Happy new year! I say this every year, but I truly can’t believe it’s 2025 already. This time of year always finds me oscillating between gratitude and anxiety. I’ve come to accept that it’s okay to feel mixed emotions. I hope your year went well, but regardless, here’s something I always remind myself after a tough day, week, month, or even year: one bad moment or stretch of time doesn’t define a bad life. There’s still so much to look forward to, and I hope that brings you some comfort.
As for me, this holiday has been wonderfully chaotic. I’ve completely thrown off my sleep schedule, gained a few extra kilograms, and spent lots of time reconnecting with friends and family. It’s been amazing, though it’s hard to believe reality kicks back in soon.
In this post, I’m going to share my reading wrap up with you. it is something I enjoy doing yearly. It gets a bit long but stay for the recs! While I was writing this post, I took a break, briefly opened X and saw yet another discussion on how it is impossible to read a certain number of books each year. A few days ago, a lady posted that she read 110 books and she was dragged for days. I was curious as to why this triggered people. I mean, what is it to you if someone has read over 100 books? I just don’t get it. Anyway, let’s get into my year in books.
On the books I read
This year, I read 86 books – 48 more books than i read last year and the most books i’ve read in a year! Having no major exams to study for definitely helped. I do not know how people pick 1, let alone 5 top books. I spent the whole day trying to come up with my top books and I ended up just making a post of ‘Books I enjoyed reading’. This way, I highlight the books that stayed with me – whether because of the story, the writing, the characters, or just the feeling I got while reading them.
Out of the 86 books, 4 were non-fiction and out of those 4, two stood out to me the most. I couldn’t stop talking about them [ How to say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair and The perfectionist’s guide to losing control by Katherine Morgan Schaffer. ]
On Genre
I gravitated toward literary fiction this year, as always. There’s something about that genre that reminds me why I love reading so much.
On some of my most memorable books
On books that touched me in my core. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano was one. It was stunning, and the way it captured family dynamics and sisterhood stayed with me. Another book that stole my heart was An Unusual Grief by Yewande Omotoso —it explores my favourite theme: mother-daughter relationships.
On messy characters
I also enjoyed stories about young women navigating life’s messiness. Books like Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler, Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, and Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey were fantastic, but The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue was the one I loved the most. It’s been compared to Sally Rooney’s work, and I can see why.
For older female characters who are a little… unhinged, All Fours by Miranda July and Big Swiss by Jen Beagin were unforgettable. Both books had me gaspinggggg!
On Nigerian literature
Although i didn’t read a lot of Nigerian books this year, the few I read were mostly good! [ Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh & And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode] They were beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measure. If you’re interested in queer literature set in Nigeria, these are fantastic places to start. I am very excited about books by African authors being released next year. I have a few on my radar like The Edge of water by Olufunke Grace Bankole, Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola.
On Themes
I explored heavy themes like grief, The Afterpains by Anna Julia Stainsby was a moving one, a moving exploration of grief and how it affects a mother’s relationship with her living child. Another standout was Jaded by Ela Lee, a book that hooked me from the very first page. It dives deep into themes like racism and misogyny in the workplace, life as a second-generation immigrant, and sexual abuse. It’s not an easy read, but it’s so important. Please be sure to check the trigger warnings before going in.
On the lighter side, romance delivered some much-needed warmth. Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan and Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (so cute!) were hands down my favorites. They were sweet, heartwarming, and it was so easy to connect with the characters. I also really like A love like the sun by Riss Neilson but it did feel a bit long but i love a well written, bestfriends to lovers trope. I read two of Emily Henry’s books (Happy People & Funny Story), though Funny Story didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
On short stories
I didn’t read many short stories this year, just Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda and Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte. Ghostroots hooked me with its haunting stories (I loved five of the twelve stories), while Rejection was ridiculous but impossible to put down. They were shortlisted and long-listed respectively by the National Book Awards this year.
New authors I discovered
I also discovered new authors who’ve become instant favorites. Rhonda McKnight, Sarai Johnson and Ashley Antoinette’s books were so compelling. I look forward to reading more of their work.
Books that I didn’t LOVE
That said, not every book lived up to my expectations. Here are some books i really wanted to enjoy but just did not. Broken by Fatima Bala was one of those. I felt like it could’ve done with a LOT more editing. I also didn’t enjoy Good Material by Dolly Alderton. I struggled to get through it. How to end a love story by Yulin Kuang also disappointed me. It just lacked so much depth. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston was also disappointing considering I really enjoyed The seven year slip last year. Lastly, The wedding people! A lot of my mutuals loved this but it was just a miss for me. There were some lessons here. So, maybe it’s a thing of wrong timing.
On starting new things
On a personal note, I started an in-person book club in May. It is something I’ve wanted to do for over a decade! It’s been such a rewarding experience. Of all the books we read, Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr shook me the most. It was such a page turner!
I also created a digital reading journal this year, and I’m obsessed with it. You can grab a copy on Etsy if you’re interested—it’s on sale right now. I’d really appreciate your support.
Looking ahead, I’m trying something new for 2025. Instead of only creating a vision board, I’m also going to be making a list of specific, achievable goals using the SMART approach. I read an article on goal-setting recently that was so insightful, and I’m excited to see how this new approach works for me.
Here’s to being kind to ourselves and chasing our dreams—at our own pace—in the new year.
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