This was a strange reading month. I read a lot, yet didn’t feel settled or content with much of my reading. This isn’t a reflection of the books I read – simply a reflection of a slice of life in July. 

I did, however, read such an amazing book in July:

Woodworking by Emily St. James – An unforgettable and heartwarming debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.

I finished this book at the start of July and I am still thinking about it. Wow, wow, wow. This book is everything – it’s funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful. It’s tender and honest and such an important story to be told. I felt like I saw and understood things I never had before. My heart grew because of this wonderful story. I am on a mission to recommend it to everyone. The characters and story will stay with me for a long time.

Here’s a list of all the books I read in July 2025:
The Misplaced Physician
Jeri Westerson
A Wicket of Lies
Victoria Tait
The Worry Trick
David A. Carbonell
Wartime Comes to West India Dock Road
Renita D’Silva
The Page Turner
Violet Shipman
A Work in Progress
Jarrett Lerner
A Cyclist’s Guide to Villains & Vines
Ann Claire
Twinkling Tree Trouble
Iris March
A Fatal Footnote
Joy Patrick
The Ghost in the Closet
Nupur Tustin
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax
Dorothy Gilman
TBH, This Is So Awkward
Lisa Greenwald
Wands, Waffles, and Whispers
Tonya Kappes
Murder on the Books
T.C. LoTempio
Promises and Politics, Another Murder
Christa Nardi
Daily Rituals How Artists Work
Mason Currey
The Cartoonists Club
Raina Telgemeier
Murder at the Dinner Party
CJ Archer
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder
Dianne Freeman
Nothing Else but Miracles
Kate Albus
A Poetic Pox
Samatha Larsen
Victory for the Foyles Bookshop Girls
Elaine Roberts
Murder She Wrote: A Body in Boston
Fletcher and Moran
Just Beachy
Wendy Wax
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Mikki Brammer
Into the Leopard’s Den
Harini Nagendra
The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club
Gloria Chao
The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club
Martha Hall Kelly
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes
Sandra Jackson-Opoku
No One Was SuppoSed to Die at this Wedding
Catherine Mack
Great Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry
My Lady Jane
Cynthia Hand
Rocky Road to Murder
Lena Gregory
No More Secrets
Lucy Score
Woodworking
Emily St James