2025: The Year I Fell in Love With Reading Again

In 2025, I picked up a book I'd loved years ago and rediscovered my love of reading. Thirty-four books later, I'm looking back at the thrillers, ghost stories, favorite authors, and unforgettable twists that made it such a great reading year.

If you’d told me at the beginning of 2025 that I’d read 34 books before the end of the year, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

I used to love reading. When I was younger, I could spend hours in my room with a good book. But somewhere along the way, life got busy, and reading became something I just didn’t do anymore.

Then spring break happened.

Braden was in Colorado, Mike and the others were in Louisiana, and I was home with the dogs.

I had the house to myself, and I decided it was time to pick up a book again.

Not just any book, though.

I chose Under the Beetle’s Cellar by Mary Willis Walker, a book my mom had loved and one I’d read years earlier. I remembered loving it, too, and figured it would be the perfect way to get back into reading.

And it was!

What I didn’t realize was that one book would turn into 34.

2025 by the Numbers

I didn’t start the year with a reading challenge. I wasn’t trying to finish a certain number of books or reach some impressive goal.

I just wanted to read again.

And apparently, I really missed it!

Here’s how my year turned out:

  • 34 books read
  • Reading restarted: March 2025
  • First book: Under the Beetle’s Cellar by Mary Willis Walker
  • Most-read author: Freida McFadden, with seven books
  • Second most-read author: Nick Roberts, with four books
  • Favorite genres: Psychological thrillers, suspense, and supernatural horror
  • Reading formats: Kindle and physical books

I didn’t keep track of exactly when I finished each book, but looking back at my reviews, it’s clear I was reading quite a bit!

And the best part? I enjoyed almost everything I picked up.

The Books That Made Me Love Psychological Thrillers

I found myself gravitating toward psychological thrillers almost immediately.

There’s just something about a story that makes you question everything you think you know.

I love trying to figure out what’s happening, deciding which characters I trust, and then discovering I was completely wrong.

Two books that really delivered those moments were Verity by Colleen Hoover and Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica.

Oh, those twists!

I did not see them coming.

And that’s exactly what I want from a psychological thriller.

I don’t want to figure everything out halfway through the book. I want to be surprised. I want to get to the end and think about all the little things I missed along the way.

Both of those books gave me that experience.

Freida McFadden Became a Favorite

If there’s one author I really got hooked on in 2025, it’s Freida McFadden.

I started with The Housemaid and quickly moved on to The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching.

I loved that series!

The twists were great, but I also enjoyed watching Millie’s character develop.

By the third book, she’d come such a long way. I found myself genuinely happy for her and invested in what happened to her family.

I also read The Housemaid’s Wedding, The Boyfriend, The Intruder, and Ward D during the year.

Seven Freida McFadden books!

Clearly, she made an impression.

And she wasn’t the only author I discovered. I also became a fan of Darcy Coates, Nick Roberts, and Lucinda Berry.

All very different writers, but each gives me something I love.

The Exorcist’s House Still Haunts Me

Now, I love a good psychological thriller.

But I REALLY love supernatural horror.

Ghosts, haunted houses, unexplained noises, things lurking in the darkness. Give me all of it!

And of everything I read in 2025, Nick Roberts’ The Exorcist’s House series probably scared me the most.

I read The Exorcist’s House, The Exorcist’s House: Genesis, and The Exorcist’s House: Resurrection.

And I still think about those books!

There were plenty of other creepy reads throughout the year.

Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell was fantastic. The strange voices, the isolated cabin, and everything happening in the woods were right up my alley.

The September House by Carissa Orlando was another favorite.

I also enjoyed discovering Darcy Coates through The Haunting of Ashburn House.

But if I had to choose the supernatural series that stayed with me the most, it would be The Exorcist’s House.

Nick Roberts definitely earned a place on my list of authors to keep reading.

The Book That Broke My Heart

Not every book I read was about solving a mystery or being scared out of my mind.

Some were just emotionally exhausting.

And none affected me quite like Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry.

Oh, that book.

It was one of those stories that made me think about things I really didn’t want to think about.

As a mom, I found myself imagining what I would do in the characters’ situations. And the truth is, I don’t know.

I had so many conflicting emotions while reading it.

I cried. A lot.

It was a fantastic book, but also one of the most difficult books I’ve read.

I honestly don’t know if I could read it again.

And I think that says something about how powerful the story was.

Lucinda Berry became another author I wanted to read more from, even knowing her books might leave me emotionally drained!

The Books That Surprised Me

One of my favorite things about getting back into reading was discovering books through recommendations.

I joined a psychological thrillers Facebook group and started finding titles I’d probably never have come across otherwise.

Some of those books really surprised me.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens was one of them. I don’t think I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started it, but I mean that in the best possible way.

That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally was another.

So was She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica.

And then there was Now Is the Time of Monsters by A. G. Mock.

These are the kinds of books that make me appreciate recommendations from other readers.

Sometimes, you don’t really know what you’re getting into.

And sometimes, that’s the best part.

Kindle or Physical Books?

Both!

I still love physical books. There’s something about holding an actual book, turning the pages, and seeing how far you’ve gotten.

But I don’t have room to keep buying and storing books.

And that’s where my Kindle comes in.

With Kindle Unlimited, I can read so many books without having to buy each one separately. It’s also much easier to take with me.

I can throw my Kindle in my bag and have something to read wherever I go.

Do I still prefer physical books? Yes.

But I absolutely love the convenience of my Kindle.

And having both options made it much easier to keep reading throughout the year.

Reading Became My Way to Relax

I think this is what surprised me most about 2025.

I didn’t realize how much I’d missed having reading as a hobby.

There’s always something to do around the house. There’s always somewhere we need to be, something that needs cleaning, or something else competing for my attention.

But when I sit down with a good book, I can forget about all of that for a little while.

I can get completely lost in someone else’s story.

Sometimes, that means trying to solve a murder. Sometimes, it means wandering through a haunted house with characters who really should have left about 200 pages ago.

And sometimes, it means crying over a story that hits a little too close to home.

Whatever the book, I love having something I can pick up and enjoy whenever I have a little time.

It’s a pretty great hobby to have.

Every Book I Read in 2025

I wrote reviews for all 34 books I read this year. If you’re looking for something new to read, here they are in the order I reviewed them.

April

  1. Under the Beetle’s Cellar — Mary Willis Walker
  2. Local Woman Missing — Mary Kubica
  3. Stolen Tongues — Felix Blackwell
  4. The Housemaid — Freida McFadden
  5. The Housemaid’s Secret — Freida McFadden
  6. The Housemaid Is Watching — Freida McFadden
  7. Saving Noah — Lucinda Berry
  8. The Life We Bury — Allen Eskens
  9. Hidden Pictures — Jason Rekulak

May

  1. Verity — Colleen Hoover
  2. Missing — Ruby Speechley
  3. That’s Not My Name — Megan Lally
  4. Unspeakable Things — Jess Lourey
  5. The Missing — Kiersten Modglin

June

  1. Follow You Home — Mark Edwards
  2. Such Quiet Girls — Noelle W. Ihli
  3. The Exorcist’s House — Nick Roberts

July

  1. The Exorcist’s House: Genesis — Nick Roberts
  2. Sometimes I Lie — Alice Feeney

August

  1. Raised by a Killer — Sea Caummisar
  2. The Housemaid’s Wedding — Freida McFadden
  3. The Boyfriend — Freida McFadden

September

  1. She’s Not Sorry — Mary Kubica
  2. It Haunts the Mind — Nick Roberts

October

  1. The Exorcist’s House: Resurrection — Nick Roberts
  2. The September House — Carissa Orlando
  3. Home Before Dark — Riley Sager
  4. The Haunting of Ashburn House — Darcy Coates
  5. We Live Here Now — Sarah Pinborough
  6. The Intruder — Freida McFadden

December

  1. Now Is the Time of Monsters — A. G. Mock
  2. Phantom Limb — Lucinda Berry
  3. Ward D — Freida McFadden
  4. The Body at Blackwell Lake — A. M. Caplan

The months above reflect when I published each review, rather than necessarily when I finished each book.

Looking Ahead to 2026

So, what’s my reading goal for 2026?

I don’t have one!

I’m not going to set a certain number of books to read. I’m not going to make myself finish something by a deadline or turn reading into another thing I have to accomplish.

I just want to keep reading.

I’ll continue finding recommendations from other readers, discovering new authors, and working my way through books that sound interesting.

I’m sure there will be more psychological thrillers, more supernatural stories, and probably a few books that make me cry.

And hopefully plenty of endings that leave me thinking, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that I really do love reading.

I’m so glad I picked up that old favorite during spring break.

Because 34 books later, I have no intention of stopping.