So….2025 was a lot, I think we can all agree. I had personal A LOTs and there were worldly A LOTs.
Needless to say, books were my comfort in a time of chaos.
My 2025 Bookify Wrapped:
Books Read: 69 (cue my fifteen-year-old self heheeing)
I haven’t set a number reading goal in the last three years and, honestly, I find it freeing.
My top rated books:
These were my 5-star reads: Destiny of the Republic (one of the best nonfiction I have ever read and now a Netflix miniseries), Hamnet (made me weep and now a movie), Starter Villain (seriously made me laugh out loud), Atmosphere (Taylor Jenkins Reid, need I say more), The Road to Tender Hearts (a perfect job of macabre humor -- think Six Feet Under), and Everything is Tuberculosis (John Green never misses for me).
My bottom rated books: The Unwritten Rules of Magic.
I legitimately gave up on this book about 80% into it and just read the last chapter; I didn’t want to keep reading, but I wanted to know if anything happened. I don’t know if that is considered a DNF or not.
My Favorite genre this year: Romance
This kind of blows my mind because it’s not usually my #1 but then I remembered that I read the entire Off-Campus series (about to be an Amazon Prime show). It was a perfect read for me at the time, something I didn’t need to think about too deeply. Romance is always cheesy, so with this series, I just enjoyed the cheese.
My most-read author: Elle Kennedy
She is the author of Off-Campus series!
My favorite book of the year:
It’s a tie between Hamnet and Destiny of the Republic. They are very different (one is about Shakespeare’s son and the other is about the assassination and death of a president,) but both stuck with me long after I finished them.
Hamnet was such a beautiful expression of grief. I have never lost a child, but the way O’Farrell writes about Agnes’s grief is so palpable that you could hold it in your hand. I cannot wait to watch the movie.
Destiny of the Republic was a look into a part of American history I didn’t know about: President James Garfield, his assassination, and ultimate death. First of all, James Garfield seemed like a great president and I was left wondering what would have happened had he not been shot. Second, how did anyone survive before modern medicine? You will find yourself YELLING at the doctors as they try to save Garfield. The Netflix mini-series is not bad either!
What was your 2025 Bookify Wrapped?
I hope those who celebrate have a Merry Christmas and everyone has a happy new year!
My name is Laura. I am a librarian and I talk more about books @bamareads on Instagram.