Summer 2025 in Books

This summer I managed to read 20 books - a number I’m really proud of given how busy the past few months have been. I thought I’d share a little reading round-up here: what I loved, what I struggled with, and what surprised me. Hopefully, some of you will agree (or disagree!) with my takes. I’d love to make these reading reflections a more regular thing, so we’ll see how that goes.

Favourite Read(s)

Starting with the hardest question: what was my favourite read? I couldn’t narrow it down to just one, so I’m cheating and choosing two - both books I devoured towards the end of the summer.

Evenings and Weekends - Oisín McKenna
This novel completely transported me into the kind of life I imagine myself living in London. It moves through the inner monologues of different characters navigating dreams, disappointments, and everyday struggles. What I loved most was its honesty, you often see the glamorous side of city living, but McKenna shows the reality: people just trying to get by. The characters were written with such depth, and I felt myself genuinely drawn into their world.

Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart
Yes, it’s an obvious choice given it won the Booker Prize in 2020, but it absolutely deserves the hype. “Love” feels like the wrong word for such a heartbreaking novel, but I really admired its unflinching portrayal of 1980s Glasgow, poverty, addiction, and resilience. Following Shuggie through his childhood with his alcoholic mother Agnes was tough but unforgettable. The ending is bittersweet, but painfully true to life. I’ve heard talk of a TV adaptation, though funding seems to be a hurdle for the BBC. Fingers crossed it happens one day, because it’s a story worth sharing on screen.

Least Favourite Read

Every book teaches you something, but the one I struggled with most was:

A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism - Caroline Moorehead
I feel bad putting this here because the subject matter is so important — the incredible women who fought against fascism in Italy. But it’s dense, heavy on dates, names, and timelines, and not the easiest choice for sun-lounger reading. My “post-uni summer brain” just couldn’t keep up. That said, I don’t want to give up. I plan to read it slowly, in smaller chunks, to really take in the history it shares.

Most Surprising Reads

Breathe - Hollie Hughes
Hollie has summited Everest twice and solo-skied across Antarctica, and in this memoir she reflects on what was going through her mind during those feats. While I’ll never attempt anything on that scale, her lessons felt universal: when things feel overwhelming, breathe, and just focus on the next step - literally or metaphorically.

Almost Nothing Happened - Meg Roscroft
I picked this up for a YA book club (which I still haven’t managed to attend), and I’m glad I did. It follows a teenage boy over 24 hours in Paris, and reading it felt like being a kid again, staying up late in my bedroom, racing through a book cover to cover. It’s short, I read it on a London to Edinburgh flight, but it was charming, light, and nostalgic. Hopefully, I’ll actually make it to a book club meeting before I move!

Carrie Soto is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid
I adore TJR but had weirdly put this one off, only picking it up because I’d just bought a Kindle and wanted something light for a holiday. I ended up reading it in a single day. As someone who loves watching Wimbledon, the tennis hook pulled me right in, but it was Carrie’s journey that made me cry on the beach (hidden behind sunglasses, of course). I wanted her to win, in every sense, and the ending felt so satisfying.

Most Interesting

The Road Ahead - Bill Gates
I thought this would be a memoir, but it turned out to be even better: Gates’ predictions about technology, written in the early 2000s. Reading it in 2025 was fascinating because so much of what he foresaw has now happened. As someone who doesn’t know much about tech, I found it accessible, insightful, and oddly reassuring.

What’s Next + Key Takeaways

All in all, I’d call this summer’s reading a success - 20 books across a variety of genres, from YA to history to tech. (If you’re curious about the full list, it’s on my Goodreads.)

Looking ahead, I want to work my way through the “unread” shelf - about 15 books that have been gathering dust. At the moment I’m deep into Dennis Canavan’s autobiography, which my dad gave me years ago. It’s been eye-opening to learn about such an important figure in Scottish politics.

Key takeaways from the summer:

  • I love reading across genres — even the heavy ones.

  • Seasonal reading could be fun: I’d like to find some more autumnal/wintery books to get me in the mood for the colder months.

  • Writing these round-ups might actually keep me accountable.

Thanks for reading — and if you’ve got recommendations for my autumn/winter list, send them my way!

Happy reading,
Rosie x

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