2025 End of Year Book Survey

Happy Wednesday everyone and Happy New Year!  Welcome to the 2025 End of Year Book Survey, originally hosted by Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner!  This is actually my 11th time taking part - check out my posts from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 posts, if you dare.  Anyway, without further ado, let's get to the tag:

1. Best Book You Read In 2025?

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett - I've read a lot of great books this year, including book one in this series, but this one takes the cake!  Also, the audiobook production is excellent.  I can't wait until book three come out next year.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn't?

The Woman in Suite 11 (Lo Blacklock #2) by Ruth Ware - I really enjoyed book one and as much as I enjoy Ruth Ware's style, it should have stayed a standalone.

3. Most Surprising (In A Good Way Or Bad Way) Book You Read?

Crownchasers (Crownchasers #1) by Rebecca Coffindaffer - I had no particular expectations for this, but it quickly became one of the best books this year.  Honestly, the sequel was just as good if not better.  I needed more stars.  I shouldn't have waited to read this for five years!  If you're a fan of Amie Kaufman, you'll have to check this out too.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

The September House by Carissa Orlando - I'm glad found this and could share my love for it.  It really reminds me of a combination of books from Grady Hendrix, T. Kingfisher, Darcy Coates, and Simone St. James.  I would be very happy if it were adapted well into a tv series by Mike Flanagan, please and thank you!

5. Best Series You Started in 2025? Best Sequel of 2025? Best Series Ender of 2025?

Starter - Voices in the Snow (Black Winter #1) by Darcy Coates - Easily my favorite from this author so far!  I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Sequel - A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett - My favorite of the year, as it turns out!

Ender - Holy Terrors (Little Thieves #3) by Margaret Owens - I read quite a few good series enders, but I wanted to give this one a special shout out.  All three books in the series were absolutely outstanding.

6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2025?

Carissa Orlando - Please, write more books! I wish I had discovered her back when The September House came out in 2023.

7. Best Book From A Genre You Don’t Typically Read/ Was Out Out Of Your Comfort Zone?

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix - I don't often read biographies, but this graphic novel was perfection.

8. Most Action-Packed/ Thrilling/ Unputdownable Book Of The Year?

Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry - It might sound odd to put this memoir here, but I was so invested in his story about making this movie.  Back to the Future is an all time favorite movie of mine after all.

9. Book You Read In 2025 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Ghosts: The Button House Archives by Matthew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond - I don't reread often, but I wouldn't mind checking this out again. Ghosts is an all-time favorite show (both this original British series and the American series) afterall!

10. Favorite Cover Of A Book You Read In 2025?

Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer - Just look at that cover!  Also, the story is pretty cool as well.

11. Most Memorable Character Of 2025?

Jenny Greenteeth - Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill - I loved that she was the POV character.  There was a lot more to her than meets the eye and I appreciated that a great deal.

12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read In 2025?

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I've enjoyed quite a few books from this author and I was pleasantly surprised that this is one of her all time best.  I was pleasantly surprised to realize that this would be a great companion to The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush.  Also, Julia Whelan's one of the narrators and she's one of the best in the business.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2025?

James by Percival Everett - I understand why this book won all of the awards it did, that's for sure!

14. Book You Can’t Believe You Waited UNTIL 2025 To Finally Read?

Emma by Jane Austen - Only behind the times by about 210 years, but better late than never!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2025?

“You can’t beg the world to do what you want. You can’t ask it nicely. You must force the world. You must bend it to your will.” -Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2025?

Shortest - Today What Salad What Dessert? Jell-O Brings DOZENS of Answers - 22 pages - I'm still shocked that this 1928 Jell-O cookbook is on Goodreads.  Some of the recipes in this are wild - and sound like they must require a very strong stomach!

Longest - The Twelve (The Passage #2) by Justin Cronin - 752 pages - I'm pretty sure this is the longest book that I didn't DNF (there were I believe two others that were longer and that I couldn't get into and didn't finish).  Anyway, I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the finale with book three.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most (Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)?

My Buckeye Lake Story: A Memorable History of "The Playground of Ohio" by Donna Fisher Braig - Let's just say I learned a lot that town and county. Some of the stuff, I realized after that I shouldn't have been so surprised.  Whatever the case quite a bit has changed in the last 35-40 years.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) (OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 14 by Kosuke Ono -  Tatsu and Miku make their relationship work and are surprisingly delightful together.  Miku deals with a lot, but Tatsu is trying his best since he left the extreme path, aka the yakuza!  (They are my same couple I chose last year, but with volume 11.)

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Oberon and Atticus from Oberon's Bathtime Stories (The Iron Druid Chronicles #10.1) by Kevin Hearne - They're just delightful.  I missed seeing everybody.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2025 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman - This is easily my favorite from him so far and I can't wait for the upcoming movie adaptation, Other Mommy.

21. Best Book You Read In 2025 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.?

Les Normaux (Les Normaux #1) by Janine Janssen with S. Al Sabado - I'm so glad this was recommended to me for the 12 Challenge 2025 because this was amazing.  I can't wait to read book two - it will be released on January 27th!

22. Best 2025 debut you read?

Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill - This was so impressive and I can't wait to read anything this author writes in the future.

23. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) Naomi Novik - This was absolutely my kind of historical fantasy and I need to read the rest of the series asap.

24. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The World of All Creatures Great & Small: Welcome to Skeldale House by James Steen with foreword by Jim Wight - I love this tv series and the original books, so this was delightful.

25. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry In 2025?

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden - Some of this mad me both very mad and sad, but it still has a great sense of hope which was very much appreciated.

26. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Hick: The Trailblazing Journalist Who Captured Eleanor Roosevelt's Heart by Sarah Miller - This YA biography about Lorena Hickock and Eleanor Roosevelt is one of my favorite biographies.  It only has 173 ratings on Goodreads so far which is a real shame.  If you're interested in learning about trailblazing women and LGBT+ history, you have to check it out.

27. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins - In a good way, if that's possible!  I should mention that I'm ready to be traumatized all over again for the upcoming movie adaptation.

28. Most Unique Book You Read In 2025?

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean - This is my first time reading about a magical, fantasy zoo and I loved it.  I need to check out more from the author soon.

29. Book That Made You The Most Mad (Doesn’t Necessarily Mean You Didn’t Like It)?

Bodies by Si Spencer - In this particular case, it means I didn't like it at all.  So, I absolutely loved the limited series on Netflix called Bodies which was adapted from this graphic novel.  It doesn't happen often, but as it turns out the adaptation is miles better.  Skip this, watch the limited series instead!

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2025 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2026?

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab - I don't know why I've been putting this off, but I need to get to it asap.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2026 (Non-Debut)?

Twelve Months (The Dresden Files #18) by Jim Butcher - This will be coming out on January 20th and I can't wait.  I'm hoping to listen to the audiobook edition which will be narrated by James Marsters.  

3. 2025 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet - A YA contemporary mystery thriller retelling of Little Women?  It sounds awesome!

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2025?

Ending - Dead Beat (Alex Stern #3) by Leigh Bardugo - The first two books were outstanding and it seems like this will be released in September 2026.

Sequel - Through Gates Garnet and Gold (Wayward Children #11) by Seanan McGuire - I just love this series and I hope this won't be the end!  I'll miss everyone all too much.

Have you taken the 2025 End of Year Survey?  What books have you loved this year and what are you looking forward to in the coming year?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!