book reviews 2025

Starting off my eighteenth year of tracking my reading, and I think it's time I let go of the guilt of making goals and not achieving them... the last few years have seen me fall into several reading slumps, but at some point, I always find my way out of them and find joy and comfort in the pages of a book again. Who knows what this year will bring.

9. 8/19/25

Forever by Judy Blume

(purchased book)

Yikes, I'm not sure this classic from 1975 really stood the test of time. Last year or so, I bought a couple of Judy Blume books that I remembered being pivotal in my adolescent development to reread all these years later, and I just pulled this one from the pile this week. Back then, I think I was just in awe of the frank depictions of teenage sex, reading it before I experienced any relationships at all. Even now I appreciate the openness and educational merit of the portrayal of the main character seeking out gynecological care and birth control, but I question how realistic her experiences were to any young adults 50 years ago, or maybe even today. There were repeated fatphobic comments that undoubtedly had an effect on me as a kid that just pissed me off now, and other serious subplots that seemed to be addressed in oddly clinical and impersonal ways. The dialogue frequently read stilted to me, but maybe it's just outdated to my ears? Man, I don't know. It's Judy freaking Blume, so it should be adored, right?! I just wasn't feeling it.

8. 8/15/25

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

(purchased book)

I read THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD nine years ago and was utterly blown away by it, and this novel had the same effect. Whitehead creates a fictional telling of a very, very real story of a 'juvenile reformatory' in 1960s Florida. The system, and specifically the people who upheld it, tortured their captives, contentedly embracing the cruel and racist and inhumane traits of the generations that came before them. The novel follows two young boys held at Nickel Academy, revealing their teenage experiences and jumping to the future, with sad and surprising reveals. None of the content should be shocking based on everything we know about our country's racist foundations, past, and present, but it's gutting to read nonetheless.

7. 7/17/25

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

(library book)

While the cover to this one is AMAZING, I'm not sure I would have picked it up if it weren't for my friend book club. It wasn't exactly a hit for me, though I did find it quite amusing, when I could actually follow what was happening, that is. I don't think it helped that I read the book in three different bursts with a little bit of time in between, which likely added to my confusion. Be prepared for absurdity and a fast pace, and some side characters who aren't really developed, making the names more challenging to track. Or maybe it was just me. 

6. 4/26/25

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

(library book)

I expected to relate to this novel because of my similar life stage as the protagonist's, but I didn't know just how closely the sentiments would hit home. Because I borrowed it from the library, I couldn't mark it up like I wanted, so instead I took photos of many pages with text that left me breathless in disbelief that my own thoughts were so well articulated by someone else. Motherhood, marriage, menopause-- a trio of M themes that define a multitude of my life over the last 30 years and are sharpening in focus at this particular time. I want my loved ones to read this in order to better understand me.

5. 3/4/25

All Fours by Miranda July

(purchased book)

I was so immediately drawn in to this coming-of-menopausal-age novel, that I grabbed a pen and started underlining on the third page with this line: "[...]because I'm forever wanting to know what it feels like to be other people." By the end, I'd marked at least 50% of the pages, with exclamation points and notes and LOLs. I'm not sure I can say I fully understood the protagonist's actions, but her motivations, especially her fears, were familiar. I definitely felt a kinship with her in many ways, and I appreciated the raw and uncensored approach to her character at middle age. A while ago, I'd heard perimenopause called a second adolescence, and the accuracy of that comparison frequently hits me out of the blue, and it fit with my reading of this, too. The final line I underlined was on the last page: "I looked out at the circle of faces and saw that every single audience member was going through some version of my revelation, some reckoning with the self they had been carrying around until now."

4. 1/20/25

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

(library audiobook)

I was recently reminded of this book and while I am always at least a little shaky with my childhood memories, I believe I quite adored this when I was young. I don't think I ever read it aloud with the kids, so it's likely been several decades since the story has crossed my path. I borrowed the audiobook from the library, and the dear narrator did put me to comforting sleep a couple of times! When I was able to pay attention, I enjoyed the rousing tale of three mostly honorable animals, Ratty, Mole, and Badger, along with the rascal Mr. Toad. It's hard to not see similarities between him and current politicians, especially finishing the story on this day of dreadful Inauguration. It was an effort for me to separate from reality and embrace the cheekiness of the story (which includes a 45 minute intervention by his friends to break Toad of his greed and impertinence), and I'm left feeling that this cautionary tale still holds much value for today's young readers.

3. 1/12/25

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

(library book)

I quite enjoyed this fun romp of a mystery with a cast of character types not often put together. The chapters switch between the perspectives of the two main characters, who at first appear as different from each other as possible, other than their similarly isolated lifestyles. But of course, 77-year-old Dorothy Darling, self-appointed busybody, and 25-year-old Kat, pink-haired, tattooed loner who relies on no one, begrudgingly end up working together to solve one mystery that snowballs and changes things for everyone. The humour (hey, it's British) shows up best in the contrary characterizations made by Dorothy about anyone and everyone. It's a fast-paced read with chapter cliffhangers that encourage 'just a little more' reading, until you find yourself at the not-entirely surprising ending.

2. 1/9/25

The Undercurrent by Sarah Sawyer

(library book)

Immediately gripping, this novel presents an unsolved mystery as a jumping point for telling three women's stories about themselves and their identities as mothers. I loved the dense and emotive prose, and even as I wanted the mystery to be resolved, it was the character development and depictions that kept me anxious to return. The focus on a mother's perspective-- as representated by three mothers with very different lived experiences-- highlighted both distinctions and common ground, and the shared fierce protective nature of all three resonated with me. If I'd had blocked time, I definitely could have finished this in one sitting, as I was riveted.

1. 1/6/25

Untethered by Angela Jackson-Brown

(library book)

This novel is set in Alabama in 1967, and the protagonist, Katia, is a single, Black woman who runs a group home for Black boys in the foster care system. Katia's life is all about caring for others-- her charges at the home, her mother who lives with her, and her younger brothers, one of whom is MIA in Vietnam-- and when a terrible series of events hits her from multiple directions, she starts to understand her own need to be cared for. I shed many tears through this reading, witnessing the realities of this life, albeit through fiction. I found a lot of the language somewhat anachronistic for the time, though. What sticks with me the most at the end of the book is the community that Kat was surrounded by, who found ways to support her even when they, too, were burdened by systems designed to hurt them. A mostly happy ending allows the characters to be in a joyful place when we leave them, which was comforting.