What I’ve Been Reading: August 2025

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Another month of reading is in the books for me. I was afraid with heading back to school that I might not have as much time to read, but I still was able to read my average of three books this month too.

This month, I listened to two books and read one.

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Seven Summers:

Summary:

Six summers to fall in love. One summer to change everything.

Liv and Finn meet six summers ago working in a bar on the rugged Cornish coastline, their futures full of promise. When a night of passion ends in devastating tragedy they are bound together inextricably. But Finn’s life is in LA with his band, and Liv’s is in Cornwall with her family—so they make a promise. Finn will return every year, and if they are single they will spend the summer together.

This summer Liv crosses paths with Tom—a mysterious new arrival in her hometown. As the wildflowers and heather come into bloom, they find themselves falling for one another. For the first time Liv can imagine a world where her heart isn’t broken every autumn. Now Liv must make an impossible choice. And when she discovers the shocking reason that Tom has left home, she’ll need to trust her heart even more.

Quick thoughts:

I really loved this book although it’s not a light-hearted read. The chapters alternated in flashback of the seven summers and then present day. Then, it continued with some summers after the initial seven. Liv was a character you cheer for…for her happiness and her heart. I actually didn’t really see the ending coming, and I thought it was perfect.

Rating:

I’d say 4.5 stars

Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones

Summary:

A beautiful celebration of Dolly Parton’s iconic sense of style through entertaining personal stories and 450 full-color photographs, including exclusive images from her private costume archive.

In Behind the My Life in Rhinestones, global superstar Dolly Parton shares, for the first time, the full story behind her lifelong passion for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Dolly style, which has defied convention and endeared her to fans around the world.

Featuring behind-the-scenes stories from Dolly Parton’s life and career, and the largest reveal of her private costume archive, this gorgeously photographed book spotlights her most unforgettable looks from the 1960s to now. The sky-high heels, famous wigs, bold makeup, eye-catching stage clothes—she shares them all. Along the way, Parton discusses memorable outfits from her past, from the clothes her mother would sew out of feed sacks (including her “Coat of Many Colors”) and the bold dresses and hairdos that shook up Nashville, to the bunny suit on the cover of Playboy, evening wear at Studio 54, costumes from her most famous film and TV roles, and the daring styles that continue to entertain and inspire today.

Filled with candor, humor, and lots and lots of rhinestones, Behind the My Life in Rhinestones is a shining tribute to one of the most beloved musicians in history, a treasured keepsake for anyone who loves Dolly Parton, and an indispensable guide to forging your own path to beauty and confidence.

Quick Thoughts:

Sarah recommended this book, and I love a memoir…and I love Dolly!

I think listening to it is the way to go. Hearing Dolly’s voice during the interviews as well as snippets of songs of hers through the years was icing on the cake. By not reading the book, I missed seeing pictures of the dresses, but Dolly is such an amazing story teller. Her upbringing and childhood are so interesting and she has a great sense of humor. There’s no one like Dolly!

Rating:

Dolly is of course…five stars! I do wish the book was longer, so I’d rate this 4.5 stars…but closer to five than four!

Parents Weekend:

Summary:

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

Quick Thoughts:

You’d think college kids would be the issue, but these parents are a hot mess! There was all kinds of family dysfunction, but that did make the characters interesting. The chapters were really short and the plot was somewhat suspenseful, so this was a quick listen for me. I like the ending in that the readers gets an update on each individual family.

Rating:

Summer Reading Update:

Reading in the summer is one of my favorite things to do, and I love having a list to guide my book choices. .

I didn’t get to read two books…The Summer Book Club and Summer Light on Nantucket, but maybe next summer?! I’d say my favorite book of the summer was All the Summers In Between.

My summer reading list was a good one, but I’m ready to move on to other books I have on my Goodreads list.

I’m ready for cooler temps, my Kindle and a cozy blanket.