Book Lovers Chat - July 2025
“For my whole life, my favourite activity was reading.” ― Audrey Hepburn
This voiceover is an audio version of my Book Lovers Chat below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!
Welcome to Generosity of Spirit, a gentle community for YOU. We find pockets of time for slow & gentle living, books, writing, journaling & life affirming work. You are so welcome here in our cosy space, grab a cuppa & stay a while... 🐢🙏📚☕💌
Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.
Hello! How have you been? I have had a wonderful two week break and I am back, feeling so refreshed and ready for the second half of 2025.
In this month’s Book Lover’s Chat I reveal my summer reading list. This summer, I wanted a real mixture - so my list feels like it has a little bit of everything, from rom-coms, to family dramas and some light mysteries and non fictions!
Then, read on for reviews of all my reading during the sunny month of June.
What have you been reading and enjoying this month?
Please do drop a comment at the bottom of this post to share what you are currently reading, I know myself and others get so many brilliant recommendations here from you!
I hope you are sitting comfortably, grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s settle down for a read together…
Please note - this post is jam packed and so will be too long to read in your email, do click through to read on your browser or read in the Substack app.
My Summer Reading List
My summer reading is probably my most mixed genre list of the year - I guess you could say I wanted to keep my options open! I will of course add more as I go, but this list is to get me started and inspired.
You know I love to create seasonal reading lists and there is something so magical about curating my summer vibe through reading. Maybe it’s the feeling of longer, slower days stretching out ahead, or the way certain books seem to pair perfectly with warm sunlight, iced drinks, and quiet afternoons. I always really enjoy choosing which books to include, sometimes I save specific books for a particular season, or I get inspired by recommendations from those around me!
A reminder ! A reading list doesn’t have to be strict or ambitious. In fact, the best ones often aren’t. They are more like a wish list, an invitation rather than an obligation, a jumping off point to create a mood for your reading season.
Creating a seasonal reading list can help you:
Tune into the mood of the season … whether you choose a lighthearted fiction for long days, nature writing that deepens your connection to the outdoors, or reflective memoirs that pair well with slower mornings.
Set gentle intentions … maybe you want to carve out more time for reading, learn something new, or simply discover a new genre.
Reignite your love for reading … adding a little excitement through planning can really help reignite your love of reading. It can encourage you to read books that have been sitting on your bookshelf for years - or (as if we need much encouragement) be a wonderful reason to go book shopping!
Give structure to your downtime … without pressure, reading seasonally can really help you add some ritual, gentle goals and wins throughout the season.
But the real fun and magic? … Is the permission to change your mind!!!
Leave space in your list for the unexpected finds, the spontaneous books, the recommendations or the books that make their way to you! Sometimes the most memorable reads are the ones you never planned for.
A good reading list isn’t rigid - it is a reflection of you. What your interests are, what is pulling your attention, things you want to learn, voices you want to hear, ideas you want to explore. It is a living thing. It grows, shifts, pauses, and moves all through the season, just like the season itself.
So make your list. Follow your curiosity. Abandon a book halfway through if you are not enjoying it. Re-read something comforting. Read out of order, or three books at once. There’s no wrong way to read! Just enjoy, relish in the nourishment of enjoying a good book.
Happy Summer Reading!
My Reading List:
Great Big Beautiful Life - Emily Henry
Blue Sisters - Coco Mellor
Table For One - Emma Gannon
The Poison Tree - Erin Kelly
Bye Bye Baby - Fiona McIntosh
The Bookshop of Secrets - Kerry Barrett
The Friend - Sigrid Nunez
The Granite Kingdom - Tim Hannigan
Rural Hours - Harriet Baker
Wabi Sabi - Beth Kempton
The Names - Florence Knapp
My June Reads
(all my summaries and reviews will be spoiler free)
Emily Wilde’s Map Of The Otherlands - Heather Fawcett
4 STARS
Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore, and has catalogued many secrets of the Hidden Folk in her encyclopaedia with her infuriatingly charming fellow scholar, Wendell Bambleby, by her side.
But Bambleby is more than just a brilliant and unbearably handsome scholar. He's an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, in search of a door back to his realm.
By lucky happenstance, Emily's new project, a map of the realms of faerie, will take them on an adventure to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby's realm, and the key to freeing him from his family's dark plans.
But with new friendships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.
My Thoughts:
It was so nice spending time with these characters again. Map of the Otherlands is the second novel in the trilogy of Emily Wilde books. This book is full of the cosy vibes we know and loved from the first book Encyclopaedia of Faeries, and provides a wonderful and enchanting blend of mystery, humour, romance and adventure. This time we accompany Emily and Wendell on their next adventure in the Austrian alps.
Presented in the form of diary entries, the story follows on from the previous book, with Emily now planning to map the realm of the Fae as she searches for a door back into Wendall's world. Some of the characters from the previous book make an appearance, alongside the introduction of new characters such as Emily's niece Ariadne.
I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first one. The journal form (complete with footnotes!) enhances the world-building, the characters are all likeable in their own ways with enough flaws to seem real, and the banter between Emily and Wendall is my favourite to read - I can’t wait to see how Emily and Wendells next adventure plays out.
Beloved - Toni Morrison
3 STARS
Sethe is now miles away from Sweet Home, the farm where she was kept as a slave.
Unable to forget the unspeakable horrors that took place there, she is haunted by the violent spectre of her dead child, the daughter who died nameless and whose tombstone is etched with a single word, ‘Beloved’. A tale of brutality, horror and, above all, love at any cost, Beloved is Toni Morrison’s enduring masterpiece and best-known work.
My Thoughts:
“me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.” Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s Beloved follows a family of formerly enslaved people post-American Civil War. The house they live in is haunted by a spirit that seemingly comes back to life. This story was so haunting, and it builds wonderfully throughout, for that reason it is a little slow in the beginning, and it took me a little while to get into it.
The story goes back and forth between different time periods and jumps between various points of view. At times this is a harrowing book to read, and it certainly did challenge me at times, but this is why I wanted to embark on my 12 months of reading - to read books I wouldn’t ordinarily pick up. Toni Morrison does not shy away from the horrors of slavery and it provides a stark, and frightening mirror into what humans are capable of. It really is a beautiful but haunting book.
Twelve Months of Reading Hamper
This was the ‘May’ book from my Twelve Months of Reading Hamper.
One of the reasons I wanted to try the hamper was to stretch my reading and try books I wouldn't ordinarily pick up. I have set myself the challenge of reading each book from my Twelve Months of Reading Hamper - during the month I receive it. Each book is wrapped up and assigned to a month of the year, so is full of surprises. I hope to find some new favourites and really stretch my reading this year through the hamper. Check back here next month to see what book I receive for July!
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune
5 STARS
Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages.
Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside.
At the orphanage, Linus must somehow determine if these children could bring about the end of days. But their guardian, the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. And, as Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose: his duty, or his dreams . . .
My Thoughts:
This has been one of my most highly anticipated reads - and it didn’t disappoint. I can’t believe we have another 5 star read! I devoured this book on two train trips - to York, and home from York. I loved it, and seriously considered picking up the sequel Somewhere Beyond the Sea straight away (I decided to save it up!).
For me this book is near to perfect, a cosy read with so much heart, and wonderful characters (and a cat!). It isn’t an action packed fantasy, but rather it unfolds gently. Linus our endearing but lonely case-worker for the Department of Magical Youth, is sent on special assignment to investigate a very special orphanage on an island in the middle of the cerulean sea - what he discovers there changes his life forever.
I absolutely loved Linus and his delightful inner monologue, he grows before our very eyes, becoming more and more alive as his relationship with the children in the orphanage and Arthur Parnassus (the orphanage master) develops. Through the pages we learn so much about the power of found family, the danger of hatred and judgement of those who are different, along with how stepping out of your comfort zone can often lead you to a place of belonging and love.
Women Living Deliciously - Florence Given
4 STARS
The book will help women uncover their sense of awe and wonder that has been buried by the layers of shame and self-objectification that get piled on us by the patriarchy.
For too long we have internalised the belief that our bodies are things to be looked at - instead of lived in.
That it's embarrassing to fully express ourselves.
That we cannot trust our desire.
WOMEN LIVING DELICIOUSLY unpacks the many barriers women face when trying to access joy so that they can discover the delicious life that's theirs for the taking.
International-bestselling author Florence Given wants to restore your lust for life and your sense of agency, giving you the courage and permission to inch closer to the wildly expansive life that you FULLY deserve - not in the future, not when you're perfect, not when you're prettier - but right NOW!
My Thoughts
This book was like cosying up with your bestie and putting the world to rights. The book itself is beautiful and I couldn’t help myself and annotated and highlighted throughout as I read. It felt so conversational and I felt more and more empowered as I made my way through its pages. Florence is so passionate, and I found her writing really inspiring. I found so much encouragement to connect with my inner child and creativity. Florence helps you see all the ways you can step into your light and live without fear or intimidation. I really loved it, and I will check out her other iconic book, ‘women don’t owe you pretty’.
I hope you are enjoying this cosy bookish letter 📚💌 if you are, you can support my work by buying me a coffee ☕️ . I’m so grateful for your company and support. Thank you 🙏
From My Book Shelf
Book shopping at home!
In line with my mindful spending year, and attempt to not buy so many books this year. My old feature ‘new on my bookshelf’ is now ‘from my bookshelf’. Each month I will go book shopping at home, searching through my own bookshelves and boxes of books - and I invite you to do the same!
This month I chose Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder - which is one of my all time favourite books. It brings my love of philosophy together with brilliant storytelling and characters. This book is pure genius and I love recommending it to people who are new to philosophy.
When 14-year-old Sophie encounters a mysterious mentor who introduces her to philosophy, mysteries deepen in her own life. Why does she keep getting postcards addressed to another girl? Who is the other girl? And who, for that matter, is Sophie herself? To solve the riddle, she uses her new knowledge of philosophy, but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined.
What book did you find to read?
Next Up on my TBR List:
Florence Knapp The Names
The Bookshop of Secrets - Kerry Barrett
Bookish Substacks I’ve enjoyed this month…
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s Book Lovers Chat! This is my favourite post to write - I just love putting it together and thinking and talking about books and reading!
As always, I’d love to know if you have read any of the books we have discussed here, what you are reading now, or if you have enjoyed any books recently you want to shout about! I’ll see you in the comments!
Thank you for being here,
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I've just finished This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood - well worth a look.
Wabi Sabi has been on my list for some time now. I am currently reading 'The Happiness Project' by Gretchen Rubin. I discovered this book at a book store in Vietnam but didn't buy it as it was really expensive. I recently found it on discount at Amazon. It is such a lovely book, you should definitely check it out.🥰