2025 Reading Wrap-Up
As the new year approaches, I want to take a look back at the books I read and share my thoughts. This year has been a busy one for me, which seems to be a recurring theme for me the past few years, but with the amount of shit I had going on I’m surprised I read any books! I’m still not as voracious of a reader as I was 15 years ago, but just like with my writing, I’m slowly finding my groove.
So without further adieu, let’s take a look back at everything I read in 2025 — favorite books, standout authors, surprises, and what made this year’s reading list unforgettable.
Paperbacks From Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction
As a kid I was always fascinated with the dark macabre covers of old horror books and VHS tapes. They both frightened and intrigued me. I also love horror history and learning about why and how certain trends in horror arise, so when I discovered this book I was very excited and hoping to get some good recommendations.
I listened to this around the house while I did chores and it was a fun little history lesson. It made me want to seek out some of the books discussed and revisit R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series.
Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films
I bought this book a couple years back as a resource for an essay I was writing on Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (I’ll be sharing that in the future), and hadn’t read the entire book until now.
I kept this book by my side as I dug deeper into the reasons I want to write the novel I’m working on now. Again, I really enjoy horror history, so this was a fun read that explores what scares us and why.
Scares are often subjective and a reflection of current issues. This book helped me realize that while my novel might not be scary to some, it might be terrifying to others and that gave me a sense of peace I hadn’t felt before. So a big thank you goes out to this book.
The Low, Low Woods
In college I took a Women Writers class and we read In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, which for me was a tough and traumatic read. However, my professor said if we enjoyed her work and liked the fungus element of Mexican Gothic, that we should give The Low, Low Woods a try.
I actually haven’t finished this one yet because I got too busy and forgot about it. From the first few pages I enjoyed the art and the world-building, so I’ll definitely pick it back up after the holiday rush.
Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage
Sorry for the jump-scare that is Kody Brown. For those that are unaware of my obsession, let me introduce you to the Brown family of TLC infamy. Their show Sister Wives premiered in 2008 and is going strong (?) with their 20th season having premiered this past September.
This book is famous amongst the Reddit subs dedicated to the show. I bought this to read on the plane while moving to Germany and wound up being too stressed to read it.
It’s a good thing I didn’t because it had me screaming in my living room at the level of hypocrisy and bullshitting. This book is probably only interesting if you watch the show, as you’ll be able to pick apart each person’s narrative, poke holes and inconsistencies in their stories, and snark on Robyn’s alter ego She-Rah.
The Brown family used to be part of a polygamous group known as the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) and I was really hoping for some insight on the spiritual convictions that led them into polygamy, but sadly the book left a lot be desired on that front.
Regardless, I had fun reading it, griping about it to my mom, and following along with the Surviving Sister Wives podcast, which did a book club for this and another book I read this year. . .
Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, And Finding Freedom
Again, because I am obsessed, this was my most anticipated read for this year. I was dumb and didn’t pre-order it early, so it didn’t arrive until 2 weeks after its release, but I did listen to it on Spotify and boy oh boy, was it good!
Christine Brown Woolley, was the third wife to Kody Brown and the first to leave him. Her leaving seemed to set off a chain reaction with the other wives, as the first 2 subsequently left not long after her. Christine is now remarried and living happily ever after with what seems to be a very nice, goofy man, which is what our queen deserves after enduring the nightmare that is Kody.
I wanted to read this to not only get the tea on what went on behind the scenes in their marriage, but because Christine is what is known as ‘polygamy royalty’. She is the granddaughter of a prophet and has family ties to two polygamous groups — the Allred’s and the LeBaron’s. In fact, Ervil LaBaron (her maternal great uncle) ordered the murder of her paternal grandfather! So you see there’s a lot of shit to unpack here.
I thought it was well organized and spilled a lot of tea — though I know a lot of fans wanted more. I thought it offered more insight than Becoming Sister Wives and absolutely LOVED following along with all my book clubs.
This year was an interesting one for me. It really has been so long since I’ve read so many books in such a short amount of time — I know this number of books is child’s play for a lot people — but I am damn proud of myself! I never read nonfiction or biographies so those were big accomplishments for me. I need more of the Sister Wives to write tell-all books so I can keep that streak going and fuel my obsession.
As I get back into the swing of things with my writing I want to start reading more consistently. Everyone always says to be a writer you need to be a reader and they’re absolutely right. I used to dozens of books a year when I was in middle and high school, but I’ve struggled to find books or authors I enjoyed in my twenties — though there were a few. This coming year I want to try exploring the few authors I’ve sporadically enjoyed over the years and maybe revisit some books I enjoyed in high school to see if they still hold up. I’ll talk more about that in my January post after I compile a list of books I want to read next year.
Let me know in the comments what books stood out to you this year and if you’ve read any of the ones on my list!