Firmly planted on my high horse, gripping for dear life, I am proud to share that for the first time in years, I have hit, nay, surpassed my reading goal for the year.
My Goodreads goal was to read 20 books this year, and I absolutely smashed it — although I firmly believe that if Goodreads had an equivalent to that testy Duolingo owl, that number would be significantly higher.
I don’t know what was different about 2025 — perhaps starting the year by stumbling into a used book store in Edinburgh on a Christmas night out and plucking yet another David Sedaris from its shelves, sneaking in a few pages when Jack went to the bathroom (my life is a movie). I finished that up on the plane ride home in early Jan, and the rest was history. From cold months hibernating in Boston, plane rides long and short, to my frequent rendezvous with the NYC-bound Amtrak, 2025 became my year of reading. And subsequently, the year of constantly decorating and redecorating our beautiful new bookshelves, i.e., the crown jewel of our living quarters.
In 2025, I finally read books that have been recommended to me by friends for ages, found some of my favorite reads yet, and even did something I’ve been adamant I’d never, ever do — purchase a Kindle (shhhhh).
I’ve categorized my 2025 reads in the only way humans are allowed — 1 to 5 stars. My top three books got some extra love in the form of exclamation points, and I don’t think I’ll ever have the heart to rate something 1-star TBH. As far as my rating criteria, I am a firm believer that 5-stars is more of a feeeeeling than a metric. If I couldn’t put it down, really fell in love with the characters, could see myself in the characters, it made me laugh, it made me cry, or even just centered around my personal interests, it’ll be in the running for a 5-star rating. 5-star books tend to leave me a little lost once I’m finished; that’s a good sign. A 4-star book will have had me thoroughly entertained, but I just didn’t get that special feeling. 3-star books were good enough to keep me reading, but I just never really found what I was searching for. And 2-star books are the same, but overall just worse, and I likely hated each and every character. I also DNFed (did not finish) a fair number of books this year, which I also included below.
Follow me on Goodreads for more detailed reviews and an overall good time.
★★★★★!!!
In Tongues by Thomas Grattan: This book was entirely judged by its beautiful cover when I spotted it at my local bookstore. Like a moth to a flame. The David Sedaris-level of dry wit, paired with New York City grunge-glam à la Cat Marnell or Julia Fox, this book very quickly rose to the top of my leaderboard. I fell in love with Grattan’s hilarious writing style and our sassy, directionless protagonist, Gordon. From the New York City setting, general gayness, travel, friendships, humor, I actually grieved this book when I finished it. I made this playlist to commemorate the vibes and overall enjoyment I had while reading:
Normal People by Sally Rooney: Ever since we booked our December stopover in Dublin months ago, I made the plan to finally read Normal People leading up to and during the trip. I don’t think I can even describe the sheer splendor I had in the anticipation of having both the book and the entire TV series to consume during the flight. Absolute best-case scenario for me. This book quickly became my favorite Sally Rooney book (I read three this year) and also one of my favorites of the year. I feel like there was a certain magic put into these characters, the experiences, the dialogue. I read this on my Kindle, but bought the Irish edition at Hodges Figgis (a bookstore that is mentioned in the book), and fully romanticized our walks through Trinity College, made even easier after a few cheeky Guinnesses. I’m currently about halfway through the TV series, so don’t text.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell: I’m afraid this book is becoming my entire personality. I was pretty intimidated to start this book due to its Shakespearean-ness, and being set in the 1500s and all. This book is unlike most I’ve read before, and it quickly became a standout. The imagery, the characters, the relationships! It was written so beautifully and I could not put it down. I made the GRAVE mistake of reading this alone at a wine bar and silently sobbed before Jack came to meet me (again, my life is a movie). I don’t think I’ve cried while reading a book since The Fault In Our Stars… I’m planning to go see the film in Edinburgh soon, and I simply can’t wait. But also pray for me.
★★★★★
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Calypso by David Sedaris: LOL as always, and this is a great option to start with if you’re just getting into David Sedaris.
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
★★★★
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney: I listened to the audiobook on Spotify alongside the hardcover, and it was one of the best decisions I made in 2025. This isn’t even the first time I’m writing about it, and I’m confident it won’t be the last.
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton: Learned this year that I’m a huge Dolly Alderton fan. I can’t wait to read Good Material next.
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Hayworth: Solidified that I love Irish lit. Fun fact: I was reading this book over the weekend Jack and I got engaged <3.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune: This was exactly what I was craving at the time — a flirty summer romance read. I don’t normally read full-on romance novels, but this one was perfect. Not too corny, not super smutty, the perfect beach read. Even better if you’re on a lake.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton: A great read for any twenty-to-thirty-something woman, whilst navigating this strange thing we call life.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears: Surprisingly, the only celebrity memoir I read this year. I read this very quickly and would recommend it to everyone.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab: This was good for dipping my toe into fantasy, which was a previously untouched genre for me besides the Hunger Games and Divergent series from my middle school days.
★★★
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson: I read this over a few days in New York, as I specifically set out for something set in NYC. It was cute, but the characters really killed me.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
★★
Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams: From reading the back, this book had everything in it to be the perfect plot for me, a twenty-something woman living in London, working in the publishing industry? Making questionable decisions? Her favorite author as the love interest? What sounded swoon-worthy just ended up being a huge miss for me. And definitely read the trigger warnings.
Colored Television by Danzy Senna
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors: Don’t let the pretty covers fool you — I learned this year that Coco Mellors is just not for me. But maybe she’s for you!
DNFs
This doesn’t necessarily mean I’m not going to finish these books — just that I won’t be returning to them this year.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Writers & Lovers by Lily King: I can only wait so long before things start to pick up!
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher: Same as above.
Original Sin by Jake Tapper: Super interesting, but it felt like each chapter was telling the same story over and over again.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Up Next:
Evenings and Weekends by Oisin McKenna: Obviously have to continue my Irish lit streak, so I picked up the Irish edition in Dublin as well.
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney: (Naturally).
Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Gay Restaurants by Erik Piepenburg
Grape Juice by Eliza Dumais: I went to an author talk for this book last month, but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
How To Live An Artful Life by Katy Hessel: A little birdy told me there’s some signed copies at Topping in Edinburgh, so may have to grab one (twist my arm) as I don’t think it’s been released in the States yet.
And that’s that! Please let me know your favorite book you read this year, and send all the recommendations my way!
If you don’t hear from me here until after the new year, proof of life will be over on my Instagram. Happy holidays to all of my dear readers, and thanks for supporting this silly little newsletter! Starting up al dente has seriously been one of the best things I've done this year. I can’t wait to keep reading and writing throughout all of 2026!
kisses to you and yours!!
Ally
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