2025 in Books

I read a lot this year. In truth, my family had an extremely stressful and challenging year. Compounding health issues for several of us, moving, financial strain, and the world at large really caught up with us. Books, as always, have been my escape.

Like 2024, I want to do a rundown of every book. As always, noting, these didn’t all come out in 2025. I just read them in 2025. I’ve decided to do my reading stats for the year in another post.

Below is the StoryGraph cover collage for each month and my brief reviews after reading each book.

I have Bolded the books I think were the best and I most recommend!

The Woman in the Garden by Jill Johnson: This was a really fun book. Our main character is neurodivergent and of poisonous plants. Murder, science, a Brazilian retreat. It’s got everything. I flew through it.

Bad Reputation by Emma Barry: This was a relaxing little book. The characters were a bit too perfect and emotionally intelligent but I loved the angle with Maggie’s career change and the *interesting* character discussions that led to! 

Tumble by Celia C. Pérez: I read this to my 9 year old daughter. She said, “I liked how it had real situations, like how she felt abandoned by her dad.”

A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney: This was cozy and fun. I appreciate that the author allowed some characters to go un redeemed into the night, but still a little too perfectly wrapped.

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher: This was silly but the premise was so good. A paladin with a dead god. A perfumer? Adults with actual lives and boundaries, who are still hopelessly awkward? Swoon.

The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn: This didn’t go where I expected (the romance element is truly lovely) but I was extremely charmed by it and by every character. I also learned a lot about birds.

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman: I listened to this as an audiobook, which I was pretty, unsure about given that it’s written as a dossier of collected documents, however, I think it really added to the experience. This was incredibly unique and engaging. As much as I’m sort of done with stories that have 18-year-olds as the focal point, this worked. It’s definitely character driven science fiction rather than tech and science driven – but generally, that is still my preference within the genre. I was also sort of surprised to notice halfway through that it’s technically classified as young adult. I suppose it’s no more traumatic and violent than say Divergent or The Hunger Games. I would just be thoughtful to be clear – this is not a middle grade book so much as a late middle school to high school book.

Gemina by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman: More of the good stuff: tension, violence, fantastical plot, banter, and romance.

The Cloisters by Katy Hays: This had so much going for it and overall, I very much enjoyed it. From the occult tarot perspective, working in New York museums, to the affairs and the drama: it was all very alluring. It’s a very slow burn and while technically a thriller it didn’t have a ton of very high suspense moments – just puzzle pieces clicking together. I did actually find one of the twists at the end surprising, but it truly fit the story and the narrative as we’d been presented it. So in that way, it was tightly crafted. It was, however, a little slow and dry.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson: So many one-liners in here that made me bark out loud in laughter and well-up with tears. This is just a lovely little fantasy tale. It reminded me a lot in tone of Discworld and Terry Pratchett novels. It was clever, sentimental, oh so charming.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill: Barnhill is a master. This was my first adult fiction of hers, and it was truly moving. The metaphor, the sorrow, the joy – the feminine experience was all there. 

Obsidio by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman: Nothing beats the first one but I loved this trilogy.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman: My son is very into these books and wanted me to read with him. Very dark but super interesting premise. I also love all the details with their names in the different regions.

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan: This was charming! I thought we’d get more individual stories from the set up but I see that was setting up the series. I got, truth be told, a little bored or distracted here and there but I suspect that might’ve had more to do with me than an issue with the writing.

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich: This was… bad. But fun and ridiculous. Got me through a multi state roadtrip.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (recommend series): This is dungeons and dragons, video games, alien movies, wacky hijinks, and social commentary. A heavy lift and well crafted! Great escapism with enough meat to not be fluff.

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell: Read this out loud to kids. Beautiful and imaginative story. Heads up, actual character death in this, which startled us and was tough.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida: This was charming and sweet. Great for cat people.

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman: I liked the first one better probably, but man I love an AI story. Last 1/4 of this one was really good. Slower start.

Wicked Pursuit by Katee Robert: Definitely thought this was some fun fairy tale themed romantasy when I grabbed it. Welp. I mean it was vaguely on theme. This was straight up erotica, but hey, that’s fun too.

The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan: This was a really creative and fun premise! Shean goes through a lot of growth. She is initially pretty intolerable. I think this a stand alone part of a larger series/universe? Some of the lore toward the end was pretty complicated. 

The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning: I didn’t know this was a trilogy when I started and maybe sometime I’ll read #2? For a romance the romance portions were vague and unsatisfying. The story was too.. too perfect? On the nose? 

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett: I love this trilogy (series?) but this was my least favorite of the three. I’m not sure why exactly it just didn’t hook me like the others. Regardless, I love Emily!

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West: Some of these essays hurt – knowing what’s coming in the 5 years since she wrote this – but damn it I needed this book, right now, in this moment. I love her humor, tenacity, and rage… which helps me love mine. 

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros: I definitely thought this was a trilogy and not 3 of 5 (in which 4 and 5 are coming at some undetermined future time) and was devastated by that cliff hanger – and by devastated I mean enraged. Threw the damn book. Throughout it, Yarros thought I remembered more details and characters from book 2 than I did. I found the first half of this to be a slog, but got caught up in the back half.

Single Player by Tara Tai: Read this in a single day on flights. The gaming references were almost a little too much (we get it!) but a sweet little queer nerdy story with a happy (but also pretty realistic) ending. They won, but the mediocre white guys failed up.

Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West: If you are 30-50 and watched all of these films? Chefs kiss. I love this woman.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer: During the first chapter or two I didn’t think this would live up to the hype, but by the end it delivered. It’s funny and fast paced. You just have to go with it and have fun.

Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis: This was fun! I like that when the double cross enters the characters awareness (this is not a spoiler, that plot is in the summary) it’s not immediate rage – Rian is curious, frustrated yea, but namely motivated to figure it out.

Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating: A Step-By-Step Guide for Overcoming Selective Eating, Food Aversion, and Feeding Disorders by Katja Rowell, Jenny McGlothlin: My 10 year old has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and her team recommended this read. This year has been really tough. A lot of the material in here was extremely helpful. Much of it was targeted for younger kids and  specific eating challenges but good over arching information if this is an issue you face.

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer: These are so fun. Silly but with a ton of heart. The slow burn will-they-won’t-they gets a little tired though. 

River of Spirits by Shana Targosz: 5/5 from my ten year old (I read it out loud). Her review: the art on the cover is pretty and I like how it’s themed on the underworld and Greek mythology. Em was my favorite character. My favorite scene was all the clocks in Hana’s cabin. 

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean: Very charming and relaxing. Kept waiting for the major conflict, which didn’t arrive until 80% and was entirely predictable but that was sorta the point. Animals, magic, love. 

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens: This was a sweet book – a fun ghost story about authors trapped in a Scottish castle on a writing retreat with some very spicy scenes! 

The Great British Bump-Off by John Allison: This was better than expected – silly goofy fun that pandered to fans of the show.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney, Jeff Kinney: Read out loud to my 4th grader at bedtime. These are some of her favorite books, and she’s read this many times but it brings her joy to hear me read it too. Greg Heffley is not my favorite tween character out there but I liked this book better than most!

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis: The writing was beautiful and well crafted but I struggled for some reason. I had to push myself through this one. The mystery just wasn’t catching me.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney: Read aloud to my 10 year old. He’s (Greg, the main charactor) growing on me, admittedly.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch: A real dark horse (snort!) This was so creative and fun and unexpected. I really enjoyed the pony’s voice and that cast of characters contrasting the bleak situation Penny faced.

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman: These books are just too fun. Donut’s emotional growth is a character study that’s equal parts silly and poignant. Carl is an every-man hero. There is just a magic something about this series. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 16. Big Shot by Jeff Kinney: Reading these to Eleanor at bed – started out deeply annoyed by Greg but I guess my empathy kicked in and I’m finding myself amused by these middle grade romps.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst: This was sweet and creative but the female lead was frustrating and the male lead was too perfect. But that’s the deal: charming and relaxing. PS: this is all sweetness, no spice. It’s a romance but not a spicy one.

The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman: Still enjoying this series but I felt like this one was a little too needlessly long. The complicated theme/map didn’t bother me so much as the seemingly constant action. It loses its punch over 500 pages.

Quicksilver by Callie Hart: This held up to everything I’d heard about it: the good and the bad. The whole fated mate thing. Calling people “males” and “females.” The 24 year old savior of the whole world. But the world building was fun and the romance scenes were good. Audio book performances really carried a lot of weight on this too. They were excellent.

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee: I’m glad to learn this is a “first” in a series because woof, that ending briefly had me pissed – though I’m not fully sure I’ll seek it out. Good world building and character development but something felt flat?

The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao: I love mythology and beautiful writing and this had both. The imagery was gorgeous. I did get a little tired in a few spots: she was constantly questioning everything. 

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney: This was a twisty dark little mystery. I was, at first, annoyed by the largest twist, but the wrap up paid off. If you like psychological mysteries with an old school Christie bend but with modern surprises, this is a winner.

True Biz by Sara Nović: Probably one of the best books I’ve read yet this year. I loved the extra educational inserts on ASL and deaf culture. This was a great novel while also being an effective piece of advocacy.

Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher: I was getting tired of 18-year-old, thin, “chosen ones” in all my recent romance-fantasy book leads. So I asked my romantasy sub Reddit for recommendations with bigger and older main characters. This was suggested, and I very much enjoyed the quirky and Woody riding style from the first in the series and so I decided to start here. It didn’t disappoint! Is it particularly deep? no. But the characters are thoughtful and the approach is a breath of fresh air. Clara and the sisters of St Ursa forever!  

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn: This started strong but started to lose me. The sardonic snarky British banter got old by the end. The mystery was… outlandish… though fun. 

Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland: Remember how I already read all of these once? She wants me to read them out loud at bedtime again, and who am I to refuse?

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming: This was filthy and goofy, as advertised, but the swiftness of the conflict and the villain… it felt like fan fiction. Wait? Are these fan fic?

The Honey in the Bones: Poems to Rewild the Soul by Caroline Mellor, Caroline Mellor: This is an absolutely lovely collection of poems. I plan to use “go slow” in my public speaking class as a reminder to my students. I appreciate that it’s organized by season so that I can use it in my spiritual practice. Beautiful words.

I Think We’ve Been Here Before by Suzy Krause: Holy shit this was a good book. Observationally detached but sincerely emotional. Bleak and hopeful. Playful and tragic. It’s a study in human nature. Probably in the top 5 I’ve read this year for sure. 

How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis: This is a fun series. I love how book two is a heist following an environmental rescue in book one. Quick, witty scifi romps! I liked this one even better than the first.

Last Chance to Save the World by Beth Revis: Another scifi romp. I love the family angle in this one.

Nocticadia by Keri Lake: This is a fun listen. I suspect the audio performances brought a lot to it. Lots of graphic sex in the second half but there’s still an organized plot. 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin: I love classic mysteries but had never heard of this! My middle schooler hadn’t either, but one of his friends at another school read this and did a huge project on it! There are dated pieces, of course, but this is a fun and well crafted character study. The reveals had more to do with the characters than the murder. You could feel it was meant for youth in the end though. Too perfectly tied in a bow.

Winter Turning by Tui T. Sutherland: More Wings of Fire for Eleanor at bedtime.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki: Beautiful book. Moments of irreverence with philosophy and deep meaning tossed in. I appreciated the trans perspective and the musical education as well. Another of my best reads of the year.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh: I really liked this! Strong YA sci-fi that isn’t pandering and focused on a “chosen one saving the universe.” This was a rich cast of people, all flawed and all redeemable. It was well crafted and felt plausible and speculative all at once.

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer: This is another series that should be a trilogy. Another cliff hanger had me rolling my eyes. Too many characters with too many love interests and I’m losing the plot. That said, I love how she writes Evie and the quick wit and humor. These are fun to read.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall: This was pretty tightly crafted! One of the big reveals felt very obvious and predictable but other details were more surprising and still fit the narrative. There are also some inconsistencies that I realized later were very intentional. As in two characters would discuss something. A few chapters later one would say they had no idea regarding that. It was cleverly woven and made me go back and doubt my own memory.

The Lost Heir by Tui T. Sutherland: Hey! More Wings of Fire! Eleanor’s review: my favorite part was when Tsunami was clever and tricked the queen to keep her friend safe. My favorite character is Glory – she’s really really really like me.

The Toll by Neal Shusterman: This was a solid third and final installment. I enjoyed the continued exploration of an ethical AI overlord. While I like how the story wrapped up plot wise, I didn’t love how the last 20 pages were executed. I think it failed to end Citra and Rowan’s story lines meaningfully, in particular.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher: Knowing this was novella I’m kinder to the quick resolution in the final few chapters. The ending is well foreshadowed without being entirely guess-able. Over all a fun horror mystery with an interesting main.

Journeys Beyond the Fantastical Horizon: A Galaxy’s Edge Anthology: This was a great anthology. I read one a night, which means I kept it home from the library for way too long. I particularly liked the stories “the measure of a mother‘s love,” “Giant mechs in the distance, forever fighting,” and “worry wart” but there were many good ones.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig: I mostly bought this because the main characters name is Elspeth, which is very close to mine and that never happens. Story premise is creative. Didn’t really feel the heat in the romance, and his name being spelled Ravyn deeply annoyed me.

The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff: I liked this. A few parts really dragged for me, but overall it was creative and fun. This is also a positive example of a male author writing female characters well. No fetishizing here. Maggie is awesome.

The Heap by Sean Adams: This was intensely creative and unlike many standard sci-fi/fiction novels. It dragged here and there and I never found myself deeply interested in the characters though. 

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker: I almost never read nonfiction for pleasure so this was rare. I let myself read it like an academic piece (an approach the author encouraged) jumping from section to section. Of course I enjoyed the dream chapters the most.

The Housewarming: A Novel by Kristin Offiler: This was a good airport day read. I wanted the storyline with the investigator to end a little more interestingly. I love a book critique of true crime obsession though.

Young Rich Widows: A Novel by Kimberly Belle, Kimberly Belle, Cate Holahan, Layne Fargo: This surprised me. It’s silly and flippant but another good plane read. Only hiccup bothering me is that I don’t feel like the prologue was congruent with the ending.

Star Bringer by Tracy Wolff, Nina Croft: Very breakfast club in a spaceship in a really appealing way. Some sections dragged but overall kept me interested. Wish it would’ve been a stand alone novel.

The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman: I liked this one and appreciate the character development that made it feel more angry. He foreshadowed the hell out that epilogue and I have to admit that turn of events doesn’t particularly interest/excite me , even though I was expecting it.

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose: I can see why this book might not be for everybody. It’s quite slow and is definitely a love letter to artists and performance art, which is a type of art which never actually particularly resonated with me. However, this was just what I needed in this moment of time. I wept multiple times. Marina spoke to me and after googling, I was delighted to learn that she appreciated this novelization and supported the project. the audio book performance is simply stunning – the flow of accents and her care with this cast of characters added so, so much.

The Hidden Kingdom (Wings of Fire #3) by Tui T. Sutherland: Yep, another Wings of Fire for my daughter.

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley: Ooohhh mannnn this was a nostalgia hit I didn’t know I needed. I inhaled this book. This playlist. This time in space. I’m just slightly younger than the main character and this hit. My life is nothing like hers but the relationship of music to moments and awkwardly finding your way are universal 20-something feelings. 

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood: Despite the 3.75 out of 5 score I gave on StoryGraph, I enjoyed the hell out of this. Low conflict, romantic story, with fun video game references. It was a palette cleanser. Like a hallmark story applied to video games, concluding with graphic sex scenes. But still a 3.75 because I mean, this is not great literature. 

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner: I  like The Lost Apothecary by this author and this book used the same formula: jumping in time and stories to solve the mystery of a place. Only this time the modern story felt rushed and superficial. I couldn’t have cared less for the personality-less leading dude and the after-thought best friend. We got some backstory but zero personality. I did like the 1800s story more. Wish the whole book had been Mari.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher: This was a relaxing read with that unique fairytale ability to take on awful subjects with some whimsy and humor while managing to not minimize the emotional impact of said awful subjects. I think Kingfisher writes with a character voice that you either love or hate. Her characters are best described as earnest and feel… real. Some find them dispassionate but I disagree. I want a Dust spin off please.

Infinite Archive by Mur Lafferty: This is a fun continuation of the series and I appreciate Mallory’s growth. Needed more cats 😉

The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman: I liked this one a lot more than the last two. It’s bleaker and sadder, but a whole lot more heart and character building. I get a little lost in the weeds (not unlike the actual rpgs i hold so dear) but am always along for the ride.

The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury: Rated by Eleanor! Her review: “give this pony more pudding!! I liked how emotionally realistic this was – like her nightmares.” My review: This was a perfect Halloween/October before-bed book with my 5th grader. Sweet friendships! I did have to answer some questions about why the book assumes orphanages are the awful stuff of nightmares and her quick adoption in this story left some lingering confusion – but let the fantasy take you. 

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie: Another fun Christie novel for the pile. Outdated language aside this was a good puzzle – unique in that the victims were children – but the novel was not overly heavy.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell: It’s been a while since I stayed up until 1:30 reading and of course it was a Rainbow Rowell book. The way she writes dialogue is masterful and shows off her work in comics. The local flavor is also so charming. It’s rare that Nebraska is a setting without it being a farm.

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino: This was a quiet thoughtful little book, reflecting on humans, culture, and norms. The audio book performance was beautifully done. A whole life is shoved into these pages. I appreciated the ambiguity of the conclusion. This is scifi for people who don’t like scifi.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: I love Kingsolver but her works are often bleak, given that I opted to do this as an audiobook. The performance was truly magnificent. I know there was moments I would not have been able to push myself through with a physical book. This story was tough but had moments of levity. The conclusion felt plausible and not over done. Clear to see why it won the Pulitzer. 

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling: A pallet cleanser after the latest Barbra Kingsolver. It’s exactly what you think it will be. Fun, frivolous, sexy.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Well researched and inspiring look into NASA at the start of the shuttle program and the reality of gay culture in the 80s. The last page(s) sort of missed for me, but this was a moving and engaging book worth the hype!

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman: These grow more and more epic. I love seeing the character growth around the silly and crass storylines. Carl got some more depth in this one and I really enjoyed that piece even if it is a touch cliche/obvious.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides: Attention grabbing and keeping thriller in a lovable setting with the Greek theme baked in. Didn’t totally see the ending and I’m not convinced every part of it held up for me, but the clues were there.

Roll with It by Jamie Sumner: My Elly liked this one – though there are some pretty heavy themes for bedtime reading.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie: The mystery narrative was strong and worked here. Fantastic setting and forced proximity. It just got heavy handed near the end for me. I wish it had maintained a more group centric resolution. 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: Weir shines again here – and pushes further. I loved Ryland (and Rocky). There were a few moments where the science and engineering recaps lost me, but the narrative kept me going. His writing style is so casual but energetic and engaged.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky: This was so charming for an apocalyptic novel. Robots finding sentience and humanity is one of my favorite plots. There are horrible moments tempered through the eyes of an unemotional, emotional robot. I listened to the audio book performed by the author which I very much recommend. 

Reef Mind by Hazel Zorn: Picked this novella up at a local con writers booth. It was definitely graphic horror and skin crawling but some interesting commentary on environmental disaster baked in. If you are triggered by pregnancy loss or body horror, sit this one out.

Books still in progress this December:

The Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne 

Hey Harry, Hey Matilda: A Novel by Rachel Hulin