20 Books I Loved in 2024 & Think You Should Read in 2025

Banner of the 20 book covers and article title

172 books was my number for 2025. Some were pamphlets, many were on audio (69), and some looked short but weren’t in reading time!

StoryGraph says that I couldn’t stomach sad books at 2024’s end. I read 92 romances and 92 LGBTQ+ books, and yes, there were many LGBTQ+ romances. 53% were romances.

Storygraph chart shows a mood line going up left to right. Higher means lighter books

In my challenge to read at least 50 books I already owned (purchased December 31, 2023 or earlier), I read 66. But I also acquired 114 books (oops!) and read 36 new acquisitions before year’s end. 43 of my reads I borrowed from the library.

Kresley Cole was my most-read author with 6 books, with Rachel Reid and Susan Elizabeth Phillips at 5 books each. All of these are romances.

The Trans Rights Readathon was once again a bright star in the year. Together, we raised $3,286.50 with 39 donors in 2024! All funds went to the local Seattle nonprofit, the Lavender Rights Project.

46 books got 5/5 stars from me, including rereading my #1 2023 book, Amateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and Masculinity by Thomas Page McBee, on audio ready by the author! But honestly, that weren’t enough 5-star reads. My average rating was 3.79. Anything with a 🎧 means I listened to the audiobook.

The problem with reading so many mind-blowing and soul-changing books is that I will give you my top 20 this year instead of just 10! Continue reading “20 Books I Loved in 2024 & Think You Should Read in 2025”

Looking for Romance… Books?

Books covers for my top 5 books

I read 70+ romances this year, and here are my top 5 (so far).

My StoryGraph account says the genre I’ve read the most is LGBTQ+ books, but that’s not a real category, as it can encapsulate almost every type of book out there. Instead, what I’ve become is a romance reader.

If you’re unsure where you might start with romance — or if you’re looking to get a gift for a romance reader — here are my five favorite romances from this year (so far).

Almost all of them are contemporary romances, with one being historical. Four of them feature queer characters. Four of them are spicy (sex on-page), and one, the couple doesn’t even kiss due to their Muslim faith.

But all of them present some of the best writing in romance with strong characters, careful building of tension and relationships, and an ending that nails it. Continue reading “Looking for Romance… Books?”