It’s been a while since I’ve had the time and energy to enjoy reading, so one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2025 was to read 12 books. I exceeded my own expectations! This post is a list of the books that I read this year.

PA school is extremely rewarding, but can also be very draining. I wanted to make sure that I was revisiting my hobbies and participating in activities that brought me joy!

Books

  1. Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archives #5) by Brandon Sanderson
    • I had just previously finished Stormlight #1-4, and found this book to be a bit disappointing in terms of story and writing, but it did answer a lot of questions posed by the series and the Cosmere at large. I would not recommend starting the Cosmere with The Stormlight Archives if you don’t want spoilers.
  2. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
    • This was a pretty crazy trip and look into 1800s America, I could only read a handful of pages as a time as it was very dense. Will require a re-read.
  3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  4. Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
  5. A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea #1) by Hafsah Faizal
    • This YA book had an interesting premise and I’m glad I finished it, but I feel like the story was completely wrapped up and will not be reading the sequel.
  6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  7. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
    • Highly recommend! I loved this story! It had a a cool mix of oceanography and something more mystical, as well as some really nice representation.
  8. All Systems Red (Murderbot #1) by Martha Wells
  9. Artificial Condition (Murderbot #2) by Martha Wells
  10. Rogue Protocol (Murderbot #3) by Martha Wells
  11. Exit Strategy (Murderbot #4) by Martha Wells
  12. Network Effect (Murderbot #5) by Martha Wells
    • I love all of the Murderbot books that I’ve read so far. Murderbot is a great narrator, and the story structure is pretty unique. Unfortunately since I loved the books so much and read them so recently the Apple TV adaptation was pretty much unforgivable and I could not watch past the fourth episode.
  13. One Dark Window (The Shepherd King #1) by Rachel Gillig
    • This book had a lot of potential but unfortunately did not deliver. The romance was incredibly forced and the plot was a pretty silly fetch quest that did not resolve anything. I will not be reading the sequel.
  14. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
  15. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi
  16. The Wasteland and Other Poems by T.S. Elliot
    • In my attempt to understand poetry, I may have started in the wrong place. I was just as confused on my second reading of the poems here even after Harold Bloom’s “The Art of Reading Poetry.”
  17. Beowulf translated by David Wright
    • A good translation into prose! As a result, it did not have very much of the original poetry, but I enjoyed the story. I also recorded myself reading the book to send to my siblings and partner in the spirit of oral tradition (even though Beowulf is considered one of the first epics originally written in English), which was quite fun.
  18. Orbital: A Novel by Samantha Harvey
    • Highly recommend! This was a pretty cool story about a single day in the life of a group of people in the ISS.
  19. Annihilation (The Southern Reach Trilogy #1) by Jeff VanderMeer
  20. Authority (The Southern Reach Trilogy #2) by Jeff VanderMeer
    • Highly recommend! This series is fantastic science fiction. I loved the set up and the voice of the biologist, and the mystery and intrigue continued in the sequel even with a different narrator. I have already acquired the final book of the trilogy from the library.

Short Stories

  1. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
  2. The Art of Reading Poetry by Harold Bloom
    • A very enjoyable read! I think this helped me understand a bit more about poetry, but the abyss is vast and deep, and I’ve got many pages to go.

Honorable Mentions

These are some books that I started but was unable to finish before I had to return them to the library.

  1. The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson
  2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
    • I got about halfway through this book before I didn’t really want to read more. The science was interesting, but the treatment of all of the female characters so far was rather off-putting.
  3. System Collapse (Murderbot #7) by Martha Wells
    • I’m excited to continue my Murderbot journey in 2026, especially since we are getting a new book! Murderbot #7 is the direct sequel to Murderbot #5, with #6 actually taking place between #3 and #4, which was a bit of a shock when I started it.
  4. Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

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