ECFR’s summer entertainment list 2025

Summer has arrived and the European Council on Foreign Relations can finally recommend all the cultural Summer has arrived and the European Council on Foreign Relations can finally recommend all the cultural goods it has consumed over the past few months. In the below list, as every year, ECFR colleagues share their favourite books, podcasts, television series and films.

Whether you plan to spend your holidays relaxing at the beach, touring an exciting city, hiking in the mountains or simply enjoying the calmness of your hometown, the ECFR summer entertainment list has got you covered. We wish you a relaxing summer!

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Some five millennia ago, a cluster of steppe nomads on the northern shores of the Black Sea used a language whose descendant tongues are now spoken by about half of humanity. Proto-Indo-European was the fount of the Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Indo-Iranian, Italic and Slavic linguistic families; a genealogy still audible in resemblances like “daughter” in English, “thugátēr” in Greek and “duhitár” in Sanskrit. Tapping new developments in archaeology and genetics, Spinney’s history tells how a language of kin and horsemanship, gods and stars, home and food spread out from its homeland—now scarred by Russia’s war in Ukraine, a poignant presence in Spinney’s account of the contemporary research—and took over much of the world.

“Black Doves”, available on Netflix

Recommended by Teresa Coratella

Spies, London, love affairs, friendships—and Keira Knightley. This Netflix tv show is a spy action thriller following both the official and secret life of Helen: she is the wife of the UK secretary of state for defence and mother of twins, but also a spy for the Black Doves, an organisation working to protect secrets.

“Exit West”, by Mohsin Amid

Recommended by Teresa Coratella

Wars, drones, militias, refugees, bombs, mourning, the vital and existential need to escape, survive, searching for a new opportunity. But also: feelings, laughs, youth, hopes and the fight against regimes and rules. All these issues are captured in this fantasy novel which enables the reader to travel all over the world. Once you start reading the book, you cannot wait to know the fate of the two courageous and young protagonists, Nadia and Saeed.

“Cinq jours au Timor”, by Morgan Segui (available in French)

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Cinq Jours au Timor, by Morgan Segui, is a true story of survival. After falling from a cliff on an island in Timor Leste, the author is hurt with no way to call for help. Step by step, he finds the inner resources to endure the pain and try to survive. The book explores his will to live—but a more pressing theme is about how reconnecting to nature and its resources provides a way to survive.

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I left London for Paris two years ago; now some London nostalgia is beginning to arise. The perfect remedy is Ben Aaronowitch’s “Rivers of London” series. A young police officer solves crimes in London while uncovering and learning magic. A fun read that encapsulates the best of Britain and its capital. I especially recommend the audiobook version. 

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Imagine finding your partner‘s secret Instagram account—and it turns out they’re deep into conspiracy theories. Do you seek a conversation with them? Tell your friends about it? Try to find out what goes on in their mind? When the narrator of Lauren Oyler’s “Fake Accounts” discovers her boyfriend Felix’s dubious life on social media, she chooses another option. But, just before she can end their relationship, Felix dies.

Overwhelmed by the situation, the narrator quits her job in New York and moves to Berlin. Without any friends or German skills, she navigates the expat community, Berlin’s notorious dating life and under-the-table jobs—until , a call from a friend changes everything once more. A fast-paced and witty love letter to Berlin, “Fake Accounts” is the perfect book for a beach holiday.

“Waking Lions”, by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

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This book is a gripping, brilliantly written moral high‑wire act. Neurosurgeon Eitan Green is living the dream with his police detective wife and two children—until, one moonlit night, he flees after hitting and killing an African migrant. The next day, the victim’s widow arrives at his door—not for money, but to blackmail him into running a clandestine nighttime clinic for refugees. What unfolds is a tense, morally devastating exploration of guilt, power, shame and identity, set against the backdrop of Israeli society and immigration politics. The novel constantly challenges the reader to ask what they would do in Eitan’s place. “Waking Lions” is a thought-provoking, page-turning read that lingers long after the final chapter.

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Bombshell is back! If there is one silver lining to Donald Trump’s return to the White House, it’s the return of the first Trump era’s best national security podcast. Hosts Radha Iyengar Plumb, Loren DeJonge Schulman and Erin Simpson dissect—with witty charm—the latest, most complex and craziest developments in defence. Goes great with bubbles.

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Journalist Lara Marlow portraits 28-year-old Ukrainian army lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko, who commands a 25-man drone unit on the frontline in Donbas. I attended a book talk recently with Marlow where Mykytenko tuned in virtually from eastern Ukraine. The grit, ingenuity and humanity I observed in Mykytenko left a lasting impression. No book could ever capture them completely; but Marlow comes close.

Studio Ghibli anime, available on Netflix

Recommended by Anam Masroor

Whisper of the Heart

14-year-old Shizuku Tsukishima loves to write but is underconfident—especially if someone compliments her writing. She loves to read fiction and is always found in the library issuing books, even during summer break. One day, she notices the same name (Seiji Amasawa) in all three of the library books and tries to find out his identity. This excellent screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki, directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, will leave you wondering about your own passions.

Only Yesterday

27-year old Taeko works a 9-to-5 job in Tokyo. Every year, she  visits the countryside for the safflower harvesting season, staying with and befriending distant relatives. The story takes the viewer back to the old Japan and explores topics like first loves, menstrual periods, hand-me-downs, and decisions made by the head of family. The film is a perfect combination of a variety of human emotions—happiness, excitement, sadness, embarrassment, jealousy—and perfectly depicts how your past can sometimes help your present and future.

My Neighbour Totoro

Two sisters Satsuki and Mei have just moved to the Japanese countryside with their father while their mother is in hospital. They befriend a creature named Totoro, who helps them multiple times to overcome challenges which come their way. The film covers the importance of having close relations with neighbours and townsfolk in times of need, the importance of being patient, and why it’s ok to cry.

Spirited Away

On the way to their new home, Chihiro and her parents come across a deserted tunnel. Despite Chihiro’s protests, her parents decide to see what lies on the other side and discover an abandoned amusement park—and the wicked witch Yubaba turns them into pigs. Chihiro goes on a quest to return her parents back to normal and return to the real world. The beautiful screenplay and direction by Hayao Miyazaki teleports the viewer to a magical world of spirits, both good and bad. “Spirited Away”won the Academy Award  for best animated feature: it meticulously captures themes such as love, persistence, perseverance, kindness, politeness and greed.

“Die Frauen von Belarus”, by Alice Bota (available in German and Polish)

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It is only a few weeks since Siarhei Tsikhanouski was released from prison in Belarus and reunited with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in Lithuania. She had had to follow in her husband’s footsteps at the most difficult moment in her life and, without any previous experience, lead the Belarusian opposition against a dictator. In this book, Alice Bota powerfully portrays the courage, strength and determination of Belarusian women during the 2020 protests. With sensitivity, the author explores the role of central-eastern European states within Europe and globally.  This book addresses complex topics with ease, allowing the reader to understand this often-overlooked region and its recent political developments.

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I was recently in Taiwan and visited the National Palace Museum. If you know a little bit about China’s history of the past century, you cannot help stepping out of the magnificent exhibitions into the bright Taipei sun and wondering: “How on earth did all these fragile pieces make it here?” I found the answers in “Fragile Cargo” by Adam Brookes. It is a fascinating non-fiction account about the treasures of the forbidden city and their journey through war-time China, deeply interwoven with the intricacies of the founding of the first Chinese Republic, the emergence of the People’s Republic and the final arrival in Taiwan. Brookes is a spy craft and international politics journalist-turned-crime novelist, which is why his account of archeology and art history in China—and the dedication of a few to safeguard cultural goods in times of war—reads more like a thriller than non-fiction book. It is highly recommended summer reading. 

“The Maniac”, by Benjamin Labatut

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“The Maniac”by Benjamín Labatut is a gripping story about the brilliant minds that shaped our modern world, and the dangers that came with it. At its centre is John von Neumann, a genius mathematician who helped build quantum mechanics, nuclear bombs, game theory and the first modern computers. Labatut takes us through the chaos of atomic bombs, cold war secrets, and the rise of AI—showing how science can both save and destroy us. Von Neumann, seen as an Übermensch thinker, eventually predicted a future where technology could surpass humans.

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Escapism doesn’t come much more whimsical, cutting and downright hilarious than this. Three British comedians select a topic—and it really can be any topic—at random from the “Bean Machine” (a spreadsheet populated by the podcast’s audience) to bluff their way through. Three Bean Salad has been running since 2021, surviving the test of time due to its creativity, (sometimes topical) humour and the easy rapport between its likeable hosts—not to mention its variety of impressive jingles. In recent episodes they cover Wild Camping, the Renaissance and Budget Airlines: at a time when consuming the news can feel like a chore, take a break and enter the world of the beans.

Recommended by Lucy Wilson

In a hypothetical scenario, Denmark is evacuated due to rising water levels. But, with their financial assets becoming worthless overnight, Danish asylum seekers are rejected by their wealthier European neighbours. While the show focuses on a small number of characters, it provides a strong commentary on the climate crisis (countries like Denmark and the Netherlands might be facing such a scenario in two to three generations!) and on the European migrant crisis which began in 2015.