A little late but finally did a collage of my favorite books in 2025.

I read some other good books in December but loved this audiobook the best. Maybe it was the Scottish accents. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo Thanks for putting this together!

I listened to 2 books by Coates‘ this year & loved them both. This was my fave in November. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

October—The tagged is an excellent GN with all the feels. With the bonus of being a challenged/banned book. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

Got distracted by going to see Hamilton (finally!!) on day 8 & 9 so posting now. I didn‘t read a lot in September & none are faves for the year. I really enjoyed the tagged though & recommend. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

A clear favorite for August & for the year. Best on audio. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

I read a lot of books in July & my other favorite is A Terribly Nasty Business. I love the tagged—such a unique book. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

#12booksof2025 Didn‘t have any best of the year books in June. I started the Soulless series on audio & loved it. Just a fun story with adventure & romance. I‘ve listened to 3 of 5 in the series & will finish it next year. @TheEllieMo

For May, I‘m going with the tagged, but I also loved Everything is Tuberculosis. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

I finished the tagged recently. I always want everyone to read Wendell Berry‘s books, whether they choose his novels, essays, or poetry. I keep thinking he‘s written his last book because he‘s at least 90 now, but then he‘ll publish another. He‘s an amazing man & has influenced many authors. #sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

Bookspin list for January 2026. Because my TBR is endless! @TheAromaofBooks

For April, the tagged is an easy pick. I really liked a couple of other books, but I loved this prequel. Even though we know the ending, I still got swept up in all the emotions of the story. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

I find so many books on Litsy, & this one was added to my growing tbr this month. I did the audiobook, so I got to listen to some Scottish accents. A cozy mystery about a woman who has moved to a small town in Scotland to be their doctor & immediately finds a dead body. She quickly makes friends, especially with the women, & I‘m assuming a love interest will continue developing in later books. Will continue the series, I like the characters.

March—I really loved the tagged because of the way the content was organized, the amount of historical & present-day info, & the author‘s snarkiness. It also will make you angry. Great audiobook. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo Runner-up—The Evolution of the Gospelettes

This was an interesting NF book about a famous but forgotten trial in 1894 alleging a breach of promise to marry between a KY politician (Breckinridge) & his mistress. A “spy” is hired by the pol‘s side to get to know his ex-mistress & send info about her lawyers‘ intentions & any secrets she has. Mostly set in DC. For fans of history, manipulation, & drama. DeWolfe had to really dig to find info about this case, I hope people read this book.

For February, I decided my favorite read was the tagged. I‘ve read 6 out of 9 books in this series this year. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

Favorite book in January, slightly above The Wishing Game. #12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo

Witches + Christmas
Didn‘t know when I got this book that it‘s the 3rd in a series, but that doesn‘t matter much in romantasy (magical realism). The 2 MCs had a romantic relationship when younger but now “hate” each other. The guy accidentally loses his memories of her, then they have to fake a relationship for business while staying at a British manor with all the Christmas vibes. Definitely steamy (4 out 5 🌶), good light read for the season.

A couple of my books this month are better suited to October, but I like witchy stories all year. I loved this book! I‘ve listened to some of the podcast (The Witches of Scotland) & now the hosts have written a great book about the history of witch hunts. I did the audio so I could listen to their Scottish accents. They include some history about the Salem witch trials & about present-day witch trials but most is the Scottish history. 5⭐️

A lot of the reason I wanted to read this book is the cover. It‘s a really fun romantasy, with all kinds of creatures. Violet has a secret when she moves to town to start fresh. There‘s a villain, a grumpy love interest, & a lot of cool neighbors.

I‘m looking forward to reading this book. I read 2 of Alvarez‘s books earlier this year & am interested in this one‘s premise. Also, I love Ghirardelli. And love the extra bookmarks & stickers. Thanks so much Julie! Merry Christmas! #jolabokaflodswap @Julsmarshall @MaleficentBookDragon Thanks for doing this yearly swap Chelle. I‘m dealing with laryngitis today, so it‘s a great day to read

Excited to get this book & peppermint bark. I have consumed so much peppermint chocolate in the last month, & I love having more. Thank you & Merry Christmas Kim! @BarkingMadRead #jolabokaflodswap @MaleficentBookDragon

Received my other #jolabokaflod swap package today. @MaleficentBookDragon @Julsmarshall

Sent out both #jolabokaflod swap packages today. Hopefully, they get there by Wednesday, will be UPS. @MaleficentBookDragon

Not a book post but wanted to post that my beloved Griffin died suddenly on Tuesday. Found out in the last couple of weeks that he was having some heart probs, but he seemed fine until Sunday. Took him to vet early Tuesday, went to work, & found him when I got home. He was my reading buddy, often lying on the couch next to me or on my legs while I read. Chunky, fluffy, sweet, I‘m missing him terribly. #catsoflitsy

Finally checked my mail this week & received a #jokabokaflod package. @MaleficentBookDragon

Audiobook. My 100th book of the year. Sadly, this wasn‘t narrated by Coates, but the narrator ended up being really good. This is Coates‘ debut, his story about childhood & teen years with his father & sibs. His father used education & other methods to raise his children through the crack era in Baltimore with an opportunity for college. Loved the writing & family relationships.

I started this book once, then got distracted, but finally read it (about 2 yrs later lol). A YA story about a society where girls have markings that can interpret the future. They have a “changeling” period where they get adult markings, are more attractive, with their senses heightened. These few weeks make them vulnerable to abduction. Themes of fate vs free will, rape culture, & young women wanting choices over their own bodies.

I don‘t expect a lot out of romance books, but I wish characters would communicate better. Of course, then there would be no conflict to getting them together, so no plot. The fake-dating premise of this story, set in the academic research world is good, & I‘ll most likely try Hazelwood‘s other books. Enjoyed the side characters, too.

This is my 1st Quinn book, & I enjoyed it. Set during the Korean War & the McCarthy era, it‘s a story about a group of women living in a boardinghouse. Each main character gets her own section from her POV, with all her secrets, romances, & past exposed to the reader. Loved the friendships that formed from their weekly dinners & how each changed during a 4-5 yr period. The men were good supportive characters, too. TW: death, DV

This is a mystery from one of my fave authors (Silas House) using a pen name. A different type of book for him but still has his signature descriptions of nature. Set after WW2, a murder happens at a fishing camp & several people have to solve the case. The MC is like a country song—his wife divorced him due to cheating with his bff, he got drunk & lost his job as mayor, & now lives on a houseboat. Really enjoyed this & look forward to next one.

Adichie is one of my all-time favorite authors, but this isn‘t going to be my favorite of her books. I enjoyed it, but I gave it 4⭐️, not 5. It revolves around 4 women, each one has their own story & POV. A lot of reflection for each person, all continuing the events happening but also telling about their past. I especially liked Kadiatu‘s story. TW: Sexual assault

Last #bookspin for 2025! I‘ll probably try to do bingo, but my goal will be to read the bookspins & doublespins from past months that I haven‘t read yet. @TheAromaofBooks

I loved this middle-grade GN so much! ❤️ I got teary towards the end & am so glad they put an update about the brothers in the back so I know they‘re safe & happy. This is Co-author Omar Mohamed‘s life growing up in a refugee camp—taking care of his intellectually disabled brother, going to school, & forming a found family. They don‘t have parents, so a foster mother cares for them. All of the refugees hope to go to America but few do. 5⭐️

Continuing with this series. Veronica is asked to identify whether a man recently returned to his home after being thought dead is an impostor. She was involved with him in the past, which causes problems between her & Stoker. Some adventures ensue. This one doesn‘t have much romance—there hasn‘t seemed to be a lot of tension or romance since they became a couple. Still a good story.

Thought this story would be funny, & it is, but it‘s also a serious take on modern events. Lula decides that certain books in town should be banned & starts a group. A young adult switches books in Lula‘s LFL, so anyone who takes a book gets one of the banned. Different POVs, based on the book each person gets. Deals with racism, Nazi beliefs, slave history, etc. TW: suicide (a bad guy). Enjoyed characters & POVs, plus how it all comes together.

Loved the premise of this book—4 long-time friends spend time together & get rid of an abusive husband. A woman returns home for a wedding, reunites with her friends, spends time with her ex, & deals with her traumatic past. Definitely not a thriller, which some may assume by the title & premise, more of a friendship story. Chapters alternate between high school & present day, with each of the women‘s POV. TW: DV, Murders of spouse 4.25⭐️

I love Klune‘s books but knew this would be different. My rating is because of the pacing; I liked the story. How does an author make a story about werewolves slow??!! This is about 500 pages but could have been much shorter.
Really loved the characters & dialogue—strengths of Klune. I may try the 2nd book if it‘s not as slow. Since I‘ve been pointing out steam 🌶 levels in other reviews, I‘ll warn this one has 2 very graphic M/M sex scenes.

I bought this book at a bookstore nearby that stocks authors in our state (KY). For non-religious people—this romance does mention going to church, faith, & comments like “God‘s plan”, but not that much. A romance set in Scotland. Minimal steam—lustful thoughts & kissing. A travel writer who constantly has accidents meets a Scottish guy who only wants to stay home. Both have emotional baggage, but you know it will be fine. Great setting!! 4⭐️

This book‘s plot is hard to explain since it‘s a story within a story. I definitely got sucked into the love story & was hoping the 2 characters would find their way back together. Some emotional moments toward the end. Enjoyed the modern-day characters, too. TW: talk about a parent‘s suicide

Wanted to read a banned book, & I can see why this would be challenged by some horrified parent afraid their teen might get ideas. 🙄 Mostly memoir/part guidebook for teenagers about growing up & finding their identity & belonging as a LGBTQIA+ person. A couple of sex scenes from the author‘s first experiences. An interesting book, Johnson has good stories to tell.

Dislike: story is slow-paced
A story about a girl growing up during the time of the Great Dragoning, set in the 1950‘s. Thousands of women turn into dragons one day—some eat their husbands, accidentally burn their house, etc. In the MC‘s house, her aunt dragons, her family adopts her cousin & then never speaks about the events. As she grows up, things happen in her family, & dragons slowly return. Feminist, found family, coming-of-age story. 4⭐️

A prompt for my library‘s book challenge. I really liked it, but I think of it as Gothic-lite. Not as dark as it could have been. Set during WW2 in NY, it centers around a young woman who is teaching at the local college & searching for her mother. Her parents had a large house with a library where they entertained lavishly in the library until her mom disappeared & dad died. Secrets are uncovered, there‘s murder, mystery, good characters. 4.25⭐️

While @CBee & @5feet.of.fury are right about this book being “banana-pants” & “nuts”, it‘s a low pick for me. It drew me in & left me wondering, but I was frustrated with the characters‘ actions & decisions. None of them were very likeable, which was prob intended by Hoover. Some sex scenes that were graphic—for those who like lots of 🌶🍆 I feel most of you all have read this, so I won‘t go into the premise. My 1st Hoover book.

When I started this book, I looked up the synopsis but ended up reading the movie one, which is very different than the book. Two strangers meet & talk, one proposes they each kill the person causing probs for the other one, then they go separate ways. The one follows through with his idea & harasses the other to participate. A detective is on the case. Stuff happens—don‘t want to spoil. A good psychological thriller before that was a genre.

It‘s been a few months since I listened to this book, & I gave it 3⭐️ on GR, so I admit I don‘t remember all of it. I liked it, but I may have gotten bored toward the end (reason for the rating?) A lot of info about how women aren‘t listened to, how we are overshadowed in different situations by men, & how we can change that.

I actually slowed this memoir down to normal speed (I‘m usually on 1.25) because Dietrich‘s voice/southern accent is great to listen to. Can‘t believe I‘m just discovering him & that my bluegrass-loving friends didn‘t know about him—I told them. The overall theme of this memoir is Dietrich healing from his father‘s suicide (TW). Has some funny moments & really sad ones. I loved this story & think audio is the best format. 5⭐️

I was on hold for the audiobook for months at my library. Some parts of this book were a little dry to me but it‘s written by 2 scholars/professors who are very knowledgeable, so I didn‘t mind. This was published during T‘s 1st presidency, & guess what?! He met every point on their checklist for authoritarian government! Big surprise. Would love an update from them now. Interesting info about different countries & their changes in governments.

I‘m giving a pick, but it was hard to listen to in the beginning & a little boring toward the end. Very informative though. I had little knowledge about incels, men‘s rights groups, & pickup groups. I already knew there are a lot of A**holes out there, but this one really highlights how many. Horrific thoughts & comments by these men. Bates joined several incels under fake profiles & reports their comments. TW- comments about rape, killing, etc

Audio, which is how I read almost all the first 2 Percy Jackson series. Enjoyed this book, set during Percy‘s senior year. He‘s doing quests in exchange for college recs. Annabeth & Grover are helping him, of course. Funny (I actually laughed while in the car), adventurous, it‘s fun to have the original trio together.