I read a decent amount but I really stepped it up (for me) this year. This was heavily due to getting a Kindle this summer (probably my favorite non-Apple device I’ve gotten in the past half-decade at least) and Libby’s relatively new “suspend hold” feature. Anyway, for posterity, here’s what I read in 2025 (and some quick thoughts on each).

A note or two: I read a wide variety of things. While I have some favorite genres, I really don’t dislike anything. Also, if the book has an * by it, I listened to the audiobook.

• Kill For Me, Kill For You - Steve Cavanagh - One of the better twists I’ve read in a mystery.
• A Killing Cold - Kate Alice Marshall - Apparently forgettable because I can’t remember much about it.
• The God of the Woods - Liz Moore - Creepy in a good way. Recommended if you like that sort of thing.
• The Midnight Library - Matt Haig * - I’ve heard about this forever and finally read (well, listened) to it. Thumbs up.
• None Of This Is True - Lisa Jewell * - I liked some of her other things, but this one was fine.
• The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green - Very John Green (compliment). I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars.
• Middle of the Night - Riley Sager * - Another where I liked the author’s previous works, but this one didn’t stick (maybe because it was an audiobook).
• James - Percival Everett - The praise is well-deserved. Very good.
• Sea of Tranquility - Emily St John Mandel - Fun, trippy, sci-fi-ey + time travel. Up my alley.
• The Women - Kristin Hannah - Way more intense than I was expecting. Good but heavy.
• In the Garden of Beasts - Erik Larson * - Larson doesn’t miss, but this isn’t in my top tier of his, unfortunately.
• How to Solve Your Own Murder - Kristen Perrin - This was very fun. Instantly put the other books in the series on my list.
• We Were Bright and Beautiful - Jillian Medoff - Decent. I checked it out when we were in New England and I was looking for a book with that vibe, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.
• Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid - Fantastic. I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and spaceflight (and alt-history).
• The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware - Apparently I had a boat theme this fall (see more below). This was very good and I read it before watching the Netflix movie.
• The Wager - David Grann - Incredible true story. Scorsese and DiCaprio are tied to the upcoming movie and I can only imagine that will be amazing.
• Big Dumb Eyes - Nate Bargatze * - I don’t know where the dividing line is between a standup special and an audiobook, but it doesn’t matter. If you like Nate’s comedy, this is all him.
• The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - Fun and whimsical murder mystery. I like the vibe. Also watched before the Netflix movie.
• The Woman in Suite 11 - Ruth Ware - A same-year sequel! It’s just as good as the first. Probably better.
• How to Seal Your Own Fate - Kristen Perrin - Another sequel! Cozy British mysteries galore. It was a good read.
• What Kind of Paradise - Janelle Brown - Possibly the book that I’ve thought about the most after reading it. Very timely in our AI-ified world.
• A Marriage at Sea - Sophie Elmhirst - Another wild, true, sea story. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this couple before.
• Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir - A very rare re-read. I was out of books for a moment and revisited this favorite (before the movie comes out in March - which I can’t wait for).
• The Compound - Aisling Rawls - I still don’t know what I think about this one. Good but not at all what I was expecting.
• The Art Thief - Michael Finkel - Add another one to the “unbelievable true story” pile. I want a Catch Me If You Can-style movie on this guy.
• This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub - Extremely good time travel book which was recommended to me. (Thanks, Tim!) I also think about this one a ton.
• The Favorites - Layne Fargo * - A Taylor Jenkins Reid-like alt-history of an ice dance couple. Because of our ice skater, I’m somewhat in this world, so this was an interesting soap opera (and a well-narrated audiobook).
• Beartown - Fredrik Backman - Backman’s storytelling is incredibly unique and I was glad to read this one. Slow to start but I couldn’t put it down in the last half of the book. The rest of the series is already on my library hold list.