Bookish Moments
My 2025 reading list and book challenge...📚
Hi friends,
If you know me, and some of you do, then you know that I LOVE to read. I usually set myself a challenge of 24 books for the year, two books a month - I’ve done so the last three years, and each year I’ve surpassed that goal. Yay, me! 😊
I did the same thing at the beginning of 2025, knowing that most of my reading time happens once I’m in bed — hello Kindle — and honestly, I don’t want the pressure of trying to read more. I want to enjoy the books I read and relax while doing so. And, I love the feeling of surpassing my own goal — again. Who wouldn’t? Once I reached 24 books earlier this year, I adjusted my reading goal to 30. Today, I finished the last book of the year, and my total count hit 41 books for 2025. Last year, I read 34 books, so I even surpassed that count. Pretty good for someone who gets easily distracted by Instagram and scrolls endlessly through the notes section here on Substack, instead of posting my own content. There’s also a full-time teaching job, cheer coaching, and a little photography on the side, and of course, my family. Yes, we are all busy in one way or another, but there’s still time to get lost in a good book if that’s what floats your boat.
So, without further ado, here are all 41 books I read this year.
*There seem to be a few books missing from the compilation that Goodreads created. I also read The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts, the third book in the Lost Bride Trilogy, and The White Album by Joan Didion.
A few of these were for work again, but most I read for my own enjoyment.
Looking at the pictures of the covers, it seems I’ve read quite a few of Emily Henry's books this year. I started with Great Big Beautiful Life and then fell into a bit of a rabbit hole where I just read a bunch of her books in a row. My favorite was Happy Place, it just got to me — miscommunication, mistrust in your own feelings and thoughts, and those of others, an old group of friends all together at one place for a weekend.
Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben was another one that I really enjoyed - I love a good mystery without too much blood, death, and gore.
The last book I read was Remarkably Bright Creatures by Anita Van Pelt. It’s narrated by an octopus, which at first I wasn’t so sure about, but I got sucked in pretty quickly and couldn’t wait to read each day. I’m just sorry I waited so long to pick it up. Don’t make my mistake!
The standout for me this year was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I’ve had this one on my TBR pile for a few years, and even started reading it once or twice, but I could never quite get into it. This time, when I picked it up, something just clicked, and I was invested from the first page. This book made me cry big, fat, ugly tears and feel all the emotions. It’s one of those books that just got to me deep in my soul, and I needed time to digest before reading the next one. I downloaded A Thousand Splendid Suns right away so I don’t forget about it. It’s on my TBR list for this year. I will report back once I’ve read it.
Let me know if you’ve read any of the books above and which one was your favorite. I’m also always open to suggestions and will happily add to my ever-growing book stack.
Thank you for stopping by and reading. Until next time.
