The Books that Made My Year
Virtuous Fluff reading recommendations
This is the third year I’ve faithfully tracked my reading, and it’s such a delightful habit that I think I’ll keep doing it. Scrolling through the titles in order, I can remember not only the story, but also the events and emotions that passed while I was reading it. In some months I have only a few titles recorded, because I was savoring audiobooks. In other months, I read dozens, which either means I had some extra downtime or I was binge-reading a particular author or series.
Where do I track my reading, you ask? This year, Fable.co, which I am enjoying so far!
I read plenty of middling-to-good books with unmitigated enjoyment. But I have high standards for OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING PLEASE READ IT SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT TOGETHER. When I gathered up the highlights for this post, I spent some time thinking about what does put a book in that category. The four qualities I settled on are unique, excellent, fun, and virtuous. Hear me out! I promise the results are less pretentious than the list might sound.
Setting the Standard
Unique: I love genre expectations (I do write romance, after all.) Some authors can take genre expectations and make them shine, either with a unique premise or with an imaginative spin on the genre.
Excellent: For me, good writing encompasses not only good use of language, but also a compelling narrative voice, storytelling that grips and doesn’t let go, immersive world-building, convincing characters with strong development, and smooth pacing.
Fun: I’m not reading for philosophical conundrums or education. I read for fun. I want stories that delight and entertain, books that give me an escape from the day-to-day but also energize me to return to the ordinary. (This is the fluff part of Virtuous Fluff.)
Virtuous: Virtuous definitely doesn’t mean boring or preachy. I want to see characters grappling with the challenges and invitations of their lives. I hope for characters who learn (or fail, with consequences) to respond with virtue, whether that’s courage, friendship, foresight, or forgiveness. When I say I want a virtuous book, I want one that, in the end and by the mysterious magic of stories, is going to encourage me to be excellent.
What Made the List?
Without further ado, here are some simply delightful titles that I have to share with you. These are the books I’ve been raving about to anyone who will listen, so if I’ve talked to you in person kindly skim right by the glowing reviews if they start to sound familiar! They’re listed in the order of when I read them in 2025.
Note: Just because I’m recommending the book doesn’t mean it’s completely free of any issues or that I’m recommending anything the author ever wrote. Use your own research and discretion.
The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison
This remains the only book in my life I have ever read twice, back-to-back. I read it in e-book form first and then immediately turned around and listened to it again. Honestly, might read it once more before the end of the year. The story follows a young man’s unexpected rise from ostracized exile to emperor over a court full of byzantine intrigue and ritual. It simultaneously manages to be tightly focused on Maia, the main character (A+ for lovability and angst) while also building an incredibly detailed and one-of-a-kind world.
Honorable Mention: Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy
Spinoff series following a side character who’s so broken by his past, his friends have to sit him down and remind him that he has friends whether he likes it or not. Mysterious and delightful. The audiobooks are amazing.
The Voice We Find, by Nicole Deese
Sons of Scandal trilogy, Becky Wade
I discovered Deese and Wade this year, and immediately tagged their books as “what I want my writing to be when it grows up.” This is Christian fiction done right. Darn good stories that go deeper than surface level; romances that are truly love stories; faith that is neither infallible nor flippant. They’ve done what I’m trying to do with the Swiss Guard Romances, so if you like Love in the Eternal City you’ll love these.
Laertes: A Hamlet Retelling, by Carly Stevens
This book is the epitome of dark academia, and a Shakespeare nerd’s delight. Hamlet is, of course, the most popular of Shakespeare’s plays and therefore the one most argued about. Even though I knew exactly where everything would go and how it would end, Stevens spun Laertes’ tragedy into its own vibrant, heartbreaking story that I couldn’t put down. While I may not be 100% on board with all of her interpretive choices, this is one book I would love to see made into a movie because it’s just so lush and vivid.
Snake-Eater, by T. Kingfisher
For some reason Amazon decided to give me an ARC of this book, and I took it with glee. Kingfisher’s fantasy is awesome, but her horror writing is simultaneously spine-crawling and hilarious. Her characters never have to face evil alone, and this story (set in the American Southwest) pulls the main character into a community of beautiful oddballs who stay by her side no matter what. Kingfisher gets bonus points for creating one of the best priest characters that I’ve ever seen in a secular book.
The Secrets of Ormdale Series by Christina Baehr
Listen. If there’s one book you read from this list, let it be Wormwood Abbey. There is literally nothing objectionable in here and everything to love. I’ve been raving about it to anyone who will listen. Imagine if Northanger Abbey and How to Train Your Dragon had a baby: cozy historical gothic fantasy, wonderful family dynamics, a main character you want to be best friends with, and please just go read it. Tagging Ava Frecker for getting me obsessed. Also, five star audiobooks, and there’s a spinoff series that just launched which I am thrilled about.
There’s another series I reread this year that I love too much to squeeze it into a paragraph, so that might be a post for January.
What should I read next year? What books made your year?
Tell me! I always need book recommendations. Oh, and have you read any of these titles? If so may we please discuss them over tea or cocoa? :D
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2026.
Love,
R
I love finding a list of books I’ve never heard of before!
T. Kingfisher's ability to blend horror with genuine humor is underrated. The way she builds community around her protagonists facing terrifying situations feels rare in the genre, especially since most horror defaults to isolation. I grabbed Snake-Eater after reading Nettle & Bone last year and the tonal shift caught me off gaurd initially, but that priest character really does stand out. It's refreshing to see religious figures portrayed with actual depth instead of as plot devices. Gonna have to add Wormdale Abbey to the list now.