Disclaimer: I totally have not been consistent this past month and I am not proud of that. Starting a new job has been exhausting, but I love this creative outlet. So, starting now, expect to hear from me more!

Last year, I did 24 series in 2024, and I got a bit overwhelmed at the end of the year by my own procrastination. For some reason, I just cannot do a normal challenge and I always take it to an impossible level. This upcoming year, I am doing the “normal” way, which I know is still more than lots of people read at all. I used @whatkelseysreading graphic for this and I plan to keep it updated throughout the year. This has a great mix of genres as well as some new releases sprinkled in. I am really excited to read these throughout the year to try new authors and genres!

*I earn the tiniest commission from the Amazon links!*

1. Circe by Madeline Miller – This is a book I have seen everywhere, and I really know nothing about. I feel like it’s talked about on Goodreads, displayed in libraries, and was even featured on Amazon for a bit. So, this year is the year I finally read it. Circe is a character mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey that is given a perspective of her own and an expansion of her story in this novel. I used to read so many Greek mythology stories and modernizations when I was younger, so I think this will be right up my alley.
2. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout – The JLA universe is one that I have known about for a while. It’s all over BookTube and @emmyrosam talks about it A LOT. These books (eleven total) are considered “high fantasy”, so they sound really good but also complicated. This first book combines a guard and ruler romance with a crumbling kingdom and a super unique magic system. My real goal is to read the entire universe this year, but this is a good start!
3. All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata – Zapata is an author I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. Her books are known to be tearjerkers and this one is no different. This is a grumpy sunshine that starts out with the main female character running away to a cabin in Colorado. Sounds like good inspo for my fall travel plans… I got this on a Kindle deal last month too!
4. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman – Backman will be another new author in 2025, and I am so excited! @saracarrolli featured his books so much this past year, and her taste is usually very similar to mine. His books are known to have deep meaning about normal people and somehow there is always a person you can relate to. Those that know me personally know I definitely fit into the “anxious” category, so I think this will definitely be a favorite of the year.
5. The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand – My Aunt Kimmie has raved about Elin Hilderbrand’s books for as long as I can remember. She has always said they are the perfect beach read, so this year is the year I finally read a few of the ones she has loaned to (and not received back from) my mom. Hildebrand has mastered the women’s fiction with a mix of romance genre, and she’s got the perfect setting of Nantucket. Updates to come Aunt Kim!
6. A Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry – I would read Emily Henry’s grocery list, and I do! Her newsletter is actually titled “Emily’s Grocery List” and you can subscribe here. She announces everything first here as well as just other updates, and I love reading it. This next book is said to be inspired by Taylor Swift’s “last great american dynasty” and I don’t need to know much else. Check out my 2025 releases article here for more new releases!
7. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – The Dust Bowl is a part of United States history that we don’t leanr much about. For those that don’t know what I’m talking about, drought and tornadoes plagued the middle U.S. for all of the 1930s, causing death of both people and livestock. In this book, Hannah tackles a woman struggling through the decision to tough it out or move on, both in marriage and her home.
8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – This classic is one I never read in all my schooling, and I am such a book before movie girl. I purchased an edition of this at the Strand Bookstore in NYC, and I am so excited to finally read this one! This 1920s extravaganza will be the perfect escape when I’m on my fourth weekend in a row of sweats on the couch.
9. The Help by Kathryn Stockett – This book is regarded as a modern day classic and tackles racism in the South. I live in the Southern U.S., so I know that our past is ugly but necessary to learn about. This novel is a story of risks and friendship while also providing a story of three women just living. This will definitely be a tougher read but I know that it’s a must for this year.
10. Jade City by Fonda Lee – This has been a KU series I’ve wanted to read FOREVER. @rachelcatherine read it back in 2023, and I have had it downloaded in my Kindle library since. This is a mafia vibe with fantasy elements, all focused around a valuable mineral, jade. This fantasy is so unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and has nothing but rave reviews. Jade City feeds into a trilogy, all on Kindle Unlimited.
11. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng – The acclaim for this book, and it’s show adaptation, is endless. It follows the most cookie cutter family ever and the new mother and daughter in town. There’s drama, there’s secrets, and best of all, there’s a show starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington to watch after I read!
12. None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell – I am not a thriller person … at all. I have plenty of nightmares without giving them fuel with creepy or scary books. HOWEVER, I have not stopped seeing this book or having people recommend it to me, so I think I need to make it happen this year. In this story, we follow Alice, a podcaster, and this odd woman she met at her birthday party and cannot stop running into. I’m hopeful that I love it, and this opens a new door to this genre for me.
13. Red Rising by Pierce Brown – I got the first of this series for Christmas, and this has been a must read for me since I found out about it. Brown is known as a top sci-fi writer, and this is supposed to be the peak of the genre. We follow Darrow who is in the lowest caste and discovers that his hard work of years has been for absolutely no reason. The series is still ongoing, but I am still eager to join in on the hype.
14. Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez – Mrs. Jimenez simply does not write a bad book, and I would fight someone over that. Her romance novels always feature the best main male character, a cute pet, and topics that you would never expect in a romance but work perfectly. She has covered mental health, family responsibility, and the battle of happiness vs stability. This new release features a veterinarian… I finish every one of her books with a smile on my face, so April just cannot get here soon enough.
15. Throttled by Lauren Asher – This is another KU book that I’ve had downloaded for way too long. I love Asher’s writing, and this is the only series of hers I have yet to try. This is a NASCAR romance following a driver and the sister of his teammate and biggest rival. I feel like this is a niche of romance that I have yet to try, so this is the time. There are four interconnected stand-alones in this world, all on Kindle Unlimited.
16. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young – Young’s books are not quite fantasy, not quite real life, and this is no different. We jump straight into North Carolina onto the Farrow flower farm where we learn about a family curse and an endless amount of secrets. This book has been on my radar for a long time, so I am excited to see what I think.
17. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – No, I have not read this yet. I have also not seen the movie. Oops. I know this is odd but I really don’t want to know a single thing about this because I know it’s nothing like what I usually read.
18. Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli – This is the second book in a fantasy duology on Kindle Unlimited, coming out on February 18. My book club and I loved the first book (except for the blood part) and I need to know what happens next. We’re following a witch in hiding and her mission to free her fellow witches from the king and his persecution, all while maintaining her dumb socialite look. This will be an immediate read when it comes out.
19. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – This is the third book in the Empyrean series (Fourth Wing), and to be so honest, I was going to read it anyways…
20. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – This book tells a really realistic story of Appalachia, a region of my state that I, sadly, do not know much about. We follow a young boy through foster care, poverty, and a terrible school system. This book is regarded as a modern classic and has even won a Pulitzer Prize, so I believe this is a necessary read.
21. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – I got this at a blind date with a book, and I have been so scared to read it. A artist kills her husband, and no one knows why because she won’t say a word about it. The price of her art skyrockets and psychologists everywhere think they can “fix” her, Theo Faber most of all. Definitely out of my comfort zone, but Michaelides has received so much praise for it.
22. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – The amount of awards this book has received takes up more space on Amazon than the description of the book. The story follows two twins and their battle on finding themselves and the impact of the decades on each generation of their family.
23. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – This is a classic read by most in high school for a grade. Unfortunately, I just seemed to keep getting assigned Shakespeare.
24. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel – The original name of this blog was “The Life of Ri”, and I just feel I need to read the book I stole the name from.
25. Iluminae by Amie Kaufman – I have literally never heard of this book, but one of my best friends, Lauren, said this was in her all time top 10. I trust Lauren’s taste, so I added this as my 25th book. This trilogy is a mix of dystopian, sci-fi, and futuristic following a girl and her ex through alien invasion, plagues, and evil AI. Definitely an interesting one!

That’s all today … See you soon!

• November Reads
• September/October Reads
• July/August Reading
• 18 Book Reviews: A Summer Reading Wrap-Up
• September New Releases!