- Dylan Drakes - Cubs & Campfires
- Brandon Sanderson - The Hero of Ages
- TJ Klune - The Extraordinaries
- Andy Stanton - Benny the Blue Whale
- Simon Jimenez - The Spear Cuts Through Water
- Freya Marske - A Power Unbound
- T. Kingfisher - What Feasts at Night
- Kacen Callender - Felix Ever After
- Aiden Thomas - Cemetery Boys
- Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - Good Omens
- V.E. Schwab - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
- Rainbow Rowell - Wayward Son
- Vajra Chandrasekera - The Saint of Bright Doors
- Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before We Forget Kindness
- Kevin Hearne - Candle & Crow
- Scott Hawkins - The Library at Mount Char
- Dylan Drakes - Bears & Bakeries
- Brandon Sanderson - Elantris
- Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
- Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
- Brandon Sanderson - The Emperor’s Soul
- Tiago Forte - Building a Second Brain
- T. Kingfisher - A Sorceress Comes to Call
- William Shakespeare - Macbeth
- André Aciman - Room on the Sea
- Ernest Hemingway - The Old Man And the Sea
- Hannah Kaner - Faithbreaker
- Peter S. Beagle - The Innkeeper‘s Song
- R.K. Ashwick - A Rival Most Vial
- Redfern Jon Barrett - Proud Pink Sky
- Peter S. Beagle - I‘m Afraid You‘ve got Dragons
- David Ebershoff - The Danish Girl
- Ben Alderson -The Witch and his Crow
- J.K. Pendragon - Witch, Cat, and Cobb
- CJ Connor - Board to Death
- Brandon Sanderson - The Way of Kings
- Tess Carletta - Kit & Basie
- Erin Morgenstern - The Starless Sea
- Tess Carletta - Patchwork
- Mai Mochizuki - The Full Moon Coffee Shop
- Mai Mochizuki - Best Wishes From the Full Moon Coffee Shop
- Walter M. Miller Jr. - A Canticle for Leibowitz
- Dylan Drakes - Cubs & Campfires: Winter Rangers
- A. E. Osworth - Awakened
- Z. S. Diamanti - Guard in the Garden
- Dylan Drakes - Bears & Bakeries: Pie Holes
- Premee Mohamed - The Butcher of the Forest
- T. Kingfisher - A Wizard‘s Guide to Defensive Baking
- Sjón - Moonstone. The Boy Who Never Was
- Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone - This is How You Lose the Time War
- Dan Jones - Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend
- Henry Hoke - Open Throat
I’m more than two months late in posting my 2025 reading list - mostly because I completely forgot to write anything during our Italy trip and those relaxing days in Crema - but I finally found a moment to share a few thoughts about my recent literary year.
To keep it short: I only just managed to reach my reading goal, largely because additional responsibilities at work left less room for reading than I would have liked - responsibilities I was fortunately able to hand back a few weeks ago. For much of the year, reading was mostly limited to my commute, which offered an important time window to slow down and find some calm before and after demanding workdays.
Even within those smaller reading moments, 2025 offered some absolutely fantastic stories. Especially The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Saint of Bright Doors, The Innkeeper’s Song, and The Starless Sea stayed with me long after finishing them, each for its own brilliant story and engaging narration. The title of ‘weirdest story’ definitely goes to The Library at Mount Char while Benny the Blue Whale deserves ‘most tedious experience’ of this year!
While 2025 felt more constrained than I had hoped, 2026 has already started on a very promising note: nine books in so far, with hopefully many more great stories waiting in the months ahead. 📚
