This past year was... really different. In a lot of ways, and for many of us, it was a singular one.
But specifically for me—and maybe for you?—it was a difficult and different reading year. I'd been barreling toward a reading slump for the past few years now, fighting a combination of book blogger fatigue, general disillusionment with the inflated "BookTok" crush of endlessly similar romantasy selections, and a growing sense of confusion about what genres actually resonated with me versus the genres I'd previously relied on as standard reading fare.
If 2023 was my year of reading romance novels and Kindle Unlimited favorites, and 2024 was my year of fading away from romance and attempting to get into "popular" reads once more, 2025 was my year of "I'm Done!" I found myself going weeks without reading—a first for me in recent memory. It was a year of rewatching favorite television shows, reading some novel-length—and novel quality—fanfiction epics, and listening to podcasts.
As of the time of writing this post on December 21, I've still managed to read 87 books this year despite the above. A large number! But a small one for me.
And that number is inflated somewhat by my true trend of 2025: the "re". The rewatch. The rewind. And the reread.
Almost half of my reading statistics from this past year are rereads—some of them beloved reads I've read more than once or twice, and others that I've never reread and added to the pile. It was a hugely successful tactic. In a year where every day was a new energy, a new global situation, and a new stimulating thing in need of attention, the reread (and the rewatch) got me through. It was my way of unclenching without having to absorb more newness.
So, all that being said, what did I read??
Below are some lists. We'll start off with my favorite new reads of the year—you've gotten a peek at them in the photo above—and segue into my favorite rereads. And at the bottom, I'll share the full list of all that I read in 2025 from favorite to DNF (did not finish) in the order they were read.
My Favorite (New) Reads of 2025: (in no particular order)
1. Monsters We Have Made by Lindsay Starck
What an interesting, multilayered look at myth vs reality, truth vs lies, motherhood vs individualism and all the levels in between. Also a fictionalized reminder of the Slenderman crimes... anyone remember that?? My full review here.
2. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Hallett is one of the most inventive writers out there in the game of "mixed media" fiction. I adore the format. YES, give us stories made of texts, emails, transcriptions, and random ephemera. Let us, the reader, be the detective like a hands-on escape room board game. Somewhat gimmicky, sure, but at the end of the day I find these novels captivating and enervating in a way that other novels don't have. My full review here.
3. But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
Obsessed with this intricate, odd little sapphic fable. Come for the spiders, stay for the unique elements. My full review here.
4. One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
Came for the concept—a woman’s life told entirely in art gallery exhibition cards—and stayed for the concept, as it was executed very well. This is a fast read! But not a shallow one. I recommend to all who love art, high-end gallery atmospheres, unique fiction, and women’s stories. It's too short of a novel for a full review.
5. A Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
Morbid, hilarious, somber, reflective, startling, honey-slow, non-linear, erudite, and irreverently reverent of all things human: what a singular nonfiction memoir. Not for the faint of heart (or is it?) My full review here.
6. Scorched Earth: Poems by Tiana Clark
The only book on this list that I did not write a real review for, frankly because I don't think anything I could say could top what Clark says herself. Read it, enjoy it, become a Clark fan. This collection was flawless.
7. Dead Water by C.A. Fletcher
This is one of those multi-genre feeling stories. A little bit literary, a little bit gothic, a little bit horror, a little bit small-town isolated community diary, and a little bit fable. My full review here.
8. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
The pandemic. Discrimination against Asians. Hungry ghosts. A string of murders. And the death of a sibling. Bat Eater pulls no punches and is happy to do it. My full review here.
9. The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
Czechoslovakia on the rising tide of pre-WWII. A mental asylum housing the country's worst criminals, known by the public as "The Devil's Six." A young psychiatrist with the theory of an innate "devil's aspect" in all men. And a series of grisly murders in Prague that seem to be morbidly inspired by Jack the Ripper. Don't you want to read that?? My full review here.
10. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Arguably my FAVORITE of the favorites, this was a gorgeous, hybrid kind of thing and the most excited I've been about a fantasy concept in years. Part high fantasy—with an atmosphere of low fantasy—and part murder mystery, this novel lives in the middle of the venn diagram for a lot of subniche interests. We follow the story of Dinios "Din" Kol, the assistant to Sherlock-like investigator Ana Dolabra, as he works to solve a murder mystery in the far reaches of the Empire, a fantasy coastal world with an emphasis on organic plant life, wet seasons, and... leviathans from the sea. Yes. Follow me. My full review here.
11. A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
Yep, I loved both books in this series so much that they both made it onto my favorites list. My full review here.
12. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
This one is me cheating. Yes, technically this was a "new" book for me to read this year, as I'd never actually read it before. But it was padded in the middle of my Louise Penny rereads so it does feel like a cheat. See below for more chatter on Penny and my reread habits.
My Favorite Rereads of 2025: (in no particular order)
1. All of the Louise Penny books, from Still Life (#1) through Glass Houses (#13)
I reread them all this year for the very first time. My first read-through of this series started with Glass Houses (#13), and then I read books 14-16 followed by books 1-11. I never closed the loop and read book #12, A Great Reckoning, which is why it's made it onto my top new reads list. This series is the perfect blend of well-made characters, stunning sense of emotional range, and compelling tales. Penny's a bit fast and loose with her grammar... working in the grammar field is hard to turn off at the end of the work day... but if you can ignore the Canadian tendency to omit commas then this series can't be beat. And the audiobooks are fantastic.
2. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
Crusie is one of my favorite comedy romance writers. This one is my favorite of the favorites and involves a ghost manor, a second-chance romance, and one of the only stories with a strong kid/parenting element that I've loved.
3. Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
The third and final book in the contemporary romance series Knockemout, this one is another second-chance adjacent romance with an enemies-to-lovers angle to it. I sometimes get a hankering to reread this one—never the first two—and it's worth the read if you like the genre.
4. Illuminae, Gemina, and Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
If you haven't read the Illuminae Files trilogy, you need to immediately. It's a multi-genre animal, combining a young adult lens with science fiction, mixed media formatting, epic action, and conspiracy thriller energy. I've never read another thing like it, and that's a compliment. Even if you don't love one of its elements, I recommend trying it for the reading experience alone.
5. The Fallen Men series by Giana Darling
Yes, I adore this Canadian motorcycle club romance series. No, I don't want to get into it.
My Full List of 2025 Reads: (in reading order from Jan-Dec)
1. Palace of Shadows by Ray Celestin
2. The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott
3. Love Rekindled: A Second-Chance Romance Collection
4. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop (Reread)
5. The Book of Gold by Ruth Frances Long
6. One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
7. Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith
8. Smooth Sailing by Kristen Ashley
9. Scorched Earth: Poems by Tiana Clark
10. Good Dress: Poems by Brittany Rogers
11. Some Things I Still Can't Tell You: Poems by Misha Collins
12. Appalachian Elegy by bell hooks
13. Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Poems by Kai Cheng Thom
14. The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
15. Monsters We Have Made by Lindsay Starck
16. I Can't Talk About the Trees Without the Blood: Poems by Tiana Clark
17. Undead Unluck v.1 (Reread)
18. Undead Unluck v.2 (Reread)
19. Undead Unluck v.3 (Reread)
20. Undead Unluck v.4 (Reread)
21. Hermann Stenner: A Pioneer of German Expressionism by Christoph Wagner
22. The Woman Left Behind by Kristen Ashley
23. Through the Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe
24. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
25. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (Reread)
26. Lola & the Millionaires Part 1 by Kathryn Moon (Reread)
27. A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
28. Lola & the Millionaires Part 2 by Kathryn Moon (Reread)
29. The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire
30. Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
31. The Stars are Dying by C.C. Penaranda
32. The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
33. Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker
34. Avenging Angels: Tenderfoot by Kristen Ashley
35. Inked in Lies by Giana Darling (Reread)
36. Good Gone Bad by Giana Darling (Reread)
37. Welcome to the Dark Side by Giana Darling (Reread)
38. Dead Man Walking by Giana Darling (Reread)
39. Caution to the Wind by Giana Darling (Reread)
40. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (Reread)
41. Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (Reread)
42. Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (Reread)
43. Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
44. Shade's Lady by Joanna Wylde (Reread)
45. Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score (Reread)
46. King of Envy by Ana Huang
47. The Hookup by Kristen Ashley
48. Once More With Feeling by Elissa Sussman
49. Mountain Daddy by S.J. Tilly
50. Chasing Love by Kat T. Masen
51. Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
52. Arcana Academy by Elisa Kova
53. Finding the One by Kristen Ashley
54. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
55. All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows
56. Supernatural: Beginning's End #1
57. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie (Reread)
58. But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
59. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
60. That Devil, Ambition by Lindsey Miller
61. Strange Houses by Uketsu
62. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
63. The Examiner by Janice Hallett
64. Still Life by Louise Penny (Reread)
65. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (Reread)
66. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Reread)
67. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (Reread)
68. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Reread)
69. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Reread)
70. The Hangman by Louise Penny (Reread)
71. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (Reread)
72. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (Reread)
73. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Reread)
74. Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas
75. Topping the Alpha by Samantha A. Cole (I don't even know. DNF.)
76. Love, Utley by S.J. Tilly
77. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (Reread)
78. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (Reread)
79. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
80. Glass Houses by Louise Penny (Reread)
81. Startlement: New and Selected Poems by Ada Limon
82. A Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
83. Keep Me by Sara Cate
84. Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson
85. The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
86. King Nyx by Kristen Bakis
87. Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Reread)
But specifically for me—and maybe for you?—it was a difficult and different reading year. I'd been barreling toward a reading slump for the past few years now, fighting a combination of book blogger fatigue, general disillusionment with the inflated "BookTok" crush of endlessly similar romantasy selections, and a growing sense of confusion about what genres actually resonated with me versus the genres I'd previously relied on as standard reading fare.
If 2023 was my year of reading romance novels and Kindle Unlimited favorites, and 2024 was my year of fading away from romance and attempting to get into "popular" reads once more, 2025 was my year of "I'm Done!" I found myself going weeks without reading—a first for me in recent memory. It was a year of rewatching favorite television shows, reading some novel-length—and novel quality—fanfiction epics, and listening to podcasts.
As of the time of writing this post on December 21, I've still managed to read 87 books this year despite the above. A large number! But a small one for me.
And that number is inflated somewhat by my true trend of 2025: the "re". The rewatch. The rewind. And the reread.
Almost half of my reading statistics from this past year are rereads—some of them beloved reads I've read more than once or twice, and others that I've never reread and added to the pile. It was a hugely successful tactic. In a year where every day was a new energy, a new global situation, and a new stimulating thing in need of attention, the reread (and the rewatch) got me through. It was my way of unclenching without having to absorb more newness.
So, all that being said, what did I read??
Below are some lists. We'll start off with my favorite new reads of the year—you've gotten a peek at them in the photo above—and segue into my favorite rereads. And at the bottom, I'll share the full list of all that I read in 2025 from favorite to DNF (did not finish) in the order they were read.
My Favorite (New) Reads of 2025: (in no particular order)
1. Monsters We Have Made by Lindsay Starck
What an interesting, multilayered look at myth vs reality, truth vs lies, motherhood vs individualism and all the levels in between. Also a fictionalized reminder of the Slenderman crimes... anyone remember that?? My full review here.
2. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Hallett is one of the most inventive writers out there in the game of "mixed media" fiction. I adore the format. YES, give us stories made of texts, emails, transcriptions, and random ephemera. Let us, the reader, be the detective like a hands-on escape room board game. Somewhat gimmicky, sure, but at the end of the day I find these novels captivating and enervating in a way that other novels don't have. My full review here.
3. But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
Obsessed with this intricate, odd little sapphic fable. Come for the spiders, stay for the unique elements. My full review here.
4. One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
Came for the concept—a woman’s life told entirely in art gallery exhibition cards—and stayed for the concept, as it was executed very well. This is a fast read! But not a shallow one. I recommend to all who love art, high-end gallery atmospheres, unique fiction, and women’s stories. It's too short of a novel for a full review.
5. A Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
Morbid, hilarious, somber, reflective, startling, honey-slow, non-linear, erudite, and irreverently reverent of all things human: what a singular nonfiction memoir. Not for the faint of heart (or is it?) My full review here.
6. Scorched Earth: Poems by Tiana Clark
The only book on this list that I did not write a real review for, frankly because I don't think anything I could say could top what Clark says herself. Read it, enjoy it, become a Clark fan. This collection was flawless.
7. Dead Water by C.A. Fletcher
This is one of those multi-genre feeling stories. A little bit literary, a little bit gothic, a little bit horror, a little bit small-town isolated community diary, and a little bit fable. My full review here.
8. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
The pandemic. Discrimination against Asians. Hungry ghosts. A string of murders. And the death of a sibling. Bat Eater pulls no punches and is happy to do it. My full review here.
9. The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
Czechoslovakia on the rising tide of pre-WWII. A mental asylum housing the country's worst criminals, known by the public as "The Devil's Six." A young psychiatrist with the theory of an innate "devil's aspect" in all men. And a series of grisly murders in Prague that seem to be morbidly inspired by Jack the Ripper. Don't you want to read that?? My full review here.
10. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Arguably my FAVORITE of the favorites, this was a gorgeous, hybrid kind of thing and the most excited I've been about a fantasy concept in years. Part high fantasy—with an atmosphere of low fantasy—and part murder mystery, this novel lives in the middle of the venn diagram for a lot of subniche interests. We follow the story of Dinios "Din" Kol, the assistant to Sherlock-like investigator Ana Dolabra, as he works to solve a murder mystery in the far reaches of the Empire, a fantasy coastal world with an emphasis on organic plant life, wet seasons, and... leviathans from the sea. Yes. Follow me. My full review here.
11. A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
Yep, I loved both books in this series so much that they both made it onto my favorites list. My full review here.
12. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
This one is me cheating. Yes, technically this was a "new" book for me to read this year, as I'd never actually read it before. But it was padded in the middle of my Louise Penny rereads so it does feel like a cheat. See below for more chatter on Penny and my reread habits.
My Favorite Rereads of 2025: (in no particular order)
1. All of the Louise Penny books, from Still Life (#1) through Glass Houses (#13)
I reread them all this year for the very first time. My first read-through of this series started with Glass Houses (#13), and then I read books 14-16 followed by books 1-11. I never closed the loop and read book #12, A Great Reckoning, which is why it's made it onto my top new reads list. This series is the perfect blend of well-made characters, stunning sense of emotional range, and compelling tales. Penny's a bit fast and loose with her grammar... working in the grammar field is hard to turn off at the end of the work day... but if you can ignore the Canadian tendency to omit commas then this series can't be beat. And the audiobooks are fantastic.
2. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
Crusie is one of my favorite comedy romance writers. This one is my favorite of the favorites and involves a ghost manor, a second-chance romance, and one of the only stories with a strong kid/parenting element that I've loved.
3. Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
The third and final book in the contemporary romance series Knockemout, this one is another second-chance adjacent romance with an enemies-to-lovers angle to it. I sometimes get a hankering to reread this one—never the first two—and it's worth the read if you like the genre.
4. Illuminae, Gemina, and Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
If you haven't read the Illuminae Files trilogy, you need to immediately. It's a multi-genre animal, combining a young adult lens with science fiction, mixed media formatting, epic action, and conspiracy thriller energy. I've never read another thing like it, and that's a compliment. Even if you don't love one of its elements, I recommend trying it for the reading experience alone.
5. The Fallen Men series by Giana Darling
Yes, I adore this Canadian motorcycle club romance series. No, I don't want to get into it.
My Full List of 2025 Reads: (in reading order from Jan-Dec)
1. Palace of Shadows by Ray Celestin
2. The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott
3. Love Rekindled: A Second-Chance Romance Collection
4. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop (Reread)
5. The Book of Gold by Ruth Frances Long
6. One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
7. Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith
8. Smooth Sailing by Kristen Ashley
9. Scorched Earth: Poems by Tiana Clark
10. Good Dress: Poems by Brittany Rogers
11. Some Things I Still Can't Tell You: Poems by Misha Collins
12. Appalachian Elegy by bell hooks
13. Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Poems by Kai Cheng Thom
14. The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
15. Monsters We Have Made by Lindsay Starck
16. I Can't Talk About the Trees Without the Blood: Poems by Tiana Clark
17. Undead Unluck v.1 (Reread)
18. Undead Unluck v.2 (Reread)
19. Undead Unluck v.3 (Reread)
20. Undead Unluck v.4 (Reread)
21. Hermann Stenner: A Pioneer of German Expressionism by Christoph Wagner
22. The Woman Left Behind by Kristen Ashley
23. Through the Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe
24. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
25. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (Reread)
26. Lola & the Millionaires Part 1 by Kathryn Moon (Reread)
27. A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
28. Lola & the Millionaires Part 2 by Kathryn Moon (Reread)
29. The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire
30. Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
31. The Stars are Dying by C.C. Penaranda
32. The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
33. Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker
34. Avenging Angels: Tenderfoot by Kristen Ashley
35. Inked in Lies by Giana Darling (Reread)
36. Good Gone Bad by Giana Darling (Reread)
37. Welcome to the Dark Side by Giana Darling (Reread)
38. Dead Man Walking by Giana Darling (Reread)
39. Caution to the Wind by Giana Darling (Reread)
40. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (Reread)
41. Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (Reread)
42. Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (Reread)
43. Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
44. Shade's Lady by Joanna Wylde (Reread)
45. Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score (Reread)
46. King of Envy by Ana Huang
47. The Hookup by Kristen Ashley
48. Once More With Feeling by Elissa Sussman
49. Mountain Daddy by S.J. Tilly
50. Chasing Love by Kat T. Masen
51. Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
52. Arcana Academy by Elisa Kova
53. Finding the One by Kristen Ashley
54. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
55. All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows
56. Supernatural: Beginning's End #1
57. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie (Reread)
58. But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
59. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
60. That Devil, Ambition by Lindsey Miller
61. Strange Houses by Uketsu
62. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
63. The Examiner by Janice Hallett
64. Still Life by Louise Penny (Reread)
65. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (Reread)
66. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Reread)
67. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (Reread)
68. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Reread)
69. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Reread)
70. The Hangman by Louise Penny (Reread)
71. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (Reread)
72. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (Reread)
73. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Reread)
74. Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas
75. Topping the Alpha by Samantha A. Cole (I don't even know. DNF.)
76. Love, Utley by S.J. Tilly
77. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (Reread)
78. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (Reread)
79. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
80. Glass Houses by Louise Penny (Reread)
81. Startlement: New and Selected Poems by Ada Limon
82. A Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
83. Keep Me by Sara Cate
84. Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson
85. The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
86. King Nyx by Kristen Bakis
87. Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Reread)
