Top Five Books of 2025 (So Far)

I did my 2025 midyear wrap up at the end of June. I’ve already changed my favorite book. So, let’s talk about my top five books of 2025 (so far). And listen, this list is probably going to change because I’m really loving the book I’m reading right now. But I’ll tell you more about that later.

Memorials

Memorials was everything that I could have asked from my perfect summer thriller. It has all my favorite buzzwords in it. It follows a group of friends on a road trip through the Appalachian Mountains documenting the memorials left for lost loved ones on the side of the highway. But the further they venture into the mountains the more sinister this project becomes. I love a good Appalachian folk horror, and this one just hit all the right notes for me.

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

I don’t think I’ve ever had a non-fiction book on this list, much less a memoir. But I had the best time reading The Storyteller. Honestly, I picked this up on a whim. I consider myself a Nirvana fan and a Foo Fighters fan, but I never really followed their lives. But now I’m just a fan of Dave Grohl in general. This book was hilarious in parts and emotional in others. I felt all the feelings. And his execution of the audiobook was spot on. I loved this.

The Reformatory

The Reformatory is haunting in more than just a normal horror story way. It’s a hard, hard read but it’s a good one. I enjoyed the execution of the ghosts and how they were used in the story. The characters were developed well and everything about this book just works. But go in expecting a lot of emotions and be sure to check trigger warnings beforehand.

Wind and Truth

Wind and Truth is super divisive. A lot of people really disliked it. And don’t get me wrong there are things that could have been better. Ultimately though, I loved Wind and Truth. It pulled me out of a near yearlong reading slump by taking me back to a world and characters that I loved. That’s all I can ask of any book that I’m reading. I’m a mood reader. I can overlook most technical issues if I love the vibes of a book. I’m not ashamed to say that because reading is my hobby not my job.

Empire of Silence

Lastly, I debated adding Empire of Silence because I’m not continuing the series. But I really did love book one. It was a fun read outside of my normal comfort zone, and I appreciate it for that. Hadrian Marlowe is one of the most perplexing characters I’ve ever read and that alone drove my enjoyment of this one. I just wish I felt the same about book two.

So that’s my top five books of 2025 (so far). Tell me yours in the comments. I’d love to hear about them.