- r.m. allen
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
The only thing more enjoyable than reading a good book is sharing it with others. Those who read my monthly reviews (thank you!) know that I try to get plenty of reading in throughout the year. I finished 2025 having read 64 books and over 24,000 pages. If you are wondering what to add to your TBR for 2026, here are some of my most memorable reads of the year.
Most Fascinating: Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, Nicola Twilley
The American ice trade! Cold storage facilities! Supply chains in developing countries! Meatpacking! Nutrition! Ever since reading this with my book club, I truly feel as though my eyes have been opened to the incredible technological development represented by my refrigerator. Each chapter was bursting with information, and the author’s precise, descriptive writing style kept it from feeling dry. Although it sounds like it should be boring, Frostbite was one of the most engaging and educational nonfiction books I have read in a long time. If you find me dropping tidbits about refrigeration into our next conversation, you may safely blame this book.
Most Charming: The Ickabog, J.K. Rowling
This book has been languishing unread on my shelf for years, but I’m so glad I finally got around to it in 2025. Obviously, it is not Harry Potter, but it features so many of the things I love about Harry Potter: a whimsical setting, dastardly villains and lovable heroes, humor, and an engaging plot from start to finish. It would make a fabulous read-aloud for children.
Most Rewarding Challenge: Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens
Another book club read this year, Our Mutual Friend was not one I would have picked up on my own, much as I have enjoyed my other forays into Dickens. This took me a couple months to read, and the first 200 or so pages were an absolute slog of “What just happened? Who is this person again?”, a difficulty compounded by the lack of Sparknotes. Nevertheless, I soldiered on with my index card of character names, and I was so glad I stuck it out for the Dickensian sass, the intricate plot, and the almost providential weaving together of each character’s arc.
Most Devastating: A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara
While I typically do not put much stock into content warnings, this is the rare novel for which I will provide some. The novel deals with topics such as self-harm, childhood sexual abuse, and suicidal ideation, and it is a heavy read in both the figurative and literal senses (it’s over 700 pages). With that being said, it is an absolutely gripping tragedy reminiscent of The Goldfinch in its sweeping plot, lifelike characters, and evocative style. It was such an excellent read.
Most Swoony: Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, Rebecca Ross
The likelihood I will enjoy a romance novel is usually inversely proportional to the number of women gushing about it on Booktok, but this title intrigued me, so I gave it a shot. Although it does make use of the enemies-to-lovers trope, on the whole it was quite original and effectively written, and both protagonists were fabulously well-drawn. Their relationship develops beautifully over the duology. I happily added both titles to my personal library and look forward to rereading in the future.
Most Beautiful: The Way of the Wildflower, Ruth Chou Simons
Ruth’s work is a gorgeous synthesis of spiritual insight, warm writing, and splendid artistry. This devotional represents the best of each of these qualities. Drawing from the wildflowers of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Ruth guides readers through five qualities wildflowers embody: they are resilient, unhurried, beloved, free, and dependent. Like the wildflowers, we must root ourselves in our Creator’s provision and blossom with the unique beauty He has given us. Ruth points readers to God’s transforming power in all facets of our lives through each meditation and its accompanying wildflower botanical print.
