For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice.
― T.S. Eliot
2025 Book Awards
This year, I gave myself a goal of reading twenty-six books (or one every two weeks). I'm happy report that as of today, I've read thirty-four books with another almost done. That might not seem like a lot to some of you, or maybe it seems like way too much, but I've loved all the new stories I've found and rediscovered. As such, I decided to end the year by sharing that joy with you. The idea of picking a #1 sent me into a bit of a panic, though, so I've decided to do multiple categories. Some of these you may recognize from earlier newsletters, but there's a reason I felt compelled to give them book reviews! Also, just as an FYI, these are books that I read in 2025; they may or may not have been published this year. So, without further ado...
Favorite Book by Independent Author:
WINNER
Promised to the Pyre: A New Adult Romantic Fantasy by Vendy Emberfield
In one day, Elyn framed a stranger, saved a life, spilled her blood, and surrendered her freedom.
A barrier divides two deadly worlds. In one, humans are hunted, killed, or worse, used as weapons against their own people. In the other, fear of magic runs rampant, and anyone associated with it is burned alive.
When human-born Elyn witnesses a murder at the hands of a magralot demon, a magic she never wanted erupts, earning her a one-way ticket to the pyre.
Desperate to escape the flames, Elyn devises a plan to frame someone else. There’s just one problem—the handsome bastard kidnaps her instead.
Aiden, a reckless haxa warrior, drags Elyn across the barrier to Tör military camp to harness her magic. She must learn to control it—and fast—before it gets her killed. Or costs her the only home she’s ever known.
But Elyn isn’t the only one hiding something, and the unraveling of lies threatens more than just camp. Forced to choose between her life and her humanity, Elyn must expose her secrets or condemn Tör’s people to brutal deaths.
This is a new adult romantic fantasy with morally grey characters, forced proximity, magic training, political tension, and high-stakes romance.
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Favorite Fantasy:
WINNER
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, this book weaves together the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.
Neither here nor there, but long ago . . .
Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.
With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan's oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie's past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.
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Favorite Historical Fiction
WINNER
Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel by Lisa See
From “one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot” (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China—perfect for fans of Lisa See’s classics Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.
According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.
From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.
But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.
How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? A captivating story of women helping each other, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.
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Favorite Horror/Suspense
WINNER
Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? by Blake Myers
When Dr Emma Lloyd relocates to the quaint English parish of Hagley, she hopes to leave her painful past behind and reinvent herself as a forensic investigator. But her fresh start takes a sinister twist when she’s drawn into the parish’s most infamous cold case: the mysterious 80-year-old murder of a Jane Doe found discarded in a tree’s hollow. A woman the locals have come to know as Bella.
As Emma digs deeper and secrets come to light, she faces unexpected resistance—from her superiors to Bella herself. Haunted by Bella’s vengeful ghost, Emma begins to suspect the case is far more dangerous—and personal—than she ever imagined.
To uncover the truth, Emma must navigate a tangle of lies and confront the dark secrets buried in Hagley’s past. But some mysteries refuse to be answered, and as Bella’s restless spirit grows increasingly violent, Emma will have to decide how far she’s willing to go to lay her and the town’s ghosts to rest.
Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? is a spine-chilling tale of obsession, betrayal, and the deadly consequences of secrets left too long in the dark.
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Favorite Cozy Mystery
WINNER
Mother-Daughter Murder Night: A Novel by Nina Simon
Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door.
“I just loved how intriguing the mystery is but also the dynamics between a grandmother, a mother, and a teenage daughter." —Reese Witherspoon
Think: Gilmore Girls, but with murder.
High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of: her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does.
Then Jack—tiny in stature but fiercely independent—happens upon a dead body while kayaking. She quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She’ll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power.
With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other.
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Favorite Reread
WINNER
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaksand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .
Here is the fantasy adventure that launched the Ranger's Apprentice series, an epic story of heroes and villains that has become an international phenomenon. Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire series.
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Book Recommendations?
As always, I would love to hear what books you’ve loved reading lately. Send any recommendations to me over either Instagram, X, or Facebook by clicking on the icons below!
