In 2025, I read 108 books (against a very modest goal of 80), totaling 37,014 pages. I was actually five books below last year’s 113 total. But I also took a few trips in 2025 that interfered with my usual reading pace.
The reason I like reflecting on how many books I’ve read in a year is not a boastful thing by any means, but hopefully a source of inspiration for other readers. In 2020, when you would think there would be even more time to read given the COVID-19 pandemic, I read 12 books. To get to the point where I’m reading more than 100 books in a year took a gradual retraining of my brain. The next year, 2021, I read 21 books. By 2022, I had locked in, as the kids say, and was at 84 books. Then, 2023 and 2024 were high watermark years, with 110 books and 113 books read, respectively. It took time, refocusing my brain, and committing to being a reader again.
But whether you read one book a year, 12 books, more than a 100 — however you’re consuming those books, digital, physical, audio, or a combination therein — my message to you is: you’re doing great. Keep reading! And definitely don’t listen to any of the internet chatter about reading the so-called “right” kinds of books. Read what you want to read: literature, genre fiction, romantasy, memoirs, biographies, self-help books, whatever is resonating with you. It’s your reading journey. And unless you’re reading something truly odious, any amount and kind of reading is a “win” in my book (heh).
As readers of this blog know, I review every book I read. I just need to get my thoughts out before I can continue on with another book. My reviews range from 800 words to 5,000 words, with the latter tending to be the nonfiction books where I have a lot to say. On average, though, if I had to guess, the word count is usually 1,000 words. That means I wrote 108,000 words worth of reviews this year! That’s enough to be a a long novella or a short book when you think about it. That’s wild.
Anyhow, let’s continue on the breakdown here. My shortest book was Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (review here) at 116 pages, and my longest read was Karin Slaughter’s The Silent Wife (review here) at 656 pages. I tended to stick to that sweet spot of 342 pages.
Speaking of Karin Slaughter, 2025 became about finishing the Will Trent series, which meant reading Criminal (review here), Unseen (review here), The Kept Woman (review here), The Silent Wife, After That Night (review here), and This Is Why We Lied (review here). She’s just so dang good.
I also turned back to reading more graphic novels this year, including Wonder Woman: The True Amazon (review here), the Supreme Power series (first review here), Underground (review here), On Purpose (review here), Scalped (review here), and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (review here).
Something new happened this year in my reading journey that I’m particularly tickled about: thanks to this blog, I’ve had a few publicist/authors reach out to me to see if I’d read their book. These weren’t advance reader copies, or ARCs, but it was still neat, and I was happy to read their books and shine a spotlight on relatively lesser known authors and their work. Give Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan (review here) and The Collectors by Richard A. Danzig (review here) a shot in 2026.
Out of the books I read, 10 of them were audiobooks. I listen to a lot of weekly podcasts (and this year I became obsessed with listening to Conan O’Brien’s Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast), so, I tried to squeeze audiobooks in when I could. Generally speaking, I’d estimate that it takes me about three to four weeks to finish an audiobook. I think 10 for the year tracks then. By comparison, last year I did 14 audiobooks. And yes, all audiobooks are nonfiction, as I can’t seem to lock in, to use that phrase again, when the audiobook is fiction. My favorite audiobook? That’s tough, as I enjoyed them all, but if I had to recommend one for our current moment, How Democracies Die would be the one (review here).
That’s the weird thing about reading so many books in a year, by the way. If I read it, I liked it! I’m not somebody who tends to happen upon reading books I don’t enjoy or DNF (do not finish). Which is to say, I enjoyed all 108 books I read in 2025, but if you were making me choose my favorites, then let’s do it.
Favorite Graphic Novel
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Matheus Lopes.
Favorite Romance Book
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (review here)
Favorite Feel-Good (Cozy) Book
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (review here)
Favorite Horror Book
Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin (review here)
Favorite Book from a Foreign Author (to the U.S.)
Strange Houses by Uketsu (review here)
Favorite Science Fiction Book
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (review here)
Favorite Historical Fiction Book
The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin (review here)
Favorite Literature Book
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (review here)
Favorite Darkhorse Book
Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon (review here)
Favorite Fiction Book Published in 2025
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (review here)
Favorite Fiction Book Published Pre-2025
James by Percival Everett (review here)
Favorite Historical Nonfiction Book
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (review here)
Favorite Nonfiction Book (I suppose I’m separating that from history and the audiobooks)
They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer (review here)
I mean, again, I think you should look at my entire 2025 Year in Books to see if anything jumps out at you, but if I had to shout-out a few others I haven’t mentioned yet:
- The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (review here)
- Caucasia by Danzy Senna (review here)
- The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali (review here)
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (review here)
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (review here)
- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (review here)
- The Names by Florence Knapp (review here)
At the end of my 2024 Reading Recap, I said I didn’t have any stringent goals, just to “read a few classic, new and lesser known authors, familiar favorites, graphic novels, and I’m always hoping to add more nonfiction to my read.” I’d say I touched each of those loose goals!
I’ve set my reading challenge for 2026 at a very modest 52 books, or a book a week, because I’m looking to read much bigger books this year that may take up more time than usual.
Milam's Musings 
Cool! 😎 Happy New Year! 🎊
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