Admittedly, I’m the type of girl who thinks about going home to my book. While this year I read a mere 25 books, let’s talk about some of my favorite reads from this past year and what I’m looking forward to reading in 2025.
One of my favorite books from 2024 was Emily Austin’s Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead. This book follows our main character Gilda who accidentally finds herself working as the receptionist of a catholic church. Despite being a skeptic of religion and battling major anxiety, we see her embarking on journeys that make the reader physically cringe. Austin’s ability to write an inner monologue in the exact way that an anxious mind thinks is absolutely remarkable. This novel is hilarious yet morbid, and had me hooked the entire way through. It left me hoping for good to come onto a character who is entirely fictional.
Another favorite for me this year was Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends. This story highlights university students Frances and Bobbi. We follow Frances’ inner monologue as they get intertwined with an adult couple, Melissa, a photographer, and Nick, an actor. As Bobbi becomes infatuated with Melissa’s work, Frances begins feeling a drawn attraction to Nick. This novel follows the affair between Frances and Nick, and the brutal honesty of the female friendships surrounding her. While many people are critical of Sally Rooney’s muted prose, I find it to be smooth and human-like. Conversations with Friends is ambiguous in the sense that readers can finish this book and all take away different central themes. While some may relate to the obvious power dynamics in Frances and Nick’s affair, others may find resonance with the relationship that Bobbi and Frances have; morphing from lovers to friends and everything in between.
Moving into my most anticipated reads of 2025 is a reread of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The OG enemies to lovers story. I was gifted a special edition of this book, and I’m beyond excited to begin 2025 with the timeless love story that follows the opinionated Elizabeth Bennet and the proud (and ferociously romantic) Mr. Darcy. This classic is easily the novel with the most quotable moments that shape all topics regarding love. “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love”. I mean are you kidding, what’s not to love about Pride and Prejudice.
Another very exciting read I have picked out for early 2025 is Wedding People, written by Allison Espach. Voted top fiction novel of 2024, Wedding People is about protagonist, Phoebe, and her last extravagant trip to the Grand Cornwall Inn. Depressed about her own infertility, recent divorce, and the striking realization of her boring ways, Phoebe is ready for this trip to be her life’s last. However what Phoebe soon encounters is that the Grand Cornwall Inn is completely overtaken by wedding attendees all there to celebrate Lila’s big day. The two confide in each other all week; constantly bantering. I’m very excited to dig into this book after all the hype I’ve seen around it. Bonus plus is that Allison Espach graduated from my high school in 2003!
While I could go onto list every book (37) on my TBR list this year I will choose to keep it with only 2 of my most anticipated reads. My reading goal this year is to read 30 books and I’m already 1/10 of the way there! Reading is truly my happy place and I’m so excited to reflect on my 2025 reads next year.