30 Reads from 2025

Here's my 2025 list of books read in chronological order. Asterisks mark my top four. NF denotes non-fiction, F is fiction. Previous years are here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020.

1. 33 1/3: Paul's Boutique, Dan LeRoy (NF)

2. Alfie and Me, Carl Safina (NF)

3. Sackett's Land, Louis L'Amour (F)

4. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel (F)

5. Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom (NF)

6. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel (F)*

7. Ten Hours Until Dawn, Michael Tougias (NF)

8. The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece, Tom Hanks (F)

9. Stone Yard Devotional, Charlotte Wood (F)

10. The Sackett Brand, Louis L'Amour (F)

11. How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe, Charles Yu (F)

12. The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer (NF)

13. Mustang Man, Louis L'Amour (F)

14. The Most, Jessica Anthony (F)

15. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones (F)

16. The Spaceship Next Door, Gene Doucette (F)

17. James, Percival Everett (F)

18. The Return of Wolves, Eli Francovich (NF)

19. So Far Gone, Jess Walter (F)

20. American Ramble, Neil King, Jr. (NF)*

21. Rebel Girl, Kathleen Hanna (NF)

22. Natural History, Andrea Barrett (F)

23. One Yellow Eye, Leigh Radford (F)

24. Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson (F)

25. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (F)

26. Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Adichie (F)*

27. I Who Have Never Known Men, Jacqueline Harpman (F)*

28. Automatic Noodle, Annalee Newitz (F)

29. Dear Writer, Maggie Smith (NF)

30. Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023, ed R. F. Kuang (F)

2025 had ten fewer books read than 2024. Not explanation for that other than that's the way it goes sometimes. Almost half were book club books or direct recommendations from others and I'll say this: take friend recommendations with a grain of salt and don't feel obliged to finish something you don't care for! Life is too short and there are far too many books to force your way through something that isn't for you. On that note, I stopped reading three books in 2025 because I simply didn't like them. Anna from ten years ago would plow ahead. Anna now says: meh. Is that growth? Who knows. Regardless, I wanted to finish the Wolf Hall trilogy in 2025, but have had to save the last installment for hopefully early 2026 (before I completely forget all the characters). There are some classics on the list above and some new stuff. Stone Yard Devotional was fine; it's getting rave reviews which I don't quite understand. Alternatively, I Who Have Never Known Men is making a come back and yes, deservedly so. It'll stick with you, make you shudder, make you think. I have some BIG books stacked in my TBR (to be read) pile right now (see photo), which may make the 2026 list even shorter. We'll have to see how things play out. Happy reading!