I finished 34 books in 2025. I maintained a more consistent pace than last year, and technically achieved my goal of reading more physical books. I read 9 physical books this year compared to 8 last year, but that’s over 26% of books in 2025 compared to less than 20% in 2024. Small victories.

While I read 17% fewer books than in 2024, I only read about 7% fewer pages. A few books were rather long. (I’m looking at you, Sophie’s Choice.)

According to the moods in StoryGraph, I leaned away from the darker books and more into properly emotional or reflective literature. I expect my dalliance with Jane Austen helped with that pivot, though books like The Handmaid’s Tale and Kindred are not for the lighthearted reader.

It was a solid year for my reading. Other than trying to get through even more physical books, ideally ones I already own, I have no goals in mind for 2026 outside my usual attempts at reading across broad publishing dates within the genres I like.

Enjoy the flurry of charts and the full list of books I read in 2025 at the end.

A bar chart showing completed books in 2025 by genre. The genres, from left to right, are Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Memoir/Biography, Other Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, and Thriller.

A bar chart showing the number of books finished in each month of 2025.

A line chart showing both the number of books completed, and number of pages read, in each month of 2025.

A bar chart showing the identified “moods” among the books I completed in 2025. The top few are Adventurous, Emotional, Reflective, Funny, and Mysterious.

TitleAuthorGenreMedium
The Left Hand of DarknessUrsula K. Le GuinScience FictionPhysical
Network EffectMartha WellsScience FictionDigital
Fugitive TelemetryMartha WellsScience FictionDigital
The DispossessedUrsula K. Le GuinScience FictionPhysical
Sense and SensibilityJane AustenLiterary FictionPhysical
Pride and PrejudiceJane AustenLiterary FictionPhysical
System CollapseMartha WellsScience FictionDigital
Watership DownRichard AdamsFantasyDigital
EmmaJane AustenLiterary FictionPhysical
BorneJeff VanderMeerScience FictionDigital
The Handmaid’s TaleMargaret AtwoodSpeculative FictionDigital
Shards of EarthAdrian TchaikovskyScience FictionDigital
Eyes of the VoidAdrian TchaikovskyScience FictionDigital
Lords of UncreationAdrian TchaikovskyScience FictionDigital
The OutsidersS.E. HintonLiterary FictionDigital
The Long-Distance LeaderKevin Eikenberry and Wayne TurmelOther Non-fictionDigital
Guards! Guards!Terry PratchettFantasyDigital
KnifeSalman RushdieMemoir/BiographyPhysical
On Writing WellWilliam ZinsserOther Non-fictionPhysical
Sophie’s ChoiceWilliam StyronLiterary FictionDigital
The Queen’s GambitWalter TevisLiterary FictionDigital
The Big BounceElmore LeonardThrillerPhysical
On TyrannyTimothy SnyderOther Non-fictionDigital
One Hundred Years of SolitudeGabriel García MárquezLiterary FictionDigital
Children of TimeAdrian TchaikovskyScience FictionDigital
Children of RuinAdrian TchaikovskyScience FictionDigital
Children of MemoryAdrian TchaikovskyScience FictionDigital
ArtemisAndy WeirScience FictionDigital
Bird by BirdAnne LamottOther Non-fictionDigital
Clown TownMick HerronThrillerDigital
KindredOctavia E. ButlerSpeculative FictionDigital
The Lost City of ZDavid GrannOther Non-fictionDigital
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van PeltLiterary FictionPhysical
Me Talk Pretty One DayDavid SedarisOther Non-fictionDigital