My Books Read In 2025

Here is a list—in chronological order—of books I read in 2025. 31 definitive titles and 1 anthology. The reviews are written in hindsight, and my opinions may have differed from my reviews on Goodreads. At the end, I will list ‘bonus awards’ to a select number of these books. Comment on which ones you will pick up based on my reviews. Happy reading in 2026.

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DEVIL ON MY TRAIL – DANIEL DIFRANCO: Rockstar ghosts, devils, and good ol’ rock and roll; a guitarist’s novel that should be adapted to film.

HOWLING WOMEN – SHELBY HINTE: Deep in the desert, you will be found howling; a good portrayal of rage and recovery.

TAKE IT PERSONALLY – CLAIRE HOPPLE” I don’t really remember the story of this one, but the unknowing of the characters’ intention is why I remember it so.

STRINGS – JOSEPH EDWIN HAEGER: Multi-dimensional personas combine into one nebulous mecha-string; an indie cloud atlas.

THESE WORN BODIES – AVITUS B. CARLE: Quantity flash fans, this is yours to dress in; some very nice tales within, just a bit too many.

THE ERRORS TOUR – BRIAN ALAN ELLIS: Many errors in this ironic, self-deprecating collection that you want to watch up close.

THIS. THIS. THIS. IS. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE – JENNIFER WORTMAN: I recall some of the ‘love’ stories as events I’d hate to experience in real life.

MS. ICE SANDWICH – MIEKO KAWAKAMI: Striking, bold, innocent, luminous, desiring ice cream, wearing eyeliner.

ON CATS – CHARLES BUKOWSKI: Kkiiitttiiieeesss and a generally sincere Bukowski; well played.

GHOST WALL – SARAH MOSS: Started very brutal and scary, but ended up Lord of the Flies on a leash.

BAD FOUNDATIONS — BRIAN ALLEN CARR: Structural sound premise, goofball middle-america, and has tons of heart; wish it was longer.

THE ANTS – SAWAKO NAKAYASU: Hilarious, innovative, ants appearing in the most wild of scenarios. I was laughing so much.

ROSE BOOKS READER VOL. 1 – PRIMAL SCREAM: Fresh, timeless voices; too many bangers; pick up and read anytime.

PEOPLE FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD – HIROMI KAWAKAMI: Average collection with houses that all line up the same; all look the same.

CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD – GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ: Part detective, part western, it was short-lived and swiftly forgotten; a subplot of 100 Years of Solitude.

WILD LIKE A WOMAN – THALIA GEIGER: A confident, developing poetic voice; I wish for more intensity.

FREELANCE – KEVIN M. KEARNEY: Come for the drunken and bizarre rideshare tales, stay for the encroaching madness that unfolds.

THE BEGGAR STUDENT – OSAMU DAZA: Charming and full of positive masculinity; every character was my bro.

AWRY – CHRIS MCCREARY: Esoteric in nature, but the title explains how you’ll feel after reading it.

NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT – JOHN WILLIAMS: This novel is very incel-coded; nothing can weigh up to Stoner.

SICK OF BEING INSIDE MYSELF – ALEXANDRA NAUGHTON: You will want to hug the narrator; sarcasm is deep in this one.

OSSIA – JIMIN SEO: Damn, when I say I know good poetry when I read it, well, this is it; a language expert.

MY THERAPIST SAYS THIS GRIEF JOURNAL IS A GOOD IDEA – ANDREW KATZ: Some characters in here you want to strangle, others to hug, and others to demand they get to their point.

AN INCOMPLETE CATALOG OF DISAPPEARANCE – DIANA OROPEZA: Magical, ironic, and all the cozy fiction in a slim catalog; a literary box of chocolates.

FABLEMAKER – MANDY MOE PWINT TU: Poets can only dream about fable-making poems; this one achieves it.

THIS IS WHAT YOU GET – ANTHONY DRAGONETTI: Felt like a different book with every pickup, but in a not-good way; an insane narrator.

NOAH FANG QUICKSILVER – BARRACUDA GUARISCO: Another persona, another brave poetic journey; honest indie lit confessions.

THE LIVING GOD – SAM HEAPS: Little liminal, little horny, little cultish, but replace ‘little’ with ‘very.’

THE OTHER TREE – ALISON LUBAR: A lesson in honoring ancestors and inspiring change; a singular voice.

CAT – REBECCA VAN LAER: Kkiiitttiiieeesss; very heartfelt memoirs and stimulating essays.

HELPMEET – NABEN RUTHNUM: Feverish, gross, and forboding that awashes you in frustration; wishes it could be The Substance.

FALLOUT: POEMS – SANDRA RIDLEY: I really enjoyed the poems about the atomic bombs; that’s about it.

GOTH: A HISTORY – LOL TORHORST: I’m a sucker for rock memoirs, but this is a darkly definitive retrospective; scholarship of goth culture.

+ chapbooks and other material I no longer possess

BONUS AWARDS

Most Underrated: DEVIL ON MY TRAIL

Most Mid: CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD

Most Overrated: NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT

Indie Darling: FREELANCE

Most Unpredictable: HELPMEET

Coolest Cover: (Tie) MS. ICE SANDWICH & BAD FOUNDATIONS

Best Poetic Voice:(Tie) OSSIA & FABLEMAKER

Most Favorite of 2025: THE ANTS

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