Reading Year in Review 2025
In 2025, I read over forty books, ranging from gothic sci-fi like Far Removed by CB Lansdell to harrowing non-fiction like Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe to classics including George Orwell’s 1984 and The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. This is the most I’ve ever read in a given year. Say it was an escape from the crumbling democracy here in the city-states of America, say it’s my love for reading, or say it’s research for my writing, most likely it’s a little bit of all three; it’s always shades of gray and never black and white unless it’s on the page I’m reading.
I’m part of two book clubs my local book club, McArthur’s Brew House Books and Brews Group, where we meet, drink beer, and talk about books, and another, Willow Wraith Press, where we meet online and interview the author of the book we read the previous month. Both are wonderful cases of community and engagement.
My friends at Willow Wraith Press and McArthur’s continue to push my reading limits, getting me out of my fantasy book comfort zone, and the relationships I build with them I cherish for their different perspectives, tastes, and choices. Both groups continue to push and develop me as a member of the reading, writing, and reviewing community.
I joined Willow Wraith Press, this year which is full of good friends I’ve met as I publish my own books (selfish plug go buy my books!)and hone my writing craft. Did I say craft? I don’t think I’m there yet. The good people at Willow Wraith work on their craft, and all of them are exceptional talents. I just tag along and try to learn from them. As I type, I throw words down and hope they stick, and that you, dear reader, may actually want to read them. I’m meandering here, stay focused. I must stick to the topic. Ahh, yes, writing friends. I’ve been lucky enough to join Willow Wraith Press, whose ranks are filled with some of indie publishing’s best artists, bloggers, reviewers, and writers. They are all full of vigor, knowledge, and a great source of encouragement as we create new worlds and push horizons. Their kind words have helped me this year as I doubt my own creation process and push on.
Willow Wraith Press has launched a book club open to anyone. I managed to read four books in that book club, and I’m hesitant to pick which of these I liked, as they all had something special. The voting for books is done online via Goodreads; search for Willow Wraith Press in the community section to find us and join.
“Joao F. Silva and the imaginative Seeds of War (seriously, that cover is fantastic), Michael Roberti’s smash hit sequel Grave for Us All”
Far Removed, a sci-fi novel, has a richness and structure that I found engaging. I don’t read sci-fi that often, and I found the complex aquatic world exciting and enjoyable. The Source of Strife by Alex Arch had another layer of creative world-building and shows just how well indie writing is getting at originality and expressing ideas. The Light of Kasaban by Thomas Howard Riley showed me how much can be done in so few words, bringing family, drama, and danger to every page. The Coward by Ayrton Silva showed just how well concepts like love, death, and attraction can be portrayed between two characters. All different stories, written and available, just waiting for a reader’s attention.
McArthur’s Brew House Books and Brews Group tends to read thrillers, murder mysteries, and pop fiction, favoring female perspectives and revenge tropes. We pick our books through anonymous voting: each person chooses their top three, and the book with the most votes is selected for the next month. I find the process intriguing and interesting to see what such a large group of readers picks. At this time, McArthur’s has over 75 different readers in our group (I think there are even more). I don’t hit all the books in a given year; for example, out of the twelve books we read this year, I read ten. Some of my favorites include Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, a period piece set in the early 1980s about a female astronaut and her love of space and a fellow astronaut. It was a beautiful book that felt as if it needed just a bit more detail and length. I also enjoyed The Wedding People by Alison Espach, a funny yet slightly dark book about love, suicide, and lust. My favorite book this year from McCurthurs’ book club was The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, a historical fiction book about a midwife in post-revolutionary Maine. It was full of plot twists and educational and realistic in its details. The prose was rich, and the darkness and cold of a long winter night could be felt through the pages.
“Steven Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon, a complicated and eye-opening fantasy novel.”
In 2025, I did get a chance to do multiple re-reads of books I’d taken on before. The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan (1984); George Orwell’s 1984; Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail and Kingdom of Fear, by Hunter S. Thompson; and Donna Tartt’s immaculate dark academia book, The Secret History, are all re-reads. I also managed to re-read Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. All lovely in their own ways. Some of these are my second, third, or even fourth re-reads, either for pleasure or for research, as I continue to write my own work.
So let’s get to my top books of the year. Out of the indie books, it was a fight between three big names in independent publishing: Joao F. Silva and the imaginative Seeds of War (seriously, that cover is fantastic), Michael Roberti’s smash hit sequel Grave for Us All, and The House of Starling, a debut romantic fantasy by Ciara Hartford, a book that climbed the Amazon charts. After much thought, it came down to Michal Roberti’s sequel A Grave for Us All. Mr. Roberti’s writing hits all of my sweet spots: action, drama, and sharp political world-building. For those who are unsure of getting into indie fantasy books, I think Mr. Roberti’s series is an ideal start with a fresh take on epic fantasy.
My other top books in 2025 included Martha Wells’ Network Effect, about a robot guard who becomes sentient and wants to watch soap operas, James Baldwin’s Another Country, a sublime and emotional ride that will haunt the reader with every page, and Steven Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon, a complicated and eye-opening fantasy novel. Coming in front of Gardens of the Moon was The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, a first-person POV set in a fantasy world with no horses, which kept me reading late into the night. My top read of the year is Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. This is surprising, as I have leaned away from non-fiction reading in recent years.
Say Nothing is a book I want to give to nearly everyone, so they can learn and sink into a part of history they may not know much about. The history of Northern Ireland was not something I sought to learn, but after watching one episode of the TV show based on the book, I devoured the book, which offers multiple perspectives on the strife that occurred and still occurs in Ireland. Difficult to read and moving, this book will stay with me forever, as it showed multiple sides of a series of traumatic events in and around Ireland.
I’m looking forward to 2026 and hope to tackle new and old challenges alike. I gave up on one book this year, but it’s not an official a DNF, just a let’s set you down for a later look book. So let’s see what this 2026 brings. My TBR grows as does my appetite for reading.
Cheers,
Matthew~
