Books are small universes—affordable and easily carried, filled with mind-expanding possibilities. Through their pages, I explore new experiences and worlds, meet unforgettable characters, and deepen my understanding of…everything.
These are the books I read in August 2025, listed chronologically, and graded by recommendation (highly recommend, recommend, and do not recommend).
The American Way of Death Revisited
Jessica revised this classic while she was dying of cancer. Can you imagine? Her husband readied it for publication; she was already gone.
From a 2025 perspective, we can see that Mitford’s expose of the funeral industry didn’t halt predatory business practices, but her choosing such an emotion-laden industry threw a wrench (and some healthy fear) in “lifestyle” services.
Check this out and be inspired by what a few well-placed, witty observations can lead to (like JFK being buried in the most inexpensive casket available); highly recommend.
The Glitter and the Gold
My assumptions were shattered by this memoir. First, that I’m cultured. Sure I am, in a 21st century, shallow, Midwestern way: I’m aware of Gauguin and Strauss and Astor.
But I was grabbing my phone every few minutes of reading time, looking up the artistic, social, and industrial luminary mentions OVERFLOWING in every paragraph (and not in an annoying, name-dropping way, either).
Second, Glitter gave me another glimpse of British aristocracy, mostly their honest-to-God sense of duty and…stewardship (?) to their working class. It was (maybe) the only way to make that rigid of a hierarchy work, and I hadn’t known that they (the upper class) understood that.
This book is surprisingly well-written and harder to find every day, read it while you still can; highly recommend.
One Basket
A collection of short stories by Edna Ferber, concerning still-common human foibles in settings and jobs that no longer exist, interesting and bittersweet; recommend.
Poison Penmanship
This collection of Jessica Mitford’s (mostly) investigative journalism articles is prefaced by the author calling for the return of (true) muckraking.
I concur, and so will you, especially after ingesting this rousing work; highly recommend.
Fox
WE ARE BACK, BABY. And honestly, JCO is so good, I never even knew we were gone. But we were.
Fox is Oates’ best book in at least fifteen years.
She’s at her suspenseful best, serving whodunit. Mr. Fox is a predator, and he deserves to die. Who cares about him? The meat of the matter lies in which one of his “Little Kittens” ended him. Like a better written Hard Candy; highly recommend.
The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters (not pictured)
Literally eighty years (thousands of pages!) correspondence between, you guessed it, the Mitford sisters.
You’ll only like this book if you’re into the Mitford sisters, but let me take this moment to encourage reading more volumes of letters. They’re a great glimpse into the minutiae of history, the personal shadings, that led to a deeper overall understanding of geopolitical events.
This is a good volume of letters to start with, there are so many “characters” and happenings; recommend.
Heart, Be At Peace (not pictured)
Ryan’s slow burn was more leisurely than usual, but the wait was worth it (as always).
Somewhere In Ireland (the actual location is unimportant, True Ireland lives in the heart), neighbors reel from a tragedy. Each chapter features a community member’s POV, unravelling a yarn of class warfare and lost skillsets; highly recommend.
Conclusion
In the quiet company of these August reads, I found stories and echoes of the human experience: resilience in the face of despair, the enduring power of connection, and the timeless wisdom woven into words.
I hope my August 2025 bite size book reviews open up new literary adventures for you. What literary landscapes are you currently exploring? I’d love to hear!
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Happy reading!
Love,
