My favorite books of the year (so far)

Reflections on my reading life at the midpoint of 2025.

I am happy to report that despite ongoing sleep deprivation, postpartum fog, and a wild ride of a year, my reading life is providing a much-needed avenue of escape, intellectual discovery, and restoration for me. I remember feeling a similar shift around this time in my first postpartum experience. Then and now, around nine months postpartum, I rely on audiobooks for the bulk of my reading. I don’t know if there are physiological factors that make me feel as if my brain is slowly returning to me, or if my baby's transition to two longer naps per day makes all the difference in my being able to focus. Whatever the case may be, I am reveling in any reading time I can get, be it on audio, ebook, or paper pages.

In addition to audiobooks during nursing sessions and backyard playtime, a steady stream of romance novels interspersed with literary fiction is really working for me this year. I listen to a historical romance novel before bed to help me relax, I have a contemporary romance novel on my Kindle, and I pick up literary fiction on paper. It might seem prescriptive, but this system has naturally come about from experimentation and the weird little quirks of daily life.

We have a two story home, and I have two precocious little boys, one of whom screams doesn’t always like when I leave the room. I am not about to run up and down the stairs to fetch my book just to read two pages and let it sit on the chair for the rest of the day, so my Kindle and my library books typically stay upstairs unless I know I will have a special chunk of reading time. Basically, during sunlight hours, I listen to audiobooks. In the evening, I read in the bathtub or in bed with my Kindle or library book. It’s one less decision I have to make among the thousands bombarding me each day.

At the beginning of this summer, I decided to get any buzzy summer release I wanted for the library. I am not purchasing any books, aside from gifts, for the rest of the season—maybe even for the rest of the year. Having the library decide what to read next is another weight off of my mind. It’s also thrilling to get the hold notifications for some of my most anticipated titles! After moving back to my hometown, it feels appropriate to lean into my 12-year-old self’s library reading routine.

Since my reading habit has only recently picked back up, I wasn’t sure if I had enough books to share a so-far-in-2025 favorites list—but upon review, I found some fun surprises and playful pairings to share.

Literary Fiction

I’m still thinking about both of these literary fiction selections. I love paying attention to structure while reading, and these authors delivered unique structural storytelling. Promise was sweeping and emotional, while Audition was cerebral and shocking. I will continue to recommend both.

• Promise by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

• Audition by Katie Kitamura

A Surprising Trope

I did not have “reading two age gap romance novels back-to-back” on my summer bingo card, much less loving them! I didn’t click with Ali Hazelwoods first several romances, but her most recent releases impressed me. Bride, Deep End, and Problematic Summer Romance reveal an author who is not afraid to take risks and push against the boundaries of genre. Even if I don’t always swoon over her love stories, I can admire Hazelwood’s writing achievements. I will have more to say about Daddy Issues in a couple of months, so stay tuned.

• Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

• Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck

Historical Romance

Ah, my tried-and-true comfort genre. I was thrilled to find two novels that kept me hooked. I don’t know if Copper Script will beget more books in a series, but Don’t Let Your Dukes Grow Up to Be Scoundrels is the first in an anticipated trilogy (Book Three is coming soon).

• Don’t Let Your Dukes Grow Up to Be Scoundrels by Louisa Darling

• Copper Script by KJ Charles

Books I think will land on my favorites list

My TBR list is a mile long, but I have about three literary fiction and three nonfiction books I would love to read before the end of the year. I anticipate these will be standouts:

• Original Sins Eve Ewing

• Heart the Lover by Lily King

• The Street by Ann Petry

I imagine more midyear overviews will crop up over the next few days. Here are two posts in different formats I recommend to spark your own reflections:

2025 Midyear Book Celebration

Moods over numbers: a mid-year reading workup

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