My 2025 Reading Year in Review: From Pages to The Literary Escape
The Year Reading Became Something Bigger
Every year I track what I read. The stars. The formats. The streaks. The regrets.
But this year, reading stopped being a solo habit and became something bigger. Something shared.
What began as a deeply personal practice turned into connection, community, and momentum. Books were no longer just something I read between trips or before bed. They became the thread tying together travel, conversation, and experience.
That seed of an idea grew into a vision.
Hello, The Literary Escape.
From Pages to Palm Trees
Early this year, we hosted our inaugural Literary Escape reading retreat in Palm Springs. Equal parts excitement and quiet panic. You can plan itineraries, curate reading lists, and overthink welcome gifts all you want, but you never really know if something will land until people arrive.
It landed.
Women showed up as strangers and left as friends. Conversations moved easily from books to life. Poolside reading turned into late-night discussions. There was that rare feeling of being both completely relaxed and completely understood.
Even better, those connections didn’t end when the retreat did. That same group continues to meet monthly for book club, long after Palm Springs. Watching those relationships deepen has been one of the most meaningful outcomes of the year and reinforced something I already believed: reading is better when it’s shared.
If you’ve been curious about book club or wondering if it’s “your thing,” this is your sign. You don’t need to know anyone to belong. You just need a love of stories.
Reading on the Move
Books traveled with me this year. Literally.
Between St. Louis and New York City, and chasing my wanderlust across France and Italy, reading became the constant companion. Audiobooks filled flights and train rides. Physical books claimed cafés, hotel rooms, and slow mornings in unfamiliar places. Stories layered themselves over real places, turning travel into something richer and more textured.
There is something powerful about reading while moving through the world. Letting a novel color a city. Letting a memoir deepen a journey. It is why travel and reading have always been inseparable for me and why The Literary Escape feels like a natural extension of how I already live.
If you’ve ever wished you could build your travels around books instead of sightseeing checklists, that is exactly the point.
A Year of Taste, Trust, and Ruthlessness
Reading this much sharpens your instincts. It curates your taste. And it makes you honest.
Not every book was great. Some were fine. Some disappointed me deeply. One never needed to exist beyond a podcast. A few surprised me more than expected. And one I would give anything to experience again for the first time.
I didn’t DNF as often as I should have. Once I commit, I commit. Regret is a personality trait.
Still, every book taught me something about voice, storytelling, and resonance. That discernment matters when you are curating reading experiences for others. At the heart of The Literary Escape is intention. Thoughtful choices. Honest opinions. And the belief that reading is better when it is shared.
And Then… the Numbers
So yes, what follows are the stats.
The stars.
The streaks.
The full, unfiltered list — comments, side-eye, and all.
But behind every number is a moment: a flight, a café, a retreat conversation, a book club debate, a city, a connection.
This wasn’t just a year of reading.
It was a year of building something that finally feels like home.
2025 Reading by the Numbers
Because numbers tell a story too
504-day reading streak
123 consecutive weeks without missing a beat
21,000 pages read
96 books total
Genres I reached for
32 Literary Fiction
21 Historical Fiction
12 Romance
27 Fiction
4 Biography
⭐ Ratings Breakdown - The year at a glance (according to my very honest star system):
⭐ 1-star reads: 2
We do not speak of these.
⭐⭐ 2 to 2.75 stars: 19
Not terrible, not memorable, definitely finished out of spite.
⭐⭐⭐ 3 to 3.75 stars: 60
Solid. Enjoyable. The backbone of the reading year.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 to 4.75 stars: 14
Actively good. Would recommend. Would think about again.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5-star read: 1
Perfection. Emotional damage. Would like to read again for the first time.
-
• Welcome to the United States of Anxiety: Observations from a Reforming Neurotic by Jen Lancaster — ⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Stories I’d Tell in Bars by Jen Lancaster — ⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Weyward by Emilia Hart — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• Inside Out by Demi Moore — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical) — I wish I’d realized this was based on a true female heroine while I was reading
• From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio) — listen to this one; it’s meant for audio
• West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell — ⭐⭐½ (Audio) — there was no reason this needed to be a book
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Physical) — pleasantly surprised
• Jackie: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio) -
• The Awakening by Caroline Peckham — ⭐ (Audio)
• I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys — ⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Physical) — had no right to be this good
• James by Percival Everett — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Physical)
• The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Physical) -
• The Wedding People by Alison Espach — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Physical)
• Your Table Is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina — ⭐⭐¾ (Physical)
• The First Ladies by Marie Benedict — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Belgravia by Julian Fellowes — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Audio) -
• The Californians by Brian Castleberry — ⭐⭐ (Audio) — apologies again to our inaugural reading retreat guest, this book was not our best pick.
• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Audio)
• The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical) -
• Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio) — the prequel outshines the originals
• Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Funny Story by Emily Henry — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical) -
• The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont — ⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• My Friends by Fredrik Bachman — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Goodnight from Paris by Jane Healey — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Answer Is No by Fredrik Bachman — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner — ⭐⭐¾ (Audio)
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson — ⭐⭐ (Audio) -
• Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle — ⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Beach Read by Emily Henry — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Physical)
• My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• All the Broken Places by John Boyne — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• I’ll Have What She’s Having by Chelsea Handler — ⭐⭐⭐¼ (Audio) -
• Sandwich by Catherine Newman — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson — ⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Testaments by Margaret Atwood — ⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Bachman — ⭐⭐⭐¼ (Physical)
• Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Audio)
• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Audio)
• The Names by Florence Knapp — ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (Physical) — such an impressive debut -
• Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio) — uncomfortable in the best way
• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell — ⭐⭐¾ (Audio)
• The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai — ⭐⭐⭐¼ (Physical)
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Sociopath by Patrick Gagne — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes — ⭐⭐¾ (Physical)
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio) — wish I could hear this again for the first time
• People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio) -
• Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown — ⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni — ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Bachman — ⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry — ⭐⭐¾ (Audio) -
• The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnson — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Twice by Mitch Albom — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• The Women of Arlington Hall by Jane Healey — ⭐⭐⭐ (Physical)
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans — ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Audio)
• That’s a Great Question, I’d Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio) -
• Anxious People by Fredrik Bachman — ⭐⭐⭐¼ (Physical) — It’s quirky, and I’m still thinking about this story
• The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren — ⭐⭐⭐¼ (Audio)
• The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros — ⭐⭐¾ (Physical)
• We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Origin by Dan Brown — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• The House of My Mother by Shari Franke — ⭐⭐⭐ (Audio)
• Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez — ⭐ (Physical) — Never again will I be lured in by your pretty pink covers, Abby.
• Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah — ⭐⭐⭐½ (Audio)
• Heart the Lover by Lily King — ⭐⭐⭐¾ (Physical) -
These were the books that stood out, lingered, and raised the bar for everything else I read this year.
✨ Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✨ My Friends by Fredrik Bachman — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✨ The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✨ Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✨ Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✨ The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✨ The Names by Florence Knapp — ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
✨ The Correspondent by Virginia Evans — ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
✨ The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✨ The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnson — ⭐⭐⭐⭐These are the books I’d recommend without hesitation and happily discuss over wine.
Looking Ahead to 2026
This year showed me what is possible when reading moves beyond the page.
In 2026, The Literary Escape continues to grow with retreats designed for readers who want more than a vacation. They want connection, conversation, and space to breathe.
We currently have
Two remaining spots for The Hamptons
Four remaining spots for Sitges, Spain
Both retreats are intentionally small. Once they are full, they are full. If one of these has been sitting in the back of your mind, now is the time to say yes.
You can find details, dates, and booking information on the site. If you are unsure which retreat is right for you, reach out. We are always happy to help you decide.
Final Thoughts
This was not just a year of reading. It was a year of building something that finally feels aligned.
Books became bridges. Travel became deeper. Community became real.
I hope you enjoy my 2025 reading list. Every star. Every opinion. Every honest reaction.
And if you want to be part of what comes next, we would love to welcome you.