Top 25 Books I Read in 2025 and Retrospective

Normally this would be a video.  However, I really haven’t been doing any video recordings yet in my new space and don’t have a set up for it.  My rambling below is relevant to this post…in a round about way.

This was a huge year of change for my family and I think I am still reeling from it all and re-evaluating what I want to spend my time on.

This year:

• I quite my corporate job and started working for a start up that is doing something I believe in.
• My son graduated high school and started college.
• We sold our house in the Twin Cities and moved north to Duluth
• We had three cats pass away and adopted two new ones (I am not used to having young cats they are insane).
• We finished a huge reno on the attic in our Duluth house.  This involved removing the roof off of half of the house and both dealing with contractors and us spending 2-3hrs a night working on it.  The result is a beautiful office for me and a master bedroom with ensuite that we are really loving.  However, we just finished this in November and I am still feeling incredibly burnt out from the effort we put into this; although happy we are done.  There is still a lot of work we want to do to this house but nothing as crazy as the attic reno.

In the end I didn’t read as much.  A lot of that is due to the sheer load of work and change I was dealing with this year.  Some of it is because of the current political situation, it feels like a constant load on my shoulders.  I hate seeing people suffer and watching them lose support and rights. It feels like we are moving backwards as a society and losing a lot of progress we made.

I also made very few videos.  Part of that is again because of the sheer load of work and change.  Part of that is also because I am trying to figure out what really matters to me. Do I want to be hiking or sitting in front of my desk alone editing videos? I don’t have a huge following (to be honest I don’t really work to have a huge following) so what does all the time and effort posting videos buy me?  If I am not enjoying it anymore then it’s probably not worth doing.  Which isn’t to say I have made a decision about videos one way or the other.  However, I am taking a step back to see if I will miss doing it….spoiler, so far I am not missing it at all.

That is all to say for 2025 my “best of” posts are going to be just that…posts.  And with that I will get on with it.

The “Top 25 Books I Read in 2025” are shown below with links to their reviews:

1. Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (5/5 stars):  I loved this; it was magical, enchanting, unexpected and thought-provoking. The world building is was really made this story shine. I also enjoyed the characters, the adventure, and the subtle romance. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Yambao’s future books but will also be checking out some of her existing books like “A Dream of Trees”.

2. Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, Book 3) by Heather Fawcett (5/5 stars): I love Wendell and Emily and their relationship, and I enjoyed all the time we get to spend in faerie. This is a well-written fantasy with heavy faerie themes, a lot of humor, some adventure, and a cozy feel to it. I really hope there are additional books in this series. 

3. Lightning in Her Hands (Wild Magic, Book 2) by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (5/5 stars):  This was so fun and easy to read. This book nearly reads itself, and I finished it in just a couple sittings. I love the Flores family, although I wasn’t a huge fan of Teal initially, I really grew to respect and love her as the book continued. This is such a fun and cozy paranormal read, with some very steamy romance parts, and some wonderful magic as well. I am looking forward to Sky’s story!

4. A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman (5/5 stars):  This was a sweet, funny, and heart-breaking story about a grumpy old man who gets force-ably drug back into helping out his neighbors and re-joining the community as a whole. We get to understand this old man, his challenging history, and realize that maybe everyone should be given a chance to be more than they first seem. I would recommend to those looking for an emotional contemporary fiction read that is both humorous and heart-warming.

5. Cold as Hell (Haven’s Rock, Book 3) by Kelley Armstrong (5/5 stars):  I loved this new addition to the Haven’s Rock series. If you love murder mysteries and police procedurals with some survival and thriller elements I would recommend. This series also has a lot of very intriguing characters and a cozy feeling community as well. I eagerly await Kelley Armstrong’s next book.

6. Death at a Highland Wedding (A Rip Through Time, Book 4) by Kelley Armstrong (5/5 stars):   I really loved this book. The characters have really grown on me, and I have enjoyed watching them grow and learn as characters and also enjoyed watching these slow burn romances progress. I love that we have a better understanding of the time travel aspects here and really enjoy the way the mystery is woven and resolved. I think this was the strongest book of the series yet.

7. Chaos on CatNet (CatNet, Book 2) by Naomi Kritzer (5/5 stars):  I really enjoyed this second book and the series as a whole. It is a fun read with wonderful friend and family dynamics. Additionally, it is an interesting take on AI issues, explores some political issues, packs a wonderful mystery, has some action, and is just a very entertaining read. I will definitely be taking a look at other books Kritzer has written in the future.

8. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed Duology, Book 1) by Brigitte Knightley (5/5 stars):  I ended up absolutely loving this. I loved the characters here; they are complex and engaging. I loved the world building with the magic, different Orders, and both the political and Order conflicts. I absolutely loved watching Osric and Aurienne get to know each other and realize they are more than just their stereotypes. I look forward to reading the second book when it releases. I would recommend to those who enjoy an intriguing fantasy story with magic and some politics and don’t mind a slow burn romance as the focus.

9. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (5/5 stars):  I am very happy I read this and plan to read more of Kristin Hannah’s book moving forward. This is an excellent read that shows how the women of WWII suffered and how brave they were. In particular, this shows the perspective in France from the beginning to the end of the war. Although this is a tough read emotionally and very heartbreaking at times, it is beautifully written and very engaging.

10.   A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, Book 2) by Robert Jackson Bennett (5/5 stars):  I love the world-building here; this is an absolutely fascinating world. I also really enjoy the complex characters and learning more about the background of both Din and Ana. The amazing world and characters, coupled with this very well done mystery, make this an excellent and engaging read. My only small complaint would be that I felt like some times there was too much time spent on the fine details of the mystery and this slowed the story down some. However, I am not a huge fan of police procedurals in general, so if you are, you will love this. I look forward to the next book in this series.

11. This Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 7) by Matt Dinniman, Narrated by Jeff Hays, Travis Baldree (5/5 stars): I loved this and thought it was an amazing continuation of the DCC series. I absolutely love everything about this series. There is an amazing cast of characters here, the plot is complex and interesting, this is very fast-paced and there is a lot of action. I can’t even begin to scratch the surface of everything I love about this series in this short review. I would highly recommend this whole series and am incredibly excited for the next book, “Carl’s Book of Boom”!

12.   Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (5/5 stars):  I enjoyed the premise and the characters; this is thought-provoking, action-packed, and engaging. The footnotes about prison stats throughout make this story feel even more impactful and real. I will definitely check out future books by Adjei-Brenyah.

13. Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove (5/5 stars): This was so much fun, action-packed, thought-provoking, and just a very well done and creative mash-up of paranormal tropes in a sci-fi world. It was a very engaging story on so many levels and practically read itself. I would highly recommend this book, especially if a quirky sci-fi story involving AI and paranormal creatures sounds intriguing to you.

14. The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam (Hart and Mercy, Book 3) by Megan Bannen (5/5 stars):  I adored this book and this series as a whole. This book was wonderful all on its own but also did an amazing job of tying in with the mysteries and the world presented in the first two books of this series. Rosie and Adam were intriguing characters that I was worried were going to be hard to engage with but ended up absolutely loving; the chemistry between them was off the charts. I love the world of Tanria and how much it changes throughout the series; I also love the adventure in these novels. This whole series has a cozy and heart-warming feel to it while also having excellent world-building, an intriguing mystery, and a steamy romance. It is just very well balanced. I am eager to see what Bannen comes up with next.

15. Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (5/5 stars):  This is an entertaining blend of mystery, fairy tales, magic, and horror that I really enjoyed. The characters are quirky and fun. This is all written in Kingfisher’s signature style, which is a bit blunt at times but also witty, darkly humorous, and easy to read. While I don’t think this is my absolute favorite Kingfisher book, I still really loved it.

16. Their Kingdom Come (The Night Eaters, Vol 3) by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda (5/5 stars):  This does an amazing job of wrapping up the Night Eaters series. The illustration is phenomenal, the story is well done, complex but still easy to follow, and I loved how the characters grew throughout the series. This is a fun dark contemporary fantasy graphic novel that I enjoyed a lot. I also just really loved this whole series overall. I will continue to pick up any graphic novels by this amazing duo.

17. The Summer War by Naomi Novik (5/5 stars): I always enjoy Novik’s books, and this was no exception. It is tough to put a whole fantasy world, amazing characters, and an engaging story into such a small page space and have it work, but Novik did just that. I loved the world in an uneasy truce, the characters trying their best to be good but messing things up, and the way everyone pulls together to make things better. I read this in one sitting and couldn’t put it down. I am excited to see what Novik writes next.

18. Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross (5/5 stars): This was a beautifully written story that sucks you right in and practically reads itself. I loved how this expanded on (and better explained) the world behind the Letters of Enchantment duology. I would highly recommend to fans of that series. I would also recommend if you are looking for a beautifully written fantasy romance with amazing world-building and characters that is about gods and humans trying to survive.

19. The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry (5/5 stars)  This was an engaging and beautifully written with fantastic world-building and a wonderful cast of characters. I am always impressed by how Parry merges actual history with the faerie world and creates a seamless and intriguing story. This did take me some time to read, even though every time I sat down to read it I was again impressed with the writing. There was just something about how long the chapters were that prevented me from binge reading it. I would recommend to those who enjoy faerie and historical fantasies. 

20. The Enchanted Greenhouse (The Spellshop, Book 2) by Sarah Beth Durst (5/5 stars)  This was an amazing sequel to The Spellshop. The characters are engaging and well done. I loved the magic and mystery, the humor and romance, and how heartwarming the story was. This was an excellent cozy fantasy read. I am excited to see that a third book, Sea of Charms, is planned for release in this series in July of 2026. I would recommend to fans of romantic fantasy, cozy fantasy, and magical fantasy.

21. The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (5/5 stars):   This was an excellent story full of amazing characters and a storyline that is unpredictable and heartbreaking. This is a unique read that is not your typical romantic fantasy. There is a lot of food for thought here, and this was very hard for me to put down. I thought this was the best Harrow book I had read to date and look forward to her future stories.

22. Icy Betrayals (Elemental Web Chronicles, Book 5) by Anne Renwick (5/5 stars)  I always look forward to a new Anne Renwick book! She does an amazing job of blending science, mythology, adventure, and romance into a fast-paced read. I love the world here, the intriguing characters, the steamy romance, and the amazing mythology and magic. This is just a very well done blend of many things I love and is written in a way that is easy to read. I look forward to the next book in the Elemental Web universe. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy science, romance, adventure, and some fantasy elements as well.

23. Raybearer (Raybearer, Book 1) by Jordan Ifueko (5/5 stars): This was a fantastic fantasy read. It has excellent world-building, amazing characters, and a variety of engaging story elements that really kept me intrigued and engaged. If you are looking for your next fantasy read, I would definitely recommend. I look forward to reading the second book in this duology, “Redemptor”.

24. Arrow of Fortune (Raiders of the Arcana, Book 3) by Jacquelyn Benson (5/5 stars):  I absolutely loved this book and think it is a wonderful addition to the Raiders of the Arcana series. I love the characters, the world, and the adventures. This was easy to read, humorous, action-packed, and highly entertaining. I love the slightly magical take on historical fiction and enjoy the adventure with some romance wrapped in. This whole series has been a fantastic read and I would highly recommend to those who enjoy archaeological adventures with some romance.

25. Kings of the Wyld (The Band, Book 1) by Nicholas Eames, Narrated by Jeff Harding (5/5 stars): This was a wonderfully fast-paced, humorous, and thoughtful romp. This was a lot of fun to read; I enjoyed the characters, the action and the adventure. The story has a very nostalgic adventure fantasy tone to it but with the twist of our characters being older. I look forward to reading future books by Eames and plan to pick up “Bloody Rose” to read relatively soon (in the next few months).