Last year ended up being a really good year of reading for me. I've been setting a reading goal for a number of years, pretty much since I started using Goodreads to track my reading, but it's always been rather arbitrary and never much of a stretch. So it wasn't a surprise that I exceeded my goal of 110 books in 2025, but it was a surprise that I recorded my largest number completed since I started tracking.
I would have thought that I would have read less this year, given more demands on my time (Ruthie, increased responsibilities at work), but this graphic from my Storygraph reveals a very likely explanation:
More than a third of the books I read were on audio -- all those hours running, walking, and taking the dog out ended up being very productive!
Those of you who follow my book reviews know that I tend to be very stingy with my 5 stars, so I thought you might like to see which of my 2025 reads earned this rare honor. In only the order in which I read them, they were as follows:
- You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
- Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
- The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck
- Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell
- Heart the Lover by Lily King
- Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
- Isola by Allegra Goodman
- The Antidote by Karen Russell
- Heartwood by Amity Gage
- Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
- My Good Bright Wolf by Sarah Moss
- Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
- Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips
- The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow
- Flashlight by Susan Choi
- More than Enough by Anna Quindlen
What a fantastic reading year, Sarah! Wow (and Happy New Year!!) That is an impressive 5-star list! Safe travels tomorrow and may your Ruthie Reunion be delightful!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great year of reading! I'm glad you had good stories in your ears during all of that time outside. I'm taking note of your five star books to add to my 2026 TBR! :)
ReplyDeleteSafe travels tomorrow. I will be thinking about you!
You did have a great reading year with quite a few five-star books. To me that says you know kind of reader you are and chose your reading material wisely. Enjoy the last day of warmth, safe travels, and I bet Ruthie will be overjoyed to see you!
ReplyDeleteI'm already smiling over your reunion with Ruthie! Safe travels back home.
ReplyDeleteI'm always impressed with how much you read Sarah, but wow - 142 books is impressive!! We have a number of the same 5 star books! By my count I shared 5 stars on five of your books noted. And, I've read 8 of those noted (the 3 that I did not give 5 stars to, I rated as 4 stars). I'm looking forward to our RWU meet-up on Tuesday - I also rated The Antidote as a 5 star book!
That's a LOT of books, Sarah! And some great 5 star reads, many of which I also read and loved. I always like to have a buffer day between being away and going back to work, too. I find it makes the reentry much more pleasant.
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