End of Summer Reading Check-In + I Moved to Dublin!

I will admit, I was not on my book blogging game this summer. Really, this year overall hasn't been my strongest when it comes to my blogging or reading life. I read a fair bit over the winter, got to have fun visiting bookshops in New York in the spring, and got in a few good library hauls over the summer, but I knew that this was my last summer in my hometown, and I wanted to spend every possible second with my friends and family. That meant reading fell by the wayside, and even though I've had reviews collecting dust on here for months, I rarely thought to actually post them! Which is 100% on me because I couldn't take the last step to publish the work I'd already done. Thank you all for keeping the blog active and afloat with how much you've dug into the back catalog. It's so much fun to see what posts you all like most. Now that my life is structured around school (and school that will require plenty of reading at that), I'm hoping I'll be much more responsible with engaging with all of you again. Anyway, I'll get you up to speed on my reading life (and just regular life) post-summer. 

My Reading Stats To Date in 2025

I'm currently hovering at 61 books read for the year. Funnily enough, a third of that reading happened in January. When I'm at home a lot, I obviously read more, but I also consume more audiobooks which certainly helps how many books I read a month. Lately, I've been slacking on reading in general but also tracking my reading. I spent the summer picking up and putting down so many books after reading 60 or 100 pages or listening to half an audiobook. Getting ready to move to a new country has really frazzled my brain in a way that's made it hard to give my full self to my reading life, and I also put a lot of emphasis on making writing time, and I just didn't have enough time to go around to balance both. I've also just had a hard time this year finding books that I've fallen head over heels for. I feel like in 2024, I was getting constant candy hits of amazing books that I devoured one after the next, and fewer things I've read this year have stood out to me. I think that's led to more slumps and longer times between picking up books as well. 

Summer Recap

For the summer (these are some embarrassing totals, yikes) but here's a breakdown of how many books I read each month. 

• May: 2 books, a Sally Rooney reread, (Conversations with Friends), and A Picture of Dorian Gray which I actually massively enjoyed and want to read more Oscar Wilde in the future
• June: 2 books one audiobook I finished in a day and then the next piece of my Rooney re-read
• July: 4 books; in July, I really got back into my reading groove more. I finished Perfection in 3 days and also read one of my favorite new releases of the year so far, a short story collection called Atavist. I also continued on my re-read journey with Rooney into her third book and read an interesting audiobook from a former America's Next Top Model contestant 
• August: 3 books; this continued the good stride, but the last 2 weeks of the month, my life was entirely overtaken by moving preparation so my only reading happened early on. I did finish a nonfiction audiobook at the end of the month, Bad Company. I read Tilt, which I finished quickly and enjoyed and then Bitter Sweet which was an ARC I needed to finish. That was an interesting read. I also spent a big chunk of time reading Intermezzo, which I did not end up finishing. 
• So, all in, I read 11 books over the summer, which if I was holding myself to average standards would be great, but, alas, I hold myself to my teenage self who read books with astounding speed.

Favorite Books I've Read in 2025 So Far (A Mini Mid-Year Freakout):

Released in 2025 (in the order I read them)

• Liquid by Mariam Rahmani 
• Atavist by Lydia Millet 
• Tilt by Emma Pattee

Backlist 

• Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
• Writers & Lovers by Lily King
• Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad 

What I'm Reading Now 

I'm currently reading two books at the moment. I started Disappoint Me on the plane. It's an ARC I really wanted to read when I got it but it seemed so far out at the time, and then I saw it in the library and thought, Oh shit, I really do need to read that. But I spent most of the flight either journaling or trying to sleep, so I'm only a quarter into it and I'm interested but also not entirely sure what it's going to shape into. And then I treated myself to a journey to Books Upstairs and picked up three books, but I made myself only buy one. I noted the others and told myself I could come back for them when I finished the first (Breakdown and Fun and Games). I ended up actually buying Thirst Trap because it's been one of my most anticipated reads for months and it doesn't come out in the states until November. It also seems like the fun, lighthearted friends moment I really need right now. I don't love reading 2 fiction books at once, but one is on my Kindle and the other is a paper book, so they serve different roles. 

My school program area has shelves and shelves of books to borrow, so I'll have no shortage of reading material, and Dublin is also packed with nearby bookstores. I also need to head down to the public library to get a card on Monday. I'm so ready to immerse myself in the world of books. 

I'm also considering trying to embark on reading Ulysses and read a few pages every night before bed to finally conquer that big book fear while I'm in Dublin, the most appropriate place to read it. I'm sure I'll also be reading a ton for my courses, so I'll have to balance fun reading and school reading here pretty soon. But I'm saying it now, this weekend, I'll get back into reading and blogging. I have been a bit better at updating my bookstagram because it takes a bit less effort, so if you want the fastest updates, make sure you're following @readingwritingandme.

So What's Up with Me

Isn't this a big category! I am writing this from a brand new country I'd previously spent 4 days of my life in! I'm sitting in my bed in the dorm, looking out the open window. It is thankfully not raining at the moment, but it certainly rains a lot. If you haven't figured it out yet, I moved from Wyoming to Dublin to spend the year as a postgrad in creative writing at Trinity College. (If you want more insight into that journey, I wrote about it over on my newsletter Lanie Land). So I'm back to school a little over a year after graduation from undergrad and far more excited about this life in Dublin and this program than I ever was in LA. I'm not sure what to share with all of you. I'm getting settled little by little. Tomorrow will mark a week of living here, and classes start on Tuesday. We're a super small cohort which is really cool and something I've never experienced, and I'm thriving on living in a walkable city, a joy I've never really had before. I'm looking forward to getting my Leap Card in the mail and conquering the bus, and I'm slowly sorting out all the logistics of setting up life in a new city and country. It's been a big change, and there were pangs of homesickness in the earliest days before I got settled, but now I'm excited to take on a new city and devote myself to writing as a career, a practice, and academically. I'm so honored to be in this program and be believed in as a writer in that sense already, and I'm so ready to grow and learn and take in everything that I can. So I'll keep you updated on my reading in and out of school, and I might make a bit more school content in the coming weeks as well as I get back into being a student. I will say, having read so many books set in Dublin and Ireland at large has really helped the transition process. More updates in the future, but if you were curious why I've been so absent, that's a bit of insight! 

If you have Dublin tips or advice, let me know!