few of the characters were a little “meh” (Izzy) and some of the killing scenes were a bit much for me, so I went with 4.5 stars overall. If you’re not sure how you feel about fantasy, though, this could be a good one to try. It’s sort of a good one to help you edge into the genre.
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The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (Audiobook)
Whew this one was loooooong! I spent many nights listening to this 20+ hour audiobook, although I do listen at 1.5 speed so it wasn’t quite that long.
I’ve heard so much about The Most Fun We Ever Had, and as far as I’m concerned it lived up to everything I heard. I love a good, messy family story, and this one definitely has that. I liked each sister for different reasons, and enjoyed rooting for them throughout the whole book.
The reason I took off a star is because all of the time jumping started to make my head spin. Like….wait, which decade are we in now? Was this before or after she married so-and-so?
Also, the intense love the parents of the girls share for each other (and their physical want of each other) was mentioned a few too many times for me. Like…I get it now.
Otherwise, this family drama was a really fun listen!
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Molly
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn
One of my reading goals for 2025 is to finish series Iโve started, and I picked this up thinking it was the last book in the Legendborn trilogyโฆ only to learn the author has added a fourth book to the series! So now Iโll still be waiting for the conclusion.
Oathbound started off very slow for me. There is a lot of setup in the first half of the book, which is a little odd this far into a series. In the second half, it felt like the stakes rose exponentially, and I was pretty hooked waiting to see what would happen next.
Iโve mostly stopped reading YA because Iโm at a point in my life where the stories donโt usually resonate with me anymore. I would say that still happened in Oathbound, but itโs by no means a fault of the book. I knew when I started this series that I would probably feel too old for it, and when those moments come up while Iโm reading I can accept that itโs a me problem.
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That Summer Feeling by Bridget Morrissey
Iโm usually not a big romance reader, but Iโm way behind on my 2025 reading goal and was looking for something I could fly through pretty quickly. That Summer Feeling delivered (I basically finished it in 24 hours), and was truly enjoyable to boot.
As someone who loved going to camp every summer as a kid, the setting was super nostalgic for me. I loved all the sibling dynamics and watching Garland rediscover herself.
There is a coming out element in this book, but it was very chill, which I appreciated. There was no, โoh my god, I like women, the world is falling apart around me,โ moment, just reflection and acceptance.
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The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
This book had so many of my favorite things:
- Fictional memoir
- Book within a book
- Toxic (and non-toxic) lesbian relationships
This book is artfully crafted, full of raw emotion and messy characters, and absolutely stunning from start to finish.
The story opens with author Cate Kay telling readers that sheโs finally going to tell the story behind her multiple name changes and why she published her best-selling novels under a pen name and hid from the public eye for several years.
What follows is a tale of two best friends torn apart by tragedy, an artist grappling with her grief, and an up-and-coming celebrity trying to navigate romance in the spotlight. I enjoyed every minute of it, and itโs easily my favorite read of the year so far.
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Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Sweetbitter might be one of my favorite reads this year.
The language is so lush. It makes the chaos of the plot seem beautiful because Danler says everything in the most delicious way possible. I think that perfectly describes how it feels to be in your early twenties, floundering your way through a new city โ all your senses are heightened and everything is magic, even as you desperately try to hold the crumbling edges of your life together.
Tess is so full of potential and possibility that I couldnโt help but root for her, even as she hurtled herself headfirst towards disappointment for all 350 pages.
I do think the last chapter could have been cut and the ending would have been just as impactful, so I docked half a star for that, but I truly enjoyed this book from cover to cover.
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Renee
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Broken Country is a beautiful, all-encompassing book that allows the reader to peel back layers and layers of Beth Johnsonโs story to reveal someone who is so perfectly human and flawed. In the process, the book asks the reader to consider some big questions like whether there is a right or wrong way to grieve and if itโs possible to love two people at the same time. To that end, can you only ever have one great love?
Bethโs first love, Gabe, comes back to town, sending her reeling. Sheโs dealing with grief. Sheโs dealing with the loss of the life she thought sheโd have with her husband, Frank, who is the one who mentions Gabeโs return to her. Now she also has to process her feelings about Gabe, their history, and his proximity to her.
I donโt typically enjoy love triangle stories, but this one was so nuanced that it felt completely natural and not over the top. Plus, from the start, we learn that someone is dead. We just donโt know who it is, and we donโt know who killed them or why, so thereโs an element of mystery, as well. Itโs another layer of the story to peels back throughout the non-linear narrative. You learn whatโs happened to this family, what it means that Gabe is back, and what happens as a result.
The story is compulsively readable. I couldnโt put it down. Itโs beautifully written and there are so many layers to it, giving the reader ample opportunities to think about what theyโd do in any of the characters’ shoes.
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That’s it! That’s what we’ve been reading. What did you read in July? Anything awesome?
More About Me
- What We Read in July 2025 - August 8, 2025
- What We Read in May 2025 - June 10, 2025
- What We Read in April 2025 - May 12, 2025