Quick Lit: What I Read in 2025
Instead of doing a monthly post of what I’ve read, I’ve decided to put it all in one place. This is everything I read in 2025 with quick reviews/summaries of each book.
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Classic Literature
What starts as a sort of science experiment by Victor Frankenstein becomes the thing that destroys his life. First time read for me and super interesting. Loved the audio version read by actor Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey).
This was a very sweet and reflective novel about a young priest navigating the demands of the job. Starts slow, but by the end, I was hooked. Some books have a great opening line; this book has a great closing line.
I try to re-read this one every year. There’s a reason it’s still so popular. Ebeneezer Scrooge is a miserable man who is wealthy in money but not in love or anything else. After he is visited by the ghost of his now deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, he starts to have a change of heart. This is one of those books that makes you think.
Contemporary Fiction
This is a sweet story about June, a recluse in a small English village who would rather read than socialize. She is forced out of her shell when the local library, where she works, is threatened with closure. I especially loved the found-family vibes.
Lila is in a bit of a crisis. Her husband left her for the local bombshell, her Mom died, her step-dad has moved in, her biological father shows up at the door, and she’s a writer who is expected to produce another book that she hasn’t even started yet. This book has angst, humor, found-family, and a love story (or two) all in one. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! ❤️
April is a neglected teenage girl who needs to get out of the small town that doesn’t want her and away from her dad, who has just moved on to his next family. But she can play the guitar, and she can sing. The book explores the journey to her new life. It’s wrought with uncertainty, but eventually she finds a new family who will love her. This one was great on audio! ❤️
Four siblings who never met before embark on a road trip in search of their father. I loved seeing how much these kids found what they needed in each other. Great on audio!
Literary Fiction
Clare Leslie Hall knows how to write likeable characters who are all deeply flawed. This book is full of mystery and tragedy, while navigating how two humans make life work after the death of a child, or is it even possible?
This book left me in a serious book hangover! This book has a compelling storyline, interesting characters, and it asks interesting philosophical questions.
I made the mistake of reading the 4th book in this series without realizing it 🤦♀️ (Lucy by the Sea). In this book, we learn where Lucy came from and how a girl who grew up in severe poverty came to live an affluent life in NYC. We learn all of this while she is in the hospital with an unknown illness. There’s something about Strout’s writing that I find very soothing.
This book is the ultimate comfort read, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. Father Tim and the whole town of Mitford has my heart, and I will definitely be reading more of the books in this series!
Mystery/Thriller
A girl goes missing at a local summer camp, but it’s not just any girl — she’s the daughter of the wealthy family that owns the camp. Liz Moore does an amazing job of marrying character-driven literary fiction with thrillers and mysteries.
Claire is the serial killer you don’t see coming. This was a surprisingly interesting and humorous read that I didn’t think I would enjoy as much as I did.
A young girl is found dead near an archaeological dig in Ireland. It’s the same area where Detective Rob Ryan’s friends went missing, and he was found unconscious decades earlier. Is there a connection? Ryan and his partner take on the case without disclosing his connection. This was my first Tana French, and I will definitely be reading more.
Historical Fiction
Huckleberry Finn retold from Jim’s perspective. Everett offers an interesting take. I think this would make a great book club pick, and it’s a relatively quick read.
I know this book is super popular, but as someone who has read a lot of excellent historical fiction, I found myself underwhelmed by the writing of this book. That being said, I thought it was an interesting plot. Just wish it were better executed. (Longer review coming!)
This book felt like lasted a bit too long. That being said, Franzen can write. His character development and dialogue are amazing. Crossroads takes us back to a family in the 1970s. The father is a pastor and there are secrets upon secrets. If you like complicated family stories, you will like this book.
I enjoyed this book about a young girl who seeks to avenge her father’s death, but I wish I had read it instead of listened to it. I was interested in listening to it because it’s read by Donna Tartt, and while her southern voice worked for Mattie Ross, it’s an old recording, and I would love to hear it read by a professional audiobook narrator or even a full cast.
Penelope Keeling just broke herself out of the hospital after having a heart attack. As the story unfolds, we learn about her life, her three children, and how she became the heir of some valuable paintings, one of which is called “The Shell Seekers.” This book takes readers back to England in World War 2, when Penelope is coming of age, and so much more. I loved this book! It might be my fave of the year. ❤️
Romance & Sci-Fi/Fantasy
This list make it looks like I only read one romance novel, but the truth is there are at least five books in other genres that also include love stories. AND most of the Christmas novels. I added a ❤️ next to the ones that also include romance stories.
Nora is a sports agent who is finally getting her first full-time client, an NFL tight end who is trying to make a comeback after a season-ending injury. The only problem is that he was also her college ex-boyfriend. Can they keep it professional without feelings getting in the way? I thought this was a sweet and quirky second-chance romance.
An astronaut gets left behind on Mars by a crew who thinks he’s dead. He decides to give survival a shot in dire circumstances. What are the odds he’ll make it? Interesting format — this book is mostly told through log entries.
Series: Anne of Green Gables
I decided to start tackling this series in 2025. I have a couple more books to go. Honestly, I loved every book, and I’ve been surprised how good there are.
This is the book that started it all. We meet Anne and the life she brings to Green Gables that Matthew and Marilla didn’t know they needed. Anne has to be one of the most endearing literary characters ever written.
Anne stays behind in Avonlea to help out Marilla, who is struggling with a vision disorder. Marilla takes on two orphan kids, and Anne transitions from student to teacher. But, of course, Anne is determined to be a different kind of teacher.
After Rachel Lynde moves to Green Gables, Anne feels comfortable pursuing her degree at Redmond College, where Gilbert Blythe is also attending. Anne experiences a lot of growth without losing her trademark wit, and she and Gilbert play cat and mouse while they are both flirting with others. ❤️
While chronologically this is book 4 in the series, Montgomery actually wrote it years later. I wasn’t super excited about this one because it covers three years in which Gilbert is finishing medical school and Anne is teaching, but it might be one of my faves in the series.
This book feels like the climax of the series. Anne and Gilbert finally tie the knot and move to their “House of Dreams,” as they affectionately call it. This book has twists and turns I did not expect. (As in, I literally gasped out loud!) I also loved all of the new characters we get to meet in their new town of Glen St. Mary.
At the end of Anne’s House of Dreams, Gilbert decides that it’s time to leave their House of Dreams as they are starting to outgrow it. He lands a much larger home in Glen St. Mary called Ingleside. In this book, we get to know Anne and Gilbert’s six children (yes, six!). I thought it was fun to see Anne and Gilbert as parents, and how the locals aren’t sure what to think of these kids being raised “according to science”… lol.
Children’s Classics
These are books I read with my 7-year old daughter. It’s been so fun to return to some of these. Doctor Dolittle was a new read for me.
What was life like for families braving the Midwest frontier in the late 1800s? Laura Ingalls Wilder pulls back the curtain of one full year in the rich but unpredictable Wisconsin woods. It’s so fascinating how different our world is now.
Some books never get old, and this is one of them. Once the runty pig, Wilbur, realizes he’s bound to be the Christmas dinner, his new friend Charlotte, who is a spider, vows to save his life.
Doctor Dolittle is trained to treat humans, but he prefers animals. The animals prefer him as well given the fact he is trained in speaking their language. Dolittle’s home is in England, but when monkeys in Africa get an illness that won’t go away, the adventure begins.
I’m amazed that E.B. White can write a story that takes place in a rural setting like in Charlotte’s Web and then a book that take place in New York City, like this one. Stuart Little is one of those fantastic literary characters you wish knew in real life. He’s a mouse whose family treats him like he’s their son, that is everyone except the family cat.
Christmas Books
Small town friends-to-lovers romance, but first our protagonist must go on 12 adventurous dates. Great character development and tension throughout. I really enjoyed this one! (Great on audio!) ❤️
A train full of strangers spends the night at a train station on Christmas Eve. They all carry heavy burdens this Christmas as they try to make their way home. ❤️
She’s a chef from England; he runs a famous family-owned gelato shop. The grandfather who knows the secret vanilla recipe had a stroke, but somehow she knows the secret recipe? (I’m still craving gelato 🍨 after reading this book. ) ❤️
This is like a Hallmark movie in a book. She’s a single mom and the owner of the floral shop in a small Idaho town. He’s visiting to help take care of his niece while his sister is in rehab. She needs a date to a wedding, and he needs help creating a special Christmas for his niece. The two strike a deal, and you’ll have to read to find out what happens next. Super sweet book with all the Christmas vibes! ❤️
This book has total Modern Family vibes. This is really a book about friendship. Audrey’s daughter is getting married in Vienna, but the father of the bride (and Audrey’s ex-husband) is nowhere to be found. She teams up with Ian, who was her college best friend, to find him. The adventure re-ignites their friendship. Not sure if this one is super-Christmasy, but it was a nice, quick read. ❤️
Stella owns a struggling Christmas tree farm. She decides to enter the farm into a contest. If she wins, her farm will win $100K. She decides to pad her application and say she owns the farm with her boyfriend. The only problem: she doesn’t have a boyfriend. She asks her best friend, Luca, to fake-date her for the benefit of the farm. The thing is that no one is buying this fake relationship, which is part of what makes the story a bit ridiculous. It was also a bit too open door for me, but I will say that Borison knows how to write chemistry. ❤️
This book reads like a love letter to Edinburgh. Carmen is laid off and moves to Edinburgh to live with her perfect-pregnant-lawyer sister and her family. Sophia gets her job with one of her clients, a bookstore owner who is in desperate need of help. This book has romance, redemption, and it’s hilarious. My second time reading it, and I think I loved it more than the first time. ❤️
This is the sequel to The Christmas Bookshop. Carmen is still working at the bookshop and living with her sister, but Sophia and her husband are ready for her to move out. She and Oake are still dating, but she’s not sure he’s that into her. He gets an offer to work on a six-month project in the Amazon and decides to take it. This book started a little slow, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick it out, but I’m glad I did! ❤️
It’s Christmas Eve, and there’s a line outside the Westbrook Trading Company of shoppers hoping to win or buy the Plastic-Thing-3000. We get to know a handful of shoppers: a dad who’s there with a friend, a single mom, a shallow woman who bullies her husband and daughter, and a pastor. Inside are frustrated workers who need the money and a Scrooge-like owner with his sidekick. This book explores the material side of Christmas but leaves readers with an unexpected transformation that I loved.
This book has Knives Out/Agatha Christie vibes with a fun romance thrown in. Two writers get a special invitation to spend the holidays in an English manor with the most famous mystery author (although they don’t know this until they arrive). They aren’t entirely sure why they’re there, but when they wake up after their first night, she’s missing. The roads are closed, and the phones aren’t working, just to add to the fun. Mysteries and Christmas seem like an odd combo, but this was a fun read. ❤️
Do you ever read a book that’s exactly what you need? After DNFing a few books, I was feeling a bit discouraged. I noticed this one on Audible, and I was hooked within minutes. You could call this Pride and Prejudice fan fiction. It’s Christmas at Pemberly, and it’s Mary’s turn to fall in love. I didn’t know I needed a Mary love story, but I thought it was perfect. If you are a fan of the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice (my personal fave), I think you’ll enjoy this one, too. ❤️
Avery is on a ferry to Seattle to spend Christmas with her brother, Reed. That is, until the ferry suddenly stops in the middle of Puget Sound. But what seems like an irritating interruption may actually bring people together in a way no one expected. This book had me in tears by the end. And yes, there may be a love story or two going on. Debbie Macomber packs a lot into this small book! ❤️
What Have You Read this Year?
I would love to know what you’ve read this year that you loved!
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