Welcome to my 13th annual favorite reads list! This year was kind of a milestone in my reading life because we moved to a new house and from the moment we saw it, I knew I wanted to turn the strange ‘sitting room’ off our bedroom into a… library! Our ceilings are tall so my lifelong dream of a library with a ladder became a reality!
But here’s the thing… over the years I’d gotten rid of almost all my physical books. I was an early adopter of the Kindle back in 2008 and for years have read exclusively on it. So when the library was finished and I started putting our books on the shelves, well, it was looking pretty empty. Now my (long-term) project is to acquire hard copies of my favorite books to fill the shelves. I recently discovered a second hand book store near our house and have been having a blast slowly building my collection.
My goal again was to read 100 books this year and I crossed the finish line in November. How did I read 100+ books (and for free)? Here’s my secret:
- Audiobooks: They’re multitasking magic. Walking the puppy? Listening. Cooking dinner? Listening. Cleaning the house? Listening. 50% of the books I finished this year were audiobooks.
- My Kindle: As I said, this thing is my favorite! It fits in my purse, holds hundreds of books, and reads well in the dark.
- The Libby app: Almost every book I read and audiobook I listened to this year came from the library. Sometimes the wait is long, but with so many books on my ‘want to read’ list… one is always coming available when I need it.
Let’s dive into the 10 books that I loved most this year!
my annual book recommendations list
The Road to Tender Hearts
This was a quirky, funny, and yet heart-warming story about an older man who decides to drive across the country to surprise the one-that-got-away, but unexpectedly inherits two kinds from his estranged sibling right before he leaves. It was a great audiobook!
Broken Country
A married woman, living in a small town, has her life turned upside down when her old boyfriend moves back to town. It jumped between now-and-then and definitely didn’t end up where I expected.
Atmosphere
Taylor Jenkins Reid has written some of my favorite books so I was anxiously awaiting this one. It did not disappoint. A fictional story about the first female astronauts in the 1980s. The ending had me so emotional!
The Correspondent
I did this on audiobook which has a full cast so that’s fun, but I think it may have been easier to follow in physical format so I could see the written letters. It’s a story of an older, quirky woman who writes letters to family, friends, famous figures, and more. The story is told through her letters and I loved it.
I Who Have Never Known Men
This one won’t be for everyone because it’s dystopian. There’s a group of 40 women imprisoned in a cage below ground, with no knowledge of what happened to the world above (but something definitely happened up there). It is a quick read and I couldn’t put it down!
Good Dirt
This is historical fiction following many generations through slavery, woven in with an engaging storyline for the current day family. I also really enjoyed her previous novel, Black Cake, if you haven’t read that yet.
James
This is a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which I admittedly don’t remember reading but must have in my school days. You don’t need to have a great recollection of the original story because this one has a life of its own. It’s told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.
We Used To Live Here
I read this back in January and still think about it. It’s a tense, atmospheric story that starts with a family knocking on the door of someone’s house, saying they used to live there, and asking if they can come inside to see it. Things get creepy and weird.
The Push
I just finished this one but knew it had to make my list for the year. It’s about a new mom who struggles with her own expectations of motherhood and bonding with her daughter, and things get even more complicated when she notices her baby doesn’t behave like other babies. It’s intense and definitely not light reading.
Fantasticland
This is the one I’ll remember most from this year… and it was actually the very first one I read in 2025. It will NOT be for everyone. If you can’t handle gore, skip this one for sure. It’s about a theme park that gets hit by a hurricane and employees are stuck there, with plenty of supplies, until rescue. I could not put it down. It’s a wild ride (see what I did there?).
Looking for more recommendations? Check out my lists from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 & 2013!
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