Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
It has been way too long since I did a TTT! And I’ve really missed doing these, but time got away from me and with lots of other things going on, I just haven’t been able to squeeze them in. Hopefully, now I’ve been able to catch up a bit over Christmas, that’ll change and I’ll be able to do more through 2026. Fingers crossed!
This feels like a great one to jump back in with – I read some excellent books in 2025, and it was incredibly hard to narrow this down even to 10! But here’s 10 of my favourites from last year.
Top Ten Books I Read in 2025
The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet
Lindz McLeod
Genre: Historical Romance
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: April 29th, 2025
Review
Read This If: you enjoy queer historical romances and literary retellings, and think Charlotte and Mary deserve more.
The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales
Nicholas Jubber
Genre: Nonfiction – History – Folklore
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: January 20th, 2022
Review
Read This If: you enjoy learning the history of fairy tales and want to know more about some of the lesser known names behind some of our most famous fairy tales.
Rise to the Sun
Leah Johnson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: July 6th, 2021
Review
Read This If: you’re looking for a summery, sapphic love story. Bonus points for the music festival setting.
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
Molly X. Chang
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
Format: Hardback
Published: April 16th, 2024
Review
Read This If: you’re interested in morally grey stories featuring protagonists doing what they think is best for their invaded country, without fully realising the path they’re going down.
Voyage of the Damned
Frances White
Genre: Fantasy Mystery
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: January 18th, 2024
Review
Read This If: you’re looking for murder mystery with an unusual setting – in this case, on board a fantasy ship where most of the travellers have magic. It’s intriguing and fun!
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
Grady Hendrix
Genre: Horror
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: April 7th, 2020
Review
Read This If: you enjoy when horror has something to say, and vampires stand in for some of society’s ills.
The Monster MASH
Angie Fox
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: August 28th, 2012
Review
Read This If: you’re looking for a blend of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance that offers something different in terms of setting and plenty of humour. In this case, a MASH camp for the army of the gods.
A Hunger Like No Other
Kresley Cole
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: March 28th, 2006
Review
Read This If: you enjoy ‘classic’ (ie early 00s) Paranormal Romance with morally grey heroes and heroines who can hold their own.
Invisible Women
Caroline Criado Pérez
Genre: Nonfiction – Science – Politics
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: March 7th, 2019
Review
Read This If: you want to deepen your understanding of why this world is so difficult to move through for women. Fair warning: this book – or, rather, the information it highlights – is likely to make you angry!
Sorcery and Small Magics
Maiga Doocy
Genre: Fantasy – Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: October 15th, 2024
Review
Read This If: you’re looking for cosy queer fantasy with grumpy/sunshine vibes. It’s delightful.
I would love to hear what your favourite books were from last year! And of course if you’ve read any of the above, what did you think?
Unwrapping Words 