2025 Reading Best Bits
Thoughts on the year and a roundup of my Top 5 Books of 2025!
My general feeling of this year’s reading list was one struck with grave disappointment. It felt to me that this year had been a bit of a reading slump, lacking in reads which left me awestruck or just lacking in any reading at all. That was until I glanced over in the corner at the tumbling tower that is my conquered books of 2025, and realised, from the bowing curvature of the stack, that I had indeed read my fill (39 books to be exact) and that I had in fact read books so brilliantly written and well-loved that they had assuredly become my favourite books of all time.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised that all in all my reading list was a lot of fun this year and I admonish myself for falling into the trap of dwelling on the negative (a trait I’m afraid to say comes oh too easily for me). I think it partly didn’t help that I set myself a reading goal of one-hundred books this year; I splutter with a smug chortle at the naive wishful thinking of end-of-last year’s me, for setting that ludicrous goal! There were also a few books I found pretty shockingly bad and some I had really truly wanted to love but couldn’t get on board with (Martyr I desperately wanted to love but couldn't connect with, and the less said about The Ministry of Time, the better). And so the lesson here is this: a year is a long time and within it it is oh so easy to focus on the grim, and allowing that to encapsulate your whole life synopsis, but if you take some time to really reflect on things, you’ll realise how much joy and light existed between the glum, or in actual fact outshone any darkness altogether.
Reflecting back on my year through books has helped re-jiggle my mind to focus on the truly magical year I had, I’m waving goodbye to 2025 with a sense of nostalgic sadness, knowing in years to come I’ll think back on this year a truly a key moment in my life, a trajectory where things pivoted in the most glorious ways. I forgot, through the foray of day to day mundanity and life admin/wedding planning stress, that I’ve been so blessed to have a truly gorgeous year - in more ways than just reading. I’ve gained new nieces to cherish, I was gifted the opportunity to leave my corporate job to pursue a writing career and the icing on this delicately decadent fondant of a cake, I got engaged to my love. All of which induces a fizzy gleeful light in my belly which buzzes with excitement each time I think about these (and many other) precious memories. The key thing I’ve learned is to make sure to pause and actually think about these moments, to not let them fade and obscure as time trickles on and the passing of days eat away at these lovely memories. It’s become clear to me that this is why documenting one’s life is fundamental, whether it’s through the books you’ve read, pictures of your meals, videos of blowing out birthday candles, reels of running with your best friend into the freezing waves of the sea, selfies of holding your baby niece whilst a bbq is getting going, or a carousel of your month’s best bits - even if the best bit was just a dazzling sunset. Much like keeping score on GoodReads or adding to a physical pile made up of ‘done’ reads, it’s good to have these moments of your life collected and waiting for you to come back to at year’s end and see that each month, each day, has had pockets of gems sparkling within, signalling a life well enjoyed.
So what are these fantastic books of 2025 I hear you cry!? Well, it’s humorous to think that this ol’ sourpuss miss actually struggled to whittle down my reads to a Top 5, but somehow I managed to and so here I present to you my best of 2025. These are books I haven’t been able to get off my mind, and I think the fact I forgot I read them only this year is indicative to how brilliant they really are. They’ve wormed within my subconscious and have elements I often ponder on each day, giving me the illusion that I read them many moons ago, or they somehow have been part of me all my life. Some I believe have been sitting dormant, just waiting for me to tumble into and absorb with my very being. Some have opened my mind to new writing styles and beautifully heart-wrenching topics and genres. Whereas one, in particular, I simply want to gobble up the pages because the writing is so gut-punchingly gorgeous I think I actually might fancy the pants off the book (unsurprisingly I’ve ranked that my top book of the year).
2025 Top 5 Wonderwahl Best Books:
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
My Husband (a VERY close second, could almost be joint number one to be honest)
The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (I want to collect and own every copy of this book!)
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda
I’d like to leave with some honourable mentions to the books which I cut from my Top 5, but were nonetheless brilliant reads which I highly recommend you read too!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
Frankensiten by Mary Shelley
The Death Of Bunny Monroe by Nick Cave
And that’s a wrap of 2025; I already know next year is going to be a whirlwind! Thank you to all my subscribers for all your support with my publication this year, I hope you stick with me as I journey through all the highs and lows of another year, making sure to collect my gems of joy along the way. Happy New Year!