Readers With Wrinkles 2025 Reading Recap

Well, well, well... look who read 140 books in 2025.

No, I didn't quit my day job (oh wait, I'm supposed to be retired, but books are my day job). And yes, my husband did occasionally see me emerge from behind the computer and take out my earbuds long enough to eat and make awkward small talk. But here we are at the end of another glorious year of reading, and boy, did I cover some ground.

From the misty moors of England to the bustling streets of Tokyo, from cozy mysteries that lulled me to sleep to psychological thrillers that absolutely did not, this year's reading list had more variety than a box of chocolates you offer relatives to pick through. I dove into literary fiction, got lost in historical epics, dabbled in romance, flirted with fantasy, and even ventured into the occasional memoir that made me feel better about my own life choices.

As much as I tried to pre-curate what I read, 140 books means not every story was a winner. Some books got the dreaded DNF label (Did Not Finish), because life's too short and the TBR (To Be Read) pile is too tall to soldier through a book that just isn't working. These false starts happen, and I'm not afraid to admit when a book and I simply weren't meant to be.

The list below is color coded per the number of stars I gave each one, from the crème de la crème (bright yellow) down to the gray "well, someone probably loved it." Only five books earned the coveted 10-star rating—yes, I'm a tough grader, and no, I don't feel bad about it.

If a book impressed me enough to think it might spark great discussion for our Readers with Wrinkles community, I wrote a review.

If a book absolutely knocked my socks off and made me think, "MY BOOK CLUB NEEDS TO READ THIS IMMEDIATELY," I went all in and created a book club kit complete with discussion questions, recipes, and all the goodies. My kit creation list is growing; look for more titles in 2026.

So, let's take a stroll through 2025's literary adventures. Your next favorite read might just be hiding in here somewhere.

DID NOT FINISH

REREADS

So ends another year in books—140 voices, places, and imagined worlds that stretched across continents, centuries, and shelves. From literary fiction that lingered to thrillers that raced, each story left a small mark, a reminder that reading never really takes us away from life—it brings us closer to it.

Looking back, the variety feels like a map of the world and a mirror of the mind: shifting, curious, sometimes imperfect, and always worth exploring. It's reassuring, in a time that often feels hurried, to know that good books keep being written, discovered, and shared—that the art of storytelling is as alive as ever.

Here's to another year of turning pages with wonder, finding beauty in the unexpected, and letting stories remind us who we are and who we might still become. The books are thriving, the readers are thriving—and somewhere between these covers and these wrinkles, the world still holds its light and whispers, "read on."