Wrapping Up: The Best of 2025

Another year has ended, one that more than most has felt extremely ambivalent. One the one hand, I did so many things I’m absolutely delighted about. On the other, 2025 was also a very difficult year, and it brought a fair number of struggles with it. It’s also the year when I thought I’d found a good rhythm between work and blogging only to lose it again. Oh well, there’s always next year to try again!

Reading-wise, 2025 hasn’t really been particularly memorable. I read 50 books, with no DNFs this year although I do have a fair number of books on “pause” at the moment, waiting to see if I’ll feel like picking them up again. It’s also the first year I almost didn’t complete my reading challenge since I started tracking it. That just goes to show the level of tiredness I reached this year.

Fantasy was still my most-read genre this year, but I’ve been feeling more drawn towards literary fiction too, so it’s no wonder that ended up being a close second. I hadn’t quite realised how much romance I read this year, so that was a bit of a surprise! But it tracks – there was a heaviness to a great part of the year that meant I actually needed some light-hearted entertainment most of the time.

I feel like I end up saying this most years, but I’ve fallen behind on reviews again. Talk about a broken record lol. So, catching up on reviews and improving my NetGalley ratio is once again back as a bookish goal for 2026! I also want to slow down on new e-ARCs until I’ve really cleared the backlog and I want to read some of the books on my shelves next year. We’ll see how long I can stick to it…

The Best of 2025

So, after this rather lengthy intro, let’s get into the actual best of 2025. As always, these include a mix of new and backlist books, but they’re all ones I discovered for the first time this year. The link in the book’s title takes you to Goodreads, while the one in the text goes to my review (if I wrote one). The books are listed in no particular order, and they’re the ones that stayed with me long after reading them, not necessarily the ones I rated highest shortly after reading.

Dancing on Knives by Joanne Rush

Definitely one of the most memorable books I read this year! I discovered this one through a blog tour, and I’m so glad I did otherwise I don’t think it would have ever gotten on my radar. Deeply reflective, hopeful and haunting at once, with some truly unforgettable characters and stunning writing: discovering this little gem felt like a true privilege.

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

Definitely an easy pick – I knew Aftertaste would end up on this list since I read it. This is one of the books that fell victim to my reviewer burnout so I never actually finished writing my review for this but trust me when I say I still remember it perfectly (and I forget everything!) so that’s a sure sign of how deeply it impacted me. Love, loss, memory, and of course food all feature prominently in this highly imaginative speculative fiction book. I might actually end up re-reading this at some point.

Silverbirds by Rocky Magaña

Another blog tour discovery, and another one I’m really happy I joined based only on a gut feeling. A fantastic surprise and one of those books I’m happy to have discovered, feeling especially timely given global news at the moment. Just be mindful that it tackles some pretty heavy themes, so make sure to check the content warnings before picking it up if that might be an issue for you.

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

This book had been on my radar since it first came out, especially since I had already read and loved another of the author’s books (though it also broke my heart).

I don’t usually call books “necessary”, but I’ll make an exception for this one. Definitely a must-read.

Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd

Short but straight to the point and brimming with poignant reflections, I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. Particularly timely during the current genocide in Gaza, both to gain a better understanding of current events and to face some of the many shortcomings and hypocrisies of “the West”. Free Palestine, always.

Of Mages and Makers by Rel Carroll

Definitely a much lighter read than some of the other ones, but Of Magic and Makers was absolutely charming and delightful. I saw the author announced her new book on Instagram which is set to be the first in a companion series set in the same world as this one, plus it’s inspired by The Mummy… needless to say that’s already on my most anticipated for 2026!

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A classic for a reason. Rebecca had been on my TBR for years (literally) and I’m so, so happy that I finally picked it up. I am happy I waited to read it though, as I think I appreciated it and its nuance all the more now than I might have a few years ago.