It's that time again! Well, past that time, but we've had a lot going on here lately.
I've compiled some fun facts on what I read last year and my top picks for favorite books of the year. I will share some stats on my reading, my #1 picks in various categories, and my Top 10 (or whatever) lists. Any links go to my reviews (mini reviews in my Monday posts). You can also watch my videos:
Top 10 Fiction Books Read in 2025
Top 5 Nonfiction Books Read in 2025
Please share in the comments: What books were YOUR favorites in 2025?
2025 Reading Stats
Total Number of Books Read: 72
Number of Fiction Books Read: 63 (87.5%)
Number of Nonfiction Books Read: 9 (12.5%)
Types of Books Read:
(some categories overlap)
Adult Fiction: 44 (61%)
Adult Nonfiction: 8
Teen/YA: 10
Middle-Grade: 9
Audio Books: 29 (40%)
Graphic Novels/Nonfiction: 3
Classics: 8
Poetry: 0
Short Story Collections: 0
Fun Facts:
Books Written by Women Authors: 36 (50%)
Diverse Books: 38 (53%)
Books from My Own Shelves: 34 (47%) - I don't count e-books or audios.
Re-reads: 2
Authors Read More Than Once: 3
Shortest Book: Unauthorized Bread by Cory Doctorow (112 pages)
Longest Book: The Love Songs of WEB DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers (816 pages)
Average Book Length: 346 pages
My 2025 Reading Challenges:
To see my full recap, with lists of books, categories, and hosts, visit my 2024 Challenge Page.
Mount TBR Reading Challenge (and Read What You Own challenge): My goal was 36; I read 34 (almost!)
2025 Motif Reading Challenge: This is always a fun one! I hit 9 of the 12 monthly themes.
The Classic Six Challenge : My goal was 6; I read 8!
2025 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge : I got 19 of the 26 letters.
2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge : My goal was 12; I read just 9 (but they were all great!). I got 7 of the 12 categories.
2025 Diversity Reading Challenge : I read 38 diverse books in 2025.
Around the World Reading Challenge (a perpetual challenge): I read 26 books set outside the U.S., set in 23 different countries.
2025 Literary Escapes Challenge: I read books set in 27 states (less than last year).
Mardi Gras Readathon I read 5 books, covering 5 of the 9 spots on my Bingo card.
Middle-Grade March I read just 2 middle-grade books last March.
March Mystery Madness: I read 6 mysteries in March.
Big Book Summer Challenge (hosted by me): I read 8 Big Books last summer.
June on the Range: I read Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry
Shorty September: I read 10 short books in September.
R.I.P. Challenge: I read 17 dark books in September and October (Shorty September helped)!
Nonfiction November: I read 6 nonfiction books in November.
My Top Picks
Best Adult Fiction
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Best Nonfiction
We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo
Best Memoir
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
Best Audio
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Best YA
Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
Best Middle-Grade
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackey
Best Graphic Novel/Nonfiction
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Yuen Lang and LeUyen Pham
Best Classic
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Top 10 (or whatever) Lists
These
are always tough choices! I narrowed down my Top 10 novels and audio
books, plus whatever Top number seemed appropriate for the other
categories. Lists are in alphabetical order.
Top 10 Adult Novels
Bridge by Lauren Beukes
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Dark Ride by Lou Berney
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
The Love Songs of WEB DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
The Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington
Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry
Sweetland by Michael Crummey
Top 10 Audio Books
(Chosen because they were great books where the audio production made them even more special.)
Artifice by Sharon Cameron
Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Gulp by Mary Roach
Knife by Salman Rushdie
She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
Swing by Kwame Alexander
We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo
Top 5 Nonfiction Books
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas
Gulp by Mary Roach
A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko
We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo
Top 6 YA Books
Artifice by Sharon Cameron
Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Swing by Kwame Alexander
Thunderhead by Neal Schusterman
Top 4 Middle-Grade Books
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackey
Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Heroes by Tracey Baptiste and Shauna J. Grant
Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith
Two Degrees by Alan Gratz
What were YOUR favorite books read last year?
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