Reading and travel are so intertwined for me. I like to read books by authors of the place I’m visiting, like when I read about the history of Celtic paganism when we were in the van in Scotland, or reading “A Song of Achilles” in Greece.
Not to mention, when I’m sitting at home, books give me somewhere to go. Every year, I do a round-up of my favorite books I’ve read. I try to log everything on Goodreads (although I’ve heard the cool kids are moving to StoryGraph), so feel free to follow me there!
Without further ado, my best books of 2025, in categories I largely made up.
Best Romance
Heart the Lover. I binge-listened to this book on my flight to the US, and I was definitely crying while folded up like a pretzel in my seat. I think so many readers connected to this book because it touched on the fragility of life: the missed connections, the misunderstandings, the wounds of the heart that are never fully expressed, and the longing for what “could be.”
Best Rich Lit
I am calling this category “rich lit” because the writing is dripping with high-quality, 10-carat jewels.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang is a tragic and dark tale of Yeong-hye, a woman who wanted a simple life and boldly stood up for what she believed in. This book was translated from Korean to English by Deborah Smith. Since I work in translation technology, I’m always fascinated by popular translated books, like the Neapolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante, which was translated by Ann Goldstein. I loved this interview with Deborah Smith, who started a publishing company focused on translated books. Together with Han Kang, they won the Booker International Prize in 2016, and then Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024.
Despite being published in 2007, it is getting lots of recognition now for the translation and the complex, interwoven themes: family and duty, respecting people’s choices, and the oppression of women.
Dream Count, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This novel follows four friends in their early forties whose lives didn’t pan out how they thought they would. Each friend recounts their stories, the dreams they had, and what they learned along the way. The first character, Chia, is so sweet and sensitive, and I already miss her. I recommend this book for anyone who is struggling to make sense of “mid-life” and where we think we’re supposed to be in our careers, relationships, and family-building. Even if you are not in that stage, you will appreciate Adichie’s stunning writing.
Read This One with Your Sister
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. A story about four sisters, their Spice Girl t-shirts, and what they will do for each other. I gave it to my sister to read when she was visiting me earlier this year, and she loved it as well.
Best Memoir
I loved Ambition Monster by Jenn Romolini. I related to Romolini’s humble South Philadelphian upbringing and her experience of being the person who “learns on the job,” and not coming from a lot of wealth or prestige, like many of her colleagues.
The book hit home about something I’m specifically working on: knowing you have an addiction to working and success, and learning to balance your life afterwards. Work in Progress over here!
Best Memoir that Could be Horror
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. As someone who works in tech, this book was hauntingly familiar. Some parts were almost unreadable due to the gross negligence and lack of any sort of grounded reality. However, I found it important to read, because these are the people who are making decisions about the future, and it’s important we know what is going on.
The Pregnancy and Parenting Round-Up (AKA my largest pile of “did not finish” books)
What a time to be pregnant. Since beginning my fertility journey nine years ago, something I’ve long been frustrated with is the lack of investment in women’s health and research, and the reliance on oral storytelling for life-saving medical procedures and overall women’s wellness. Now that I’m actually pregnant, I trust myself more with a balance of science + woo-woo stuff. I have probably read or skimmed through 20 pregnancy or parenting-related books this year. I read a lot of books that could have been articles. There are a lot of books that will try to convince you to abandon the medical system or that free-birthers are in a cult. I fall in the middle of the spectrum and therefore read each one with a bit of distance. These were my favorites.
The Nurture Revolution - I didn’t love this book as much during the practical child-rearing portion; I actually loved the part about the neuroscience of your brain when you get pregnant and subsequently give birth to a baby. Did you know that becoming a parent makes your brain the most malleable since childhood and adolescence?
Also, the neuroscience behind the way children’s brains develop from 0-3 was equally fascinating. This book gave me some perspective about how to be patient with myself when my hormones are tripping post-partum.
Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Motherhood - and Trusting Yourself and Your Body - this is the blend of natural and scientific that every woman needs. Those apps with the fruit on them have got to go! Instead, follow LA celebrity doula Erica Chidi’s wise guidance, monthly journaling prompts, stretching ideas, and herbal blend recipes in this open-minded approach to the journey.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth - while this one is on the woo-woo spectrum, there are just way too many traumatic birth stories out there on the internet. My sister-in-law gifted me this book, and I love to read the positive stories to fill my mind with reassurance that my body knows what to do - even though I'm hopefully having a hospital birth!
2024 Book Recs
thanks for my library card mom
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December 26, 2024
My earliest memories involve reading. Every night, my sister and I selected our favorite books and curled up in bed to listen to my mom’s retelling of If You Give a Moose a Muffin or Rainbow Fish. We went to the library weekly to pick out new books. I remember shuffling through the big card catalog, pulling out the giant wooden drawers to see where the …
2023 Book Recs
gratifying brawny reads
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October 30, 2023
Recently I’ve been on a streak of incredibly delicious reads. I love these streaks! The hardest part, however, is picking the next book selection: it’s like a game of blackjack, when you don’t know whether to draw again or stand down. What a nerdy thrill. I am sharing a few passages from the books I’ve been reading, and loving, recently.
What were your favorite books of the year? Wishing you a sweet end to 2025 and all the best for 2026! Thank you for reading on my little corner of the internet.
Some great reads for heading into 2026:
How one year of hosting Saturday night dinners changed a family’s community. Loved, LOVED this idea by Amanda Litman.
Solstice Rituals by Catherine Andrews. I am following 13 magical nights by That Glasgow Witch and it’s wonderful!
I love doing simple “IN” and “OUT” lists for New Year’s. Here is inspiration from Alicia Adamczyk and Lindsey Stanberry from The Purse.
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