December, 2025
December 1st, 2025, 7:54 p.m. - How not to train your dragon
48. King Sorrow (Joe Hill)
Up next: Finishing The Midnight Knock (John Fram)
December 2nd, 2025, 4:56 p.m. - Four o'clock at the oasis
49. The Midnight Knock (John Fram)
Up next: Simultaneous (Eric Heisserer)
December 8th, 2025, 5:04 p.m. - Sigh. Give me the sequel anyway
50. Simultaneous (Eric Heisserer)
Up next: Guilty by Definition (Susie Dent)
December 14th, 2025, 4:01 p.m. - At least for once, I'll be familiar with someone doing Taskmaster's New Year Treat
51. Guilty by Definition (Susie Dent)
Up next: Will There Ever Be Another You (Patricia Lockwood)
December 21st, 2025, 1:14 p.m. - I get now why this has gotten less buzz than No One Is Talking About This
52. Will There Ever Be Another You (Patricia Lockwood)
Up next: Tell Me What You Did (Carter Wilson)
December 27th, 2025, 1:55 p.m. - My theories were better than what was written
53. Tell Me What You Did (Carter Wilson)
Up next: Vera, or Faith (Gary Shteyngart)
December 30th, 2025, 12:25 p.m. - Slipping in a last-minute favorite
54. Vera, or Faith (Gary Shteyngart)
Up next: What Kind of Paradise (Janelle Brown)
December 31st, 2025, 12:24 p.m. - The 18th Annual Year-End Book Round-Up!
About halfway through the year, I was worried that I wasn't going to read anything I really enjoyed, since I didn't have many favorites listed. The second part of the year brought some great surprises. Here's to more surprises – all good – in 2026.
1. The God of the Woods, Liz Moore
The best: Sucker Punch; The Ghostwriter; Not Quite Dead Yet; King Sorrow; Vera, or Faith
Should've skipped: The Doorman
The most memorable/impactful: My Good Bright Wolf
Favorite characters: Jude Archer (We Are All Guilty Here), Billy Finney (Not Quite Dead Yet), Vera Shmulkin (Vera, or Faith)
Least favorite characters: Thomas Fletcher (You Are Fatally Invited), Jacob Hendrix (Bright and Tender Dark), June Hayward (Yellowface)
Book that most lived up to its hype: Vera, or Faith
Book that least lived up to its hype: All the Colors of the Dark
Book I was looking forward to that didn't disappoint: Sucker Punch
Books I was looking forward to that did disappoint: Parents Weekend, Fog and Fury
Books I'm most looking forward to in 2026: Adult Braces (Lindy West), Detour (Jeff Rake and Rob Hart), Out of the Loop (Katie Siegel), Exit Party (Emily St. John Mandel)
This was WILD, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. Both frustrating (also in a good way) and satisfying. I never once felt like it was too long, despite being 877 pages.
Excellent premise, not-so-excellent execution. It got too complicated. I also got uncomfortable about a white author writing his own Indigenous mythology.
Heisserer is mainly a screenwriter, and I think he should stick to that. He's great at the action stuff. This would be an amazing movie. As a book...not so much.
Too many characters and too much going on, yet I was still able to make a couple of good guesses. And I did like Dent's writing. I'd try another book by her.
Reading this required more of my brain than I expected, and I don't think I was ready for it. I may have to think on this for a while before I decide whether I liked it.
I didn't love or hate this. It was just fine. I might read more from Wilson in the future, but I'll keep my expectations low.
Delectable. 5/3 stars. I've never wanted to give someone a hug more.
2. My Good Bright Wolf, Sarah Moss
3. Home Is Where the Bodies Are, Jeneva Rose
4. A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking), Jess H. Gutierrez
5. All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker
6. The Last One at the Wedding, Jason Rekulak
7. The Beauty in Breaking, Michele Harper
8. Vantage Point, Sara Sligar
9. The Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage, Asia Mackay
10. Sucker Punch, Scaachi Koul
11. Famous Last Words, Gillian McAllister
12. Kills Wells With Others, Deanna Raybourn
13. You Are Fatally Invited, Ande Pliego
14. Bright and Tender Dark, Joanna Pearson
15. A Killing Cold, Kate Alice Marshall
16. Where You End, Abbott Kahler
17. We Are Watching, Alison Gaylin
18. Yellowface, R.F. Kuang
19. The Note, Alafair Burke
20. Jane and Dan at the End of the World, Colleen Oakley
21. The Dream Hotel, Laila Lalami
22. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V.E. Schwab
23. Retreat, Krysten Ritter
24. The Memory Collectors, Dete Meserve
25. Parents Weekend, Alex Finlay
26. The Death of Us, Abigail Dean
27. Relight My Fire, C.K. McDonnell
28. The Doorman, Chris Pavone
29. Julie Chan Is Dead, Liann Zhang
30. Don't Forget the Girl, Rebecca McKanna
31. Madwoman, Chelsea Bieker
32. Cultish, Amanda Montell
33. Our Last Resort, Clémence Michallon
34. Fog and Fury, Rachel Howzell Hall
35. You Belong Here, Megan Miranda
36. We Are All Guilty Here, Karin Slaughter
37. This Book Will Bury Me, Ashley Winstead
38. The True Happiness Company, Veena Dinavahi
39. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, Ashley Winstead
40. Replaceable You, Mary Roach
41. The Impossible Fortune, Richard Osman
42. The Ghostwriter, Julie Clark
43. Not Quite Dead Yet, Holly Jackson
44. Hot Wax, M.L. Rio
45. Keep This for Me, Jennifer Fawcett
46. Kill Your Darlings, Peter Swanson
47. Happy People Don't Live Here, Amber Sparks
48. King Sorrow, Joe Hill
49. The Midnight Knock, John Fram
50. Simultaneous, Eric Heisserer
51. Guilty by Definition, Susie Dent
52. Will There Ever Be Another You, Patricia Lockwood
53. Tell Me What You Did, Carter Wilson
54. Vera, or Faith, Gary Shteyngart