I have a few reading goals for 2025. First, move from Goodreads to The Storygraph. Second, read more physical books and less ebooks. Third, step away from goals and just enjoy the magical act of reading. I’ll elaborate later.
Many of the books on my 2024 reading journey were simple escapism. Was it me? Did my distracted psyche require solace in light, silly stories? Perhaps, but as I perused my list, I found ten inspiring, hopeful, and damn good narratives worthy of the five stars I awarded them.
The State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (2011)
Ann Patchett took me to the depths of the Amazon with Dr. Marina Singh. I felt Marina’s fear, trepidation, awe, and wonder as she navigated the mysteries of the rainforest, and quickly learned that not all questions have answers. We just have to sit with the unknown.
Still Life by Sarah Wingman (2021)
Sarah Wingman bought me a ticket to postwar Tuscany as Ulysses Temper discovers a chosen family who gifts him love and grit and unexpected joy amid life’s despair. Often friends embrace us despite our prickly flaws.
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge (2021)
Lynda Rutledge invited me on a cross country trip during the Depression as Woodrow Wilson Nickel helps transport two giraffes from the East Coast to the San Diego Zoo. Based on a true story, this adventure weaves eccentric characters with life’s challenges. If you look into an animal’s eyes, they can tell the universe’s story.
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (2024)
Kate Quinn rented me a room at Briarwood, a ramshackle boarding house in 1950 Washington, D.C. A group of women come together as secrets threaten to blow it all away. Sometimes friends can hold our truths without questions or judgments.
After Annie by Anna Quindlan (2024)
Anna Quindlan reminded me grief never ends, it softens around the edges. After Annie dies, her family and friends are left to stitch up their broken lives. How do we go on without our touchstones? Can we survive such tremendous loss? Will we find joy among the ashes?
The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden (2022)
Rachel Linden allowed me to bake alongside Lolly Blanchard, a pie chef who is given a magical second chance by her great-aunt in a gift of three lemon drops. It is a story of “what ifs?” What if things were different? How do we let go of regrets and live the life we deserve?
The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel (2022)
Kristin Harmel held my hand as she invited me into the Alzheimer’s fog of Hope McKenna-Smith’s grandmother Mamie. A story of the Holocaust, family secrets, and lost dreams, The Sweetness of Forgetting is also one of my favorite book titles. If our memories are haunted, can there be a sweet release in forgetting?
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023)
Ariel Lawhon allowed me to eavesdrop on the life of Martha Ballard, a midwife in 1789 Maine. Set during a time when women had no agency over their lives, it reminded me that we are still fighting this battle. Ballard, based on a real life woman, fought back while working within the system. Listen to women’s stories. They will open your heart and break your soul..
and 10. The Blackbird Oracle by Deborah Harkness (2024) and The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (2024) Deborah Harkness (All Souls Trilogy w/ sequels) and Louise Penny (Three Pines books) opened their doors for me to visit with old friends; witches, vampires, chief inspectors, quirky villagers, and those who love and despise them. Both books are part of favorite series where the authors weave good vs. evil, darkness vs. light, and power vs powerlessness with the importance and significance of family, friends, and home.
Now, back to my 2025 goals.
I am moving from Goodreads to The Storygraph because I am slowly working on separating myself from Voldemort, I mean Jeff Bezos and all he lords over.
I have loved checking out ebooks through our library system since 2020, but now I feel myself missing books, the smell and crinkle of the paper and heft when I pick one up. I have a pile to work through that have been gifted or borrowed or bought before I head back to the library or bookstore.
I’ve decided I’m not making a reading goal for 2025. I just want to throw myself into stories, and not be tied to random numbers of books I need to get through by the end of the year. It is kind of how I’m feeling about all analytics, letting go of the self-imposed pressure of the numbers game, whether it is reading, exercise, or writing. If I have a New Year’s resolution, this is it. Enjoy the process, not the endgame.
I would love your book recommendations. Please share in comments. We book nerds need one another. It’s a crazy world and stories help us find hope in chaos.
(Also, if you’d like to share my writing on social media, I would be oh so tremendously grateful.)
My TBR pile at the moment. What’s yours?