July 2025 Reading Superlatives
Posted on 10th August, 2025
Category: Recommendations
Another month with some excellent reading. I was also pleased to see that the Booker longlist included some titles which look interesting, and even more pleased to see that I had already read one of the books – Universality by Natasha Brown which I much enjoyed.
Most Compelling Literary Thriller
I was very eager to read The God of the Woods by Liz Moore because it had received a lot of attention and praise when it came out in hardback. I was not disappointed. I loved this novel about a girl going missing from an American summer holiday camp in the seventies. I sometimes get exasperated when books jump around between past and present, but I felt that the mixture of timelines works really well here. I also liked the way it moves between different characters. The characterisation is excellent and I found it hard to put this book down.
Best Crime Reprint
The Shadow of King’s by Nora Kelly sees a visiting American-Canadian female academic having to cope when an unpleasant historian is shot dead at the end of her lecture. The book was first published in 1983 which doesn’t seem that long ago to me, but clearly is. I was startled, for example, when people had to go and find a phone rather than just turning to their mobiles. It was also interesting to consider both the differences and similarities in attitudes and behaviour between now and then. I very much liked the Cambridge background, and the general consideration of academia.
Most Enjoyable Children’s Book
I much enjoyed Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick’s The Museum of Lost Umbrellas (9+). It has many traditional elements which I appreciated, but also a modern flavour. An orphaned girl is sent to live on a mysterious island with an unknown great-aunt, and discovers the existence of magic. Tension and adventure are added when it becomes clear that there are bitter disagreements among the islanders about whether magic should be used. There are also some lovely touches, such as the library which magically produces the right book for you.
Most Impressive History Book
Midge Gillies’ The Barbed-Wire University: The Real Lives of Allied Prisoners of War in the Second World War has just been reprinted, and it is a fascinating read. Not surprisingly there are some harrowing bits, and the prisoners in the Far East generally had a much worse time than those in Germany. There are, however, moments of achievement and pleasure as well, and many of the soldiers were very resourceful I was inspired by the determination of the prisoners to survive and cope as best they could.
Do ask if you want any more recommendations.
Happy Reading!
Frances
Please note that I have taken the idea of ‘superlatives’ from the excellent book blog Elle Thinks (https://ellethinks.wordpress.
(If you are interested in any of the books on this recommendations list, just give us an email and we’ll order them in for you!)