I think I read four books in 2023 and 2024, combined. Maybe three? We had a gut-wrenching couple of years; time and emotional space were hard to come by. With that baseline, I’m thrilled to have read 18 books in 2025. That’s not much of a reading list by many people’s standards, but solidly respectable by mine. So, what did I learn?

Romance still has my heart

In my teens, it was Jude Deveraux. When I was working twelve-hour days while juggling business travel and raising kids and housework, the only books I would pick up were Nora Roberts novels. Today, I would happily read anything Emily Henry writes. I can’t wait to read an adult romance from Ali Hazelwood and Lynn Painter.

Real-world challenges resonate

Real problems abound. Whether it’s grief, anxiety, poverty, depression, family dysfunction, OCD, or myriad other adversities, the characters on the page were relatable. Some books made me cry, one made me outright bawl (looking at you A Thousand Broken Pieces), but not one was a downer. I love that books, even those that some people write off as fluff, reflect the messy, complicated world we inhabit.

Please, make me laugh

My favorite books this year were the ones that made me laugh out loud. Oh, my husband’s side-eye when I giggled next to him on the couch while reading Funny Story. Or that time I literally had to put down Simon Sort Of Says because I could not stop laughing. And the wickedly sharp humor in Highly Suspicious & Unfairly Cute? Yes, please. I want more of that. Laughing remains some of the best medicine available.

I’m not too old to adapt

There’s a specific way I like to read: sitting on the couch with a paperback, oblivious to everyone and everything until the story ends (or hours after). That worked when I was fourteen, on summer break, and had nothing to do. It doesn’t work with family and pets and daily responsibilities. It fails completely when I have a book to write and comp titles to find. So, I’ve learned to read in chunks, ideally thirty minutes or more, but sometimes it’s ten minutes while waiting for an appointment. I don’t love it, but I’ll take it.

I can make peace with audiobooks

The voice of a story affects the shape it takes in my head – who the characters are, how deeply I connect to them. I want control of that, especially when it comes to dialog. How a comeback is delivered, where the inflections occur. But I can’t read a paperback while walking the dog or vacuuming, so I’ve reluctantly added audiobooks. While the experience isn’t as immersive, it can still be very good. The trick: start with a well-written book narrated by a great voice actor (i.e. Better Than The Movies, The Wedding People), then increase the speed a notch or two.

Reading teaches how to write

This is not new information, but 2025 was the year I fully embraced it and reaped the benefits. Every book I read taught me something. The easy, transparent way Emily Henry handles the passage of time. Alison Espach’s masterful weaving of backstory. The language in The Personal Librarian so powerfully evoking an era. Jan Flynn’s talent for naming creatures and creating worlds. Hafsah Faizal’s naming of places and peoples in We Hunt The Flame. And the opening sentence of her first and second chapter? Downright phenomenal.

I could go on, but we’ve got books to read (and write). May your TBR be filled with stories you cannot wait to devour, and may 2026 offer lots of time to read them!

What did your year in reading look like? What books stood out? And if you have a book recommendation, I’d love to hear it!