With every new year comes a new list of books to read. As many of us do, I have created a Goodreads/ Storygraph reading challenge goal. This year, I am attempting to read 84 books. While I think this is possible to finish, I also wanted to focus on specific books. There are a lot of books that have lived on my TBR and on my physical shelves for years that I would love to get to this year. As ever, the goal on this blog is to read widely. I have broken down books by age range and have selected five books or series per category. Here are the twenty-five (ish) books that I must finish this year.
Nonfiction
Last year, I only read one nonfiction book. This year, I would like to remedy that mishap. Here are the five books that I am very excited about.
- Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
- This book dives into the mindsets of great thinkers and authors (Galileo, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen,etc.) to find key principles on sustainable productivity.
- Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
- Higginbotham provides an overview and reflection on the greatest nuclear disaster, how it could have been prevented, and how it affected the world.
- Drawn Testimony by Jane Rosenberg
- Jane Rosenberg spent over forty years as a courtroom sketch artist. In her book she discusses the New York justice system and relfects on her some of the major trials she witnessed.
- Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
- This book explores one of the strangest lifeforms on the plantet: fungi. Sheldrake expores how fungi function, how we use them, and why they are important.
- Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom
- Rosenbloom uncovers the historic and scientifict truths behind “anthropodermic bibliopegy” or “binding books in human skin.” Where did this started and why?
Children’s Series
While I do read a lot of children’s books, I tend to read one-offs instead of committing to big series. This contributes to me being behind on a lot of very popular series. Here are few children’s series I would at least like to begin reading this year.
- Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
- Kendra and Seth discover that their grandfather is the caretaker of Fablehaven, a hidden refuge for mystical creatures. As they explore further, powerful forces are unleashed and the siblings must find a way to save Fablehaven, their family, and maybe even the world.
- Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland
- Seven dragon tribes have been at war with each other for generations. A prophecy sends five dragonets on a journey to end the fighting.
- Heartwood Hotel by Kallie George
- This series follows Mona the Mouse as she becomes a maid at the Heartwood Hotel, the finest hotel for animals in any forest far and wide.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- An awkward kid named Greg Heffley navigates middle school by illustrating his day to day life in his “journal.”
- The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
- This graphic novel series follows a wolf, a piranha, a snake, and a shark as they transition from being bad guys to being good.
Young Adult Series
I have always loved reading young adult books. I find these long epic sagas comforting to read. Since I was a teen, the young adult publishing industry has exploded in size, and I need to attempt to catch up on what is popular. Here are some titles that I am looking forward to reading.
- Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
- Kidan Adane, a lost heiress, must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire that she suspects killed her family and kidnapped her sister.
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- High school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Sinh. Five years later, high school senior Pip rexamines this case that is assumed to be closed. Can she discover what actually happened to Andie?
- Children of Blood and Bone Series by Tomi Adeyemi
- Zelie Adebola lives in Orisha where magic used to exist and her mother use to summon souls. One night, magic disappears and now the land is under the rule of a ruthless king.
- The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley
- Iris is an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London. Everyone is fascinated with her performances. But she has a strange secret. She cannot die.
- An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
- Laia is a scholar living in the Martial Empire with her grandparents. When her brother is arrested and accused of being a rebel, Laia seeks help from the anti-empire group the resistance. She agrees to pose as a slave to save her brother.
Adult Series/Books
These are in-depth books and series that have lived on my shelf because I know that they will take some commitment. I believe this is the year to dive in.
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Sanantha Shannon
- A powerful queen must produce a daughter to protect her realm from evil , but her enemies are closing in. Across the sea, a dragon rider must step into her fate.
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
- This story follows Robin Swift, a Chinese boy raised in London by a mysterious professor to train in language,. Eventually, he enrolls in the Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation (Babel). Robin has to grapple with the fact that the goal he worked towards for years may be in opposition with his heritage.
- Wicked by Gregory MacGuire
- This is the untold story of Elphaba, the green skinned witch, as she becomes the most infamous witch in Oz.
- Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
- This book begins in 1791 and follows the life of Louis as he meets Lestat, the man who turns him into a vampire. Louis descends with Lestat into a dark life he never imagined for himself.
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Mosfegh
- Although our narrator is young, beautiful , as a great education, an easy job, an amazing apartment in New York, she is miserable. This is her journey into an extended medically induced hibernation.
2025 Releases
I have a list of over twenty books of highly anticipated releases. Here are my top five.
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
- John Green explores tuberculosis through the lense of Henry, a tuberculosis patient in Sierra Leone. He explores why this curable, treatable infection still claims 1.5 million people every year.
- Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
- Following Jessie Redmon Fauset the new literary agent for The Crisis as she champions black authors in 1919.
- The Bewitching by Silva Moreno-Garcia
- A graduate student, Minerva, is focused on the history of horror literature. While delving into the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obsure macabre author she uncovers a deeper mystery.
- Black in Blues by Imani Perry
- Imani Perry explores the concept of blackness throughout history and the historical significance and deeper meaning of it’s relationship to the color blue.
- Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
- After the death of her professor, the greatest magician in the world, Alice Law and her rival take the journey to hell to get him back.
There is nothing more exciting that completing a list of books that you set out to read, and checking them off your larger TBR list. I am dedicated to beginning these series and finishing the one-offs this year. These are not the only books I am excited to read, but it is a good starting list. What are the books you are most excited to get to this year?
I’ll see you in the stacks,
Jadzia
library for lost creatures 
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