Books You’ve Read in 2025

1) Demon in White (Sun Eater #3) by Christopher Ruocchio 10/10
2) Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 9/10
3) Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey 8/10
4) A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towels 10/10
5) Starry Messenger by Neil Degrasse Tyson 7/10
6) A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders 7/10
7) Tales of the Sun Eater Vol. 2 by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10
8) Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson 9/10
9) Kingdoms of Death (Sun Eater #4) by Christopher Ruocchio 10/10
10) End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker 7.5/10
11) Mistborn: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson 9/10
12) The Lost Season by Dick Vitale 6/10
13) Open by Andre Agassi 10/10
14) Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson 8/10
15) Elantris by Brandon Sanderson 8.25/10

Liked the magic system and story in this one better than Warbreaker's. It's crazy to me that the same person can think of so many different systems and stories and make them work.
This may be my year of the Sanderson.

 

1. Way of Kings (Stormlight Archives #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10) (Reread)
2. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archives #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (Reread)
3. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archives #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (Reread)
4. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archives #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10) (Reread)
5. Dawnshard (Stormlight Archives #3.5) - Brandon Sanderson (7/10) (Reread)
6. Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archives #4) - Brandon Sanderson (7/10) (Reread)
7. Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archives #5) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
8. The Sunlit Man (Stormlight Archives #5.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
9. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
10. Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
11. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
12. The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
13. The Butcher's Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl #5) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
14. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl #6) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
15. The Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl #7) - Matt Dinniman (8/10)

 

1. Wing Walkers by Taylor Brown (8.5/10)
2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (6.5/10)
3. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (*/10)
4. Rednecks by Taylor Brown (7/10)
5. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer (10/10)
6. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (2/10)
7. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (9.5/10)
8. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (8/10)
9. Death in Yellowstone by Lee Whittlesey (4/10)
10. Primitive War by Ethan Pettus (7/10)
11. Another Country by James Baldwin (8/10)
12. Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill (8/10)
13. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (9/10)
14. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen (8/10)
15. The Hike by Drew Magary (9/10)
16. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (9/10)
17. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (10/10)
18. The Divine Comedy pt 1, Inferno by Dante (*/10)
19. Pride of Eden by Taylor Brown (6/10)
20. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (7.5/10)
21. Missoula by Jon Krakauer (5/10)
The least compelling read of his books to me, but probably because of my position as an attorney and unabashed feminist. While the stories and problems with sexual assault prosecutions in higher education should be screamed from the mountaintops, this book was a lot of trial regurgitation that I just didn’t find interesting. Also, this book could’ve been written about any college town in the United States, and likely just about any town anywhere.

Sucks how badly we handle sexual assault in this country.

Next up: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

 

See you in a month or so. I read this last year for the first time. So long, but a classic for a reason

 

Fuck. Just realized that the version I bought is abridged. That’s lame as shit. Why wouldn’t they put it on the cover?

Suppose I’ll go sign up for a library card and get the full version.

Ugh.

 

Do you have an e-reader or tablet? It's public domain. It should be available on whatever service you use

 

I don’t. For whatever reason, I have trouble reading from tablets/kindles compared to regular books.

I think it has something to do with seeing the progress I’m making in real time, weirdly. It’s like mowing a lawn.

 

Just finished Stoner. Goddamn if that last chapter didn't just destroy me. "What did you expect?"

 

1. The Twelve (The Passage #2) - Justin Cronin - (9/10)
2. Elantris - Brandon Sanderson (6.5/10)
3. The Emperor's Soul - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
4. The Hope of Elantris - Brandon Sanderson --
5. Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1) - Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee (8.5/10)
6. Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs - Camilla Townsend (9/10)
7. Death of the Author - Nnedi Okorafor (8.5/10)
8. Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2 #1) - Brando Sando (8/10)
9. Allomancer Jak (Mistborn Era 2 #1.5). Brando Sando --
10. Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2 #2) - Brando Sando (8.5/10)
11. City of Mirrors (The Passage #3) - Justin Cronin - (8/10 )
12. Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2 #3) - Brando Sando (9/10)
13. Mistborn: A Secret History - Brando Sando (9/10)
14. The Lost Metal (Mistborn 2 #4) - Brand Sando (9/10)
15. An Honorable Assassin (Nick Mason #3) - Steve Hamilton (6.5/10)
16. A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles (8/10)
17. Nemesis (Orphan X #10) - Gregg Hurwitz (7.5/10)
19. Butter - Asako Yuzuki (7/10)
20. The Forever War - Joe Haldeman (7.5/10)
21. Caliban's War (The Expanse #2) - James SA Corey(10/10)
22. Gods of Risk (The Expanse #2.5) - James SA Corey (9/10
23. An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence - Zeinab Bawadi (8.5/10)
24. Abaddon's Gate (The Expanse #3) - James SA Corey (10/10)
25. The Churn (The Expanse #3.5) - James SA Corey (10/10)
26. The Blade Itself (First Law #1) - Joe Abercrombie (9/10)
27. The Unworthy - Agustina Bazterrica (6.5/10)
28. Cibola Burn (The Expanse #4) - James SA Corey (9/10)
29. Before They Are Hanged (The First Law #2) - Joe Abercrombie (10/10)
30. Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5) - James SA Corey (10/10)
31. Vital Abyss (The Expanse 5.5) - James SA Corey (6/10)
32. The Last Argument of Kings (First Law #3) - Joe Abercrombie
33. All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitaker (10/10)
34. Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear - Alexander Freed (9/10)
35. Everyone Who is Gone is Here: United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis - Jonathan Blitzer (10/10)
36. Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins (9/10)
37. Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) - James SA Corey (10/10) reread
38. Auberon (The Expanse #7.5) - James SA Corey (9/10) reread
39. Beartooth - Callan Wink (7/10)
40. Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse #6) James SA Corey


Everyone Who is Gone is Here - Covers the Migrant Crisis, how we created it. Just typical heartbreaking and infuriating explainer of current events. And Stephen Miller is the absolute worst

Sunrise on the Reaping - Hunger Games prequel. Really enjoyed it. Good social commentary. Much better than the previous prequel.

The Expanse - re-read. Just as good as the first time I read it. Novella was great too.

Beartooth - I enjoyed this book but also was extremely frustrated by it. Has the bones to be a really great book, but felt a little half asses. Characters were great, but not fleshed out. Plot was compelling but felt rushed. Very short book. Could have been longer. This is the author's first book, so plenty of room to improve. Will give his next one a shot

 

Stoner - John Williams (10/10)
Light Bringer - Pierce Brown (9/10)
Moby Dick - Melville (9/10) (Re-read)
Hyperion - Dan Brown (8/10)
Fall of Hyperion - Dan Brown (8/10)
Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs - Buddy Levy (9/10 (Re-read)
Augustus - John Williams (9/10)
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones (7/10)

The Complete Stories - Flannery O'Conner (10/10)

Not sure if this counts as a reread as I've read all these stories at some point over the years. But, this was the first time I read them all at once and in the order in which they were written. Always amazed by how she says so much while saying so little. These stories always linger a while after I read them.


11/22/63 - Stephen King (8/10)

I've read some King and honestly never really enjoyed his writing. The stories are great but something about his writing style just didn't click with me. That said, I loved this book. Once I got about halfway through I had a hard time putting it down.

 

1. Way of Kings (Stormlight Archives #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10) (Reread)
2. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archives #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (Reread)
3. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archives #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (Reread)
4. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archives #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10) (Reread)
5. Dawnshard (Stormlight Archives #3.5) - Brandon Sanderson (7/10) (Reread)
6. Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archives #4) - Brandon Sanderson (7/10) (Reread)
7. Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archives #5) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
8. The Sunlit Man (Stormlight Archives #5.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
9. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
10. Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
11. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
12. The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
13. The Butcher's Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl #5) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
14. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl #6) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
15. The Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl #7) - Matt Dinniman (8/10)
16. We Are Legion (Bobiverse #1) - Dennis Taylor (8/10)

 

Love the bobiverse

 

1) Demon in White (Sun Eater #3) by Christopher Ruocchio 10/10
2) Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 9/10
3) Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey 8/10
4) A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towels 10/10
5) Starry Messenger by Neil Degrasse Tyson 7/10
6) A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders 7/10
7) Tales of the Sun Eater Vol. 2 by Christopher Ruocchio 7/10
8) Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson 9/10
9) Kingdoms of Death (Sun Eater #4) by Christopher Ruocchio 10/10
10) End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker 7.5/10
11) Mistborn: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson 9/10
12) The Lost Season by Dick Vitale 6/10
13) Open by Andre Agassi 10/10
14) Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson 8/10
15) Elantris by Brandon Sanderson 8.25/10
16) Ashes of Man (Sun Eater #5) by Christopher Ruocchio 9.5/10

Started out a little slow but another good entry in the series. A couple novellas and book 6 left to read in the next couple of months, then the final book releasing in November.

 

1. Stoner by John Williams 10/10
2. Orbital by Samantha Harvey 8/10
3. Rogues by Patrick Raden Keefe 9/10
4. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 9/10
5. How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr 8/10

6. Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton 7/10
7. Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor 8/10


Far behind my pace at this time last year so it’s probably not going to be another 30+ book year for me sadly

 

I've been slow this year so far, last year I did better than the previous few. Doubt my list will get too long, but figure I'll still update as I go. Some of these may have been late 2024, but whatever.

1. Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson - 9.5/10 (If you're a King fan, I highly recommend)
2. Beautyland by Marie Helene Bertino - 8.5/10
3. The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson - 7.5/10 (Similar vibes to Gone Girl imo)
4. The Sword of the Kaigen - (DNF - it was hard for me to follow, but I thought to mention)
5. Library at Mount Char - 8.5/10 (Hard to describe, but super unique and very good)
6. Farenheit - 182 by Mark Hoppus - 8/10 (Cruised through this one in like 2 days, and really enjoyed, but he lost a couple points for how lame the band is in terms of partying. "The Dirt" this book is not.)

 

1. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell - 8/10
2. The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey - 7.5/10
3. The Black Prince by Michael Jones - 8/10
4. Shyness and Dignity by Dag Solstad - 8/10
5. Naiv.Super. by Erlend Loe - 8/10
6. Wolves of Winter by Dan Jones - 7.5/10
7. Fvonk by Erlend Loe - 8/10
8. Henry V by Dan Jones - 9/10
9. Gymnasium Teacher Pedersen's Account of the Great Political Awakening Which Has Haunted Our Country by Dag Solstad - 7.5/10
10. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden - 8.5/10
11. The Sea Book by Morten A. Strøksnes - 8/10
A long-winded story about the author and his close friend attempting to fish a Greenland shark in Lofoten in Northern Norway. Along the way there are different stories and historical accounts about the sea, fishing, etc. The ocean is fun so the book is fun.
12. The Cold Song by Linn Ullmann - 7.5/10
A novel centred around a family’s internal dynamics amidst the family’s babysitter’s disappearance/murder. The relationship aspects were interesting but the story lacked engagement, especially as the aforementioned murder is spelled out early on and is a plot driver more than anything.

 

1. The Twelve (The Passage #2) - Justin Cronin - (9/10)
2. Elantris - Brandon Sanderson (6.5/10)
3. The Emperor's Soul - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
4. The Hope of Elantris - Brandon Sanderson --
5. Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1) - Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee (8.5/10)
6. Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs - Camilla Townsend (9/10)
7. Death of the Author - Nnedi Okorafor (8.5/10)
8. Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2 #1) - Brando Sando (8/10)
9. Allomancer Jak (Mistborn Era 2 #1.5). Brando Sando --
10. Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2 #2) - Brando Sando (8.5/10)
11. City of Mirrors (The Passage #3) - Justin Cronin - (8/10 )
12. Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2 #3) - Brando Sando (9/10)
13. Mistborn: A Secret History - Brando Sando (9/10)
14. The Lost Metal (Mistborn 2 #4) - Brand Sando (9/10)
15. An Honorable Assassin (Nick Mason #3) - Steve Hamilton (6.5/10)
16. A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles (8/10)
17. Nemesis (Orphan X #10) - Gregg Hurwitz (7.5/10)
19. Butter - Asako Yuzuki (7/10)
20. The Forever War - Joe Haldeman (7.5/10)
21. Caliban's War (The Expanse #2) - James SA Corey(10/10)
22. Gods of Risk (The Expanse #2.5) - James SA Corey (9/10
23. An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence - Zeinab Bawadi (8.5/10)
24. Abaddon's Gate (The Expanse #3) - James SA Corey (10/10)
25. The Churn (The Expanse #3.5) - James SA Corey (10/10)
26. The Blade Itself (First Law #1) - Joe Abercrombie (9/10)
27. The Unworthy - Agustina Bazterrica (6.5/10)
28. Cibola Burn (The Expanse #4) - James SA Corey (9/10)
29. Before They Are Hanged (The First Law #2) - Joe Abercrombie (10/10)
30. Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5) - James SA Corey (10/10)
31. Vital Abyss (The Expanse 5.5) - James SA Corey (6/10)
32. The Last Argument of Kings (First Law #3) - Joe Abercrombie
33. All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitaker (10/10)
34. Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear - Alexander Freed (9/10)
35. Everyone Who is Gone is Here: United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis - Jonathan Blitzer (10/10)
36. Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins (9/10)
37. Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) - James SA Corey (10/10) reread
38. Auberon (The Expanse #7.5) - James SA Corey (9/10) reread
39. Beartooth - Callan Wink (7/10)
40. Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse #6) James SA Corey
41. Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning - Peter Bienart (9/10)
42. Extinction - Douglas Preston - (8/10)
43. The Humans - Matt Haig (7/10)
44. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones (7/10)

Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza - idk how to rank this one. Pretty confronting read. Extremely short. Definitely worth it.

Extinction - Dumb popcorn thriller. Jurassic park but Ice Age animals. It was really good, fun. Great palate cleanser.

The Humans - Whimsical Satire about an alien sent to earth to halt human advancement in technology. A book of cultural criticisms seen through 'outside eyes' .

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - About a vampire that hunts buffalo hunters in the wild west. Told through dairy entries found in the future. I wanted to like this much more than I did. But the diary entry narrative device is always a tough hang for me. It's takes away from the immersiveness .

 

Had me.

Lost me.


I’ve never read a captivating book in this style. It always gets tedious and awkward.

 

Im sure there are others, but the only one that I can think of off the top of my head is Trust by Hernan Diaz, which is incredible.

 

Our boy John Williams wrote a great epistolary novel, Augustus

 

That is on my list to read

 

1. Way of Kings (Stormlight Archives #1) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10) (Reread)
2. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archives #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (Reread)
3. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archives #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (Reread)
4. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archives #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10) (Reread)
5. Dawnshard (Stormlight Archives #3.5) - Brandon Sanderson (7/10) (Reread)
6. Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archives #4) - Brandon Sanderson (7/10) (Reread)
7. Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archives #5) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
8. The Sunlit Man (Stormlight Archives #5.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
9. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
10. Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
11. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
12. The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
13. The Butcher's Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl #5) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
14. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl #6) - Matt Dinniman (9/10)
15. The Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl #7) - Matt Dinniman (8/10)
16. We Are Legion (Bobiverse #1) - Dennis Taylor (8/10)
17. For We Are Many (Bobiverse #2) - Dennis Taylor (9/10)

 

The late George apley won the Pulitzer in this style and is one of the better books I’ve read

 

Bought this a while ago based on your recommendation, haven't read it yet though

 

Augustus intimidated me for the longest time. Had read Stoner and Butcher's Crossing and loved both. But something about the structure made me think I'd struggle to progress through it. Boy was I wrong

 

Did y'all like the style that Daisy Jones and the Six was written?

 

1. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - 8/10
2. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu - 8/10.
3. Death's End by Cixin Liu - 7.5/10.
4. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - 9/10.

5. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson - 7.5/10. A bit of a let down after the first book in the series to be honest. Some nice twists in the latter half and end but overall it felt like not a ton happened. Hopefully it's all set up that will pay off in the final book of the trilogy.

 

It didn't bother me. I just thought the book itself was meh. Not really for me