Updated 2025 Reading Stats
So far in 2025, I have read:
- 55 books
- 37 fiction books
- 18 non-fiction books
- 1 classic book
June 2025 Reading
The Good Sister
Gillian McAllister
Fiction, Mystery
I’ve been working my way through Gillian McAllister’s books this year. For the most part, they have been pretty good (with the exception of her latest book, Famous Last Words, which I thought was kind of weak.) This book was one of her better ones. The plot is that there are two sisters—one whose baby died and one who is on trial for killing the baby. As you can imagine, this makes for an interesting plot!
Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in the Water
Vicki Valosik
Non-Fiction
This was a book club read that I was intitally a little lukewarm about. Why would I want to read about women in water? Well, it turns out that the book ended up exceeding my expectations by being quite interesting. It caused me to go down several rabbit holes, including one for Esther Williams and another for synchronized swimming. This is one of the reasons I like to read—you never know what you’ll actually be interested in learning about until you try reading a book about it!
The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
Meik Wiking
Non-Fiction
During the month of May, we took a trip to Denmark and Norway, spending several days in Copenhagen. Hygge stuff was all over the shops (including this book) in Copenhagen, so I wanted to learn more about it. In my opinion, the book is not all that great, but it does give you a sense of what hygge is all about. (This is the first of two books on Denmark I read this month.)
Great Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry
Fiction, Romance
As a rule, I’m not a huge romance reader. That being said, I always make time to read Emily Henry (and now I’m adding Abby Jimenez to this list). Emily Henry’s books are just pleasant places to spend time, and I always enjoy seeing how the romances develop. Perfect for lighter summer reading!
The Midnight Feast
Lucy Foley
Fiction, Mystery
After reading Great Big Beautiful Life, I didn’t feel like picking up a more serious book so I opted for this light mystery by Lucy Foley. Although I didn’t care for some of her earlier books, this one was pretty good and a pleasant way to spend a few hours reading.
Five Decembers
James Kestrel
Fiction, Mystery
This was another book club read. I was not looking forward to reading this book because of the horrific cover. However, I am happy to report that the book was better than the cover! However, I’m still not sure what I thought about it because I was so relieved the book wasn’t as bad as the cover. The basic plot is about a policeman solving a murder. What makes the book different is that it takes place in Hawaii days before the Pearl Harbor attack, which ends up having a huge impact on the life of the policeman.
The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country
Helen Russell
Non-Fiction
This is the second book about Denmark that I read this month after a recent trip to Copenhagen. I really enjoyed this book and learning about Denmark and why its people are consistently rated the happiest in the world. Learning about the welfare state and how the Danish people are taken care of by their country was eye-opening, especially given the current state of my own country, the United States.
The Puzzler
A.J. Jacobs
Non-Fiction
I had kind of forgotten about A.J. Jacobs (an author whose books I’d enjoyed in the past), so I was excited to come across this book, especially since I enjoy puzzles. In addition to writing about various forms of puzzles (and taking on various quests as Jacobs is wont to do), the book includes examples of various puzzles that you can try yourself. As a direct result of reading this book, I’m now working on trying to master medium-level Sudokus.
Northern Spy
Flynn Berry
Fiction
I read this for a book club meeting that I planned to go to and then couldn’t attend. Probably just as well because I thought this book was a little weak, despite being about a topic that I thought would be more intereseting (two sisters in Northern Ireland with one of them being a spy for the IRA).
Favorite Books Read In June
Usually when I pick three favorites for the month, I’m debating between a few. However, I didn’t read any books during June that really rocked my world. However, these three stood out, but I doubt any of them will make my “best of 2025” list.
Have any thoughts about what you just read? Send me an email! I’d love to hear from you.
