I’ve read a lot this year…

It’s November 13th, and so far I have read 43 books in 2025, not including the many books I DNF’d (did not finish). That’s a lot for me, especially since I usually read at night before bed, and I tend to fall asleep pretty quickly (requiring me to re-read pages the next night that I was “reading” while simultaneously drifting into a dream.

Add to this the fact that my older daughter now stays up until 9:30 and likes to read in bed with me. Which is sweet and I love it, but she is a child who is always in motion and making noise. It can be hard to concentrate on my book while she’s wriggling next to me, singing to herself or making random popping and grunting sounds.

I mentioned in a previous post that I prefer solitude and silence for writing; the same is true when I’m reading. I don’t necessarily need solitude, but I am easily distracted. I cannot, for example, read a book while music is playing or people are talking in the background. A TV show or video game? No way. Really, it’s amazing I get much reading done at all. But here’s what I did this year that was different:

How I read a lot of books this year (it was very simple):

1. I make sure to always have a stack of books on hand.

I don’t know if this is an everywhere thing, but our library system no longer charges late fees. So I’ve stopped being conservative about how many books I check out. I just check out a TON of books because even though I only technically have three weeks to return them, really I have… forever?

I mean, yes, I try to return the books in a timely manner. And yes, eventually, the library will mark the book as lost and charge you. (I know this because of my children losing books, not me), but every time I try to pay the fine, the librarian will say, “well, do you think you might find it? You can still check out books. You really don’t have to pay.” I have literally FORCED librarians to take my money!

Point being, in addition to buying books and swapping with neighbors, I also check out a crap-load of library books. That way, when it’s time for me to read something new, I have a wide selection to choose from.

2. I read what I’m in the mood to read.

If I pick up a book and think, “I’m not in the mood for this,” I put it down and pick up something else. Sometimes I’m in the mood for an easy, fun read. Sometimes I want something more literary or academic. I love pulse-pounding suspense/thriller/horror novels, but I can’t always read them back-to-back or late at night. This is why it’s helpful to have so many different books lying around!

3. I have no shame DNF-ing.

There are so many books in the world, and I have limited time on earth, so if I’m not getting into a book, I stop reading it. Often this happens in the first few pages, or the first twenty percent. Maybe I’ll revisit the book when I’m in the mood, or maybe it just isn’t for me.

Recently, I was reading a book that at first I was loving. Loved the characters and the premise and the writing. But about halfway in, the plot slowed down to zero. The scenes were dragging, the story was meandering. I was in the middle of the book, and I realized: I just don’t care anymore. If I didn’t care what happened to the characters, why keep reading?

It was a long book — I had read over 200 pages, but I still had another 200 to go — so and I decided I just didn’t want to keep going. Those situations are harder to DNF: when I’ve already invested so much time into the book, but again, if reading feels like a slog, if I’m not enjoying it, if I’m putting the book down after a few pages to watch Netflix instead, why not find something else I’d rather read?

I think this is big reason why I’ve been reading more — because I’ve only been reading books that I’m excited about reading. I know some people will disagree with me and say there’s value in pushing through, but I don’t feel that way. This isn’t a school assignment; it’s my free-time.

4. I’m getting better at writing down book recs.

I used to just keep a running list of books I wanted to read, but the problem was, when I went to the list, I couldn’t remember where the recommendation had come from (a friend? a podcast? a blog?) or why I’d written it down in the first place.

So I’m trying (still not perfect, but getting better) to also write down a brief phrase that will help me remember why I want to read this particular book— which helps for choosing books that suit my current mood.

Right now this list is in a Word doc, nothing fancy. But it works great because if I read a book-round-up post and think, “I want to read all of these!” I just paste the link to the article into my to-read list. Easy!

My Favorite Reads of 2025 (so far!)

I know it’s only November, but people might be doing their holiday shopping, so I’ll give my picks now for each category. And trust me, this was hard because I read SO MANY good books in 2025!!

Favorite Literary Novel: Greenwich by Kate Broad 

It’s the summer of 1999, and eighteen-year-old Rachel goes to stay with her extremely wealthy aunt and uncle in Connecticut where she becomes obsessed with her cousin’s live-in nanny and concerned about her aunt’s strange behavior. Then a terrible accident happens, and Rachel knows more than anyone else about the underlying events that led to it.

Stunning, evocative prose. A thematically-rich and deeply absorbing coming-of-age novel. Oh, and a total page-turner. It was like watching a slow-moving train wreck in the best possible way. I couldn’t stop reading. Incredible story.  

(Listen to Kate’s Long Road to Publishing episode here!)

 

Favorite Contemporary Fiction: Sandwich by Catherine Newman

On this year’s family beach vacation on the Cape, Rocky is solidly sandwiched between her mostly-grown kids and her aging parents. Menopause has brought on hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy, and when Rocky’s son’s girlfriend reveals a secret, it brings back Rocky’s memories of the sorrows and secrets of summers long ago.

This book is funny and sweet and emotional and nourishing. It’s like a big hug from a friend, even when it’s making you cry. It also might make you hungry because Catherine Newman is clearly a woman who knows how to feed a family, and her descriptions of food are incredible. (Please, Catherine Newman, make me a sandwich!) Also, this book made me afraid of menopause, but that’s probably good — there should be more intensely honest descriptions of this stage in a woman’s life.

(Listen to Catherine Newman’s episode on This Mama is Lit!)

 

Favorite Nonfiction: Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert

From the Publisher: “Sophie Gilbert identifies an inflection point in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the energy of third-wave and “riot grrrl” feminism collapsed into a regressive period of hyper-objectification, sexualization, and infantilization. Mining the darker side of nostalgia, Gilbert trains her keen analytic eye on the most revealing cultural objects of the era, across music, film, television, fashion, tabloid journalism, and more… Amid a collective reconsideration of the way women are treated in public, Girl on Girl is a blistering indictment of the matrix of misogyny that undergirded the cultural production of the early twenty-first century, and continues to shape our world today.”

Eva says: Oh boy, at times this book was hard to stomach, especially some of the parts about the porn industry, but as a woman who was a teenager in the late 1990’s, this book was so eye-opening, and it explained so much about my experience being a young woman in the 90’s and early 2000’s. It sparked some intense-but-good conversations with my husband and filled me with both horror and hope. 

 

Favorite Horror: Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett

From the publisher: “Few in sleepy Sumner’s Mills have stumbled across the Octagon House hidden deep in the woods. Even fewer are brave enough to trespass. A man had killed his wife and two young daughters there, a shocking, gruesome crime that the sleepy upstate New York town tried to bury. One summer night, an emboldened fourteen-year-old Clare and her best friend, Abby, ventured into the Octagon House. Clare came out, but a piece of Abby never did.

Twenty years later, Clare receives word that Abby has attempted suicide at the Octagon House and now lies in a coma. With little to lose, Clare returns to her roots to uncover the darkness responsible for ruining their lives.”

Eva says: So haunting and emotionally-rich and atmospheric and beautifully-written. A masterclass in how to build a creeping sense of utter dread. It reminded me of a Jennifer McMahon book, and that is high praise from me because she is one of my all-time favorite authors. If you’re looking for a compelling and complex psychological-horror novel, look no further.

(Listen to Jennifer’s Long Road to Publishing Episode!)

 

Favorite Short Story Collection: It’s a TIE between Show Don’t Tell and Sex of the Midwest!

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld

A collection of short stories about characters in mid-life by one of the best authors of our generation. Sittenfeld’s unique voice is so honest, so revealing, and so startlingly in its emotional resonance. Bonus, the last story is about the protagonist of Sittenfeld’s debut novel, Prep, as Lee returns to her prep school decades later for a reunion. 

Sex of the Midwest by Robyn Ryle

From the publisher: “One foggy morning, an email appears in inboxes across the small town of Lanier, Indiana. “Invitation to Participate: Sexual Practices in a Small Midwestern Town,” the subject line reads. A link leads to an extensive survey. Street by street and resident by resident–from the basketball coach in retirement with a bad lung, to the bartender finding her way to writing, to the health department worker with a vendetta against the hot-dog vendor–the email opens up the secret (and not so secret) lives of one community, and reveals the surprising complexity of love, friendship, and belonging in our post-Covid times.”

Eva says: Sex of the Midwest is utterly delightful. I loved spending time in this Indiana town with these quirky characters longing for connection. Robyn’s prose is crisp and lovely; her starred Kirkus review well-deserved. I read the book in a single weekend.

(Listen to Robyn’s Long Road to Publishing episode!)

 

Favorite Speculative Fiction: The Found Object Society by Michelle Maryk

For twenty years, wealthy Greta Davenport has lived with the guilt of surviving the accident that killed her parents. Then, after nearly crashing her car into a tree while drunk-driving, she receives an invitation to The Found Object Society. In this expensive and exclusive club, members can hold an object that was last held by a dying person and relive the days leading up to that person’s death… they can even experience the death itself.

This is an ambitious, unique, and self-assured debut that takes an unflinching look at grief, addiction, and loneliness. I could not put it down. Think Being John Malkovich meets The Midnight Library. I was lucky to receive an ARC from Michelle, but the novel comes out in February and is available for preorder now.

 

Favorite Thriller/Suspense: The Last Session by Julia Bartz

From the publisher: “When a catatonic woman shows up at her psychiatric unit, social worker Thea swears that she knows her from somewhere. She’s shocked to discover the patient holds a link to a traumatic time in her own past. Upon regaining lucidity, the patient claims she can’t remember the horrific recent events that caused her brain to shut down. Thea’s at a loss—especially when the patient is ripped away from her as suddenly as she appeared.

Determined to find her, Thea follows a trail of clues to a remote center in southwestern New Mexico, where a charismatic couple holds a controversial monthly retreat to uncover attendees’ romantic and sexual issues. Forced to participate in increasingly intimate exercises, Thea finds herself inching closer not only to her missing patient, but also to tantalizing answers about her own harrowing past. However, time is running out, and if she stays for the last session, she too might lose her sanity…and maybe even her life.”

Eva says: As Stefan from SNL would say, this book had everything: a psych hospital, a washed-up celebrity, past life regressions, a sketchy cult, a strange portal… Plus incredible, propulsive writing. What a fun read; it kept me up way past my bed time because I simply couldn’t put it down. 

(Listen to Julia’s Long Road to Publishing episode!)

 

Favorite Memoir: Trying by Chloe Caldwell

From the publisher: “Over the years that Chloé Caldwell had been married and hoping to conceive a child, she’d read everything she could find on infertility. But no memoir or message board reflected her experience; for one thing, most stories ended with in vitro fertilization, a baby, or both. She wanted to offer something different.”

Eva says: And boy does Caldwell offer something different! She wrote this memoir in real-time, first as she was trying to get pregnant, and then when a shocking betrayal ended her marriage and left her wondering what she should try for now.

One of the things that stuck with me, besides her effortless and honest prose, is the fact that the book doesn’t have the ending we often expect (and crave) from a story of someone trying their best for a long time: she doesn’t get the thing for which she was trying; she doesn’t have a baby at the end of the book.

Caldwell quotes Esther Perel in the memoir: “Fertility land is full of stories… The people with the story of success speak much more loudly than the people it did not work for.” I’m so glad Caldwell’s memoir can give a voice to the types of stories that so often aren’t heard. 

(Watch for Chloé Caldwell’s episode of This Mama is Lit!, releasing in 2026.)

 

What about you? What are your favorite reads of 2025 (so far)?