My Summer Reading List (2025)
I used to be an avid reader, but since starting this blog, I’ve spent most of my time writing. To kickstart my reading habit again, my husband gave me a Kindle, and I started buying books for the first time in a few years. So, here’s my summer reading list (2025) as a 50+ woman who enjoys memoirs, fictional adventures, and personal growth books…
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The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir – Kelly Bishop
If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, you know Kelly Bishop as the perfectly-groomed, sharp, fiercely loyal Emily Gilmore. But did you know that she won a Tony in 1976 for playing Sheila in A Chorus Line? She also played Marjorie Houseman in the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing and made guest appearances in dozens of television shows. Despite the title, this memoir spans her entire life on and off screen, with only a chapter devoted to her character on Gilmore Girls.
What I enjoyed about this book was that it was a peek into a life that is so different from my own. If you’ve wondered what it takes to work as an actor, Kelly Bishop shares her 60+ years in the business.
The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir is available on Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
Midlife Private Parts – Edited By Dina Alvarez and Dina Aronson
Midlife Private Parts is a collection of essays about midlife written by a diverse group of women. Topics include perimenopause, life as an empty nester, loss of parents, divorce and dating, second careers, travel, and more. Each story has a unique perspective.
Midlife Private Parts made me laugh, tear up, recoil in horror (you’ll have to read it to understand), but ultimately, feel connected. I suspect that when I read it again, I’ll relate to different essays and writers than I did the first time.
I’ve met some of the authors on Instagram, Zoom, or in person, and was given a copy to read and review. I’ve also purchased copies to give to friends, as reading this made me feel like I was catching up with long-lost friends, and who doesn’t love that?!
Midlife Private Parts is available on Amazon and at Walmart.
Counterfeit: A Novel – Kristin Chen
Counterfeit: A Novel is an entertaining story of two women who run a luxury handbag scam. The story begins with Ava, a lawyer who is taking a break from her career to stay home with her son. She reconnects with Winnie, who abruptly dropped out of college twenty years ago to return home to China. Winnie has transformed from a shy, awkward young girl into a confident woman, dressed from head to toe in luxury brands. Ava is horrified, at first, to learn that Winnie makes her money from a counterfeit scheme, but after a turn of events, she ends up working with her.
What makes this novel so clever is that Ava is the narrator, recounting her involvement in the scam to a detective. Winnie has disappeared again, and Ava is left to defend her actions. So, you have to read between the lines. Even if you have no interest in luxury handbags, you’ll find this story of friendship, motherhood, marriage, deception, and values a page-turner. It’s perfect for the beach or a plane ride.
You’ll find The Counterfeit on Amazon.
Two Nights In Lisbon – Chris Pavone
My friend recommended this thriller, and it was the perfect audiobook to listen to when I was doing a lot of driving a couple of weeks ago. (Heads up, if you are listening to it in the car, know that there are adult themes and language in this one.
Two Nights In Lisbon is about a woman whose husband is kidnapped while on a business trip. To secure the ransom money, she has to talk to a man from her past – a past she has left behind by divorcing her first husband, changing her name, and moving to a small farmhouse in the country. With plenty of flashbacks to her past, we start to put together the puzzle of why her husband, a seemingly ordinary man of moderate means, was kidnapped. There are a few clues along the way, but I have to admit, I didn’t guess the ending.
Two Nights In Lisbon is available on Amazon and at Walmart.
Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt
I’ve just started this book, recommended by a book club that I will be joining in the fall. It’s an unusual story about an octopus who befriends the woman who cleans the aquarium in which he lives. The chapters alternate from the point of view of the octopus to the woman. Their pasts are linked, and he may have a clue about what happened to her son, who disappeared (presumably drowned) when he was 18.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is available on Amazon, at Walmart, and at Target.
The Let Them Theory -Mel Robbins
I’ve been listening to The Mel Robbins Podcast for the past year and enjoy her no-nonsense approach to personal growth. Her book The Let Them Theory started from her realization that she was micromanaging and worrying too much about the opinion of others. If you’ve never done that, then I guess this book isn’t for you 😉 But if you’re an empath or an over-thinker like I am, you might want to read it.
The Let Them Theory is available on Amazon, at Walmart and at Target.
The Next Conversation, Argue Less, Talk More – Jefferson Fisher
I discovered Jefferson Fisher on Instagram, where he gives snippets of advice about communication from his experience as a trial lawyer. The communication advice that I’ve heard in the past has sounded like “therapy talk” to me, but Fisher’s suggestions sound like real, everyday conversations. His book, The Next Conversation, Argue Less, Talk More, is a New York Times Bestseller. I’ve listened to a reading of the first chapter, as well as several of his podcasts about the book, and I’m looking forward to reading it soon.
You’ll find The Next Conversation on Amazon, at Walmart and at Target.
How To Menopause – Tamsen Fadal
I also discovered Tamsen Fadal on Instagram, where she shares her experience with menopause. She left her career as a TV anchor to become an advocate for midlife women, covering topics like relationships, career changes, and health, especially menopause-related needs. I’ve listened to her podcast, The Tamsen Show, and have her documentary, The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause, on my watchlist.
There are many books about menopause right now – I liked that this one promises a broad view, including how to advocate for yourself in healthcare, rethinking diet and exercise, and navigating changes in relationships.
I’ll update this post after I’ve finished the book, but if you’re ready to read How To Menopause, you’ll find it on Amazon, at Walmart, and at Target.
What’s on your summer reading list for 2025? Do we have any books in common?
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Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of my favorite books of all time and soon to be a movie on Netflix😊 I have recently become a big fan of listening to audiobooks in the car. I am currently listening to The Dry which is a murder mystery that takes place in rural Australia and is also being made into a movie. This summer I also read Cooking for Picasso which was an interesting book.
Hi Chris, I didn’t know Remarkably Bright Creatures was going to be made into a movie – definitely putting that on my list! The other two books you mentioned sound interesting too. xo Nipa
Great picks! I’ve read quite a few of these. I’m going to add Counterfeit to my list!
Hi Tonya, I think you’ll enjoy Counterfeit – it was more complex and clever than I could describe in a paragraph. Curious to know which of the others you’ve read! xo Nipa