Dear Readers, it is the middle of the year already. I have read 37 books so far. I am on track to complete my goal of 75 books for the year. I’m going to list my favorite books of the year so far. Both released in 2025 and any time. I do have to say the books written this year have not wowed me. I have read 9 books published in 2025. Thanks to Netgalley for giving all the published 2025 books on the list.

Top 5 Books published in 2025:

1.  Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is historical fiction/horror in 1970 Florida at a wayward house. What is a wayward house? You might be asking. A wayward house is a place where unwed pregnant teenagers would stay. The mothers would remain until the baby was delivered and adopted. The mothers would never see the baby again and return to their “normal lives”. The wayward house is a character in the novel and an interesting one. Every time the novel moved away from the house setting I was sad. The novel works best when at the house, I didn’t even need the supernatural element when I was there. The wayward house is filled with a lot of dread about the future, but the bonds girls form are unbreakable. The themes are mainly powerlessness and control. Even when witchcraft is introduced, the girls soon realize they have power. However, they have no control, making them feel powerless. This novel is a character piece and the characters for the most part are intriguing. The witchcraft was way less than I was expecting, but it did keep the reader on their toes in anticipation. I do believe the lack of witchcraft will turn off some readers. However, there are two awesome scenes of the witchcraft power. I would have wanted to see more, but was only slightly disappointed.

2.  The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a story about three generations of women. These women may or may not be sirens. Sirens are sea creatures featured in Homer’s The Odyssey. They are beautiful and lure men to their deaths with their enchanting song. The scenario that keeps getting repeated is evil men taking things from women like dignity, adolescence, and their bodies. The theme is the sirens’ song which happens when the bad men get punished. The Sirens tells the story of Lucy in the present day. Jess’s story takes place in the 1990s through journal entries. Mary’s story unfolds in the 1800s through dreams. This unique storytelling leads up to all the storylines intersecting. The story flows very well with a consistent pace. The book is written very well with a lot of beautiful passages. The story of Mary is written like an old Irish poem. The words are not written in syntax but, have a light airy quality to them. The story is pro-feminism but also recognizes some good men. The story overall works very well I was compelled about the mystery of Jess or Lucy being sirens or not. Mary has an interesting dynamic with her mother and sister that I found very compelling.

3. Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live by Susan Morrison is a biography about Lorne Michaels. I have been a fan of Saturday Night Live for over 35 years. I was a kid who begged to stay up late to watch it every Saturday at 11:30. I had the dream that many people have had about being a cast member or writer for the show. This biography covers Lorne’s teen years in Canada. It explains how he got into comedy. It details his successes and failures before creating Saturday Night. This show eventually became Saturday Night Live and is most commonly referred to as SNL. It describes the five years of Saturday Night in the 1970s. It also covers the five years he walked away from Saturday Night Live in early 1980 and his eventual return. The book covers all the years that SNL has existed. Some years will have barely a mention while the first 5 years will have multiple chapters dedicated to it. I was happy that we got chapters of Lorne producing The Kids in the Hall.

4. All Better Now by Neal Shusterman is a Young Adult novel about a pandemic with a twist. The twist is what if the disease had a side effect? When you recovered, you had no fears. You had no anxiety and were generally happy. A person could notice the slightest details, the only thing you want to do is help people. Just hearing this you would think everyone would enjoy this. But there are consequences like the fall of commerce. The novel asks the question: Do we need people to work the jobs that they hate? Are these jobs necessary to make the world work? Shusterman is great at taking this dream one-sided scenario and realistically creating three sides. The sides are the infected, those who do not want to be affected, and immune people. The novel is a pretty obvious response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mask, vaccine, and conspiracy about the origins and effects of the virus are all discussed.

5. Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson is half historical fiction and half modern-day fiction. Good Dirt like Black Cake connects time and family with an object. In Good Dirt the object is a clay pot that is 200 years old. The book’s main theme of Good Dirt is what’s fractured can be repaired. A lot of the characters in the book are fractured and dealing with trauma. Ebby, Soh, and Ed are all dealing with the death of Baz 19 years ago. The death of Baz remains unsolved. The novel is not about solving the murder of Baz, though at the end we know who was responsible. The story is told through 12 perspectives that take place throughout time. The pacing of the book is great thanks to the changing narratives. Wilkerson does a good job on the narratives, I never got confused about whose perspective I was reading. The book consists of three main timelines, the history of the jar, the death of Baz, and modern-day 2022. The history of the jar is very interesting and the best part of the book.

Top 5 Books Not Published in 2025:

1. James by Percival Everett is on of the best book I’ve ever read. It is a powerhouse literary fiction novel. The story takes an in-depth look at the character of Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. James surprised me in many ways. This is both Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and James who will do anything for his family. One of my chief complaints about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is no ticking clock of constant pressure for Jim heading north to get freedom. This element is ever-present. In James escaping slavery is the focus. James’s story is broken down into 3 parts. Part one mainly follows the events of The Adventures of Huckleberry until we meet the King and the Duke. The introduction to the King and Duke is the but advances the plot point of them selling Jim. Part two is almost completely new but has a very memorable Huck and Jim reunion. Part three is completely new and goes to places I could not believe. James has a twist that made my jaw drop. The novel adds much needed tension to what Jim is risking.

2. Table for Two by Amor Towles comprises 6 short stories and one novella. This collection is fantastic. There are way more hits than misses in the collection. Amor Towles is my favorite writer of literature today. His writing has this timeless quality that draws you in. The short stories reminded me of Charles Dickens and O. Henry. Where each story has a moral at the end. Towles is great at adding little twists in his stories. They are not twists that shock you. They are twists that squeeze my heart as they make the story more personal. The novella is a noir set in the golden age of Hollywood. The writing channels James Ellroy and Elmore Leonard. It features a theft that goes wrong. Some quirky characters from 1930s Hollywood are involved.

3. The Wolf’s Hour by Robert McCammon is a powerhouse novel full of action, adventure, and horror. The story is about what would happen if a super spy was also a werewolf. The book is all about stopping a Nazi plot to release chemical weapons. McCammon’s take on the werewolf genre is fresh and new and this novel was written in the 80’s. In The Wolf’s Hour, a Werewolf can change at any time. The body of the person is always hot because the werewolf skin is underneath. The person must balance both a human diet and a wolf’s diet. Every time you stay a wolf, your human body ages more rapidly like a wolf (who live to 35 on average). The novel is a masterclass in pacing as we get an interesting background with intense action. The story mixes a werewolf horror with the action and adventure of Indiana Jones combined with James Bond.

4. Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane is a tense, gritty, mystery about a kidnapped child. Gone, Baby, Gone is the 4th book in the Kenzie and Gennaro series. The series follows Patrick Kenzie and Angela/ Angie Gennaro who are private eyes. Over the series, we have watched these colleagues become lovers. However, this case will rock the foundation of that relationship. They plan to start a family while helping a fractured family find a missing child. Gone, Baby, Gone is the best book in the series. The book has an incredible mystery with a lot of layers. The book’s ending is so emotional it ends in a moral quandary. Is saving a child worth killing people? And when should a parent’s rights be absolved? A good book for me is once I’m done with it, I keep thinking about it. Gone, Baby, Gone is that book. The story hooked me from the start. There’s a missing child that the police can’t seem to find, Kenzie and Gennaro are getting brought in after the 72 hours.

5. Fletch by Gregory McDonald is a swinging 70s mystery. When most people think of Fletch they think of the Chevy Chase movie based on the book. While the film sticks pretty close to the book in terms of plot, the character of Fletch is different. In the book the character of Fletch is extremely smart, a former war hero, charming, and kind of an asshole. The movie version of Fletch nailed the charm and him being an asshole, but it missed his intelligence. The movie version has Fletch being more bungling and adds scenes and events that lead to that. So when I read Fletch for the first time I was astounded by how clever the mystery and the character of Fletch is. I do still like the movie but I love Fletch the book so much more. Fletch is an investigative journalist, which already makes this novel stand out. No rules hold him back, he will do anything to get the story.