2025 Summer Reading List

But what to read? Instead of our usual monthly summary we collected our favorite books and posts to share with you so you have enough reading material for rainy days at home or hours at the beach while on vacation. As some of the books are in German, there might be translations.

Marks recommendations

Let's start with some non-fiction books to stay educated during the holidays.

Non-fiction

Make Time is the perfect read for the holiday. Written in a relaxed style and appealingly designed, this guide offers practical tips for transforming your everyday life. I've applied many of the tips and am convinced that the book is worthwhile for anyone short on time!

Never Split the Difference certainly depends on the subtleties of the language, which won't be so easy for me in English. However, I already experienced last year that I have more peace on holiday, read more slowly, and thus even complex issues are accessible to me in English. I'm excited to see what I can take away from this book.

The Notebook—A History of Thinking on Paper is a philosophical commentary on the influence a blank page of paper has had on art and science in the past and will have in the future. As someone who keeps a handwritten diary and has felt the magic of such a blank page of paper since childhood, I'm curious to see what Roland will come up with.

I became aware of Rapt—Attention and the Focused Life through the book “Make Time”. According to Gallagher, the key to a high-quality life lies in our attention and how we choose to focus it. That sounds too good and simple.

Fiction

Looking at the top-rated Amazon fantasy novels has opened my eyes to several new book series. Among them is The Dungeon Hunter. I suspect that after reading one book, I'll be curious to see what happens next, which is why I've packed the next two. Even though there's a risk that I'll be annoyed that I didn't pack more, the risk of getting fed up with the series after two volumes is too great for me.

Dead Dungeon has a similar story with this new series. Since the volumes are shorter and the plot captivated me so much, I picked up the next three. It's wonderful to follow the Dungeon Master as he lures ever-new heroes into his lair to torture them.

The Shadow Elves series was my "Ways of the Ranger" replacement. I had to take my time getting used to the characters, but the plot twists and hero's journeys are entertaining. That's why I picked up the last two volumes to conclude the series.

Online reads

I am currently discovering new (German) tech podcasts I found on this list. Hopefully we will be added with Server Side Stories. It's always a good thing to listen to what others in a similar niche are doing.

To stay updated with writing, especially blogging, I am reading copyblogger.com which comes with useful tips and insights round this topic.

Maurices recommendations

I thought about giving you a list of non-fiction books I read recently, but as this is a summer list and most of the books I read are a bit of downers, I'll keep it short, as I don't want to lower your mood.

Non-fiction

Have you ever wondered what kind of insect or plant this is when going for a walk? Well, take a look at Schreibers Naturarium which is split into monthly chapters describing what's up in nature during that month. Beautifully illustrated and packed with interesting information for everybody who cares for her or his surroundings.

In case you are a musician, Effective Practicing for Musicians is for you—if not, then it's also a good read for you! Benny Greb is a well-known drummer from Hamburg, popular worldwide for his groove and approach to learning the instrument. He has written this book to teach us how to effectively learn. Of course learning an instrument is his focus in this book, but all the principles and methods in there can easily be transferred to any other topic. If you feel stuck on learning something this book will help you make progress.

Fiction

There are a few reading rules. One of them is: When Christian Kracht publishes a new book, then it has to be read! Air differs quite a bit apart from the predecessors. But even though it takes place in a different time, a different world (?), here too, as in all Kracht books, the journey is the driving force of the narrative. We accompany a journey through a world nearly devoid of people, which may be our own, was, or will be; but perhaps also a parallel universe or another planet. This is some sort of fantasy book, but also it's that very Christian Kracht book. I really liked it!

I am not a big fan of thrillers, but Views hooked me. It's a book about the "new" right-wing movements and technology. The book is very up-to date. I sometimes thought while reading, "How quickly did he have to write the book to get this thing in there?" I cannot tell you more about the story, because I’d spoil it for you. It's a great read even if you don't like thrillers.

To be honest, it's quite hard for me to limit myself here. I had to decide between Jon Fosse and Monique Roffeys The Mermaid of Black Conch. Fosse is a "Winter" author, so I decided to tell you about the Mermaid. Dont't let the title fool you, yes, it's some sort of fairytale, but, well … There is this fisherman, discovering a Mermaid while on the sea. This Mermaid once was a woman centuries ago. He brings her home, she transforms back and problems with the other people of the town arise. I'll stop here to not spoil you. A beautiful, sad story about the handling of legends and people.

Something light weight for the end of this list and a matching book for your vacation. Abschalten is a collection of short stories. Stories about successful people, managers, CEOs etc. And they are on vacation. Some are forced to do so, but everyone of them has a problem with that. They start to manage their families like employees or even find a way to stay at home. A phantastic look into our hustle society which will hopefully leave you with a smile on your face.

Podcasts

Staying with the books, Ursula Gräfe is the German translator of Haruki Murakami. By the way, if you still don't know what to read, read Murakami. In this episode of "Im Gespräch" she talks about her translation process, about language, and of course, a lot about Japan.

Nocturnal – Variationen über John Dowland und Benjamin Britten is a pretty special radio feature about the history of the guitar as we know it. I loved to hear it and even got a bit emotional at the end.

You probably know The New Yorker. In this episode David Remnick talks about the Magazin and a lot political topics as the New Yorker celebrates its 100. birthday this year. With more than two hours a bit longer but interessing talk.

Finally, a wonderful talk with Cornelia Funke about why our world is fantastic. I listened to this episode and constantly thought, "What a great woman." Cornelia Funke is a writer popular for plenty of fantasy books and is supporting other creatives in great ways. If you just want to listen to one podcast episode, this is it.

Your turn

Now it's your turn. Go to your local book dealer and order some books! Hopefully we picked some you might like. And if you are a (very) quick reader and need some more entertainment, there will be new episodes of our Podcasts in the upcoming week, so no worries 😅

See you next time!