Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2025
& revising my 2025 reading goals
In this post:
I share my revised 2025 reading goals
Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag
A few days ago, while updating my reading journal, I realized that I wasn’t on track to meet most of my 2025 reading goals. Which meant it was time to reassess.
As I’ve come to embrace my love for reading romance and other genre fiction, I’ve struggled to identify reading goals that both resonate with my reading “why” and feel achievable given my mood reader tendencies. I know that an overly prescriptive approach to reading almost always leads to a reading slump. Yet, I also want to stretch myself. I love how satisfying it can feel to closely read a challenging text. Or the delight that comes from discovering a new to me author or genre. And for me, those types of reading experiences require intention.
So, I’m switching things up for the second half of the year.
2025 Reading Goals Remixed
Read 75 books
I set a lower reading goal for 2025 to encourage myself to read outside my comfort zone, which I anticipated might slow down my reading. I want to read more doorstoppers, more epic fantasy and science fiction, and more classics I’ve never read (Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence is high on my TBR). While my reading pace hasn’t really slowed down, I’m definitely experimenting with my reading more. Which feels great.
Read one work by Toni Morrison, August Wilson, or Octavia E. Butler per month→ Read two books by Morrison, Wilson, and Butler in 2025.This goal was too ambitious for my mood reader tendencies. Two books by each of these authors feels more achievable by the end of the year.
Read two books from my physical TBR per month→ Read one book from my physical TBR per month.I’m realizing that I don’t actually care to read down my physical TBR, which is heavy on nonfiction and classics. Instead, my focus is on rediscovering my reading taste and relying on my local libraries to do so. So I’m switching up this goal to account for the makeup of my physical TBR and my reading priorities.
Read one banned book per month→ Read three banned books by the end of the year.Again, mood reader here. This was too ambitious.
Write a review for every book I read. Within a few days of finishing a book, I usually write a short reflection and a drafty book review in my Apple Notes. (I then use those notes as a starting place when I want to write a longer book review for this newsletter.) I’ve largely kept on top of this goal this year, which I’m so proud of!
Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag
I’ve seen this tag popup on Bookstagram and BookTube for years, though I don’t know where it originated. I thought it’d be fun to bring this trend over to Substack.
Best book you’ve read so far in 2025— This is so hard. I’ve read so many great books this year. Right now, I’d say it’s a two-way tie (I know, I know…) between Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe and Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos.
Best sequel you've read so far in 2025— Oathbound by Tracy Deonn. (You can read my review of Oathbound here.) This is the third book in the Legendborn Cycle series — which is shaping up to be one of my favorite YA fantasy series of all times.
New release you haven't read yet, but want to— Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this blend of sci-fi and literary fiction from other readers. I picked up a copy in an Aardvark box earlier this year, so I’ve got no excuse!
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year— The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (which comes out July 15!). A multigenerational horror story featuring Latinas and witchcraft by one of my favorite authors? Say less.
Biggest disappointment— Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. I wanted to love this. Sbrana is one of only a few traditionally published Black romantasy authors. The cover is beautiful. I love a romantasy duology. And yet. (I’ll have more to say on this series soon, but it did not live up to my admittedly high hopes.)
Biggest surprise— Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. I’ve been hesitant about dipping my toes into historical romance. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had a hard time imagining that I would enjoy a historical romance featuring two conductors of the underground railroad. If you are anything like past me and find yourself wondering whether a historical romance can explore such heavy topics and still deliver a swoon worthy romance plot, the answer is YES!! And you are in the best hands with Ms. Beverly Jenkins. I am now in my historical romance era and deep in Ms. Bev’s extensive oeuvre and loving every second of it.
Favorite new author— Patrick Radden Keefe. His narrative nonfiction work got me out of a prolonged nonfiction reading slump. (You can read my reviews of two of his books here.)
Newest fictional crush— Apollo César Sinclair Robles from A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera. I love a hero whose down bad for an ambitious and fiercely independent heroine. And Apollo is my new standard. (And my favorite hero of the Las Leonas series.)
Newest favorite character— Elle Burns from An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole. I love an independent, whip smart heroine in historical romances. And Elle is it.
Book that made you cry— Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. I listened to the audiobook of Sunrise, which is how I found myself ugly crying in the park on my daily audiobook walk. Obviously, I loved this and the audiobook was excellent.
Book that made you happy— Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola. A college romance featuring two richly constructed, charming characters and the sweetest love story. I can’t wait for the sequel due out later this year.
Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)— A Barnes & Noble special edition of Beach Read by Emily Henry that I picked up on sale (Beach Read is my second favorite EmHen novel, FWIW).
What books do you need to read by the end of the year— One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. I’ve heard nothing but praise for this book. And the author’s interview with Traci Thomas on The Stacks podcast only intensified my interest. And Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. I never got around to this buzzy 2024 release last year and with fewer people talking about it, I keep forgetting to pick it up. My plan is to read Martyr! this fall.
Some housekeeping: I’ll be back in two weeks with the next installment of my Stationery Talk series. My goal is turn this monthly newsletter into a bi-weekly one this summer.
In the meantime, I want to hear from you: What’s been your favorite book of 2025 so far? What’s been your biggest book disappointment?