This was a year. I’m not sad to put a bow on 2025. As with every year, books helped me navigate the choppy waters of the last 12 months. These are the reads that entertained me, comforted me, distracted me, or got me thinking. Not an exhaustive list by any means, but they’re the ones that came to mind first when I sat down to make this list.

In no particular order…..

The Road to Tender Hearts. Annie Hartnett.

Thank you, Annie Hartnett for making me laugh out loud. I loved reading this book the way I haven’t loved reading a book in a long time. It was funny, sentimental, larger than life, and there’s a cat. Read it.

Death Valley. Melissa Broder.

This was a strange, surreal and entirely believable novel. Short but not simple, it kept me interested with it’s weirdness and it’s great language.

What We Can Know. Ian McEwan.

It’s futuristic and a little dystopian, but not in that sci-fi downer way. Everyone says this is worth reading, and I agree. He’s a master of language and story and I enjoyed how thought-provoking this one was.

Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol. Holly Whitaker

This one’s different because it’s about drinking and women and there’s a lot to think about. I’d already been making changes in my consumption (post-COVID cocktail culture!) and it helped me think more clearly about why.

Everything is Tuberculosis. John Green.

I never knew I’d care so much about Tuberculosis. Listened to this one on a cross-country road trip and it was a wide-ranging and interesting journey into the particular disease and a broad lens on our attitudes toward illness, class, and treatment.

Patchwork: A Sewist’s Diary. Maddie Ballard.

This was a charming, lovely read. I like to sew, but you don’t have to sew to enjoy this memoir. Maddie has a lovely way of encapsulating a moment and a feeling in her short garment-focused chapters. It’s a short read but worth savoring, like a box of gourmet chocolates.

Strange Pictures. Uketsu.

This Japanese horror-mystery is strange, per the title. When I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be reading it. The way the stories ultimately twist together is fascinating and unlike the typical American formula-based mystery.

Are You Mad at Me? Meg Josephson

I underlined this one a LOT. It was a bit like therapy on paper and if the blurb resonates with you, read it.

The Let Them Theory. Mel Robbins

It’s super simple. Stop expecting people to be different from who they are. But it’s not that simple, or else we’d all do it, right? This didn’t take long to read, but it had good nuggets to tuck away and reinforce some of those behaviors that I hope will lower my (and everyone else’s) stress in 2026.