what people are reading in Summer 2025
+ with an inside scoop from one of Amsterdam's fav bookstores
To learn about the trending books of the Summer 2025…
we snooped the streets and parks…
instagram accounts…
booktok…
asked you…
and got exclusive inside scoop from the best bookstore in Amsterdam… American Book Centre (their totes are the ultimate performative male uniform essential).
And the results are in. Drumroll please:
📕 The books currently ruling your bookshelves 📕 :
Romance is a regime. Still steamy. Still everywhere. No signs of slowing in popularity. Romantasy reigns.
Dostoyevsky might be back (again). White Nights is trending, that’s sort of romance? Or maybe Russian lit is just the vibe rn.
Weird Girl Fiction is the main character. Delusional. Fermented. Possibly haunted. The girls are not alright.
Crimance is creeping into hearts. Murder + makeouts = increasing book sales. Catch feelings and felony charges?
LitRPG is leveling up. Dungeon Crawler Carl is leading the charge.
Most — not all — men are deep in self-help and non-fiction. Economics, productivity, power, theory. And rarely non-male authors.
Fiction is still stomping non-fiction overall, though. Only 1 in 15 of the fiction bestsellers at ABC was written by a man. 50/50 in non-fiction.
Judging the covers. Fitzcarraldo Edition blues are flying off shelves. Solid colors and minimal covers. One standout is Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, which is racking up critical praise—and yes, Ilze confirms it’s worth the hype (expats will relate).
P.S. If you’re into bookish newsletters (not just on Substack), sign up for ABC’s for reviews, lists, and getting out of your reading slump.
Tyler the Creator’s new video for Darling, I ft Ayo Edebiri and Willow Smith
Gustaf Westman designs IKEA plate to serve meatballs
Vans appoints SZA as Artistic Director
Gentle Monster BOLD 2025 collection campaign starring Tilda Swinton is mental
New music incoming: Steve Lacy announces new album Oh Yeah and drops single Nice Shoes. Florence + The Machine drops new stuff on Oct 31.
A new open-world video game, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, is set to launch in 2026 and is already generating buzz on Twitter (X).
Solid Color Profile Pics
The passport photo aesthetic isn’t the cool profile pic anymore, it’s having a solid color. Particularly favored by guys, restaurants and creative agencies.
Sticky toffee pudding
If you’ve recently found yourself in a spot with dripping candles stuck in old natural wine bottles and food served on metal dishes, chances are sticky toffee pudding was on the dessert menu (which you probably skipped—because we’re weirdly ashamed about ordering dessert). A proof that the British food moment we reported a few months ago is still going strong.
Eyeshadow
The era of ‘lip balm and mascara” beauty influencers may be coming to an end, because people are dusting off their eyeshadow palettes.
We’re not just talking about the gentle touch of a neutral beige — maximalist is it baby. Colorful eyeliner, colorful mascara, and now, colorful eyeshadow is creeping back in to the mainstream. Or maybe it’s Halloween inspo hitting the algorithm?
Table Top Role Playing Games (or TTRPGs)
Dungeons & Dragons isn’t new, and neither is its growing fanbase — but the scale is. In the past five years or so, D&D has gone from basement hobby to full-blown arena entertainment.
Case in point: Dimension 20 (a popular live play show) sold out Madison Square Garden; that’s stadium-level validation for TTRPGs. Critical Role’s — another show, which incited the current popularization of TTRPGs — show Legend of Vox Machina heads into its 4th season on Amazon and an upcoming 2026 live tour. And we can’t forget the boom of game Baldur's Gate 3.
+ with our inside scoop from ABC (and a few other bookstores) — LitRPGS (Literary Role Playing Games) are making moves.
Wired Apple Earphones
These almost vintage white wired earphones have been impossible to miss this year if you look around; the return of the Apple earphones rival the Sony XM4s pandemic.
Those glossy white cords have dangled from the ears of half of TikTok — no longer a relic, now a they’re now a marker of Gen-Z taste. Lo-Fi cool in a world oversaturated with AirPods. Some say performative and pretentious.
Their resurgence ties into the broader Y2K and indie sleaze revival, but also the quieter anti-convenience tech rebellion we spoke of.
a special thank you to Sophie at ABC, and to all of you for helping us out with collecting data about book/reading trends. stay seasoned.
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great research!