Book Recs for Very Specific Moods, 2025 Edition

Guys, this was a weird reading year for me. I was drafting and editing nonstop— once I finished with one book, I moved straight to the next book, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars—and I find it really difficult to read science fiction and fantasy when I am writing science fiction and/or fantasy.

So this year I stepped outside of my usual genres and read a lot of mystery, romance, and even one nonfiction about history. (Because this is somewhat new to me and I don’t know if my subscribers here are fluent in genre terms…if I note that a book is a romance, please assume that it has ~adult content.)

Here are my book recs for very specific moods, 2025 edition. You can find the 2024 and 2023 editions here and here.

Let’s get into it!

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

These Summer Storms is something new and different from Sarah MacLean, who usually writes (excellent) historical romances. It’s about siblings who probably love each other but don’t really like each other, getting together for their father’s funeral weekend…and then his will leaves them with a warped inheritance game that brings up all kinds of tension and did I mention there’s a guy? And a romance with said guy? Anyway, this book singlehandedly got me back into reading after a dry spell, so just read it.

American Rapture by CJ Leede

This book is not for the faint of heart (or for clutchers of pearls) but I have wanted to read CJ Leede’s work since she was kind enough to blurb When Among Crows, so I, a certified weenie, sat down to read it earlier this year…and just read it all day without stopping. It’s very dark, with the kind of character whose POV you can’t entirely trust, not because she’s lying to you but because she doesn’t see things clearly herself, and it was very propulsive.

The Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Alistair Moffat

I went to Scotland last year and fell in love with it, specifically with the land and its ruins. So when I saw the Scottish History section at Toppings Edinburgh, this book jumped out at me. It’s dense, as a lot of historical nonfiction is, but Alistair Moffat’s writing is engaging and if you’ve ever been curious about the history of this part of the world, as I am, this book is for you.

One & Only by Maurene Goo

Are you still sleeping on Maurene Goo? Because if so: stop it. Maurene is one of the only people on Earth who can make me laugh out loud while I’m reading, and all of her books are great. This is her first adult book, and it doesn’t come out until February 3rd, but it should absolutely be on your radar. It’s about a woman who is about to turn 40 and works for the family business finding people’s soul mates (using a light touch of magic). Only…she hasn’t found hers. So she meets this other guy, instead. Then things get complicated. This book is funny and romantic and lush and beautiful and it will transport you to places you want to go.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

I think I read four Christina Lauren books this year, so here I am recommending all the Christina Lauren books…but this one was my favorite. The thing about their books is that I fall in love with the main character before I am intrigued by the love interest. They are all lovable, funny, interesting women who deserve the very best, and that’s what I love to see in a romance. This one’s about a romance author who agrees to do a bachelor-style reality show. But she has a lot of demands. (AS SHE SHOULD!)

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

I listened to Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (great audiobook, by the way) on a road trip home from book tour, and I was about ready to keep driving just to finish it even though it was one in the morning when I got home. It’s about a woman who everyone thinks killed her best friend years ago, a podcast that reignites interest in the case, and her pursuit of the truth. What I liked best about it is the main character, who does not give a single shit what people think about her (mostly) and actually intentionally provokes them a lot of the time. Lucy is out of damns to give and I wish I could say the same. God bless.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Case Histories explores three separate murder cases as investigated by Jackson Brody, PI. For me it had a bit of a slow start, in that it went through the three cases one by one before bringing us the main character—but I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did. This book lit up all the puzzle-solving pleasure centers of my brain. And yet somehow it had a cozy feeling to it? You know, apart from the murder. Maybe I just really want to go back across the pond.

Star Eater by Kerstin Hall

Another year, another enthusiastic recommendation of Kerstin Hall’s work, this time with Star Eater, which is about a sisterhood of cannibalistic nuns in a floating fantasy city, and that is not a descriptor I have ever given for a book before, nor will I ever again. Kerstin Hall’s work is inventive and emotional and dark and deserves to be widely read by anyone who enjoys fantasy and doesn’t mind a little horror mixed in.

Happy reading and happy New Year, everyone. May 2026 bring us triumphs small and large.

V