2025 Reading Highlights

 

 

I was thinking that 2025 was just a so-so reading year until I looked back at my list and thought, "Actually, there are a lot of gems here."  As ever, I am mixing it up:  physical books, ebooks, audiobooks.  I like to have options ready for any situation from emptying the dishwasher or folding the laundry to waiting for a podiatrist appointment or teen practice pick-up to making a plane trip fly by or taking my poolside relaxation to the next level.  

I no longer offer a lot of commentary in these annual wrap-up posts.  If you want brief reviews of these books, check my Instagram -- I'm @booksandcarbs there!  You can always hit me up via email or text or in the comments of this post.   

Most of the books below were published in 2025.  I'll note the exceptions.

 

Fiction Highlights

All the Colors of the Dark (2024) by Chris Whitaker

Heart the Lover by Lily King

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin

Lucky Night by Eliza Kennedy

Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven

Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley

Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler 

 

Honorable Mentions 

Far and Away by Amy Poeppel

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson

No Two Persons (2023) by Erica Bauermeister 

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes 

Fiction Highlights with Romance Vibes -- not separating out because I find romance to be a lesser category but because I know some people avoid this genre (their loss!)

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman 

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan

It's A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan

Take Me Home (2024) by Melanie Sweeney 

 

Books I loved (and feel protective of) that you may NOT love...

Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky

Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian 

Every Tom, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman 

The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers 

 

Memoir/Non-Fiction Highlights 

A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting by Casey Johnston

Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives by Gretchen Rubin

Be Ready When the Luck Happens (2024) by Ina Garten

Open (2009) by Andre Agassi

When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between by Ruth Jones and James Corden 

  

Series that I am "series-ly" loving...

Shannon Bowring's The Road to Dalton series -- read the final installment of the trilogy this past year, In A Distant Valley

Beth Brower's The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series -- I listened to the first eight of these books this year via Hoopla!

Elin Hilderbrand's The Academy series -- co-written with her daughter Shelby Cunningham, book two publishes in 2026

Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series -- I read all of them in 2025 and FREAKING LOVED the experience!  The first book in the series is called Case Histories and you must read in order

Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series -- the first is Still Life and most recent is The Black Wolf, must be read in order 

 

A Mixed Bag: 25 in 25 Recap

For the past two years, I have made a list of goals/intentions for the year and recorded my progress for the 0-5 readers of this blog.  My results for this year are revealed below in this color.  I have made a 2026 list in a slightly different format, but I am just keeping it to myself.   

1. Reflect often on this mantra:  I have all that I need, and I am grateful for all that I have.

Obviously this intention was tough to measure, but I did, in fact, reflect on this mantra from time to time.   

2.  Meet my Peloton minutes goal of 15K.   I reached 15K on Monday 12/28, but it would have been sooner had I not rolled my ankle on 12/12, which limited my activity.  

3.  See three movies in the theater with Diet Coke and generously buttered popcorn.  I went to see The Roses by myself (enjoyed it) and saw Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Thanksgiving Night with two of my kids (loved it).  Popcorn with generous butter and DC on both occasions.  I love going to the movies but wish there were more movies I wanted to see (or that the movies I want to see were more widely distributed).  

4.  Stream three documentaries at home.  I watched The Perfect Wife (about Sherri Papini) on Hulu and it was nuts!  I watched Glitter & Greed: The Lisa Frank Story and am relieved that I was too old to be really into her stuff because she is shady and greedy.  I watched The Girl in the Picture on Netflix and was pleased to see dogged investigative work lead to closure.  I watched The Sins of the Mother on Netflix and it was just plain sad.  I also watched A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix (yikes), American Murder: Gabby Petito (so sad and his parents suck), and Mr. & Mrs. Murder on Hulu (geez Louise!!!!).  And, I almost forgot the most powerful of all:  A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Reed.  I am easily disturbed by intense fiction on page and screen but have seemingly no problem watching true crime.  

5.  Make three new recipes from cookbooks on my shelves.  Nope.  

6.  Make three new recipes from those saved in the Paprika app.  I tried a couple of new recipes I had saved online but no big winners.  

7.  Read two Agatha Christie books.  I listened to Murder on the Orient Express and read the ebook of Murder at the Vicarage.  I felt that both of them were fine, but I didn't finish eager for more Agatha Christie.  

8.  Try the Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie mystery series.  I absolutely, positively loved each every volume of this six-book series, and I pray that Atkinson writes more.  These are so, so good and so smart.  The first book in the series is called Case Histories.  I listened to all of them via audiobook.  

9.  Try a little harder with my finger nails.  I didn't do much, but I did try some press-on nails right before Christmas and felt pretty fancy (though partially handicapped) for about a week before I pulled them off.  Would try again before a big event.  Way less of a time commitment than a manicure.

10.  Finish transforming our playroom/family dumpster into an organized storage space.  Nope.

11.  Work out five times at Courts Plus. I did this and then some.  I never quite made it into the weight machine zone, but I had some good sessions with treadmill and recumbent bike during the winter months.  

12.  Clean out the bottom half of my china cabinet.  I did do this and organized all of my Nora Fleming minis in my china cabinet drawers.  

13.  Clean out the bottom half of the family room entertainment center.  Nope.

14.  Get a new rug for the family room.  I finally selected carpet to be cut and bound for a rug.  It was delivered in August.  

15.  Log the clothing items I purchase.  I logged every clothing purchase and every return.  I think the logging actually motivated some returns.  It was, um, enlightening.  I won't tell you how many new items of clothing I acquired (twas in triple digits though), but I have some data to ponder as I make purchases in 2026.  I will be logging clothing/accessory/shoe purchases again this year.

16.  Walk the Steps at Swallow Cliff.  Nope.

17.  Take a walk at Lake Ellyn.  Nope.

18.  Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.  I went twice!  I went in winter to meet a friend from college who lives downtown.  I went this Fall with an older friend with whom I volunteer at the nursing home.  We saw the Gustave Caillebotte exhibit and had a late afternoon snack in the AIC's gorgeous courtyard I never knew about!

19.  Visit the National Museum and Shrine of St. Therese in Darien.   Nope.

20.  Encourage/Force family to watch a comedy special as a family.  Nope.

21.   Clean out linen closet.  Sort of.

22.  Clean out upstairs hall closet.  Worse than ever up in there.  

23.  Find a series to stream with my husband.  We watched Season 1 of White Lotus and are almost through Season 2, except that I was getting so stressed out about whether Jennifer Coolidge's character was going to get bamboozled that I haven't wanted to finish.  

24.  Try food at Aunt Tina's Kitchen, a newer restaurant Elmhurst.  My son and I really enjoyed the food when we got takeout there, but, sadly, this spot has closed.  I think location was the main obstacle to success.  

25.  Take walks with 50 different people in honor of my 50th birthday.  I did take walks with friends, as I always do, but I didn't actively make walking dates and ended up walking less than usual this year because I started doing strength workouts with a trainer and that cut into some of my walking opportunities.  

 

2025 Non-Fiction Log

 2025  MEMOIRS, ESSAYS, POETRY, AND OTHER NON-FICTION

An (*) indicates a reread.  All ebooks are purchased on sale via the Kindle Store or checked out from the e-offerings of the Elmhurst Public Library.  All audiobooks are from Audible.com or the Elmhurst Public Library's e-offerings (Hoopla, Cloud Library, and Libby Apps). 

 

Andre Agassi

Open (audiobook via Libby)

 

Elyce Arons

We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade (ebook via Cloud Library)

  

Nate Bargatze

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind (audiobook via Audible)

 

Christie Brinkley

Uptown Girl: A Memoir (audiobook via Audible) 

Marisa Burke

Just Checking Scores: TV Anchor Publicly Shamed by Husband's Secret Sex Life (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Edward Burns

A Kid from Marlboro Road (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Rich Cohen

Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story (ebook via Libby) 

 

Lorelou Desjardins

A Frog in the Fjord: One Year in Norway (ebook via Hoopla)

 

Ronan Farrow

Not a Very Good Murderer (audiobook via Audible) 

Shari Franke

The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Brad Gilbert

Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Jen Hatmaker

Awake: A Memoir (library book)

 

Chuck Hogan

The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Casey Johnston

A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting (hardcover) 

 

Annie B. Jones

Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put (ebook) 

 

Ruth Jones & James Corden

When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Sally Mann

Art Work: On the Creative Life (ebook via Hoopla) 

 

Sarah Moss

My Good Bright Wolf: A Memoir (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Joanna Page

Lush!: My Story - From Swansea to Stacey and Everything in Between (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Hannah Pittard

We Are Too Many: A Memoir (library book) 

 

Lisa Marie Presley

From Here to the Great Unknown (audiobook via Libby) 

Annie Raser-Rowland

The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Gretchen Rubin

Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives (hardcover) 

Mary Beth Runnoe

Thinking of You: A Memoir of a Girl's Crush, a Teacher's Grooming, a Forbidden Love and the Journey to Reclaim My Voice (ebook)

Richard Russo

Life and Art: Essays (library book)

 

Ione Sky

Say Everything: A Memoir (library book)

 

Maggie Smith

Goldenrod: Poems (library book) 

 

Alison Steadman

Out of Character: From Abigail's Party to Gavin and Stacey, and everything in between (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Dana K. White

Short-Term Wins and Long-Term Success: The Whats, Whys, and Hows of Every Angle of Decluttering (audiobook via Hoopla)

Trusting Your Decluttering Instincts: The Whats, Whys, and Hows of Every Angle of Decluttering (audiobook via Hoopla)

Identity Clutter: The Whats, Whys, and Hows of Every Angle of Decluttering (audiobook via Hoopla)

Why Cleaning Felt Impossible: The Whats, Whys, and Hows of Every Angle of Decluttering (audiobook via Hoopla)

Tortoise and Hare Decluttering: The Whats, Whys, and Hows of Every Angle of Decluttering (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control (audiobook via Hoopla) 

How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind* (audiobook via Hoopla)

Decluttering at the Speed of Life* (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Christine Brown Woolley

Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom (ebook) 

2025 Fiction Log

2025 FICTION LOG

An (*) indicates a reread.  All ebooks are purchased on sale via the Kindle Store or checked out from the e-offerings of the Elmhurst Public Library.  All audiobooks are from Audible.com or the Elmhurst Public Library's e-offerings (Hoopla, Cloud Library, and Libby Apps).  

Emily Adrian

Seduction Theory (hardcover)

 

Kate Atkinson

Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1, audiobook via Libby)

One Good Turn (Jackson Brodie #2, audiobook via Audible) 

When Will There Be Good News (Jackson Brodie #3, audiobook via Audible) 

Started Early, Took My Dog (Jackson Brodie #4, audiobook via Libby) 

Big Sky (Jackson Brodie #5, audiobook via Libby)

Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie #6, audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Jami Attenberg

A Reason to See You Again (library book) 

B.E. Baker

The Crumbly Old Castle (The Irish Escape #1, audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Cara Bastone

Promise me Sunshine (audiobook via Audible)

Better Luck Next Time (audiobook via Audible)

Call Me Maybe (Love Lines #1, audiobook via Audible)

 

Erica Bauermeister

No Two Persons (paperback) 

Jenny Bayliss

Kiss Me at Christmas (ebook via Libby) 

Carter Bays

The Mutual Friend (audiobook via Libby)

 

Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding

Anne of Avenue A (For the Love of Austen #3, audiobook via Libby) 

 

Mischa Berlinski

Mona Acts Out (audiobook via Libby)

 

Maeve Binchy

A Week in Winter* (audiobook via Libby)

 

Jessica Anya Blau

Mary Jane (ebook via Hoopla) 

 

Shannon Bowring

In a Distant Valley (Dalton, Maine #3, audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Beth Brower

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 2 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 3 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 4 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 5 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 6 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 7 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 8 (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Janelle Brown

What Kind of Paradise (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Nikolas Butler

A Forty Year Kiss (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Ada Calhoun

Crush (library book) 

 

J.L. Carr

A Month in the Country (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Katherine Center

The Love Haters (hardcover)

Megan Chance

Glamorous Notions (ebook via Kindle Store)

Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express (audiobook via Libby) 

Murder at the Vicarage (ebook via Hoopla)

 

Laurie Colwin

Family Happiness (paperback) 

Another Marvelous Thing (paperback) 

Betty Corrello

32 Days in May (ebook via Libby) 

Jane Costello

It's Getting Hot in Here (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Sophie Cousens

And Then There Was You (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Nora Dahlia

Backslide (library book) 

 

Becca Day

The Woman in the Cabin (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Marcy Dermansky

Hot Air (library book)

 

Tarah DeWitt

The Co-op (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Laura Dickerman

Hot Desk (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Katelyn Doyle

Total Dreamboat (library book) 

 

Zoe Dubno

Happiness and Love (library book) 

 

Deidra Duncan

Love Sick (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Hal Ebbott

Among Friends (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Virginia Evans

The Correspondent (library book) 

Emily Everett 

All That Life Can Afford (library book)

Kate Fagan

The Three Lives of Cate Kay (audiobook via Libby)

 

Layne Fargo

The Favorites (audiobook via Libby) 

Robert Galbraith

The Hallmarked Man (Cormoran Strike #8) (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Clare Gilmore

Perfect Fit (ebook via Libby)

Love Interest (ebook via Libby) 

Never Over (hardcover) 

 

Jessica Berger Gross

Hazel Says No (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Laura Gunderson

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (audiobook via Audible) 

Jennifer Haigh

Rabbit Moon (audiobook via Audible)

 

Ali Hazelwood

Problematic Summer Romance (library book) 

 

Elin Hilderbrand

The Academy (hardcover) 

Emily Henry

Great Big Beautiful Life (audiobook via Audible)

Janice Hallett

The Examiner (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Emily Harding

So Freaking Romantic (ebook via Libby) 

 

Carmel Harrington

My Pear-Shaped Life (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Annie Hartnett

The Road to Tender Hearts (audiobook via Audible)

 

Linda Holmes

Back After This (library book)

 

Michelle Huneven

Bug Hollow (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Holly James

Last Night Was Fun (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Abby Jimenez

Say You'll Remember Me (library book) 

 

Ethan Joella

The Same Bright Stars (audiobook via Libby)

Virginia Kantra

Beth and Amy (The March Sisters #2, audiobook via Libby)

Kortney Keisel

Never With You (Always Say Never, #1)

 

Lindsey Kelk

Christmas Fling (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Eliza Kennedy

Lucky Night (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Lily King

Heart the Lover (library book) 

 

Stephen King

Dolores Claiborne (audiobook via Libby) 

Never Flinch (Holly Gibney #4) (audiobook via Audible) 

Eliza Knight

Confessions of a Grammar Queen (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Emma Knight

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus (library book)

 

Tracey Lange

What Happened to the McCrays? (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Allison Larkin

Home of the American Circus (hardcover) 

 

Meredith Lavender

Happy Wife (hardcover) 

Laura Pipe Lee

Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair (audiobook via Hoopla)

Elinor Lipman

Every Tom, Dick & Harry (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

Lia Louis

Better Left Unsent (audiobook via Cloud Library) 

 

Claire Lynch

A Family Matter (library book)

Portia Macintosh

Wish You Weren't Here (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Kat Mackenzie

Work in Progress (audiobook via Audible)

 

Phoebe MacLeod

The Do-Over (audiobook via Hoopla)  

 

Liz Maverick

Still Hung Up on You (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Jodi McAlister

An Academic Affair (hardcover) 

 

Mhairi McFarlane

Cover Story (audiobook via Audible) 

Leigh McMullan-Abramson

A Likely Story (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Lydia Millet

Atavists: Stories (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Annabel Monaghan

It's A Love Story (audiobook via Audible) 

Meg Mitchell Moore

Mansion Beach (hardcover) 

Jojo Moyes

We All Live Here (audiobook via Audible)

 

Alan Murrin

The Coast Road (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Matthew Norman

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon (audiobook via Audible) 

Beth O'Leary

Swept Away (audiobook vai Audible)

 

Heather Aimee O'Neill

The Irish Goodbye (audiobook via Audible) 

Hannah Orenstein

Maine Characters (library book) 

Richard Osman

The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club #4, audiobook via Libby)

 

Lynn Painter

Nothing Like the Movies (audiobook via Libby)

Fake Skating (audiobook via Audible) 

Maid for Each Other (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Caroline Palmer

Workhorse (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Louise Penny

The Black Wolf (Chief Inspector Gamache #20, audiobook via Audible) 

 

Amy Poeppel

Far and Away (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Eric Puchner

Dream State (audiobook via Libby) 

Penny Reid

Homecoming King (Three Kings Book #1) (audiobook via Hoopla)

Drama King (Three Kings Book #2, ebook via Libby) 

Totally Folked (Good Folk #1, ebook via Libby)

 

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Atmosphere (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Joss Richard

It's Different This Time (audiobook via Audible)

 

Jane L. Rosen

Songs of Summer (Fire Island #3) (ebook via Libby) 

 

Emma Rosenblum

Mean Moms (library book) 

 

Adam Ross

Playworld (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Patrick Ryan

Buckeye (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Allie Samberts

The Write Place (Leade Park #1, audiobook via Audible)

The Write Time (Leade Park #2, audiobook via Audible) 

Danzy Senna

Colored Television (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Curtis Sittenfeld

Show Don't Tell (library book) 

Leeanne Slade

The Return of Ruby Darling (audiobook via Audible) 

This Christmas (audiobook via Audible) 

Jessica Soffer

This Is a Love Story (audiobook via Audible)

 

Rachel Lynn Solomon

What Happens in Amsterdam (ebook via Libby) 

 

Erin Somers

The Ten Year Affair (novel) 

 

London Sperry

Passion Project (hardcover) 

 

Jessica Stanley

Consider Yourself Kissed (ebook via Libby) 

Laura Starkey

The Spare Room (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Katie Sturino

Sunny Side Up (audiobook via Audible)

 

Melanie Sweeney

Take Me Home (audiobook via Cloud Library) 

Megan Tady

Bluebird Day (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Anne Tyler

Three Days in June (library book) 

 

Jess Walter

So Far Gone (audiobook via Audible) 

Jo Watson

Love at First Flight (library book)

Love to Hate You (audiobook via Audible)

 

Cynthia Weiner

A Gorgeous Excitement (audiobook via Libby) 

Chris Whitaker

All the Colors of the Dark (audiobook via Libby)

 

Kevin Wilson

Run for the Hills (library book) 

 

Kerry Winfrey

Faking Christmas (audiobook via Libby) 

Katie Yee

Maggie: or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar (hardcover)