One of my favourite things to do at this time of year is to reflect on the reading year that was, and Jamie aka The Perpetual Page-Turner makes this very easy to do by providing this list of questions.

Number Of Books I Read: 60
Number of Re-Reads: 1 (The Paper Palace, which was a book club selection. This was my third time reading it and I still love it.)
Genre I Read The Most From: literary fiction/YA (not really genres, I know – but in those categories I read a lot of thrillers, mysteries, realistic fic)

My Goodreads Year in Review can be found here.

1. Best Book You Read In 2025?

According to the list I sent out (see that list at the end of this post), Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner was my favourite book of the year. In 2024, Zentner’s novel The Serpent King was my second favourite novel of the year. Another of Zentner’s books, In the Wild Light, also made my Top Twenty list this year. So, I guess you could say I am a fan. I doubt anything is going to knock Goodbye Days from the number one spot.

Runner Up:

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

 We Used to Live Here was certainly easy to read – but I found it sort of disjointed, especially as things went along. It wasn’t scary, although there were certainly some creepy moments. I didn’t finish it feeling satisfied, mostly because I wasn’t 100% sure I understood exactly what had happened. That may be my own fault rather than the book’s – so your mileage might vary. I was sure I was going to love this book, but in the end, I just didn’t.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

I actually had a couple of surprises this year – books that I shouldn’t have loved, but did and vice versa.

In the LOVED category:

In the not-so-great category:

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I don’t think I championed any one book this year, although I do my fair share of book talks at school. I also got two of my favourite readers to read my favourite book Velocity. You can read Luke’s review of the book here.

5. Favorite new author you discovered in 2025?

I will definitely be reading more from Nat Cassidy (Nestlings) and Ronald Malfi (Come With Me)

6. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I don’t think I read anything out of my comfort zone this year,

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Action Packed: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (violent revenge thriller)

Thrilling: The Stopped Heart – Julie Myerson (ghost story/grief horror)

Unputdownable: The Favorites – Layne Fargo (soap opera on skates)

9. Book You Read In 2025 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I mean, it’s not likely I will re-read anything unless it’s for school.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2025?

I have two – both YA.

11. Most memorable character of 2025?

Ryan Flannigan from Such a Pretty Girl

Roan Montgomery from Dark Horses

Both of these young protagonists go through it and are memorable because they survive.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2025?

I read quite a few well-written books this year. Beautifully written (to my taste) would have to be The Paper Palace and I guess it counts even though it is a re-read. But if I can’t use that, perhaps Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2025?

I had a thought-provoking experience reading John William’s novel Stoner. I may have done some underlining. There was also lots of food for thought in Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2025 to finally read? 

It’s not really a question of not being able to believe I waited so long to get to such-and-such a book because I have more books on my physical tbr shelf than I can reasonably expect to get to in my lifetime. So, I will just name a couple of books which have been languishing on my tbr shelf and that I finally read:

The Stopped Heart – Julie Myerson

The Servants – Michael Marshall Smith

Broken – Daniel Clay

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2024?

“For the most part, you don’t hold the people you love in your heart because they rescued you from drowning or pulled you from a burning house. Mostly you hold them in your heart because they save you, in a million quiet and perfect ways, from being alone.” – Goodbye Days

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2024?

Barker – 164 pages

Walsh – 967 pages

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Maybe shocked by how bad it was: I Died on a Tuesday

And I was sorely disappointed by Save Me, the first book from the Maxton Hall series. I’d been waiting forever for it to be translated from German into English because I LOVE the series. None of what I love in the show exists in the book; the series makes the book a zillion times better.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) (OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

What I’ve said about Save Me remains true, but I am still putting James and Ruby on the list as my OTP as technically they are characters from a book that I have read, but when I think about them I think about the actors and the show.

Honourable mention to: Shannon and Johnny from Binding 13. I really did love these characters (enough that I actually went out and bought Keeping 13 and read it immediately).

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Ike and Buddy Lee from Razorblade Tears

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2025 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

I read two more books by Jeff Zentner this year, which I have already mentioned. I enjoyed Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (All the Sinners Bleed) and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (Hell Followed With Us)

21. Best Book You Read In 2025 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:

I think that honour has to go to Stoner by John Williams. Here’s what I said at the start of my review:

John Williams’ 1965 novel Stoner probably would not have been on my reading radar without booktube. It seemed as though many young readers (people in their 20s and 30s – and yes, those are young people to me now) were reading it and talking about it and so I added it to my physical tbr pile, figuring that I would get to it eventually.

I read it and loved it and it was definitely worthy of the hype.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2025?

I didn’t like very much else about Remarkably Bright Creatures, but I did love Marcellus, the octopus.

23. Best 2025 debut you read?

The Names by Florence Knapp was a terrific debut.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Gone to See the River Man had a pretty vivid (and often horrific) setting. The Canadian setting of Moon Road was also beautifully captured (and not at all horrific!)

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Yikes – looking back at the titles I read this year, they’re all pretty dark. I think the one book that actually made me smile/laugh (but also feel the feels) was Alison Espach’s The Wedding People.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2025?

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Hidden from whom? I suspect that most of the books on my list are known to others, but if I were going to offer up a couple less-well-known titles I would suggest people check out Broken by Daniel Clay, a sort of To Kill a Mockingbird retelling set on a council estate in England or The Servants by Michael Marshall Smith, the story of a young boy who moves to the seaside with his stepfather and ailing mother.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

No books crushed my soul this year; American politics did that.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2024?

Andrew Joseph White (The Spirit Bares Its Teeth) continues to impress with his horror-tinged takes on gender identity.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

I don’t think I read a book this year that made me mad.

1. New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2023?

Here are some Instagram accounts I enjoy: booksbythebay, fictionmatters, booksaresick, dylanjosephreads, jordys.book.club, vestcody

2. Favorite post you wrote in 2025?

Although I didn’t understand everything in Jaron Lanier’s book of essays Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, I liked my post about this worthwhile read.

3. Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2025?

I mean, favourite? But here’s a picture of me with a pile of books I got at the Boys and Girls Club book sale in August. Clearly I didn’t take the picture. 🙂

4. Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events,  etc.)?

In December, two of my favourite people on the planet visited me when they come home and we convened the first meeting of our Book Club of 3. Since we always talk about books when we get together, in November we decided to make it slightly more formal and read the same book before the visit. We chose Stoner and had a lovely discussion.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2025?Any interaction with other readers is lovely.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Meeting my reading goal was hard this year; I am not sure why. I think the crazy state of the world has made it difficult to concentrate and I turned to shitty television instead of hunkering down with a book. I am looking forward to a reset.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Unsurprising, Corrupt had the most views with 243.

Some other interesting stats from my blogging year:

I wrote 60 posts, over 28k words. I had over 52,000 views this year, but my overall engagement is still low. I would like to think that’s because it takes a little more effort to leave a comment on a blog than it does on an Instagram post.

Jan 17, 2025 was my busiest day with 813 views. I didn’t post anything on the 17th, but I did post my review of My Brilliant Friend on Jan 13.

8. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Two independent bookstores opened…neither of them in my hometown, but both places I can get to every once and awhile.

Bucca Dell’Acqua is located in St. Andrews, NB

Egghead Books in Halifax, NS

9..  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Nope.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2025 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2025?

I am a mood reader. I can’t tell you want I will feel like reading from one moment to the next.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2025 (non-debut)?

See above.

3. 2025 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I dunno.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2026?

I do hope to finish the Empire of the Vampire series. I read the first book in 2022! I have book two sitting on my shelf.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2025

Every year I send out a Top 20 list to my friends from Litsy. I compile it late November, so it doesn’t include everything I’ve read up to the end of the year (and there are always a few bangers that are left off.)

20. Binding 13 – Chloe Walsh(NA)

I am certainly not the audience for this sort of book, but I purchased the sequel Keeping 13 and reading it straight away and that is something I never do. There. That’s my endorsement.

19. Gone to See the River Man – Kristopher Triana

Not gonna lie: I thought this book was great.

18. The Favorites – Layne Fargo

I might not have believed it all by the end, but I skated along with the characters quite happily until their final bow.

17. The Servants – Michael Marshall Smith

A lovely, quiet tale about eleven-year-old Mark who has moved to Brighton with his brand-new step-dad, David, and his mom, who appears to be quite ill. There were tears.

16. Nightwatching – Tracy Sierra

Lots of moments when the pages turned themselves and I felt like the book really delivered on its promise.

15. The Four – Ellie Keel

Secrets, unreliable narrators, a labyrinthine school, and surprising twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

14. Dark Horses – Susan Mihalic

An unflinching look at sexual abuse and what it means to be a survivor.

13. Those Across the River – Christopher Buehlman

It isn’t a scary horror novel, but it is an atmospheric and compelling read.

12. Such a Pretty Girl – T. Greenwood

This book is very evocative of a time and place and as someone who loves New York and grew up in the 1970s, I found that very compelling.

11. I Have Some Questions For You – Rebecca Makkai

It’s a compelling, well-written mystery with lots to say about our fascination with true crime, the fetishization of victims and how, sometimes, justice just isn’t served.

10. Out of the Easy – Ruta Sepetys (YA)

I have yet to meet a Ruta Sepetys book that I haven’t liked.

9. The Wedding People – Alison Espach

The book is funny, sentimental, and life-affirming.

8. Mercury – Amy Jo Burns

A very character-driven novel, and all of the characters are complicated and beautifully rendered.

7. Mad Honey – Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

These characters felt real to me and their struggles also felt nuanced and authentic. Mad Honey is provocative, thoughtful, and timely.

6. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth – Andrew Joseph White (YA)

White has a remarkable imagination, but this book feels especially timely given the way the rights of marginalized people are being eroded in today’s society.

5. The Stopped Heart – Julie Myerson

Explores themes of grief and loss, with supernatural elements. Beautifully written, compelling characters, and there are some very creepy moments.

4. In the Wild Light – Jeff Zentner(YA)

A coming-of-age story about a kid who has had to grow up way too fast, who feels out of his depth, but who learns to trust himself. Made me cry on more than one occasion.

3. Moon Road – Sarah Leipciger

It was wonderful to read a book featuring mature characters who have lived a life, suffered a terrible loss, and then made an effort to keep moving forward.

2. The Names – Florence Knapp

What’s in a name? Turns out, quite a lot. Highly recommended.

1. Goodbye Days – Jeff Zentner (YA)

“For the most part, you don’t hold the people you love in your heart because they rescued you from drowning or pulled you from a burning house. Mostly you hold them in your heart because they save you, in a million quiet and perfect ways, from being alone.”

Had I read it before I finished my list, Stoner would have totally made my top 20.