Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
The Books I Picked Up in 2025
29
items Everyone is always telling you to read more. Why not start here? As a busy professional with limited time for books, here's what I made time for, what I loved, and what I would steer away from!
Sections
3
Top 10 of 2025
Completed
Did Not Finish
Top 10 of 2025
Of all the books I read in 2025 - these 10 REALLY stood out!
The buzziest book of 2025, and for good reason! I read this in one sitting over my winter break, annd the charachters have stuck with me ever since.
The Correspondent: A Novel - Virginia Evans
This may go down as a favorite of the year, maybe of all time. Such great characters, life lessons, and an overall emotional book
The Wedding People: A Novel by Alison Espach, Hardcover
Such a worthwhile read. Felt like it was going above my head in the beginning, but at the end, it all started to make sense and was SO GOOD
Piranesi: Clarke, Susanna: 9781635577808
SO GOOD!!! A rom com with a Male POV? A perspective we don’t often see, and so so well done
Good Material (Read with Jenna Pick) by Dolly Alderton, Paperback
Another fave of the year!!! This retelling of Wuthering Heights is SO GOOD!
The Favorites: A Novel: Fargo, Layne - Books
I’ve been dying to read this book for a year and finally got around to it this year. And my anticipation was worth the hype!
The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles 1)
Such a HEART WRENCHING READ. If you love generational stories - and tear jerkers - this one is PERFECTLY emotional, and moving
The Bright Years - Damoff, Sarah: Books
I thought this was a stellar book. A crime novel with intriguing characters. I gave it 5 stars!
The God of the Woods: A Novel by Liz Moore
As a sister myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It really shows the bonds between siblings. Themes include grief and growth
Blue Sisters: A Read with Jenna Pick - by Coco Mellors (Hardcover)
Such a meaningful and life changing read. I really was impacted by this book!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn [75th Anniversary]
Completed
These are all of the books I've read so far this year. I am aiming for 40 by 12/31!
Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Will I be continuing the rest of the series? Nope. This felt like a long book for me and two more would just take up time that could be filled with other more interesting stories.
House of Earth and Blood (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Crescent City ...
This book was one of my surprises for the year! I really enjoyed it.
The Measure: A Novel by Nikki Erlick
After getting through the other two, I couldn’t NOT know what happened next! This one did struggle to keep my attention
Onyx Storm (Standard Edition) by Rebecca Yarros, Hardcover
A library pick - this one was interesting! A crime and family drama, with well written characters. Not necessarily a favorite but something worth looking into!
The Best Kind of People: A Novel
I enjoyed this one! A really interesting premise.
The Unmaking of June Farrow: A Novel by Adrienne Young, Paperback
I DNFd this book twice before locking in, and honestly after I finished it I easily gave it 5 starts. I loved the premise, the characters, and the rom-com plot read like a movie
Funny Story: Henry, Emily - Books
Ugh these books are SO cute and cozy. After 4 other books, the structure does get extremely repetitive and predictable. But still great for a cozy sit down read
Before We Forget Kindness (B&N Exclusive Edition) ...
Well. I finished it!! It was super “London” with references I didn’t always understand. And it felt pretentious at times.
Evenings and Weekends: A Novel by Oisín McKenna
I thoroughly liked this one, despite popular opinion seeming to hate it. I thought it read more like a movie than a book
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors, Paperback
Great for thriller lovers…. Not great for anyone who doesn’t like a predictable twist. I said what I said!
The Only One Left: A Novel by Riley Sager
Such a great pick for my crime novel lovers. Deeply explores the themes of guilt, the boundaries of parental love, and the affect a heinous act can have on a family
Penitence: A Novel by Kristin Koval
Another series I will not be continuing. Interesting but maybe just not for me?
Red Rising: 8601422201284: Brown, Pierce: Books
Emily Henry does it again! I liked this one a lot. The plot, structure, and characters did remind me a little of The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros, but not exact. So if you enjoyed one, you will enjoy the other!
Great Big Beautiful Life: Reese's Book Club
This was a great novel, with a fantastic story. Great for those looking for an entertaining, yet meaningful read that will stick with them
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, Paperback
I had struggled to get through this book!! But then I got it on audio and realized how good it actually is.
Ninth House (Paperback) by Leigh Bardugo
After loving the Measure, I had to give this one a try when it came out. I truly can say I enjoyed it!
The Poppy Fields (Deluxe Limited Edition)
A book with sprayed edgess will catch my attention EVERY time. And Weyward by Emilia Hart is one of my favorite reads of all time. Combining that coming-of-age, and empowering story telling with a new type of mystical element was amazing.
The Sirens: A Novel (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Emilia Hart, Hardcover
Did Not Finish
These are books that were just not for me. But, if you found the books I've completed didn't match your taste - maybe one of my DNF's will catch your eye!
This book was so highly reccomended! I'm thinking it just wasn't for me. The main character just made frustrating decisions and that's something I couldn't get past to finish the story.
All Fours: A Novel - July, Miranda: Books
I got an audiobook for this one which I think had something to do with me not liking it. I often found a fake forced southern accent used for some characters kinda cheesy. Since I didn't have a hard copy I couldn't finish it with that in mind.
A Novel Love Story: Poston, Ashley: 9780593640975