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florianschildI am once again completing my Year in Books meme! I had so much fun with this meme last year and I really enjoyed going back and reviewing my answers again as I prepared for this year's reflection. So without further ado...
In 2025 I made a New Year's Resolution to commit to rereading favorite books, which you'll see that I was very successful with! Rereads will be marked with a *.
2025 Book List:
1. The Rifter Book One: The Shattered Gates by Ginn Hale *
2. Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland
3. The More You Do The Better You Feel: How to Overcome Procrastination and Live a Happier Life by David Parker
4. The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves by J.B. MacKinnon
5. The Rifter Book Two: The Holy Road by Ginn Hale *
6. The Uses of Illicit Art by Wendy Palmer
7. Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat *
8. The Rifter Book Three: His Sacred Bones by Ginn Hale *
9. Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat *
10. Halfway Human by Carolyn Ives Gilman *
11. Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat *
12. Westmark by Lloyd Alexander *
13. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien *
14. The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander *
15. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander *
17. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy *
18. The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
19. Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (And Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham
20. How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis
21. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner *
22. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner *
23. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner *
24. The Fire's Stone by Tanya Huff
25. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner *
26. Holes by Louis Sacher *
27. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card *
28. Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
29. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
30. Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
The first book you read in 2025:
Although I started it in December of 2024, the first book I finished was book 1 of the Rifter trilogy by Ginn Hale.
The last book you finished in 2025:
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
The first book you will finish (or did finish!) in 2026:
Probably The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. I read like 90% of it over the summer but got distracted and just need to go back and finish it up.
How many books read in 2025
30!
Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
24:6 fiction:non-fiction
Male/Female authors?
7:14 male:female ratio (there were quite a few authors who I read multiple books from)
Most books read by one author this year?
4 books by Megan Whalen Turner
Favorite books read?
This is a tough one because it was my year of rereading! I reread so many favorites so I really enjoyed all of those. Of the rereads, I think my most enjoyable experience was maybe The Queen of Attolia, which I listened to as an audiobook for the first time. Of the new-to-me books, I think my favorite was probably The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Best books you read in 2025?
Last year I pondered what "best" meant and decided to go by overall rating on Storygraph. Interestingly, of the books I read, the highest rated on Storygraph is Sunrise on the Reaping, which I personally hated and gave 1 star - my lowest rating of the year.
Least favorite?
Honestly, it's probably a toss-up between Sunrise on Reaping for being the biggest cash grab piece of crap or The Fire's Stone for just being incredibly boring and putting me in a reading slump.
Most disappointing book/Book you wished you loved more than you did?
I'm going to say The Uses of Illicit Art by Wendy Palmer because there IS an amazing story there, it's just that it desperately needed a really extensive edit and a few more drafts. For a book that I very nearly DNF'ed, I still think about it a lot and would love to read more about the main character.
Best series you discovered in 2025?
I think the only new series I started in 2025 was Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, so while it wins by default I don't think it was particularly good.
Favorite new author you discovered this year?
So many of the books I read this year were not new authors to me, so this is very slim pickings lol. I am going to say Wendy Palmer, kind of by default but I also think she has a lot of potential.
Oldest book read?
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, written in 1905.
Newest?
Sunrise on the Reaping
Longest book title?
The More You Do The Better You Feel: How to Overcome Procrastination and Live a Happier Life by David Parker
Shortest title?
Holes by Louis Sacher
How many re-reads?
18!
Any in translation?
Not this year
How many of this year's books were from the library?
17, although I owned some of those in physical form. I used my library to get the audiobook versions
Book that most changed my perspective:
Although it was a reread, the experience of reading the Westmark Trilogy as an adult really identified some concepts that I think were very influential on me as a young reader (I first read these when I was around 13 or 14). The political ideology of this book really got deep into me and, to this day, I think it affects how I feel about the world. The romanticization of revolution and how Theo grapples with making decisions where no outcome is without some measure of loss: these were really formative to me. So yeah, while the series might not have changed my current perspective on the world since it was a reread, it did change my understanding of my own development.
Favorite character:
Again, it's hard because there were SO MANY beloved characters in my rereads. Of all my rereads I think I most enjoyed spending time with John Toffler from The Rifter.
Most memorable character:
There are of course a lot here too, but I think Eugenides is one of the most memorable characters to anyone who has read The Queen's Thief series.
Favorite scene:
Ugh, so hard to choose just one from my rereads as they are all favorites. Just to pick one that I adore (contains spoilers for The Queen of Attolia):
When Irene is in the army camp in Eddis and goes to talk to Eugenides and she sees the doctor pulling the cuff with his hook off. I love that moment of vulnerability for both of them.
One more because I can't pick only one (contains MAJOR spoilers for The Rifter):
After John kills Dayyid and he realizes that Ravishan is Kyle, he is in the hospital bed contemplating Kyle's timeline, aka Ravishan's timeline if he had never met John: "He would endure years alone in Nayeshi. He would never abandon his duty." It gives me chills every time.
Favorite quote:
This quote from Halfway Human has been popping in my head lately:
“I knew I was really there, because I was the thing his arms encircled, the thing his love defined.”
I know it sounds silly, but I always think of it when I'm petting my cat!
Most inspirational in terms of own writing?
Probably my reread of The Rifter, I think all the time about fic that I want to write for that series. Of course, I haven't written much of anything lately…
How many you'd actually read again?
Pretty much everything that was a reread, so 18 books, I'd be willing to read again. Of the new books, I'll probably only consider rereading scenes from The Uses of Illicit Art and possibly rereading parts of Rebecca again.
A book that you never want to read again:
For sure The Fire's Stone by Tanya Huff. It was so boring.
Book you recommended most to others in 2025?
For universal appeal, I'd most recommend The Queen's Thief series. For those with discerning good taste in indie lgbtq+ fantasy (my people!) it would be The Rifter every time!
The book series you read the most volumes of in 2025:
I read 4 volumes of The Queen's Thief series
The genre you read the most in 2025:
17 fantasy
3 sci-fi
2 self-help/productivity
2 middle grade
2 memoir
2 classic
1 business
1 sociology
Your favorite "classic" you read in 2025:
The Scarlet Pimpernel, but the only other classic I read was Rebecca and it was also really good.
Most surprising (in a good way) book of the year?
Definitely The Third Gilmore Girl, because I forgot about Kelly Bishop being in the original cast of A Chorus Line. Her chapters about her life as a broadway dancer were very interesting.
The hardest book you read in 2025 (topic or writing style):
The Day the World Stops Shopping was a heavy topic
The funniest book you read in 2025:
I find Lloyd Alexander's writing to be amusing and even funny at times.
The saddest book you read in 2025:
Hmmm. Sunrise on the Reaping was both tragically sad plot-wise and in how it spoiled my enjoyment of the original Hunger Games trilogy. Rebecca was also incredibly melancholy in tone.
The shortest book you read in 2025:
How to Keep House While Drowning
The longest book that you read in 2025:
Sword Catcher
Best book that was outside your comfort zone/a new genre for you?
Probably Rebecca, as I don't read a lot of classics.
Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2025?
All my rereads, but maybe the most unputdownable this time was The Captive Prince trilogy. I enjoyed it a LOT more on reread than when I first read it.
Most beautifully written book in 2025?
Got to be Rebecca
Book you most anticipated in 2025?
I wasn't really highly anticipating anything, but I guess How to Keep House While Drowning because I had been hearing about it for a while and I had to wait for it to be available at the library.
Favorite cover of a book you read in 2025?
Oh that's easy: Yield Under Great Persuasion was a pure cover buy
Book that had the greatest impact on you this year?
The Fire's Stone negatively impacted me in the sense that it put me in a reading slump. Does that count?
Book you can't believe you waited till 2025 to finally read?
I had The More You Do The Better You Feel on my "Currently Reading" list for a record 940 days. Ironically, this is a book about beating procrastination. I don't even know what else to say…
Book that had a scene that left you reeling and dying to talk to someone about it?
I mean there are so many scenes like that in both The Rifter and Halfway Human and Westmark, and Captive Prince, and The Queen's Thief…. So yeah most of them honestly.
Looking Ahead:
One book you didn't read this year that will be your #1 priority in 2026?
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - I started it in September but got distracted by a few other things. I'm now back to reading it and THOROUGHLY enjoying it.
New book you are most anticipating for 2026?
I have a vague idea of trying to read more popular new releases this year, so one I've got my eye on is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. It's about a tradwife who gets transported into 1855 and has to see what it was actually like. It comes out in April.
In 2025 I made a New Year's Resolution to commit to rereading favorite books, which you'll see that I was very successful with! Rereads will be marked with a *.
2025 Book List:
1. The Rifter Book One: The Shattered Gates by Ginn Hale *
2. Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland
3. The More You Do The Better You Feel: How to Overcome Procrastination and Live a Happier Life by David Parker
4. The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves by J.B. MacKinnon
5. The Rifter Book Two: The Holy Road by Ginn Hale *
6. The Uses of Illicit Art by Wendy Palmer
7. Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat *
8. The Rifter Book Three: His Sacred Bones by Ginn Hale *
9. Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat *
10. Halfway Human by Carolyn Ives Gilman *
11. Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat *
12. Westmark by Lloyd Alexander *
13. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien *
14. The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander *
15. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander *
17. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy *
18. The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
19. Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (And Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham
20. How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis
21. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner *
22. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner *
23. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner *
24. The Fire's Stone by Tanya Huff
25. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner *
26. Holes by Louis Sacher *
27. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card *
28. Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
29. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
30. Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
The first book you read in 2025:
Although I started it in December of 2024, the first book I finished was book 1 of the Rifter trilogy by Ginn Hale.
The last book you finished in 2025:
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
The first book you will finish (or did finish!) in 2026:
Probably The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. I read like 90% of it over the summer but got distracted and just need to go back and finish it up.
How many books read in 2025
30!
Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
24:6 fiction:non-fiction
Male/Female authors?
7:14 male:female ratio (there were quite a few authors who I read multiple books from)
Most books read by one author this year?
4 books by Megan Whalen Turner
Favorite books read?
This is a tough one because it was my year of rereading! I reread so many favorites so I really enjoyed all of those. Of the rereads, I think my most enjoyable experience was maybe The Queen of Attolia, which I listened to as an audiobook for the first time. Of the new-to-me books, I think my favorite was probably The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Best books you read in 2025?
Last year I pondered what "best" meant and decided to go by overall rating on Storygraph. Interestingly, of the books I read, the highest rated on Storygraph is Sunrise on the Reaping, which I personally hated and gave 1 star - my lowest rating of the year.
Least favorite?
Honestly, it's probably a toss-up between Sunrise on Reaping for being the biggest cash grab piece of crap or The Fire's Stone for just being incredibly boring and putting me in a reading slump.
Most disappointing book/Book you wished you loved more than you did?
I'm going to say The Uses of Illicit Art by Wendy Palmer because there IS an amazing story there, it's just that it desperately needed a really extensive edit and a few more drafts. For a book that I very nearly DNF'ed, I still think about it a lot and would love to read more about the main character.
Best series you discovered in 2025?
I think the only new series I started in 2025 was Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, so while it wins by default I don't think it was particularly good.
Favorite new author you discovered this year?
So many of the books I read this year were not new authors to me, so this is very slim pickings lol. I am going to say Wendy Palmer, kind of by default but I also think she has a lot of potential.
Oldest book read?
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, written in 1905.
Newest?
Sunrise on the Reaping
Longest book title?
The More You Do The Better You Feel: How to Overcome Procrastination and Live a Happier Life by David Parker
Shortest title?
Holes by Louis Sacher
How many re-reads?
18!
Any in translation?
Not this year
How many of this year's books were from the library?
17, although I owned some of those in physical form. I used my library to get the audiobook versions
Book that most changed my perspective:
Although it was a reread, the experience of reading the Westmark Trilogy as an adult really identified some concepts that I think were very influential on me as a young reader (I first read these when I was around 13 or 14). The political ideology of this book really got deep into me and, to this day, I think it affects how I feel about the world. The romanticization of revolution and how Theo grapples with making decisions where no outcome is without some measure of loss: these were really formative to me. So yeah, while the series might not have changed my current perspective on the world since it was a reread, it did change my understanding of my own development.
Favorite character:
Again, it's hard because there were SO MANY beloved characters in my rereads. Of all my rereads I think I most enjoyed spending time with John Toffler from The Rifter.
Most memorable character:
There are of course a lot here too, but I think Eugenides is one of the most memorable characters to anyone who has read The Queen's Thief series.
Favorite scene:
Ugh, so hard to choose just one from my rereads as they are all favorites. Just to pick one that I adore (contains spoilers for The Queen of Attolia):
When Irene is in the army camp in Eddis and goes to talk to Eugenides and she sees the doctor pulling the cuff with his hook off. I love that moment of vulnerability for both of them.
One more because I can't pick only one (contains MAJOR spoilers for The Rifter):
After John kills Dayyid and he realizes that Ravishan is Kyle, he is in the hospital bed contemplating Kyle's timeline, aka Ravishan's timeline if he had never met John: "He would endure years alone in Nayeshi. He would never abandon his duty." It gives me chills every time.
Favorite quote:
This quote from Halfway Human has been popping in my head lately:
“I knew I was really there, because I was the thing his arms encircled, the thing his love defined.”
I know it sounds silly, but I always think of it when I'm petting my cat!
Most inspirational in terms of own writing?
Probably my reread of The Rifter, I think all the time about fic that I want to write for that series. Of course, I haven't written much of anything lately…
How many you'd actually read again?
Pretty much everything that was a reread, so 18 books, I'd be willing to read again. Of the new books, I'll probably only consider rereading scenes from The Uses of Illicit Art and possibly rereading parts of Rebecca again.
A book that you never want to read again:
For sure The Fire's Stone by Tanya Huff. It was so boring.
Book you recommended most to others in 2025?
For universal appeal, I'd most recommend The Queen's Thief series. For those with discerning good taste in indie lgbtq+ fantasy (my people!) it would be The Rifter every time!
The book series you read the most volumes of in 2025:
I read 4 volumes of The Queen's Thief series
The genre you read the most in 2025:
17 fantasy
3 sci-fi
2 self-help/productivity
2 middle grade
2 memoir
2 classic
1 business
1 sociology
Your favorite "classic" you read in 2025:
The Scarlet Pimpernel, but the only other classic I read was Rebecca and it was also really good.
Most surprising (in a good way) book of the year?
Definitely The Third Gilmore Girl, because I forgot about Kelly Bishop being in the original cast of A Chorus Line. Her chapters about her life as a broadway dancer were very interesting.
The hardest book you read in 2025 (topic or writing style):
The Day the World Stops Shopping was a heavy topic
The funniest book you read in 2025:
I find Lloyd Alexander's writing to be amusing and even funny at times.
The saddest book you read in 2025:
Hmmm. Sunrise on the Reaping was both tragically sad plot-wise and in how it spoiled my enjoyment of the original Hunger Games trilogy. Rebecca was also incredibly melancholy in tone.
The shortest book you read in 2025:
How to Keep House While Drowning
The longest book that you read in 2025:
Sword Catcher
Best book that was outside your comfort zone/a new genre for you?
Probably Rebecca, as I don't read a lot of classics.
Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2025?
All my rereads, but maybe the most unputdownable this time was The Captive Prince trilogy. I enjoyed it a LOT more on reread than when I first read it.
Most beautifully written book in 2025?
Got to be Rebecca
Book you most anticipated in 2025?
I wasn't really highly anticipating anything, but I guess How to Keep House While Drowning because I had been hearing about it for a while and I had to wait for it to be available at the library.
Favorite cover of a book you read in 2025?
Oh that's easy: Yield Under Great Persuasion was a pure cover buy
Book that had the greatest impact on you this year?
The Fire's Stone negatively impacted me in the sense that it put me in a reading slump. Does that count?
Book you can't believe you waited till 2025 to finally read?
I had The More You Do The Better You Feel on my "Currently Reading" list for a record 940 days. Ironically, this is a book about beating procrastination. I don't even know what else to say…
Book that had a scene that left you reeling and dying to talk to someone about it?
I mean there are so many scenes like that in both The Rifter and Halfway Human and Westmark, and Captive Prince, and The Queen's Thief…. So yeah most of them honestly.
Looking Ahead:
One book you didn't read this year that will be your #1 priority in 2026?
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - I started it in September but got distracted by a few other things. I'm now back to reading it and THOROUGHLY enjoying it.
New book you are most anticipating for 2026?
I have a vague idea of trying to read more popular new releases this year, so one I've got my eye on is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. It's about a tradwife who gets transported into 1855 and has to see what it was actually like. It comes out in April.
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Date: 2026-01-19 07:58 pm (UTC)I'm midway through Who Deserves Your Love by KC Davis and she kept the same writing style that she employed in How to Keep House... which I appreciate.
What was it like to read Ender's game in 2026?
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Date: 2026-01-19 08:07 pm (UTC)I liked How to Keep House and I had no idea she had another book! I might have to check that out...
Rereading Ender's Game was wild, actually! So, SO many angles you could come at it from: the way Card predicted so many technologies including the importance of the internet in building political power, the governmental structure and how increasingly far-fetched a unified world government feels, and even the sociological implications of population restriction vs space travel... it was very fun to revisit but also kind of grim, especially knowing that Card is a total asswipe.
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Date: 2026-01-19 09:04 pm (UTC)I reread Ender's Game around the time the movie came out, because I wanted my kids to read the book before watching the movie, but first I wanted to remind myself of what was in the book (I'd loved it when I read it in high school in the 90s, but that's a long time ago, and before I knew anything about OSC's views). I thought it held up surprisingly well, but the building political power via the internet plot line felt ridiculous at the time -- I feel like it would seem much more plausible now, especially the polarization of Locke vs Demosthenes.
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Date: 2026-01-19 11:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-19 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-19 08:59 pm (UTC)That's a really neat experience! And I think it totally counts for the perspective question.
I had The More You Do The Better You Feel on my "Currently Reading" list for a record 940 days. Ironically, this is a book about beating procrastination. I don't even know what else to say…
OK, that made me giggle XD
It's about a tradwife who gets transported into 1855 and has to see what it was actually like.
That's an intriguing premise!