What I Read: 2025

A little late but it's not February! 

For 2025, I set a goal of reading 70 books and ended up with 73. It was a solid mix of audio and physical books, leaning REAL heavy into the smutty and/or fairy genres. I've become proficient at smashing the pause button in the car when my bluetooth autoconnects and my kids know that they should ask before browsing any books I have lying around. It was a tough year. A girl does what she has to to get through. I read some really great books this year, but if you're looking for highbrow, this isn't the year.  If you want to go back to see past years' wrap ups, they're here: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022,  2023, and 2024. Though looking back, there's still not a lot of highbrow options.

Books I loved with my whole heart and would recommend to anyone:

The Names by Florence Knapp. Oh my goodness. This book broke me. I cried in public and I still think about it often. 

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker. I loved all the characters in this book so much, and I was rooting for all of them in various ways.  

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. This is another one that hit me deep. I wanted it to end a specific way, and yet when it didn't, I knew that it ended exactly how it should. The characters were so well developed and the story was beautiful and tragic and inspiring all at the same time. 

Fun books that I could read in public without lying:

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. This is categorized as a "Space Opera" which brought me joy in and of itself. The science fiction is pretty straightforward, meaning it's not a slog if you're not a sci-fi fanatic, and the characters are just lovely. There's true romance and all the other stuff (wink wink) happens off the page. I got this book during my book fair party and it was such a fun discovery. 

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis. OMG. I read so much fantasy this year and it just made this book all that much funnier. The main character is a "normal" woman whose child is a werewolf. She starts kindergarten at the school for magical creatures and her mom has to navigate both species dynamics and the PTA. Ridiculous in the most perfect way. 

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kristen Miller. Southern clutch my pearls and a lot of comeuppance. Totally lived up to the hype. 

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi. This one is a teensy bit spicy but it was recommended to me when I specifically asked for something I could read on a plane with my teenage daughter next to me. Shout out to Lovebound Library for knocking it out of the park! This is the first of a series and I'm so excited to continue reading it. 

Cozy witch books that made me wish I drank tea: 

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J Penner

A Witches' Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst. OMG. If you liked House in the Cerulean Sea you'll probably love these too. Magical librarians, sentient houseplants, ridiculous wizards. It's all there and it's perfect and lovely. 

The old classic, "What the fuck did I just read, and why did I kind of like it?"

These aren't the smut books. These are the mindfuck, I can't believe that story lived in someone's head, books. Read at your own risk.

The Better to Eat You With by Amber Garza. You guys? I know the author. She's lovely. Her other thriller books are great. This one is amazing and seriously made me question her sanity. It's so fucked up. My brain, and my search history, will never be the same. 

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca. OMG. That's all I've got. Just OMG. This was less than 200 pages and I still think about it sometimes. 

Non-Fiction books that I couldn't shut up about:

Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself by Crystal Hefner. This was fascinating. I remembered a lot of it from when it was in the news and it was so interesting (and heartbreaking) to hear it from her perspective. Which then led me to...

Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison. Everything I admired about Crystal Hefner's writing style was contrasted in Holly Madison's book. She was petty and mean in places she didn't need to be, and where she could have been more impactful she was underwhelming. I'm only adding this because it paired well with Only Say Good Things. 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. Everything truly is Tuberculosis. 

We listen/read and we don't judge:

PSA: Know how to pause your audiobook if you're going to listen in your car. Or... be prepared to have some VERY awkward eye contact with your children and the drive-thru staff.  

Lights Out and Caught Up by Navessa Allen. Morally gray...everyone

Morning Glory Milking Farm and Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic by C. M. Nacosta. Minotaurs and werewolves. I saw someone opine that these are either the cutest smut books or the smuttiest cute books and that tracks. 

I'm sticking with about 70 as my goal for this year. My TBR shelf is already pretty full so I'm off to a good start. The other thing I'm excited about is the inclusion of not one but TWO book clubs this year. One is through my gym and I've attended twice thus far. I really like it, and because they do an anonymous vote for the monthly book, it's already exposed me to some books I might not have found on my own. The other is with some of my friends who are very cerebral and socially aware, but also silly, and I'm hoping to be able to join their next meetup too.