This was the year reading came back to me in a big way. I made it through 37 titles, whereas for the last few years I was probably averaging more like 5 or 6.

Two big things happened. One was leaning into audiobooks I can listen to while I work, since I work with my hands baking and painting. Yes, audiobooks are real books - and I will not be seeking any other opinions at this time.

The second was realizing I was stuck in a massive rut of “married couple seems happy on the outside but harbours murderous secrets” type thrillers that all felt the same. I was so tired of reading books I didn’t care about. My goal became shaking it up and reading some weird books to see what I actually like. Hits and misses, but funny enough I learned I have a strong love for both horror fiction and cheesy romance. Who knew!

9 books i loved

Blob (Maggie Su)
Weird, short, and the book that got me started on my “weird reading” binge to escape a disappointing book rut.

All Fours (Miranda July)
Super weird, super sexual, super “wtf is going on,” but I found it so engaging and different. Another entry in my shaking-things-up era that really helped.

Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver)
Went in with zero expectations and somehow just loved it, even though it’s bleak and sad at times. I binge listened to the audiobook in a couple days because I found it so compelling.

Margot’s Got Money Troubles (Rufi Thorpe)
Great and fun, with a main character you really root for, even when she’s frustrating.

Funny Story (Emily Henry)
I’m generally not one for romantic comedies, but this one grabbed my cold dead heart. It proved to me that even my cold cynical self can enjoy a rom-com once in a while.

We Used to Live Here (Marcus Kliewer)
Part of my spooky season reading in the fall and I absolutely loved it. Super weird, very “wtf is happening,” and I read it in 48 hours because I had to know how it ended.

The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
A random library pick after J rewatched the Netflix series, which is one of my favourite shows of all time. The source material blew my mind. Strange, dreamy, and constantly makes you question what’s real and what isn’t, just like the series.

One Day in December (Josie Silver)
My book club ended the year with a Christmas romance, and once again my cynical self got completely swept up. The plot is slight and predictable from chapter one, but it was perfectly light and fluffy for the holidays.

Bunny (Mona Awad)
Totally weird and violent. I went in blind and by the end it was so strange I actually googled the plot and ending, which I never do. I thought I must have missed something. I hadn’t. It was just that weird.

5 that disappointed or did nothing for me

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas)
What am I missing? People love this series, but as soon as I finished it I never thought about it again. Totally forgettable for me.

Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt)
I mean, it’s cute. Not bad. I had just heard such raves and it ended up being only meh.

Sociopath (Patric Gagne)
I really disliked this, which is rare for me. The narrator is deeply unlikable and early on I felt her stories were exaggerated or made up. It’s a writing device, but the hyper-detailed childhood memories just didn’t feel believable. I finished it without feeling like I understood sociopathy any better.

Slewfoot (Brom)
Another hyped spooky read that didn’t deliver. The main character didn’t resonate and gave strong “woman written by man” vibes. I’m also not a fan of revenge plotlines, and this one fell flat.

Mary (Nat Cassidy)
I really enjoyed the early parts (warning, this one is extremely violent), but it fell apart by the end. The violence stopped adding anything meaningful. I loved the concept of menopause triggering a Carrie-like supernatural uprising, but it didn’t go where I hoped. I’ll admit I was irked when I realized after finishing it that it was written by a man. Not his story to tell, in my opinion.

runners up - middle of the road

Not bad, not sad I read them, I liked them enough, but they didn’t quite crack the top tier.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin)
Really interesting and different.

Pineapple Street (Jenny Jackson)
Enjoyable and quick. I liked being in their world, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Intermezzo (Sally Rooney)
Sad and bittersweet, but the characters frustrated me. They were so maudlin and their problems didn’t really feel like problems to me. Get over it!

The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
Sweet and enjoyable, but it didn’t hit me emotionally the way I hoped it would.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Stuart Turton)
A fun Groundhog Day–style murder mystery, but by the end the plot was incomprehensible.

How to Sell a Haunted House (Grady Hendrix)
Fun and fast. It went a little cuckoo toward the end, but I still enjoyed it.

The Witch’s Daughter (Paula Brackston)
One I was excited about, but when it came time to write about it I had to google the plot to remember it. Good, just not memorable.

the complete list of books i read in 2025

1. Magic Lessons (Alice Hoffman)
2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin)
3. All the Missing Girls (Megan Miranda)
4. Blob (Maggie Su)
5. Anxious People (Fredrik Backman)
6. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Suzanne Collins) TBF
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas)
8. Pineapple Street (Jenny Jackson)
9. All Our Missing Hearts (Celeste Ng)
10. Me (Elton John)
11. All Fours (Miranda July)
12. Intermezzo (Sally Rooney)
13. Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver)
14. First Lie Wins (Ashley Elston)
15. The Last Mrs. Parrish (Liv Constantine)
16. Rock Paper Scissors (Alice Feeney)
17. Margot’s Got Money Troubles (Rufi Thorpe)
18. Funny Story (Emily Henry)
19. Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt)
20. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Stuart Turton)
21. How to Sell a Haunted House (Grady Hendrix)
22. Normal People (Sally Rooney)
23. Birnam Wood TBF
24. Sociopath (Patric Gagne)
25. Slewfoot (Brom)
26. We Used to Live Here (Marcus Kliewer)
27. Saturday Night Ghost Club (Craig Davidson)
28. The Witch’s Daughter (Paula Brackston)
29. The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
30. The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
31. My Sunshine Away (M.O. Walsh)
32. The Graduate TBF
33. Mary (Nat Cassidy)
34. The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
35. Bunny (Mona Awad)
36. One Day in December (Josie Silver)
37. Remain (Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan)