My Reading List 2025 By Augustina Mirlo

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 2, 2025, 9:42 AM

I love a good list, hahaha. Part of me feels a little aimless during summertime because there’s no classes, no school imposed structure, no hard and fast deadlines to keep me accountable, and all that. Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing between me and just sitting around all day doing nothing. However, like Kirillov says in Demons by Dostoevsky, behold my terrible new freedom. Here’s my list of books to choose from that I want to read this summer, and probably into the fall. It’s a ton of books, and that’s not necessarily saying I want to finish them all in a strict timeframe, but these are my choices so I can pick what I’m in the mood...

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson After a very successful 2023 list (20/24, by far the closest I’ve come to completing one), I faltered a bit in 2024, finishing 16 of 24. Part of that was due to the library holds system – The Power of Moments just arrived, and I’ve been waiting weeks for Delicious! and The Measure to be delivered – but I suspect I also fell victim to a defect I noticed in 2022: placing books on the list that I wasn’t absolutely chomping at the bit... That’s the bar I’m using this year (absolutely chomping at the bit to read), and I’m also making one other change: I’m putting some of the books I’m most eager to tear into in... If I get to them sooner?

That’s quite alright. I’m guessing I’ll just be grateful to have read them at all :) (If you’re new, this is the very lowest-key of book clubs: I consider it a delightful exercise in thoughtfully planning my reading a year at a time (12 fiction, 12 non-fiction), and though I’m... January:The Unmaking of June Farrow | I love a well-done time travel escapade and this 2024 NYT bestseller, set in North Carolina and recommended by Janssen, has all the makings of a hit: “a... February:Gilead | This Pulitzer Prize winner has come recommended from many different sources over the years, and not always ones that I’d guess would appreciate a book about a pastor in the 1950’s.Adorning the... I’m looking forward to reading my first offering from Andrew Peterson.

It’s been a while since I’ve made a reading list for myself (the last one was in 2017!), so I thought I’d make one for 2025. For this reading list, I tried to pick a mix of books I haven’t read before, as well as some I’ve been interested in re-reading; fiction and nonfiction. There’s also a mix of all sorts of genres; prose and graphic novels; and new and old books. Energy levels permitting, I plan to post reviews throughout the year for each book I read from this list, too. So, without further ado, here’s my (alphabetized) list of books I plan to read in 2025! Anyone who knows me knows that I read way more than 25 books in a year, so you may be wondering why this list is so short.

The answer? I want to leave room for impulsivity and flexibility for when my brain needs a break from an assigned list, so I can pick up whatever books I want at the library or in... Also… I have a much longer list of books that I own but haven’t read yet, and I *also* plan to read many of them this year: I usually own somewhere between 25 and 40 books that I haven’t read at any given time. I tend to go through approximately 30-50 books from this category in a calendar year. If you end up reading any of these books, too, please share what you think!

I am determined to get through my reading list this year, even if it kills me. I admittedly have not actually sat down and read a novel in its entirety in almost a year, and I’m ashamed to say it. In my defense, though, the reading that college literature classes demand can make you ill of reading after a while, and I just needed a break. In the meantime, though, I’ve read dozens of short stories, a couple poetry chapbooks, and many, many, tedious, brain-numbing textbook chapters. But I miss nothing more than snuggling up by a window with a great book, a cup of hot peppermint tea, and reading the world away. So, my 2025 goal is to read these four books by the end of the year.

A young career woman exploring New York City in the 1950s as her psyche crescively devolves into madness? Sign me up. Sylvia Plath’s debut—and final—novel is both marred by tragedy and a critique of American folklore, the fiction that New York means glamour. Means dreams come true. For Esther Greenwood, New York means Hell. At the time of writing this, I am dog-eared at Chapter 2.

My first impression? My God, Plath’s prose is gorgeous. She explains the minimal, the dull, with colorful, vivid language that doesn’t come off as try-hard or purple. Plath immediately sets the tone with a reference to the Rosenbergs’ executions and a short backstory of the first time she saw a cadaver. Though there is a whole sub community dedicated to this novel, I elected to go into it knowing as little as possible, so I’m both excited and apprehensive about what I’m getting myself into. A new year means new resolutions, and for me, that means setting a new reading goal.

Last year, I set my reading goal at 10 books, and by the end of 2024, I had read 12 books. While this may seem like a small goal to some, I consider it a win. Personally, I like to keep my reading goal realistic and attainable, so one for each month was perfect for me. I only started reading regularly again a few years ago and setting a goal like this kept me reading while still juggling work, socializing with friends, and all of the other day-to-day happenings of... But this year, I’m challenging myself a bit more, and I hope to read at least 20 books. A few years ago I joined a book club that my cousin and her friends had started, and it has been a great way to read a variety of books, including ones that I...

We had our first meeting of the year last weekend, where we recapped our 2024 reads, and picked our books for the year ahead. To recap our books, we each picked a different book we read and brought a drink or dish that was inspired by that book, which was such a fun way to remember those stories. My favorite book that we read last year was Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. It’s time for the 12th edition of my annual reading list. I like to put together the list as way to document my reading goals for the year and to collect any suggestions or recommendations you might have based on the types of books I... Similar to recent years, I’m maintaining two lists.

The first list is my fun reads, which are generally fictional works from the science fiction genre. I read these books for entertainment, although there are distinct reasons why the list leans towards science fiction that you can read about here. My morning reads is the list that I use for learning. The themes are primarily personal development, health and wellness, and business. The guidelines I use to comprise each of these lists are included at the end of this post. My ‘Want to Read’ list on Goodreads had 205 books on it to start the year which, believe it or not, is an improvement from last year when there over 220 books on it.

I generally read about 30 books in a year – 20 from my fun reads and 10 from my morning reads. I’ve trimmed the overall number of books in my queue by being more selective in what I add to it. While I create and use the lists to guide my reading, I’m don’t rigidly adhere to them. If a strong recommendation or new title comes up, it could jump the queue if I find it interesting. Each year, there are a couple of titles that I like to try and revisit. It’s a good way to reinforce the key concepts I took away the first (or last) time I read it.

I didn’t do a good job of this last year, but I’d like to revisit at least one or two off this list in 2025. It’s the New Year, which means it’s time for me to set some goals for the year. So today, I wanted to set up my reading goal and share my current TBR list. Last year, I managed to read 53 books. My goal was to read 50, so I ended 2024 with three books over, which I’m happy about! That’s an extra book on top of reading one a week, and that’s pretty good for me.

I’ve seen posts on social media and blogs of readers who were able to read hundreds of books in 2024, which is mind-blowing to me. I wish I could read more than a hundred books in a single year, but my dyslexia and the busyness of my personal life limits the amount of books I can finish. I will comfortably read a book a week, which works out perfectly for my weekly book review. I do want to push myself, however, so I’m setting my 2025 reading goal at 55 books. I want to make sure to set a realistic goal, and aiming for 55 books means I’ll have to read just a smidge more than a book a week. As for what I want to read, here is my TBR list that I’ll be working through for the year:

I don’t hang out in my local libraries nearly enough anymore, but I’m still a voracious reader. As a kid, it was a fun challenge to try to read as many of them as I could over the the break. It became an adventure to hunt for the books on the list from different libraries, because others were getting in on the fun and checking out the books from my nearest library before I... It’s 10 books and there are 13 weeks in the summer, so I’ve got to get to it. I think I can do it! I just noticed, after I posted a pic of the books on my blog, that there isn’t even one fictional book included.

I need to add one or swap out one currently on the list. We need at least one good story over the summer. Am I right? There are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any items through the links, I receive a small commission. It won’t pay me enough to quit my day job, but inflation is getting unreal 😮‍💨, and every little bit helps.

Please note: many of the links included in this blog are affiliate links, which means if you use these links to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost... Thank you for your support! Here are 25 of the (endless) books on my 2025 reading list! Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton, I have an ARC of Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein! I’m so excited to dive into it. I loved her novel Head Over Heels — you can find my review of the book here.

My Reading List 2025 By Augustina Mirlo

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