25 books for 2025
Jan. 2nd, 2026 08:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ghoti_mhic_uaitThis year, I moved from Goodreads to Storygraph, so I've completely ignored the Goodreads Choice Awards. But that's more or less what my list was based on when I first did it, which I think was for 2023?
My aim for the year was to read longer books, and I managed that, with an average page count of 328 (the previous two years my average page count was 319). I read 174 books in total, of which 85 ebooks, 79 print, and 10 audio. 159 fiction, 14 nonfiction. At some point early in the year I realised that I enjoy reading nonfiction so have been trying to read more of that, and that is an increase - in 2024, I read 197 books, of which only 5 were nonfiction (and 8 ebooks - an audiologist at one point told me I should listen to audiobooks 15 minutes a day to train my ear to different accents and I'm still not perfect at that but I think I'm getting better?)
Anyway, you didn't come for the waffle, you came for the books.
Favourite fantasy: Human Rites by Juno Dawson
This books is the final in a series, and it definitely feels like a final confrontation/conflagration and collapse into conclusion. There's high jinks with time, with Lucifer, with the magical civil service, and I just love Juno Dawson's writing.
Favourite Sci-fi: (I had difficulty deciding between this and the Yoon Ha Lee so I sent Lee over to YA) What If? Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings by Seanan McGuire
Does what it says on the tin, and it's a touching story of found family and the meaning of love and lots and lots of Latverian food.
Favourite weird: Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Protagonist Vern escapes from a cult into the woods; there is weird biopunk stuff going on alongside the obvious debunking the cult storyline, and woven into it essence of (gender-)queerness.
Favourite retelling: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
Retelling of the folk song, The Twa Sisters, with a whole lot more positivity than is in the original
Favourite horror: Chlorine by Jade Song
Swimming, mermaids, total disaster area
Favourite haunted house: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
This is an historical horror based in a reform school; it's about the terrible things humans do to each other, and the strength of love, and it is beautiful and horrific and all too real.
Favourite thriller: Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D Jackson
Claudia's friend Monday is missing, and she is going to find out why and why noone seems to care.
Favourite crime: As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson
In the first book, Pip was doing her EPQ by looking into a cold case - in this one, Pip gets herself kidnapped while attempting to finish the job.
Favourite romance: I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J Lockington
Fake dating, cosy Christmas, and a whole lot of teenagers trying to navigate the world.
Favourite comedy: Time of the Cat by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Roberts writes with a light touch whcih I love - this is 'what if the Chronicles of St Mary had more cats?'
Favourite historical: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
nuff said
Favourite contemporary: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Generational trauma, and such a lovely protagonist. Not quite sure why it took me so long to read this!
Favourite poetry: The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
This is one of my set texts, and it's beautiful. It's the story of a boy learning who he is and where he fits, and eventually entering the world as drag diva spoken word artist The Black Flamingo.
(honourable mention to A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, which is about generational trauma, decision makling and personal ghosts)
Favourite nonfiction: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobez du Mez
A stonking (and compassionate) look at how America got itself here.
(Honourable mention: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
Tan's lockdown project of learning to look at and draw birds turns into a nice cosy read with pretty pictures)
Favourite memoir: In Order To Live by Yeonmi Park
This is the story of Park's escape to North Korea and it is enlightening and emotional and everything you'd expect.
Favourite classic: Ulysses by James Joyce
I couldn't decide whether to read it fast and simply revel in the language or read it slow and devour every last scrap of detail, so I think I'll be rereading this soon and often.
Favourite graphic novel: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
Lesbian love against a background of supportive witchy parents, werewolves, and someone with their own agenda.
Favourite anthology: Out of the Window, into the Dark by Marian Womack
Often dark, very uncomfortable, and well worth a read.
Favourite YA: Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee
What do you do when your planet gets blown up and your family torn apart? Get brainwashed by the enemy and sign up for thei military! This is the story of what happens next...
Favourite children's books: I read a lot of American Girl books this year, and I'm strugglign to choose! So I'll break this down...
Historical: No Ordinary Sound, A Melody Classic by Denise Lewis Patrick. This is 60s in Detroit, and there is a lot of hope and a lot of talk about civil rights and music... and contrast with the family who just moved away from a bad situation in Alabama.
Contemporary: McKenna by Mary Casanova. McKenna is struggling with friendship, with her learning disability, and with being proud of who she is. It's written with such love and vivid brushstrokes.
Favourite Audiobook: Sistersong by Lucy Holland, read by Robyn Holdaway
A retelling of the Twa Sisters (yes, another!); Holdaway is so good at voices, so made the audio version particularly good, but this is a story of sisterhood and the way men tear us apart, and the coming of the Saxons who probably want to kill us all and the insidious nature of cultural infiltration.
Favourite book published in 2025: For Ducks Sake by Donna Andrews
I love this series about a blacksmith (Meg) and her chaotic family in West Virginia, solving crimes. This one is about a cold case uncovered when Meg's brother is having work done in his garden. This is book 37 in the series.
I think that's 25 books.
Category differences from last year; no mythology or historical fantasy (because I read less of both), twice as many children's category, new book, haunted house, and the comedy entry from 2023 got added back.
My aim for the year was to read longer books, and I managed that, with an average page count of 328 (the previous two years my average page count was 319). I read 174 books in total, of which 85 ebooks, 79 print, and 10 audio. 159 fiction, 14 nonfiction. At some point early in the year I realised that I enjoy reading nonfiction so have been trying to read more of that, and that is an increase - in 2024, I read 197 books, of which only 5 were nonfiction (and 8 ebooks - an audiologist at one point told me I should listen to audiobooks 15 minutes a day to train my ear to different accents and I'm still not perfect at that but I think I'm getting better?)
Anyway, you didn't come for the waffle, you came for the books.
Favourite fantasy: Human Rites by Juno Dawson
This books is the final in a series, and it definitely feels like a final confrontation/conflagration and collapse into conclusion. There's high jinks with time, with Lucifer, with the magical civil service, and I just love Juno Dawson's writing.
Favourite Sci-fi: (I had difficulty deciding between this and the Yoon Ha Lee so I sent Lee over to YA) What If? Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings by Seanan McGuire
Does what it says on the tin, and it's a touching story of found family and the meaning of love and lots and lots of Latverian food.
Favourite weird: Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Protagonist Vern escapes from a cult into the woods; there is weird biopunk stuff going on alongside the obvious debunking the cult storyline, and woven into it essence of (gender-)queerness.
Favourite retelling: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
Retelling of the folk song, The Twa Sisters, with a whole lot more positivity than is in the original
Favourite horror: Chlorine by Jade Song
Swimming, mermaids, total disaster area
Favourite haunted house: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
This is an historical horror based in a reform school; it's about the terrible things humans do to each other, and the strength of love, and it is beautiful and horrific and all too real.
Favourite thriller: Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D Jackson
Claudia's friend Monday is missing, and she is going to find out why and why noone seems to care.
Favourite crime: As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson
In the first book, Pip was doing her EPQ by looking into a cold case - in this one, Pip gets herself kidnapped while attempting to finish the job.
Favourite romance: I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J Lockington
Fake dating, cosy Christmas, and a whole lot of teenagers trying to navigate the world.
Favourite comedy: Time of the Cat by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Roberts writes with a light touch whcih I love - this is 'what if the Chronicles of St Mary had more cats?'
Favourite historical: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
nuff said
Favourite contemporary: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Generational trauma, and such a lovely protagonist. Not quite sure why it took me so long to read this!
Favourite poetry: The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
This is one of my set texts, and it's beautiful. It's the story of a boy learning who he is and where he fits, and eventually entering the world as drag diva spoken word artist The Black Flamingo.
(honourable mention to A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, which is about generational trauma, decision makling and personal ghosts)
Favourite nonfiction: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobez du Mez
A stonking (and compassionate) look at how America got itself here.
(Honourable mention: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
Tan's lockdown project of learning to look at and draw birds turns into a nice cosy read with pretty pictures)
Favourite memoir: In Order To Live by Yeonmi Park
This is the story of Park's escape to North Korea and it is enlightening and emotional and everything you'd expect.
Favourite classic: Ulysses by James Joyce
I couldn't decide whether to read it fast and simply revel in the language or read it slow and devour every last scrap of detail, so I think I'll be rereading this soon and often.
Favourite graphic novel: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
Lesbian love against a background of supportive witchy parents, werewolves, and someone with their own agenda.
Favourite anthology: Out of the Window, into the Dark by Marian Womack
Often dark, very uncomfortable, and well worth a read.
Favourite YA: Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee
What do you do when your planet gets blown up and your family torn apart? Get brainwashed by the enemy and sign up for thei military! This is the story of what happens next...
Favourite children's books: I read a lot of American Girl books this year, and I'm strugglign to choose! So I'll break this down...
Historical: No Ordinary Sound, A Melody Classic by Denise Lewis Patrick. This is 60s in Detroit, and there is a lot of hope and a lot of talk about civil rights and music... and contrast with the family who just moved away from a bad situation in Alabama.
Contemporary: McKenna by Mary Casanova. McKenna is struggling with friendship, with her learning disability, and with being proud of who she is. It's written with such love and vivid brushstrokes.
Favourite Audiobook: Sistersong by Lucy Holland, read by Robyn Holdaway
A retelling of the Twa Sisters (yes, another!); Holdaway is so good at voices, so made the audio version particularly good, but this is a story of sisterhood and the way men tear us apart, and the coming of the Saxons who probably want to kill us all and the insidious nature of cultural infiltration.
Favourite book published in 2025: For Ducks Sake by Donna Andrews
I love this series about a blacksmith (Meg) and her chaotic family in West Virginia, solving crimes. This one is about a cold case uncovered when Meg's brother is having work done in his garden. This is book 37 in the series.
I think that's 25 books.
Category differences from last year; no mythology or historical fantasy (because I read less of both), twice as many children's category, new book, haunted house, and the comedy entry from 2023 got added back.
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Date: 2026-01-02 10:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-03 10:14 pm (UTC)