Read This Next: January 2025

There is nothing that fills me with such excitement as the new year. It’s that feeling of a blank page, ready to hold new memories, new adventures and new challenges. For me, it’s right up there with the Christmas morning vibes or all the new school supplies ready for the next grade.

I have been utterly delighted on social media lately as I have seen more than one connection sharing that their goal is to find their way back to reading for pleasure in 2025. Friends, you will not regret this journey. I found myself in a similar situation in 2018, and now I can’t imagine life without reading almost daily. One of the easiest ways to set yourself up for success is to maintain a huge backlog of titles you want to read. My Goodreads (by the way, add me as a friend!) Want to Read shelf currently sits at 224 books—and grows every week.

Another easy way to constantly have books on the ready, is to use your local library. If you still haven’t gotten your library card, do it now! In this world of modern technology, there is a good chance your city will let you apply online. Not only can you likely get your card online, but you can often borrow books through the Libby app. This is how I read almost every book that is on the blog. Also, if you happen to be a military member (any branch, active, reserve, guard, or retired), you have access to the DoD library using your military ID card number. And let me tell you, that library is STACKED because it is literally supporting the entire armed forces.

And if you’re looking for book suggestions to add to your lists and your holds, well friend, you’ve come to the right place. Every month for the past few years, I’ve done a roundup of all the books I read in the month, including a short synopsis (no spoilers!), what I thought of the book, and who may enjoy it. As you’ll soon come to realize, my interests span many genres and there’s probably something that will speak to you. If you’re a completist (and after my own heart), you’ll be able to run through the backlog by clicking on the Related posts section at the bottom of the blog, or toggling over the Life section in the header and clicking on Book Recs.

Seasoned followers of the blog, welcome back—I think you’ll like what January 2025 brought. This month's book picks include a fresh take on dystopian fiction, plus some hits and misses—including one major disappointment from 2024's most hyped books. Let’s jump in and see which ones might make it onto your TBR!

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend
MJ Wassmer

Dystopia, 350 pages

A World-Ending Vacation In Paradise

Floating through life, Dan Foster finally convinces his loving, beautiful girlfriend, Mara, to take a vacation to a remote island in the Bahamas. The fruity drinks, complete with miniature umbrella are flowing and life is good… until the sun explodes, plunging the resort into darkness and the panic brought on by the end of days. Suddenly, guests find themselves divided among the wealthy and everyone else, fighting for food and survival.

My Review of Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend

If you’re a regular reader on the blog, you know that dystopian fiction is kinda my jam. What I loved about Wassmer’s approach in his debut novel is the writing style. It’s quippy, humorous, a tad sarcastic, and heavy on pop culture references that really speak to the millennial generation (and maybe some of the more hip Gen X’ers). That’s why I think the cover art is so brilliant. I looks like it might be a romance novel, but there’s an edge of darkness (both literal and figurative) waiting for the reading within the chapters. I don’t want to say this book is light, because there definitely are some more gruesome scenes, but there was plenty of levity sprinkled throughout with the character’s interactions with each other. That said, don’t expect any deep character development from this one.

The Vibe: Perfect for when you need a brain break and want to simply be entertained.

Pick Up This Book If…
You enjoyed books like The Husbands, I Hope This Finds You Well, and Funny Story.

Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris

Essays, 5 hours and 51 minutes

Essays on Language, Life Abroad, and Feeling Awkward

In a collection of essays, Sedaris chronicles his hapless attempts at learning French, coping with a speech impediment, and surviving all manner of family absurdities. While the book riffs on language mishaps and grammar obsessions, Sedaris’s self-deprecating humor and outrageous anecdotes make it more than a simple travelogue, it’s an oddly comforting reminder of our humanness and how we’re all awkwardly stumbling through life.

My Review of Me Talk Pretty One Day

I grew up watching Strangers with Candy in my teen years as I think most elder millennials did, but I didn’t realize Amy Sedaris had an author brother until much later in life. I’m not quite sure how I stumbled upon When You’re Engulfed in Flames, but I was drawn in by the fact the essays centered around Sedaris’ time spent living in Japan. Every once and a while, I find myself nostalgic for our time spent there and will usually pick up a Murakami to scratch the homesickness itch, but I’m glad that I chose and alternative route that time. First, you need to know Sedaris is hilarious, if not a little irreverent, which honestly if we’re friends, that’s also probably your kind of humor. I loved his essays about trying (and often failing) to learn Japanese, and how he captures just how weird living abroad is. Unlike vacation, you’re here for the long haul, so you need to figure out how to go about your daily business and routines in a country that has different cultural expectations and traditions than what you’re familiar with.

Now that we’re in the home stretch of our time in Germany and I was desperately in need of a light start to the new year, I picked up Me Talk Pretty. These essays were amazing and my favorite quotes that really captured how I feel most days were:

“I spent months searching for some secret code before I realized that common sense has nothing to do with it. Hysteria, psychosis, torture, depression: I was told that if something is unpleasant it's probably feminine. This encouraged me, but the theory was blown by such masculine nouns as murder, toothache, and rollerblade. I have no problem learning the words themselves, it's the sexes that trip me up and refuse to stick.”

“Things began to come together, and I went from speaking like an evil baby to speaking like a hillbilly. “Is thems the thoughts of cows?” I’d ask the butcher, pointing to the calves’ brains displayed in the front window.”

The Vibe: Great for keeping you company on your walks about the the neighborhood (new year, new you—I know you’re getting your exercise in.)

Pick Up This Book If…
You like memoirs and want to know what it’s truly like living abroad.

All The Colors of The Dark
Chris Whitaker

Mystery, 586 pages

Crime Thriller With An Exciting Beginning, Meandering Middle & Okay Finish

This is the story of Patch, a thirteen-year-old pirate, and his best friend Saint, a beekeeper and fellow outcast. One morning on the way to school, Patch sees a man assaulting a wealthy girl from school who also happens to be his secret crush. Without thinking, he stops the man and tells the girl to run. What follows are kidnappings and the hunt for a serial killer than lasts a lifetime.

My Review of All the Colors of the Dark

Ugh, this book. I am absolutely in the minority here, as it has thousands of glowing reviews on Goodreads and is all over Bookstagram. Here’s the thing. The beginning was absolutely dynamite. The first hundred pages flew by, followed by around 350 pages of glacially slow story-building, only to pick back up in the final hundred or so. If you’re a frequenter of the book blogs that I write, then you know I’m perfectly capable of loving a slow burn (see my recs below for what I think you should read instead of this one). To me, the characters felt overwritten as if they were characters and not real people. Patch is an occasional do-gooder degenerate. Saint is literally a saint and deserved better than what she got from everyone. Charlotte and Sammy were there to provide comic relief and that is all, often just saying the most crass thing they could muster for effect. Lastly, if you’re looking for something uplifting, look elsewhere. This is almost 600 pages of tragedy after tragedy. Again, maybe you’ll be like everyone else and love this book and the whole cast of characters, but I should have bailed on this one.

The Vibe: If you’re game for tragedy after tragedy, you might appreciate this slow, tumultuous ride.

Pick Up This Book If…
You’re in it for the long haul. Books I liked a bit more that are similar in terms of deep character development and a bit of a slow burn are Wellness; Ask Again, Yes; Age of Vice; and Little Fires Everywhere.

Have you read anything lately that you’ve absolutely loved? Leave a comment with your suggestion—I’m always on the hunt for the next great book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction!

That’s it for my January 2025 reading lineup—a month that ranged from surprisingly entertaining dystopia to a comedic essay collection, and finally, a slow-burn crime thriller that tested my patience. I’m ready to dive into even more genres in the coming months, hopefully snagging some new releases along the way.

Have you read anything lately that you absolutely loved—or loathed? Leave a comment with your suggestions (or warnings) below. I’m always on the hunt for the next great (or so-bad-it’s-almost-good) book to add to my list!

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