Earlier this year, I shared a bunch of books that I was looking forward to reading in 2025. There were 25 books (and trilogies and series…) I hoped to read this year and now that we’re nearing the halfway point of 2025, I thought I would offer an update.
So far, I’ve read a little over half of the books from my original list, so I’m feeling like this goal is on track for the year… here’s my progress so far:
Read
- These Violent Delights Duology by Chloe Gong. I hadn’t read this author before, but this duology came highly recommended. It’s a retelling of Romeo and Juliet but set in 1920s Shanghai. I though this duology was incredibly creative and well written.
- A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson. This fiction novel set in Canada included a missing teenager, a new neighbor, and some family drama. It’s described as suspenseful and deeply humane and I really enjoyed reading this one.
- The Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia Hibbert. I had seen this romance trilogy around for a while and since I have all three of them on ebook and audiobook, I thought I would add them to the TBR pile for 2025. They were a super fun set of romances with some good neurodiversity and disability representations.
- Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips. This mystery, about two sisters who go missing in Russia, has been on my radar since it released in 2019. I was well overdue to get this one read and I appreciated the really interesting structure of the novel told from lots of different female character’s perspectives.
- Lark Cove Series by Devney Perry. I continued my exploration of this author’s backlist with this romance series of five books. Devney is known for romance suspense novels (I loved the Eden series she wrote), and it was fun to check this series off my list.
- Superbetter by Jane McGonigal. I’ve read a couple other books by this author and really enjoyed them. McGonigal is an academic who writes for mainstream audiences and this book on gamifying routines and habits was right up my alley.
- The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. This story, about a man who has lived several lives (on his deathbed he just returns to childhood) was such an interesting structure for a novel. The writing was really rich and immersive.
- The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt. I have loved other books by A.S. Byatt (Possession is an all-time favorite), so I added this to my list for 2025. The novel tells the story of a famous children’s book author and the people around her and I can definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a 600+ page chunkster to dive into.
- The Tattered and Torn Series by Catherine Cowles. This is another author where I’ve been slowly working through her backlist. This five-book romance series was set in a small town, which Cowles writes about incredibly well in her other series, and I loved each book. The final book in the series was my favorite.
- Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell. I’ve really enjoyed past books that I’ve read from Rainbow Rowell and this trilogy, which is a queer retelling of characters similar to those in Harry Potter, was really fun to dive into.
- The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese. I’ve read two Verghese novels and they were beautifully done. This memoir, about the author’s relationship with a friend who struggled with addiction, was so well written that it read like a novel.
- The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood. This dystopian series follows a plague and includes themes of genetic engineering and environmental destruction. It was a super complicated set of topics that the author handled masterfully. I was really impressed by all the themes and elements that she was able to include here.
Up Next (books on my list to read in the next month or two)
- Daily Creative by Todd Henry. I’ve read several of this author’s books in the past on different ways to approach being a creative professional, so I was excited to see this latest book with daily motivational essays. I’ve been reading this throughout 2025 since it has chapters for each day of the year and I’ll continue to read it throughout the rest of the year.
- Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell Series by Chelsea Cain. I read this mystery series about a female serial killer and the detective who becomes obsessed with her years ago, but I’ve always remembered it. I decided to revisit it again in 2025. So far, I’ve read two of the six books and I’ll continue to chip away at the series in the coming weeks and months.
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I feel like I may be the only person who has not read this retelling of David Copperfield that’s set in Appalachia and that won a Pulitzer Prize. This book is on my summer reading list.
- The Villains Duology by V.E. Schwab. I read a Schwab trilogy last year that I really loved so I wanted to pick up this duology about two comic-book-style super villains next. This author is very creative, so I know I’m in for a good story with this set of books.
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King. An 850-page novel about a man who goes back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination? Sign me up.
- Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson. This novel is about a social worker who is trying to help the son of a paranoid survivalist in Montana. It came out over 10 years ago and has been on my TBR list ever since. I’m looking forward to seeing what I think and I thought it would be a fun July read given the title.
Unread
- Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter. I purchased this box set last year when I saw it highly recommended by someone I follow on social media. I had never heard of the series, but when I found out it takes place in a high school for teenage spies I was all in.
- The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas. This is another book that was a recommendation from social media that sounded interesting. It’s about a woman who is navigating unexpected motherhood while also trying to balance her identity as a novelist.
- Forging Silver into Stars Duology by Brigid Kemmerer. This author is one of my favorites for YA romance and fantasy. I’ve loved several of her other books and series and this duology just recently had the second book come out. From what I can tell, this is a queer romance between a King’s Courier and a blacksmith – I’m looking forward to experiencing another world built by this author.
- Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. This first book in the nine-book Expanse series is just shy of 600 pages long. Before I commit to more in the series, I wanted to give this first book a shot and see what I think. I’ve heard it’s a detective novel set in space, so it’s a mash-up of a couple of my favorite genres.
- The Curse of Ophelia Series by Nicole Platania. I follow someone on social media who is head over heels about this series. The firth book comes out in 2025, and I wanted to wait to read the series until the latest book was available. I’m ready to jump into this one this year.
- Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle. This is the dark academia book on my list this year. It follows a mage who is trying to solve the mystery of her classmates’ deaths at the Aldryn College for Lunar Magics. I’m expecting this book to have some top-level world building.
- The Evolving Self by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. I’m also working my way through this author’s back list. I read Creativity last year and Flow many years before that. I really appreciate the balance between the academic lens and the everyday practicality of his writing.
What have you loved reading so far this year? What’s still on your TRB pile?
