march: 5, 6, 7 & 8

not my father's son, by alan cumming (i listened to the audiobook and it turns out i read it before!  thanks, blog for reminding me of that when i got halfway through and was like I HAVE DEFINITELY READ THIS BEFORE HOW ELSE COULD I KNOW WHERE THIS WAS GOING.  loved it - great memoir - would highly recommend if you have any interest in alan cumming.  he reads the audiobook, which is excellent!)

imbeciles: the supreme court, american eugenics, and the sterilization of carrie buck, by adam cohen (this was not a light read but was an important one and i was glad to dive into this (really problematic) era of american history.  i definitely recommend this to people who like reading nonfiction.)

isola, by allegra goodman (i read this because we were considering it for a summer reading book for students; we ultimately decided not to pick it but i am glad i read it - historical fiction that was pretty interesting and compelling.  well written.  i'd recommend!)

the road to tender hearts, by annie hartnett (i looooooved this book and have added the other books by this author to my list.  funny, touching, compelling - i really wanted to know how the storyline was going to play out.  my version of an excellent beach read that you could read in a weekend!)

february: 3 & 4

atmosphere, by taylor jenkins reid (i listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed it.  love story around a NASA mission...with enough of a twist to keep it interesting.  taylor jenkins reid can tell a compelling story!  would recommend.)

the wilderness, by angela flournoy (the author is coming to pittsburgh next week and i'm going to see her speak - that was the impetus for reading this book.  it follows four friends through chapters narrated by all four women - relationships (that you see from multiple perspectives), life changes, reflections on society.  i liked this book, though four narrators and a non-linear storyline did make it a bit hard to follow.  i'll be interested to hear more from this author!)

january: 1 & 2

when will there be good news?, by kate atkinson (this is the third book in the jackson brodie series and i enjoyed it.  mystery without being formulaic and with a depth of characters you don't always find.  i'll be continuing with the series!)

before i forget, by tory henwood hoen (this was a book of the month club pick and i liked it more than i thought i might.  it's about going home again, our relationships with our parents, and how the past impacts our present.  i won't be running out to recommend it to anyone, but i'm glad i read it.)

2025 in books

this year i read 42 books, which is fewer than last year but in line with the last five or so years of reading.  9 of those books meet some sort of diversity standard (as in, the main character or author is not white) - not a terribly impressive number and one i hope to change for next year.  and 23 of those books (more than half) were from the library. 

a goal of mine in 2026 is to read more books that i own - ones i want to read but keep putting on the back burner as something new and exciting comes out.  let 2026 be the year that i whittle down my stash!

my favorite books of 2025:

nonfiction:

• eve, by cat bohannon
• prairie fires: the american dreams of laura ingalls wilder, by caroline fraser
• travels with charley in search of america, by john steinbeck
• everything is tuberculosis, by john green

fiction:

• lonesome dove, by larry mcmurtry
• wild dark shore, by charlotte mcconaghy
• the slip, by lucas schaefer

december: 42

i only read one book in december...which isn't entirely true, because i read 400 pages of war and peace as well, but i am still 1,000 pages away from finishing that.  i only *finished* one book in december:

the slip, by lucas schaefer (this is a book by a college classmate of mine and it was so fucking good.  how is this a debut novel?  how do i know someone who wrote a book this good?  there's a non-typical sex scene but otherwise i recommend this to everyone, with the caveat that there are a lot of characters to keep straight.  but there are so interesting and the mystery is so good and i read the last 75 pages on super speed claire mode so i could find out what happened.  loved it!)