9 months ago
3
48
Posted On: January 9th 2026, 02:10 pm
๐ Top 5 Reads of 2025 ๐
I first set out to make a top 10 list, but I found that to be too difficult. There were so many books this year that I read, loved, and would happily recommend, and towards the end it got too difficult to choose. Choosing a top 5 this year, however, was easy. These 5 books absolutely captivated me and gave me that almost transcendent reading experience Iโm always chasing. They are all so different stylistically, but what they have in common is that they all capture the real, messy ache of being human, which is, for me, essential in a good book.
Here they are, in no particular order:
๐ THE SAFEKEEP by Yael Van Der Wouden
๐ AUDITION by Katie Kitamura
๐ THE PLAGUE OF DOVES by Louise Erdrich
๐ THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer
๐ FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH BEINT HUMAN by Kai Cheng Thom
Whatโs interesting to me is that while almost half of my reading was done on audio this year, none of them made my top 5. There were plenty of books that I listened to that I really enjoyed, but none of them captivated me the same way these did. Iโm not sure whether that has more to do with the format itself or the types of books I tend to pick up in audio vs print.
Anyway, if you have any recs for me based on these favs, please send them my way! And cheers to another great year of reading, friends ๐ฅ
I first set out to make a top 10 list, but I found that to be too difficult. There were so many books this year that I read, loved, and would happily recommend, and towards the end it got too difficult to choose. Choosing a top 5 this year, however, was easy. These 5 books absolutely captivated me and gave me that almost transcendent reading experience Iโm always chasing. They are all so different stylistically, but what they have in common is that they all capture the real, messy ache of being human, which is, for me, essential in a good book.
Here they are, in no particular order:
๐ THE SAFEKEEP by Yael Van Der Wouden
๐ AUDITION by Katie Kitamura
๐ THE PLAGUE OF DOVES by Louise Erdrich
๐ THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer
๐ FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH BEINT HUMAN by Kai Cheng Thom
Whatโs interesting to me is that while almost half of my reading was done on audio this year, none of them made my top 5. There were plenty of books that I listened to that I really enjoyed, but none of them captivated me the same way these did. Iโm not sure whether that has more to do with the format itself or the types of books I tend to pick up in audio vs print.
Anyway, if you have any recs for me based on these favs, please send them my way! And cheers to another great year of reading, friends ๐ฅ
Comments (48)
8 months agothe.wild.current
For some reason I feel like audio books donโt quite capture me in the same wayโฆsomething about old fashioned reading just pulls me in!
9 months agobookswithvega
Have heard so many good things about all of these, need to add them to my TBR!
9 months agobryn_thebookworm
Yes to The Safekeep! Audition was so close to making my top 5 and was definitely in my top 10.
9 months agoweirdlywellread
I have Plague of Doves on deck to be my first Erdrich, I just donโt know when!
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