Everything I Read in July-August 2025
These past two months were heavy on the audiobooks; of the eight books I finished, seven of them were audiobooks! I’m close to being done with Onyx Storm (the third book in the Fourth Wing series), which I’ve been reading off-and-on since July 1. I wish I was the type of person that could finish a 750+ page book in only a few days, but alas, I am not. 😆
For 2025, my goal is to read 50 books and 14,000 pages. I’m currently at 32 books and 10,008 pages read after August. If you’re also a reader, join StoryGraph and add me as a friend: my username is cottoncashmerecathair! And please share your favorite recent read(s) in the comments.
READ NEXT: Everything I Read in May-June 2025
Everything I Read in July-August 2025
Nonfiction
Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap
I preordered this book years ago and finally got around to reading it. I have a problem… once I own a book, I no longer feel like I need to read it right away, because I have it and can read it whenever. 🙈
I’ve read a number of personal finance books (and have a bunch more on my TBR), mostly to read perspectives from folks with different backgrounds and life experiences. I’ve followed Tori on Instagram for years and was so excited to hear she was writing a book! She also spoke at the Craft + Commerce conference I attended back in June—about social media, not finance, but it was still cool to see her in person.
I thought this was a great, high-level book for women that are just getting into personal finance. It reads like you’re having a conversation with Tori and she’s your personal cheerleader. I recommend it for diving into your money psychology, learning how to make important money moves (earning, spending, investing), and living a financial feminist lifestyle.
Audiobooks
Taste by Stanley Tucci
I was still on my celebrity memoir audiobook kick these past couple of months, and first up was Stanley Tucci’s first book. I enjoyed listening to this! He narrates it himself, and it was fun to hear him describe the food that made such an impact throughout his life. He does actually share recipes and says them out loud, so if you want to save any of those, I recommend grabbing a physical copy of the book to photocopy the recipes or keep for future reference.
This book made me wish I was back in Italy! I haven’t been since I studied abroad many, many years ago. I caught an episode of his show, Tucci in Italy, on National Geographic recently and loved that, too.
Greenlights by Matthew Mcconaughey
I had heard only good things about Matthew McConaughey’s memoir (even from Korri, who listened to the audiobook years ago) and finally decided to cross it off my TBR!
Of course, I love that he narrates his own memoir. I appreciate them so much more when the author shares their story and adds in their authentic emotions and inflections in their voice.
I was only familiar with Matthew through his time on screen (most specifically How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and didn’t know about his upbringing and life prior to acting until listening to this. His time spent studying in Australia was absolutely WILD! It’s a great book overall but that story is something else and worth reading/listening just for that.
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano
This is the fifth book in the Finlay Donovan series (the sixth and final book will be released in 2026). I absolutely LOVE this series, and this book was one of my favorites of the bunch.
If you haven’t read my reviews of the other books in the series, then you may not know how much I love the audiobook narrator, Angela Dawe. She is fantastic! She’s so good at embodying every character and giving them unique voices—and there are a lot of characters. (So many that sometimes it’s hard to keep them all straight, but that’s really my only qualm with this series.)
If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced mystery series with a lot of humor thrown in, I’m sure you’ll love the Finlay Donovan series! I definitely recommend reading these books in order as the next book picks up right where the last one left off.
Thank you so much to Minotaur Books for the free copies of the Finlay Donovan series!
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
I first learned about this book from another reader, and it’s been sitting on my library TBR for a while. I’m determined to get my TBR down and have been working on books that only have one copy in case my library decides not to renew those licenses.
WOW! This book was so good. It’s a mystery with thrilling elements surrounding a suspicious murder in which an impressionable Black teenage girl is blamed for the death of a celebrity. It’s a great read or listen; the audiobook narrator really brought the characters to life. It’s one that will make you think, especially about why young Black girls don’t have the inherent innocence that society bestows upon young white girls.
The Kingdom of Prep by Maggie Bullock
CCCH started as a way for me to document my grad school outfits and personal style journey, so I was, of course, interested in learning more behind J.Crew, which was one of my favorite brands back in my grad school days. (I shopped at J.Crew Factory a ton and then fell in love with Madewell!)
It was interesting to hear about the backstory of the brand, though I was less interested in its early days and more into the chapters that involved Jenna Lyons and more recent developments. I also loved that the author mentioned the J.Crew blogs; I read all of them back when they were active and even commented sometimes!
Some of the reviews mentioned that the author narrates this audiobook, but my copy was not narrated by the author. It felt a little bit like I was listening to the narrator read a textbook in the beginning. I still enjoyed it overall but it wasn’t a super memorable book in my opinion.
Courage to Soar by Simone Biles
I’ve had Simone’s book on my TBR for YEARS, and since one of her coaches recently published a book, I moved this book up on my list.
Simone details her life from her childhood, how she got into gymnastics (it wasn’t on purpose!), and her journey through the levels and the Olympics. It was fun to listen to this as a fan of gymnastics because I could picture the skills that were described, though I could see how someone who does’t watch gymnastics regularly could be confused by that. Simone also doesn’t go into detail about the abuse she suffered; in fact, she often praises the Karolyis, who ran the Ranch (for U.S. national team camp), and we’ve since learned how problematic they were.
I listened to the audiobook, which was not narrated by Simone, but the narrator’s voice sounds very similar to Simone’s voice! I do think I would have enjoyed it more hearing Simone herself tell her story.
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
It’s important for me and my own anti-racism journey to read about the Black experience as told by Black people, and Austin Channing Brown’s memoir is a must-read. I was enamored.
Even though it’s a short audiobook, I recommend taking your time and really sitting with each chapter after you listen to it.
She shares why her parents named her Austin and how people don’t believe that’s her real name. There was one chapter in particular where she described her experience at the workplace over one single work shift and all of the micro-aggressions and things she has to deal with and constantly think about as a Black woman in that space. This book is an important and necessary slap in the face to white privilege and white supremacy.
