Top 10 Books on My Summer ’25 TBR | TTT

1. Ellen Foster (Ellen Foster, #1) by Kaye Gibbons

The first few books on this list are books I’m actually currently reading — Ellen Foster is the first of these few. I was drawn to this book based on the back cover and, so far, I’m admittedly a little skeptical, but it’s short enough that I’ll try and finish it anyway. If you’ve read this one, let me know your thoughts!

2. The Clam Lake Papers by Edward Lueders

I thrifted a copy of this book on a whim and was completely taken in by it. A professor goes to stay in his summer home and discovers someone has stayed in his house through the winter, writing and philosophizing all the while. This is a collection of the anonymous writer’s musings, and I’m looking forward to continuing it (and, yes, it’s not lost on me the backwardness of reading a book about winter in the summer…).

3. Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc

I’ve been meaning to read this book for years at this point, and I finally got myself a copy and started it. It’s a very interesting topic — I’m glad to be learning more about it!

4. The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2) by Rick Riordan

This wouldn’t be one of my posts if I didn’t mention a middle grade story at some point or other! I finally listened to The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1) on audiobook earlier this year and enjoyed the format. When I’m looking for something lighter, I’ve been putting this one on!

5. The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin

This marks the transition into actual “to-reads” for this list! I mentioned earlier in the year that I wanted to read more high fantasy, and I’ve not read as much as I’d like. (I did start Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson but was too slumpy at the time to finish it — hopefully I can finish that one too because I was really enjoying it.) I’m looking forward to this one!

6. Just Kids by Patti Smith

I’ve heard so many good things about this memoir, and I’ve been in the mood for more nonfiction books of late so it’s shaping up to be good timing for this one! I actually just got my copy of this in the mail today — I look forward to starting it.

8. The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid’s Tale, #1) by Margaret Atwood

This story is one that has been almost constantly on my mind for quite a while now. Part of me dreads reading it due to the subject matter but even more of me thinks it’s important to, especially considering how much I really do want to read it. Hopefully I’ll get to it soon!

9. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

I’ve said many times on this blog that I’m not much of a romance reader but I thought it was about time I gave another crack at the genre, just to see if my tastes have changed. I initially thrifted a copy of this to put in the Little Free Library I’m a steward of but I figured I’d give it a read first!

10. The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel (The Raven Cycle: The Graphic Novels, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater, Stephanie Williams, and Sas Milledge

And, finally, the only new release on this list! The graphic novel adaption of one of my favorite young adult stories is coming out later in the summer, and I’m excited to see what it has in store. One of my 2025 reading goals was to focus more on backlogs than new releases but I couldn’t help paying mind to this one!

Have you read any of the books on this list? Did you like them? Why, or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!