I am a very sentimental person. As a kid, I would reread the last page of each of my favorite books over and over so I could pretend that they never ended. So, I suppose it doesn’t come as a surprise that those habits have followed me into adulthood.
I get emotional over moving into a new college apartment, I get teary-eyed over the end of each holiday break, and worst of all, I dread the wistful nostalgia of the new year.
So, here is my personal 2025 reading wrap-up, written in an attempt to provide some closure to the learning and growth that occurred for me in the past year, and to hopefully inspire all of you to add some great books to your TBR (To-Be-Read) lists.
This past year, I read 26 books, adding up to just about 7,000 words. I lean towards medium-length novels with dark themes, especially those that hover around the magical realism genre.
My fav reads
One of my favorite reads from the past year, and my only 5/5 star rating, was I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. This novel captured me from the very first page. It follows a group of forty women being kept captive in a cage, with the only child of the group being our narrator. The book is a fabulous testament to the strength of human perseverance and the power of connection. It is mysterious, haunting and somehow heartwarming at the same time. I would recommend this book to someone who likes a Murakami-esque writing style but doesn’t love the misogyny. I wish I could say more about this novel, but I think all that is left to say without ruining it for you is: go read it!
Another fabulous read (4.75/5 stars) was Open Throat by Henry Hoke. This novel is very short (only 160 pages) but completely captivating. I read Open Throat in one sitting, and missed a workout class I had registered for because I genuinely couldn’t bear to put it down. It follows a mountain lion (yes, the protagonist is literally a mountain lion) living in the Hollywood hills. We listen to his inner monologue as he watches people go about their everyday lives, attempts to survive in a wilderness suffocating from human impact, and suffers from loneliness so painful that it is impossible not sympathize with him. Hoke has shared that Open Throat is a queer allegory – the mountain lion desires to live as a human, yet has a carnal hunger for them. While that is obviously important, I think this book has space to resonate with all readers – its base exploration of innocence versus cruelty is heartbreakingly resonant today, and honestly reminds me slightly of Animal Farm.
Now, I can see that this article is starting to get long, so here’s one more review, and then I’ll give you a truncated list with the rest of my recommendations. My third favorite book of the year (also 4.75/5 stars) was Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller. This one came as a surprise to me, because I famously do not like memoirs. However, this one was so artfully written that it tricked me. It tricked ME into reading nonfiction. That says something! Why Fish Don’t Exist shares the story of a time in Miller’s life when she felt consumed by chaos. In an attempt to overcome her depressive state, she became fixated on a famous taxonomist named David Starr Jordan. As her life seemed to unravel, she dug deeper into his, searching for answers to her own problems. The novel is a fascinating exploration of the meaning of life and, of course, fish. It may be a little slow at the start, but I promise – stick with it. This book has a lot to offer. (I will say, trigger warning for eugenics – it is a major theme).
Now, as promised: more books!
If you like a spooky read:
- Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (4.5/5 stars) is a collection of short stories that uses horror to make potent social commentary. Ranges from body horror to classic ghost stories to fairytales.
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (4.5/5 stars) is a classic thriller. A woman murders her husband, and then never speaks again. The novel follows both her therapist as he tries to communicate with her and her diary entries leading up to the murder. Fantastic twist at the end!
If you’re a Little Women fan (I had a phase…):
- Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (4.5/5 stars) doesn’t quite stay true to the characters in Little Women in the way that I had hoped it would, but it’s charming and so relaxing. I would read a chapter of this book every night before I went to bed, and honestly, I think it gave me good dreams.
- March by Geraldine Brooks (4.5/5 stars) was an interesting extension of the Little Women universe. This one was not a before-bed read, though, and Mr. March was a hard character to root for.
If you’re looking for a story about family:
- The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin (4.75/5 stars) follows a family bonded through trauma and grief after the father dies when the children are very young. It is heartbreaking, tender and beautiful.
- The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas (4.5/5 stars) tells several intertwined stories – spanning lifetimes, cultures and countries. At the root of the book is the connection between the small Jewish community in Cairo, Egypt, and the Arab family that has passed on the synagogue’s watchman position for countless generations. It’s a story of magic, history and connection.
- Holy Lands by Amanda Sthers (4.5/5 stars) follows the story of a Jewish family spread across the globe through just their written correspondence. It is short but uses its limited space well – by the end, saying goodbye to the characters feels like leaving your own dysfunctional family behind. The humor is smart and snappy, and is especially relatable if you come from a Jewish background, as I do.
So there it is! With this written out, I feel much better about flipping the page to a new year, and I am super excited to see what amazing things 2026 will bring. I hope this list inspires all of you to pick up a book – you never know when you’ll find 5/5 stars.