I have a habit of binging things, burning out on whatever I’ve binged on, and repeating that cycle endlessly. I usually cycle through books, games, and TV shows. Maybe I’ll sprinkle in some other hobbies in between. Lately, the book slump has been taking much longer than usual. I was so behind on my reading pace in 2025 compared to 2024. Did I still read quite a bit? Yes, for sure! I finished 2025 with 59 read books. I aimed for 100, but that seemed unreasonable with trying to juggle all my other hobbies in addition to laying around staring at the ceiling. I’m back to a more reasonable goal this year (50). About a book a week seems more than doable.
This post about a slump was started in April 2025 and here we are in 2026 where I’m finishing it up. So, how long has my reading slump been going on? 8 months and counting…
I haven’t read any major pull-me-in type of books in 2025. If I’m being honest, I’m sure the reading slump actually started after I finished Onyx Storm. The Empyrean Series helped restart my love for reading and keeps the spark alive with each release.
I keep calling it a ‘reading slump’ as if it’s a terribly bad thing, but it isn’t. I just haven’t binge-read the amount of books I did in 2024. I did still have quite a few good reads this year!
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager – finished reading February 2025
This is the only book this past year that I could confidently say I had a hard time putting down. It truly was a page turner, which mildly set me up for disappointment with the next Sager book that released in 2025. I love the tiny horror elements of Sager’s books and really enjoy the twist they add to the story.
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang – finished reading March 2025
It might not sound like I had any five-star reads in 2025, but I did. Blood Over Bright Haven was one of them. Zach actually encouraged me to read this after he finished his read and we had many a discussion about it. The world is extremely unique and the typewriter spell writing magic system was just exquisite. I couldn’t help but make so many correlations to the current day political climate and today’s society structure. It was definitively the most thought-provoking read of the year.
Real Americans by Rachel Khong – finished reading May 2025
I couldn’t stop raving about this book. I moved this one up on my reading list to try and get it read before we met the author for a signing at the LA Times Festival of Books. I didn’t accomplish that goal, but kept on reading it and just loved it. I couldn’t quite pin point why, but I felt connected to the characters. It’s not like our stories were the same or even similar, but I could really relate to what they were thinking. That’s unusual to me because I’m usually reading for the vibes.
Strange Houses by Uketsu – finished reading October 2025
While I didn’t read as much this year, I still went to a bookstore any chance I got. That lead me to picking up Strange Houses and was, of course, completely worth all the trips. I inhaled this book in under two hours. It definitely was the highlight of my mystery/horror reading theme of the year. I’m still trying to get Zach to read it. He doesn’t understand why I read such wild books, but I just want to make sure he doesn’t miss out.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore – finished reading November 2025
This wasn’t my first Liz Moore book, actually. I read The God of the Woods earlier in the year as well. That one didn’t quite speak to me and I couldn’t understand why everyone was raving about it. Long Bright River, however, did capture me quite well. I only started reading it because I wanted to watch the limited TV series. I’m happy to say both book and series did not disappoint! I dragged Zach into watching the show with me and we both agree it was well executed. There were some changes in the screen adaptation, however I could understand why those changes were made so it made a better viewing experience. I thought the book still could’ve translated well as-is, but some of the side plots and characters from the book really took away from the main story.
Look at me, thinking about books, dissecting and theorizing and not just vibes. Could that be a 2026 theme? (Just kidding, no, let’s just enjoy things.)
Bookish habits I’ll be keeping this year…
- Ignoring reader review averages – I’ll read it if it sounds interesting to me. I’ve been burned by highly reviewed books before and I’m absolutely certain I’ve been missing out on some possible loves when I’m put off by average or low ratings. Some exceptions, apply, of course.
- Audiobooks to fill time where I can’t set my eyes on a page. 22 of my finished books this year were in audio, which also meant I read more non-fiction books than I usually do. Audio is my preferred format for non-fiction, but I snuck in a few fiction books there as well.
- DNFing books when it really just doesn’t capture me. I rarely ever DNF books. If anything, I hate-read because I feel compelled to know what happens. I DNF’d only two books this past year. I thought FOMO would be hitting me but I absolutely do not regret DNFing them.