The Joy of Summer Reading

It goes without saying that I read a lot during the summer, especially these days when I’m hardly leaving the house because it’s so hot outside. I know you’re thinking but you live in the desert…of course it’s hot! True, but the heat hit us sooner this year and we’ve been dealing with 110+ degrees since early June. 

Luckily, I’m a homebody. With my days free, I have time to make myself a fresh pot of iced tea and immerse myself in a wonderful story. 

Although I enjoy reading with the seasons, I find that my summer reading tends to be more eclectic, and I’m not necessarily looking for a specific type of book that I would consider a “summer” book. Any book can be a summer read if you read it during the summer.

Recently, I’ve been enjoying cozy fantasies, which is a new genre for me. I believe that we should occasionally push ourselves to read outside our comfort zones, as we never know when we’ll discover a new favorite genre. 

My Five Favorite Books So Far This Summer 2025

1. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Birdwatching is my #GOALS right now since by 9 am it’s too hot to sit outside. There are a few hummingbirds who like the tree near my window, and I love seeing their quick-time wings flutter as they pass. 

The Backyard Bird Chronicles is about Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and how she discovered the hobby of studying the birds who visited her backyard in Sausalito, California. I love it when authors share their hobbies and interests outside of writing. Tan shares her observations about the birds, but also about life, as well as her own illustrations of the birds who visit her. 

Tan’s book is a good reminder about the importance of taking time to notice the miracle of our surroundings, including the birds who visit our backyards. If you love birding, slow living, or nature writing, you’ll enjoy this book. 

2. The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love Murakami. His imagination is an international treasure. I’ve found that when reading Murakami I have to allow myself to go wherever the story wants to take me.

I enjoyed visiting this surreal town surrounded by a high wall. We begin with a teenage boy and a teenage girl who fall in love. When the girl disappears, he follows her to that town inside the wall. The people have to give up their shadows to live in that town alongside unicorns who live nearby. 

As you’d expect with Murakami, there are twists and turns. One twist in particular was perfectly drawn and I didn’t see it coming. While I was happy to follow the story, I didn’t love the ending. I have no problem with ambiguous endings, but the end felt too sudden. Even so, this is a beautifully written book. If you’re new to Murakami, I wouldn’t start here. If you’re a Murakami fan, this is a must read even if the last ten percent or so isn’t as strong as the rest of the story. 

3. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries was my first cozy fantasy, and I loved it. This book would do well as a winter read because of the cabin in the snow, but I was so excited to read this book that I couldn’t wait. It’s 109 degrees Fahrenheit as I write this, so I enjoyed the colder climate in the story. 

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who researches faeries. She’s a bit of a curmudgeon, but she has a good heart. She also has a few adventures and some romance along the way. You know how much I love fictional professors. As I read the book, I wondered about Heather Fawcett’s background because she gets the details about academia just right. 

I found the story absolutely charming. There is some minor violence but nothing gory and nothing that pulled me out of the cozy vibes. I loved the character of Wendell Bambleby, a fellow professor of Emily’s who invited himself on her research trip. Wendell is both annoying and adorable, but more on the adorable side. He has a secret that Emily has figured out. Emily and Wendell are so darn cute together.

I already have the second and third Emily books downloaded onto my Kindle.

4. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

Everyone is talking about this book right now, but I wanted to add my two cents. To me, this book is worth the hype. 

Ocean Vuong, with his usual talent for expressing things we’ve all felt in precise, perfect language, shows us the day-to-day lives of ordinary people with ordinary jobs who do the best they can in any given moment. The main character, Hai, suffers from drug addiction as he finds himself the caretaker for an elderly woman who suffers from dementia. With his found family of fellow fast-food workers, Hai does his best to help his elderly charge, his cousin, and himself. 

This book is not meant to be escapism, which some people might look for in summer reading; instead, it’s a mirror for the real, gritty lives most of us lead.

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I love this book. The only negative I have is that I waited so long to read it.

If you’re not familiar with the story, The Night Circus focuses on, well, a circus that operates at night. It appears suddenly and disappears as suddenly, and some patrons love the circus so much they form their own fandom and follow it around the world. The circus performers are wonderfully drawn, and there’s a magical showdown between two of the characters–Celia and Marco–and only one of them can survive. 

The story is magical, touching, and an absolute delight from beginning to end. As I read this book, I wondered if Erin Morgenstern looked inside my brain to create the perfect story for me. The Night Circus has all the elements I love–wonderful writing, complex characters, a fascinating setting, with magic thrown in for good measure. I think this may end up being my favorite book of the year. I bought Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea on my latest trip to Barnes and Noble.

Did I say how much I love this book?

Two Bonus Books

After reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami and Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Dame Judi Dench, I’m convinced that the three of us could be friends.

Murakami’s book is a memoir that primarily focuses on running. He’s a serious runner, participating in marathons and triathlons, and he talks about the effect running has had on his writing, which I found particularly fascinating. As I said with Amy Tan’s book, I love it when writers share their interests outside of writing. Murakami has a wonderful sense of humor–not that I’m entirely surprised since his novels have some very funny moments. It’s a great read for Murakami fans.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench was such a wonderful discovery. Dench’s thoughts about Shakespeare, shared through the lens of the roles she’s played, are truly insightful. The book is told in interview style since it’s a transcript of conversations she had with actor/director Brendan O’Hea. This book is a joy for Shakespeare lovers. Judi has a wonderful sense of humor, and her knowledge of Shakespeare is exceptional. As an English teacher, I could say that Shakespeare has paid my rent on numerous occasions.

Happy summer reading!

Categories: Book Recommendations, Book Reviews, Books, Reading, Reading InspirationTags: Book Recommendations, book reviews, books for summer reading, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Reading Inspiration, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, The Emperor of Gladness, The Night Circus, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running