Books Added to My Shelves in July 2025

This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in July 2025. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers, others were purchased, or were given to me as gifts. You’ll find books from all kinds of genres, including adult and children’s books. I’ll even share a few updates from our family’s life in the last month as well.

Family and Life Update

Mornings on my front porch have been something I look forward to. On the days I can’t sit outside with the sunrise, I’m sad.

We had two weddings in July with two of our closest friends’ children. Our son and daughter-in-law were in one of the weddings. Patrick and Bekah will be celebrating their 3rd Anniversary this month!

The other July wedding was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed being outside in the evening, catching up with friends and celebrating. It was a bummer that Patrick and Bekah couldn’t attend this wedding.

Bennett turned 24, and we celebrated the night before we left for vacation. He isn’t a big dessert fan, but I got him a piece of pecan pie (his favorite) after my shift at Youngville that day!

We had the best family time near Sheboygan, WI. Games, mini-golf (Bennett and Patrick were the winners), bonfires, checking out local restaurants, and the views of Lake Michigan made it a perfect relaxing vacation. We even had some fun girl time, which included a walk to the lighthouse, shopping, and a visit to the BOOKWORM GARDENS. I hope to share more about that in a separate post. Time with our adult kids is so much fun!

Now, on to the books! 

I can’t believe July is over. In less than 2 weeks, Reagan will be going back to college, and school will be starting back on the 25th. I’m soaking up all these last few days of summer with some day dates and a trip or two to the Iowa State Fair.

I finished 8 books in July. One way to be sure you finish a book is to always have a book with you, no matter what. I hope this encourages you to read in the small and big pockets of your day. Even 10 minutes at a time can make a big difference. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, HERE, to see snippets of what I’m reading or what’s going on in my daily life.

This month’s list includes some upcoming 2026 fiction, a mix of recent and past fiction, historical fiction, and memoir, and numerous upcoming children’s books. My current reads include LOON COVE SUMMER and DEAR MISS LAKE for review, and I’m listening to CUE THE SUN.

If you have missed any of my recent book reviews, you can see all of them by clicking HERE.  Or you can stay up to date with my monthly Quick Lit Roundup.

Clicking the photos of each book will take you to a link to purchase. If you choose to purchase through any of the links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.

ADULT FICTION AND NON-FICTION

SKYLARK
By: Paula McLain
Published: January 6, 2026
Publisher: Atria Books
Historical Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

I’ve read a few books lately with women sent to asylums against their will and/or knowledge. I thought this sounded interesting.

1664: Alouette Voland is the daughter of a master dyer at the famed Gobelin Tapestry Works, who secretly dreams of escaping her circumstances and creating her own masterpiece. When her father is unjustly imprisoned, Alouette’s efforts to save him lead to her own confinement in the notorious Salpêtrière asylum, where thousands of women are held captive and cruelly treated. But within its grim walls, she discovers a small group of brave allies, and the possibility of a life bigger than she ever imagined.

1939: Kristof Larson is a medical student beginning his psychiatric residency in Paris, whose neighbors on the Rue de Gobelins are a Jewish family who have fled Poland. When Nazi forces descend on the city, Kristof becomes their only hope for survival, even as his work as a doctor is jeopardized.

A spellbinding and transportive look at a side of Paris known to very few—the underground city that is a mirror reflection of the glories above—Paula McLain’s unforgettable new novel chronicles two parallel journeys of defiance and rescue that connect in ways both surprising and deeply moving.

THE SISTERS OF BOOK ROW
By: Shelley Noble
Published: March 3, 2026
Publisher: William Morrow
Historical Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

Sisters. Books. Duh, you know I’ll read it.

1915: Manhattan’s Book Row, an eclectic jumble of forty bookshops along Fourth Avenue, is the mecca for rare book buyers from around the world, and the haunt of locals looking for a bargain. It is also the target of the most vicious censor in American history—Anthony Comstock.

And home to three sisters who vow to stop him.

For the three Applebaum sisters, the narrow, four-storied Arcadia Rare Bookshop is the only home they’ve ever known. Olivia, the oldest, is an expert in restoring rare manuscripts. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, oversees the retail shop and is a favorite with their customers. Celia, the youngest, is left to dust and catalogue, but often sneaks out to do heaven knows what. Little do her sisters know, Celia has joined a group of young people who secretly print and distribute articles on women’s health by hiding them within the pages of ordinary cookbooks, household hints, and sewing patterns, despite the personal risk.

Meanwhile, the Comstock Laws threaten anybody who owns or circulates “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” publications. Even classic literature or fine art could send a person to jail. In the face of such oppression, Celia and the booksellers of Book Row band together. But secrets and a mysterious stranger mean the fate of the famed Book Row is anything but secure.

MAGGIE; OR, A MAN AND A WOMAN WALK INTO A BAR
By: Katie Yee
Published: July 22, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Summit Books
Fiction
Format: Hardcover purchase

This was my Book of the Month choice for July. The synopsis and title intrigued me.

A man and a woman walk into a restaurant. The woman expects a lovely night filled with endless plates of samosas. Instead, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie.

A short while after, her chest starts to ache. She walks into an examination room, where she finds out the pain in her breast isn’t just heartbreak—it’s cancer. She decides to call the tumor Maggie.

Unfolding in fragments over the course of the ensuing months, Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar follows the narrator as she embarks on a journey of grief, healing, and reclamation. She starts talking to Maggie (the tumor), getting acquainted with her body’s new inhabitant. She overgenerously creates a “Guide to My Husband: A User’s Manual” for Maggie (the other woman), hoping to ease the process of discovering her ex-husband’s whims and quirks. She turns her children’s bedtime stories into retellings of Chinese folklore passed down by her own mother, in an attempt to make them fall in love with their shared culture—and to maybe save herself in the process.

THE FOURTH DAUGHTER
By: Lyn Liao Butler
Published: August 1, 2025
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Fiction
Format: eBook through Amazon First Reads

My FREE Kindle book, thanks to Prime from last month’s First Reads choices.

Chef Liv Kuo’s star is on the rise…until a traumatic incident leaves her emotionally unable to venture outside her Manhattan apartment. But an unexpected reason to break free comes from Ah-Ma, Liv’s beloved grandmother in Taiwan. Ah-Ma needs Liv’s help in finding her fourth daughter, taken from her when the girl was an infant. After all these years, it seems impossible. It’s also a Ah-Ma’s fourth daughter is an aunt Liv never even knew existed.

After landing in Taiwan, Liv hears the heartbreaking story of her grandmother’s plight in a country once under martial law, of choices made for her, and of the hopeful search for a lost girl that has endured for more than sixty years. Like the enriching food and traditions that bind Liv and Ah-Ma, their journey for answers brings them together.

And it’s a quest that turns up both a precious old cookbook and a tale of fatal betrayal that shakes everything Liv believed about her family—revelations that could also give her the courage to face the trauma she left behind.

GREAT CIRCLE
By: Maggie Shipstead
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell and Alex McKenna
Published: April 5, 2022
Publisher: Vintage
Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Audible

This is a thick novel, but it came recommended, so I chose it with my Audible credit last month.

After being rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, Marian and Jamie Graves are raised by their dissolute uncle in Missoula, Montana. There—after encountering a pair of barnstorming pilots passing through town in beat-up biplanes—Marian commences her lifelong love affair with flight. At fourteen she drops out of school and finds an unexpected and dangerous patron in a wealthy bootlegger who provides a plane and subsidizes her lessons, an arrangement that will haunt her for the rest of her life, even as it allows her to fulfill her destiny: circumnavigating the globe by flying over the North and South Poles.

A century later, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film that centers on Marian’s disappearance in Antarctica. Vibrant, canny, disgusted with the claustrophobia of Hollywood, Hadley is eager to redefine herself after a romantic film franchise has imprisoned her in the grip of cult celebrity. Her immersion into the character of Marian unfolds, thrillingly, alongside Marian’s own story, as the two women’s fates—and their hunger for self-determination in vastly different geographies and times—collide. Epic and emotional, meticulously researched and gloriously told, Great Circle is a monumental work of art, and a tremendous leap forward for the prodigiously gifted Maggie Shipstead.

KAREN
A Memoir: A Brother Remembers
By: Kelsey Grammer
Published: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Harper Selects
Non-Fiction/Memoir
Format: Paperback for Review

I didn’t know anything about Kelsey Grammer’s sister and her murder. I’m anxious to find out what happened and read Kelsey’s perspective on the loss of his sister.

Karen by Kelsey Grammer delves into the deeply personal and tragic story of the author’s sister, Karen, who was brutally murdered at the age of 18. Kelsey was just 20 years old and studying theater at Juilliard in New York when his younger sister, a recent high school graduate, moved to Colorado Springs, where she was kidnapped by several men who had intended to rob the Red Lobster where she worked. They instead kidnapped Karen, raped her repeatedly, and ultimately stabbed her to death.

Through this memoir, Grammer poignantly recounts the memories of his sister and the impact her loss had on his life and family. With raw honesty, Grammer explores the profound grief and devastation that followed Karen’s death, as well as the long and arduous journey toward healing. He bravely confronts the pain of losing a loved one to senseless violence, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of coping with such a profound loss.

Karen also serves as a testament to Grammer’s resilience and determination to transform tragedy into a source of inspiration and empowerment. In sharing his story, Grammer aims to help others who have experienced similar loss, offering them solace and encouragement on their own paths toward healing.

Karen is not merely a memoir of loss, but a powerful testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit and the capacity for hope in the face of such overwhelming and devastating loss. This book is a moving tribute to a life cut tragically short, a testament to the enduring bond between siblings, and a message of hope at a time when we need it the most.

THE NEW WHOLE30
By: Melissa Urban
Published: August 6, 2024
Publisher: Rodale
Cookbook/Non-Fiction
Format: eBook Purchase

I’ve done Whole30 a couple of times. It’s a great process for finding out what foods might be triggering symptoms of pain or bloating, etc, but not great for life-long sustainable eating. But, I did like a lot of the recipes, and since this was on a Kindle Deal, I snagged it just to look for some new recipes.

The new and improved Whole30 program from #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa Urban, featuring an updated approach to food freedom, the Original and Plant-Based programs, and over 100 new recipes

Do you struggle with cravings, blood sugar regulation, inflammation, fatigue, digestive issues, pain, or other symptoms? The Whole30 can help you discover the foods that are holding you back—in just 30 days.

Since 2009, the Whole30 program has helped millions of people radically transform their health, habits, and relationship with food and discover lasting food freedom. Grounded in nutrition and behavior-change science and fifteen years of clinical evidence, the Whole30 program has been praised by countless doctors and dietitians and is supported by thousands of glowing testimonials.

Inspired by her community, the newest research, and the ever-changing food landscape, Whole30 co-founder Melissa Urban has expanded the program to be even more accessible, supportive, and effective. In The New Whole30, you’ll find completely updated rules, language, and success strategies for every phase of your journey. The book now includes two different programs, each with its own guidelines, resources, and recipes: the Original Whole30 (for omnivores) and the Plant-Based Whole30 (for vegans, vegetarians, or anyone exploring a plant-based diet). You’ll also find more than 100 all-new recipes plus some updated Whole30 favorites, all of which are 100 percent gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and free of added sugar.

In her signature direct and empathetic style, Urban distills more than a decade of expert knowledge and experience into the essential resource for Whole30 alumni and first-timers alike. The New Whole30 is sure to be your ultimate guide to success.

CHILDREN’S FICTION AND NON-FICTION

TINY T. REX AND THE FIRST DAY OOPSIES
By: Jonathan Stutzman
Illustrated by: Jay Fleck
Published: July 15, 2025
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

Great for gifting a child starting school or for your child’s classroom. Kids love the Tiny T.Rex series of books!

Tiny T. Rex is everyone’s favorite pint-sized dinosaur! Despite being a little dino in a big world, Tiny doesn’t mind taking on a new challenge, even when it’s the first day of a brand-new school. From his giant backpack to his good-luck bowtie, Tiny is prepared for anything, and that means nothing can go wrong . . . right? With his best friend, Pointy, by his side, Tiny soon discovers that school isn’t about being perfectly prepared after all—and that by trying new things and learning as he goes, he’s more ready for school than even he knew.

JUST DUCKY
A Friendship Takes Flight
By: Berrie Torgan-Randall
Published: October 1, 2025
Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press
Fiction
Format: Paperback Picture Book

Great for classroom reading to teach about talking to much and how to listen to others.

Margaret “ aka Ducky” is wild about ducks. Things go “ fowl” at day camp when she shares too many unsolicited duck facts until she learns to listen and make space for the other campers’ interests.

CONSIDER THE BIRDS
Book 1 of the Consider Series
By: Jennifer Grant
Illustrated by: Julianna Swaney
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

A counting birds book with a Christian message. I previously shared Grant’s book, FINDING CALM IN NATURE.

On a spring day at the birdfeeder, ONE blue jay dives down from way up high, “Eat! Eat! Eat!” TWO mourning doves scout for seeds on the ground. Next to swoop in are THREE tiny black-capped chickadees, ready for a quick bite. Then we spot FOUR little wrens in a tree—joined by a cardinal to make FIVE. Come count these birds with me!

This lyrical book is a gentle invitation to discover the wonders of nature and the love of God. Jennifer Grant’s simple text and Julianna Swaney’s endearing art will encourage readers to slow down and marvel at the amazing world around them.

THE BIRDS OF CHRISTMAS
By: Olivia Armstrong
Illustrated by: Mira Miroslavova
Published: August 12, 2025
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

A Christian Christmas folktale about the birds excited to welcome the newborn King.

“Wake up, wake up, birds!” croaks Raven one December night. “A child is born!” Each bird longs to bring a gift to the newborn baby in the manger. Nightingale sings a sweet song; Rooster caws a special call; Stork plucks her feathers to make a pillow. “I have nothing to give,” thinks little Robin. But as the night grows colder, the fire keeping the stable warm burns lower and lower. Maybe even a tiny bird has her own way to show her love for the newborn Prince of Peace…

Illustrated in lush blues and golds, The Birds of Christmas invites children to join the flock gathering around the manger.  This beautiful book is an unforgettable reminder of the wonder of Christmas and the priceless gift of compassion.

WELCOME TO THE PENGUIN CRUISE
A Seek-and-Find Adventure
By: Haluka Nohana
Published: September 30, 2025
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

A fund seek-and-find mystery with an adorable penguin family.

The Oceano Penguino is a five‑story cruise ship with twenty‑four rooms, each containing its own exciting story. Follow along as one penguin family embarks on their very first vacation, navigating new seas and helping the cruise crew find missing treasure along the way.

This grand illustrated adventure book is full of penguin characters—from Captain Penguino to Phantom Thief Lupenguin—and countless small and surprising details to  

Where has Chibi Pengi run off to?
What movie is showing in the cinema?
Is that a dragon helping the penguins practice for the dance party?
Most importantly, who stole the Golden Mermaid statuette?

Curious kids can explore the clever illustrations on each page and follow clues to help solve the shipboard mystery. With so many wonderful details, they can even go back on the Penguin Cruise over and over again and find new things every time. Best of all, all the penguin storylines come together at the end for a special surprise! So, waddle on board and enjoy the ride.

THE ABC ZOO
Beastly Facts from A to Z
By: Oliver Weiss
Published: September 16, 2025
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover for Review

Alphabet + Animals + Facts = A must-have book for your library

Did you know that a squid changes color and glows in the dark? That giraffes have tongues as long as your arm? That trying to race an ostrich would be like racing a train?

Learn a host of surprising facts about animals from A to Z in this gloriously illustrated book for kids. Featuring unique collages that incorporate colorful inks, photographs, and torn paper effects, The ABC Zoo is an educational and endlessly fun volume for animal lovers, art admirers, and fact fanciers.

JOURNEY OF THE HUMPBACKS
By: Juliana Muñoz Toro
Illustrated by: Dipacho
Translated by: Lawrence Schimel
Published: September 16, 2025
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

A must-read for kids who want to learn more about whales and their migration.

Come meet the humpback we’ll travel with them from the Antarctic to the Colombian Pacific, back where they were born. Let’s learn about how their fins help them swim, how long they can live, why and how they sing, how their calves grow up, and how they fit into the baleen whale family. As we migrate with these marine mammals, we’ll discover the joy of sharing our planet with these incredible creatures. 

Created in collaboration with humpback whale researchers, this browsable book welcomes readers to follow the animals for their full adventure or enjoy a few intriguing facts along the way. Journey of the Humpbacks is the perfect read for aspiring marine biologists, avid whale-watchers, and anyone who’s ever dreamed of diving beneath the waves.

ASK SCARLETT
Can Being Outside Help Me De-Stress? And More Questions about Nature and You
By: Becky Baines
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Magination Press
Format: Middle-Grade Chapter eBook for Review

I’ve already shared about this book, HERE.

LEYENDAS/LEGENDS
60 Latine People Who Changed the World
By: Mónica Mancillas
Illustrated by: Isadora Zeferino
Published: August 26, 2025
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Biography/Non-Fiction
Format: Middle-Grade Hardcover for Review

It’s essential for all children to see themselves reflected in stories and to know that they can achieve their dreams, just like many before them. Perfect for classroom libraries and schools with Latino children.

Celebrate sixty legendary Latine icons who have changed the world—from artists to engineers to activists and more! This gorgeous illustrated compendium is perfect for readers of Little Leaders and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

Did you know …
A famous Colombian singer wrote her first song at just eight years old and had a record deal by thirteen.
The work of a Mexican chemist led to the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer.
The youngest congresswoman in US history is Puerto Rican.

Discover the stories of sixty inspiring figures—including celebrities and icons like Frida Kahlo, Roberto Clemente, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sonia Sotomayor, Shakira, Walter Mercado, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Jharrel Jerome—in this beautifully illustrated, celebratory collection showcasing the multitude of talent within the Latine community.

Each extraordinary person has a unique story—from artists who have shaped pop culture to athletes who have won championships to activists who have changed laws and so many more—and this empowering book shows that anyone can make a difference in the world if they set to their mind to it!

Which books are you adding to your reading list?

Click HERE to see all the posts featuring new books on my shelves.

So many books, so little time!