Not as much to recommend in July, primarily because I didn’t like what I read enough to recommend it. So one novel and a nonfiction book, as well as some articles. In case you’re wondering why this post is for July, I got behind on posting my lists and I’m catching up. (If you want current lists—meaning written when I actually read the book—look at October and November.) After this, I still have August and September to go and then I’m back, baby!
However, one of the books here (the Carroll) is the best book I read in 2025. The book is the reason that I decided not to bunch up the recommendations or even fail to do them. The book is definitely worth reading, as is everything on this list.
July 2025
Carroll, E. Jean, Not My Type, St. Martins Press, 2025. I wish I had half the courage E. Jean Carroll does. She took on Trump repeatedly, won her cases, and still won’t back down, despite her age, despite death threats. She knows she’s right, and juries have agreed with her to the tune of millions. She’s one of the most amazing human beings in the world. Yet…I know, because of all the (minor in comparison) legal crap we’ve been dealing with these past two years, that going to court, dealing with lawyers, dealing with liars, takes a toll on you. A very human, stress-filled toll. Carroll is a writer who lost her regular column because of the Trump suits. I knew whatever she wrote would be well done. I didn’t expect it to be witty and heartbreaking and oh, so clear. Please read this and honor this courageous woman who, in many ways, has fought for all of us.
Fell, Nicole, “Edge of Seventeen,” The Hollywood Reporter, June 4, 2025. Fascinating piece on the K-Pop group Seventeen who celebrated their tenth anniversary this year. Lots of changes for them, and lots of things to overcome. Buried in the middle of the article is this:
To understand Seventeen, and why they’ve lasted this long, it’s important to understand the K-pop ecosystem as a whole. It’s not a genre — in fact many groups, including Seventeen, explore several different musical styles throughout their careers — but rather a specific way of promoting and releasing music. What perhaps best defines K-pop is the intensity of its relationship with fans, both on social media and in more intimate in-person encounters. Communication apps allow fans to “text” directly with their favorite K-pop idol. VIP concert tickets might include a send-off, where fans gather inside the stadium as the performers walk through snapping photos and signing “photocards” (another K-pop specialty; think baseball or Pokémon trading cards but instead it’s your favorite artist and it comes with each album). In recent years, K-pop groups have frequently collaborated with Western artists and released English-language songs.
Okay, I’d noticed this, but hadn’t noticed it until the article put it together for me. That helps me understand a lot about what’s going on in the global culture, and modern ways of thinking. Now I just have to let it cogitate for a while…
Perez, Evgenia, “Girls, Interrupted,” Vanity Fair, February 2025. Apparently, there was a lot of accountability in my reading in July. This piece is alumni at a prestigious girls’ school speaking up about a long-term sexual predator employed there. Because the article appeared almost a year ago, there is a follow-up and it’s not as tidy as you’d want it to be. I suspect there’s more to be heard on this case.
Rose, Lacey, “You’ve Got To Be Kidding: The Comedy Actor Roundtable,” The Hollywood Reporter, June 11, 2025. I always find these roundtables valuable because the interaction between people who wouldn’t normally be together brings out questions and answers that wouldn’t normally be asked. The part I circled, oddly enough, was about Lorne Michaels, who apparently said he always envisioned Mike Nichols in the audience at Saturday Night Live. Michaels believe(d)(s?) that if imaginary Nichols wouldn’t like it, it wasn’t good. I think we all carry someone like that in our heads. Fascinating stuff here.
Silva, Daniel, An Inside Job, Harper, 2025. I’ve been vaguely worried about Daniel Silva and his creation Gabriel Allon ever since Trump was elected. My worry grew after the whole Gaza mess started. (I tried finding a dozen different ways to describe it, and finally settled on that one.) Silva writes political spy fiction, which I’ve loved since he started it, even though it became clear to me about 20 years ago that he and I were on different sides of the (old) political spectrum. Right now, he hates Trump as much as I do, if not more. And then there’s the mess I mentioned…
I had no idea how Silva would hang onto his audience, but he’s managed. Right now, Gabriel Allon, master spy who also happens to be an art restorer in his spare time (don’t ask), is now 100% an art restorer. Sure, there’s some international stuff going on, but it’s international art theft, not international spycraft. Essentially, Silva’s been writing alternate history since he made up an attack on the Vatican about 8 years ago. That factors into this book as does the Vatican Museum and a tiny Da Vinci and many other countries in Europe and around the globe.
In other words, Silva still manages to deliver a great thriller, with the same cast of characters, by changing direction ever so slightly. The best novel I read in July bar none.
