Best Summer Reads of 2025
Article by Carter Cada - Written 6/19/2025
We’ve all been there: as the thrill of spring turns into the fun-in-the-sun of summer, we set out with high aspirations. We’re finally going to take that vacation, finish that project, or hit that bucket list item.
Then…reality sets in. There’s still work to do around the house, social obligations to attend, and don’t forget that gutter that’s been leaking for a couple of months now…*sigh*
Okay, so maybe you were a little overambitious. Maybe you’re not going to get everything done, you say to yourself as you put your bucket list back on the shelf.
Whoa there! Just because you can’t finish that shelf full of books doesn’t mean you should give up on your goals just yet! If you’ve looking for a read or two to beat the heat, here are a few of our favorites!
Our Top Picks At A Glance:
The “Let Them” Theory - Mell Robbins
The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (Feat. Brandon Sanderson)
Baking Across America - B. Dylan Hollis
Any Lord of the Rings book - J.R.R. Tolkein
The Sword of Ba’din - Carter J. Cada
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Cool off with these ‘best of 2025’ summer reads!
1) The “Let Them” Theory - Mel Robbins
Ask yourself, have you ever been in this situation before: your summer (or winter, spring, or fall, for that matter) is going great. Beautiful weather, bliss at home, then…disaster. Not the horrible, life-changing disaster, mind you. No, the kind that only irks you a little, but just enough to ruin your day, then your month, then…
It’s a terrible cycle, and unfortunately, it’s one that’s all-too-common to the human experience. In her newest work, New York Times bestselling author Mel Robbins seeks to provide relief, or rather, help you grant yourself relief.
Stress is not for you. Not this summer.
The “Let Them” Theory helps you to understand what makes you happy, how to focus on your well being and state of mind. With her no-nonsense and scientifically backed approach to well-being, Mel Robbins paints the road from stress to success. This is your summer, so take hold of it!
2) Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (Feat. Brandon Sanderson)
Maybe your summer bucket list centers around movies rather than books, but you’re still looking for a relevant read in the meantime. In that case, we’d suggest taking a look at Robert Jordan’s fantasy series, The Wheel of Time.
What was originally planned as a trilogy evolved into a fourteen-book-series, with the last three entries completed by reknowned American Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson.
Together, Jordan and Sanderson crafted an incredibly immersive and detailed masterpiece. It’s no wonder it took fourteen volumes to do the series justice.
While most would think that a fanbase would be satisfied after fourteen entries, one would be, apparently, mistaken. In November of 2021, Prime Video launched their television version of the series, while season three most recently premiered in March of this year.
After three seasons of development, the television adapdatipn has been put on an indefinite hold. If you’re just a little too impatient to wait and see where things go, or if you’re a “the book is always better” purist (…guilty as charged!) then this is a series you will ABSOLUTELY want to check out!
3) Baking Across America - B. Dylan Hollis
If you’re looking for something a little less fictional, and a little more practical, or even just looking for a new summer hobby, have we got just the book for you!
After an extensive cross-country tour, sampling and trying some of the nation’s most unique and iconic dishes, B. Dylan Hollis has compiled his top 100 picks into his latest book, Baking Across America.
Sheet pan cakes? Coffee infused recipes? Just a few of the exotic-yet-distinctly-American foods you’ll discover!
From the midwest to the pacific-northeast, recipes from sea to shining sea have made their way into this New York Times bestseller, and now, into your kitchen. Whether you’re just looking to spice up your meal plans, or searching for something truly special for that dinner party, Baking Across America is sure to surprise and delight.
4) Any Lord of the Rings Book - J.R.R. Tolkein
Speaking of books that are set to hit the big screen, if you’ve been meaning to take your LotR (that’s Lord of the Rings, for the uninitiated) fanaticism to the next level and plunge into those books, now’s the time. Set to release in 2027 is Peter Jackson’s newest contribution to the epic fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkein, The Hunt for Gollum
One of these days, the folks of Bag-End will get to enjoy their evelvenses in peace. Not today, though.
The new film, The Hunt for Gollum, is set to center around Aragorn’s quest to find the disheveled creature in the depths of the Mirkwood forest, a location previously covered in Jackson’s work on the Hobbit trilogy.
While The Hunt for Gollum is Jackson’s unique compilation of appendix material, and not based on any one book from the series, several never-before-seen characters who appeared in the books but not the films are likely to appear, so dust off your copy of The Two Towers or The Silmarillion and impress your friends when the feature finally hits theaters.
5) The Sword of Ba’din - Carter J. Cada
Okay, okay, so maybe this is a bit of a cheater pick, since, yes, we know that it was written by one of ours, and yes, we know you can’t technically read it yet since publication is still pending, but we think it’s still worth recomending.
The story follows the life of the young Ba’din, an ordinary (and timid) young boy with a dull if not somewhat dissapointing life, with no prospects of the future, and a fear that nothing will ever change…sound familiar?
Words and swords are very much alike. It is not so much the thing itself, but the heart of the one who wields it that gives it power.
Everything he knows comes crashing down when a mysterious visitor with a mysterious task requests Ba’din’s assistance, and once the two set out, nothing will ever be the same, not for Ba’din, and not for the world he lives in.
Ba’din’s is the story of a good hearted boy in a mean-hearted world, and the difference one person can make by simple deeds of kindness, and if that’s not a story to brighten your summer, we’re not sure what is.
About the author
Carter John Cada is the founder of and head author at Quips from the Quiver. In his free time, he loves to read, cook, read, hike, read, write, read, and read.
He also enjoys eating.
