2025 Favourite Book List
This is the first time I’m doing an end-of-the-year reading wrap-up post and I’m so excited! I use The Storygraph to track my reading (highly recommend as an alternative to Goodreads!) and it’s so fun for my nerdy brain to look at my stats. So far, in 2025, I rated 31 book as 5-star reads. Maybe I’m too generous with my allocation of stars, but whatever!! I know that’s a super long list, so I won’t go into tremendous detail on all of them, but I can promise there’s something for everyone.
I’m including links to Bookshop.org (sorry Canadians, I know we can’t order through them yet!), and audiobooks through Libro.fm (these ARE available for Canadians) to support local bookstores.
Non-Fiction
52 Weeks to a Sweeter Life for Caregivers, Activists and Helping Professionals: A Workbook of Emotional Hacks, Self-Care Experiments and Other Good Ideas - Farzana Doctor
mood: reflective, easily digestible self-help
I read this over the 52 weeks as laid out, and it was life-changing. I find myself more grounded, more self-aware, more in tune with who I am and what I need. Because you get a nugget each week, it’s easily digestible and easily implementable!
Decolonization and me: Conversations about healing a Nation and Ourselves - Kristy McLeod & Phyllis Webstad
mood: truth-telling re: Indigenous history in Canada
Phyllis started the Orange Shirt Day movement, so I knew I wanted to know more about how it began and how it “became a thing.” This book shares personal stories and real actionable ways to move towards decolonization. Every Canadian should read it.
The Knowing - Tanya Talaga
mood: truth-telling re: Indigenous history in Canada
Another must-read integrating Tanya’s personal experiences searching for her great-great-grandmother with the current state of Indigenous rights in Canada.
Unlearning Shame: How We Can Reject Self-Blame Culture and Reclaim Our Power - Devon Price
mood: informative, self-reflective and mind-shifting
Powerful and informative, this book really helped me challenge my inner shame.
Autism and Neurodiversity Reads
One of my writing projects is about autism, so I read many many books on it!
Neuroqueer Heresies - Nick Walker
mood: informative, self-reflective, manifesto
A seminal book containing Nick Walker’s essays as one of the pioneers in the Neurodiversity Paradigm space.
The Autistic’s Guide to Self-Discovery: Flourishing as a Neurodivergent Adult - Sol Smith
mood: informative, self-reflective, easily digestible
So much great info in this book!
Autism is not a Disease: The Politics of Neurodiversity - Jodie Hare
mood: informative mind-shifting manifesto
Oooooh, this is so good! A blueprint for how our society needs to shift for EVERYONE to thrive.
Memoir
Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8: A Young Man’s Voice from the Silence of Autism - Naoki Higashida
mood: insightful, reflective, easily digestible
I loved the mix of poetry and prose giving such incredible insight into the experiences of this young autistic man.
Adult Fiction
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) - Jesse Q. Sutanto
mood: funny, lighthearted, heartwarming
This is the second book in the Vera Wong universe, so go read the first one that I also rated 5 stars (Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers)! I’m OBSESSED with Jesse Q. Sutanto because she is so so funny! The most insane situations become incredibly comedic and I instantly fall in love with her diverse cast of characters.
The Bones Beneath My Skin - TJ Klune
mood: funny, sci-fi, adventure, romance
I will read everything TJ Klune ever writes, falling in love with him after The House in the Cerulean Sea (like so many others). This one is so fascinating and sci-fi-y but also found family and gay romance and so much more.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping - Sangu Mandanna
mood: funny, magical realism, lighthearted romance
So fun and sweet, I was in a very happy bubble with this book!
Dream Count - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
mood: literary, emotional and reflective
I can’t get over how incredible and life-changing this book is!
After reading it, I followed my hyperfixation of Chimamanda and read everything else she wrote including these that I rated 5 stars:
- The Thing Around Your Neck (collection of short stories)
The Sympathizer - Viet Thanh Nguyen
mood: epic literary historical fiction
Oooooof. An incredible read when you are ready for something with substance.
Interior Chinatown - Charles Yu
mood: satire, funny and literary
Written like a script, it’s no wonder this book was turned into an awesome show - I found it to be incredibly fascinating and it hit me in all the feels about racial identity and what it means to be seen.
Olga Dies Dreaming - Xochitl Gonzalez
mood: literary, reflective, immersive
So many issues unpacked in this novel (including gentrification, politics, queer identity, abandonment, intergenerational trauma, and the cost of revolution), and addressed in such an immersive read.
Homeseeking - Karissa Chen
mood: epic literary historical romance
Sweeping novel with 2 POVs moving in opposite directions through time - such a cool structure and such an incredible read.
Katabasis - R.F. Kuang
mood: mind-bending historical fantasy adventure in the underworld
Every time she writes something, it blows my mind! I felt like I was stretching the limits of my brain. So cool.
YA Fiction
Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi
mood: sci-fi/fantasy, romance with so much yearning!
I posted a reel on IG about my hyperfixation on this series, so you have been warned!!! Thankfully the series has 6 books and 4 novellas to keep you going for awhile!
Something More - Jackie Khalilieh
mood: reflective, coming-of-age, romance
I read this for the second time as it kept getting re-recommended to me as a beautiful YA book featuring an autistic protagonist (which is my current project!).
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager - Ben Philippe
mood: funny, fast-paced, and true to life
I laughed out loud so many times reading this - Ben Philippe has a very sharp wit and such great writing! (also loved his book Charming as a Verb)
Pet - Akwaeke Emezi
mood: fantasy/magical realism with very cool LGBTQIA+ representation
I don’t even know how to classify this book other than to say it is INCREDIBLE. Truly a wonderful piece of art and social commentary.
Children’s Books (but also for everyone!!)
Into the Uncut Grass - Trevor Noah
mood: light, reflective, heart-warming
I don’t know whether to call it a graphic novel, but there are sweet illustrations accompanying the heart-warming and deeply philosophical story!
Ripening Time - Patrice Gopo
mood: light, informative, heart-warming
This book is by one of my sister scribes in The Sanctuary community and I love it so much!!! A beautiful picture book that is like a warm hug!
Well! Your turn!! Tell me some of your top reads in 2025!
(Disclosure: I am an affiliate with bookshop.org and libro.fm. This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase products via these links, a small percentage of the sale will be given to me at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting me!)
