Compounding Curiosity: 90 Books in 2025 + Reading’s Long Game

Image of 90 book covers from Jessica’s 2025 Goodreads Challenge

I finished my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge and felt that familiar spark of satisfaction.

My goal in 2025 was 88 books. I read 90.

I surpassed my goal, but the impact is MUCH greater than the number.

Compiling a top 10 book list is fun AND gets harder the more one reads!

My Top 10 Reads of 2025

1.     Wild Dark Shore – Charlotte McConaghy
Atmospheric and haunting. This one felt like standing at the edge of the world, holding both grief and beauty in the same breath. Enthralling..

2.     The Correspondent – Virginia Evans
Quietly devastating and sooooooo deeply human. A touching novel about connection that made me ache for the days of handwritten letters.

3.     Pick a Colour - Souvankham Thammavongsa
Seems light and playful at first (a story about a nail salon owner?), but underneath is a thoughtful take on loneliness, love, labour, and class. Its emotional depth was enthralling. Great cover art as well. I pick orange!

4.     Culpability – Burke Holsinger
A tense, morally layered novel about family, loyalty, and AI that made me really uncomfortable in the best way. I kept asking, “What would I do?”

5.     Careless People – Sarah Wynn Williams
Unsettling and maddening, this Facebook expose illuminates how big tech players use and abuse their power and forego their societal responsibilities. Making me rethink my Meta usage.

6.     The Wedding People – Alison Espach
Sharp, funny, and emotionally piercing. I laughed, winced, and felt so connected to this wacky character exploring love and expectation.

7.     Blue Sisters – Coco Mellors
Raw and intimate. This book cracked open sibling dynamics with honesty and wit. I felt wrung out and grateful and called my sister right away.

8.     The Favourites – Lane Fargo
Addictive, dramatic, with familiar takes on elite sport (I could relate!), the trials, tribulations, successes & failures in figure skating intrigued me.

9.     I Am Invincible – Norma Kamali
Energizing and bold, this book is a beautifully designed giant permission slip to keep reinventing yourself, at any age, on your own terms.

10.  All the Way to the River – Elizabeth Gilbert
Riveting, searing, and unforgettable, this book confronts pain and recovery with radical honesty. Despite its controversy, I respected its willingness to be uncomfortable and unresolved.

GUILTY PLEASURE BONUS:

The Thursday Murder Club series – Richard Osman
Cozy, clever, and wildly addictive, these over-the-top senior sleuths are comforting and inspiring. As easy, joyful reads, they make me smile and wonder what might be unfolding at my mom’s retirement residence.

Why Bother with Reading Challenges?

Back in 2015, I set a modest goal of 20 books for my Goodreads Challenge; I read 22. After a decade of visible progress in achieving my annual reading goals (20 to 88 so far), my goal is 92 books for 2026.

I’ve always loved challenges, but I never expected how motivating a reading challenge could be. Not competitive. Not performative.

Rather, a commitment to show up, read, reflect, and keep going.

Over time, my reading practice has shaped how I think, connect, and make sense of the world in 3 ways:

1. Reading Creates Connection

Books don’t end when the last page is turned. They spark conversations, texts, recommendations, and shared emotional moments with friends and fellow book lovers!

Sharing what I’m reading has become one of my favorite ways to deepen relationships, share insights, and spark further curiosity. It’s an invitation, a way of saying, “This impacted me. It might impact you, too.”

2. Reading Expands How I Think

Reading widely stretches my thinking in ways that few other habits do. Fiction builds empathy and emotional intelligence. Memoirs reveal lived experiences I might never encounter otherwise. Non-fiction inspires me to take action in new ways.

Each year, certain books introduce me to new perspectives, while gently disrupting some of my outdated and “midlife mom” beliefs. Reading keeps me in a state of curious contemplation in a world that often rewards certainty over reflection.

3. Reading Helps Me Make Sense of Things

The real value of reading isn’t the tally; it’s the way reading helps me navigate complexity and uncertainty when life and my emotions feel fractured. Reading or listening slows me down, so I notice patterns in society, relationships, and myself.

Reading doesn’t hand me easy answers. It helps me ask better questions, and that has made all the difference.

Ready to read more in 2026?

#ReadingChallenge #Goodreads #BookLover