Today, July 2nd, we are halfway through 2025. (Whaaaat? Already?!) Here are some of our favorite books so far this year!
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Dusti’s Picks:
This is a kind of back story for the Blood and Ash series. Both series are great for anyone who loves ACOTAR. I think I loved this series more than the Blood and Ash series. Nyktos is such a book boyfriend. These books are great Romantsy books if that’s the vibe you’re going for.
Although I didn’t start the series this year, I did finish the latest 2 books. There are 3 (so far) Google says there may be a fourth, fingers crossed. For the longest time I couldn’t figure out why these books felt so cozy to me but then it hit me, if Narnia was your thing you are going to absolutely love this series. From a Narnia fan these books felt like home, all cozy and warm, even when we were going through the trenches.
I 100% was not expecting this book to be as good as it was. Maybe I sometimes am just blissfully reading and not paying attention to clues but the plot twists were twisting. At one point I had to go back and re-read a page while picking my jaw up off the floor because I wasn’t expecting what I had read.
Julia’s Picks:
I know you’re probably thinking, “Julia, what on earth is this book?” Honestly, at Christmas, my friend and I spotted the last two signed copies at B&N and thought this would be funny to have on our shelves. And really, who doesn’t love Stanley Tucci? But this book turned out to be so much more than just, “On May 3rd I had a ham sandwich and chips.” Tucci walks us through the films and projects he worked on throughout the year, but at its core, this book is a story of how food brings people together.
As someone who grew up constantly reading the original trilogy, this book hit me harder than I could have ever prepared for. I found myself grieving—for the boy Haymitch used to be, and for all of the loss he endured. The entire series delves into dark and heavy themes; however, for me, this installment carried an extra weight. Sunrise on the Reaping is unrelenting and will leave you feeling emotionally raw by the end. But even in the most horrific situations we get to experience human connection.
This book was really cute, in the best possible way! Poston once again crafts a romantic world that had me hooked, while also ensuring the characters were three-dimensional. I got so swept up in the story that I read it in a single day. The characters deal with real-life issues and carry emotional baggage, which makes their experiences feel all the more meaningful. If you’re looking for a cozy romance with emotional depth, this book is the perfect pick!
Salli’s Picks:
While I don’t typically read Fantasy, (SciFi & Fantasy are completely different genres – fight me) I’m so glad to have come back to this one after pausing it for a bit. The setting starts out in a famished desert human kingdom where 24 year old Saeris is faced with death as punishment for stealing in the name of sheer thirst and hunger. When a magical gateway opens as she fights the queen’s knight for her life, the world as she knows it morphs into something she could never have imagined existed.
I wasn’t ready for the story to end, and thankfully there’s more to be told. The next book in the series is set to be released mid November of 2025!
Although this book was not my top favorite book written by Andy Weir, I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing his signature sense of humor shine through. Picture this: Earth’s first settlement on the Moon, known as Artemis. But to Jazz? It’s just the place she’s called home since she was 6. There’s monetary class systems within the colony causing turmoil and creating conspiracies that Jazz herself (a broke 20 something with debt, who’s tired of only being able to afford her tiny apartment and the icky algae food substitute) has somehow found herself in the middle of. The book is an exciting moon heist that’ll have you on the edge of your seat!
Reading classics and “banned” books was part of my reading goals for this year, so I started here. Animal Farm is a simplified, easy to understand political satire novel represented through the actions of rebellious farm animals that seek freedom from the reigns of their farmer’s “slavery.” However, in return, they slowly become a totalitarian “society” throughout the timeline of the book. Great representation of the phrase “The grass ain’t always greener on the other side of the fence.”
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