Welcome, my sweet book friends!
If you’d prefer to listen to this information and book tag questions and answers, you can check out the full episode on The Bookmarks ‘n Blankets Podcast on your favorite podcast platform or listen below.
I’d love to know your reading stats from 2025, or if you’d like to answer the book tag questions, please share with me. I invite you to hop over to social media, X (aka Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, where you can comment.
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Now that 2025 has come to a close, there’s something special about looking back at the stories that defined the year. The End-of-the-Year Book Tag offers a thoughtful and playful way to revisit the novels that surprised you, the characters you still think about, and the titles patiently waiting on your shelf. It is a chance to celebrate standout reads, acknowledge the ones that missed the mark, and maybe even squeeze in a final book before turning the page to a brand new reading year.
2025 Reading Stats
Total Titles: 185
- Physical: 1
- Digital ebooks: 51
- Audiobooks: 133
- Full-Length Novels: 161
- NetGalley & ARCs: 23
- Short Stories & Novellas: 13
- Graphic Novels: 9
My Ratings for Last Year:
- 5-star: 39
- 4-star: 97
- 3-star: 41
- 2-star: 7
- 1-star: 1
- DNF’d Books: 26
Genres Read Last Year:
- Contemporary Romance: 54
- Historical Fiction: 16
- Contemporary: 3
- Christian Fiction: 11 (part of historical & romance)
- Mystery/Thriller: 26
- Cozy Horror: 6
- Cozy Mystery: 7
Total: 39 - Fantasy: 8
- Cozy Fantasy: 6
- Magical Realism: 5
Total: 19 - Young Adult (Fantasy, Historical, Romance): 18
- Middle Grade: 12
- Classics: 2
- Nonfiction: 0
End-of-the-Year Book Tag Questions
These answers are based on the books that I read in 2025, not necessarily on those that were published in 2025. Many of these answers have multiple books chosen. For further explanation, please listen to the podcast episode above.
Favorite Book of the Year
Least Favorite Book of the Year
Favorite Sequel of the Year
Favorite Graphic Novel of the Year
Biggest Surprise of the Year
Biggest Disappointment of the Year
Biggest Underdog of the Year
Cringiest Book of the Year
Top Book That Made You Cry
Top Book That Made You Happy
Most Overhyped of the Year
Most Frustrating of the Year
Best Twist/Reveal of the Year
A Book I Haven’t Stopped Thinking About
Shortest Story I’ve Read of the Year
Longest Book I’ve Read of the Year
Unpopular Book That I Loved
Popular Book That I Hated
Book I Would Reread
Book with the Most Unique Concept
Favorite Book Covers of the Year:
Favorite Audiobooks of the Year: My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, The Favorites by Layne Fargo, and Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney.
Favorite Authors of the Year: I read the most books from Courtney Walsh, a contemporary romance writer, and Gabrielle Meyer, a Christian historical romance writer. Two new-to-me authors that I can’t wait to read more from are Becky Monson and Kortney Keisel.
Favorite Genre of the Year: According to my stats, my top two most-read genres were Contemporary Romance and Mystery/Thriller/Horror. I also really enjoy Regency Romances and Cozy Fantasies. I would like to explore more Cozy Horror and Magical Realism in the future.
Best Adaptation of the Year: I created seven Pages to Popcorn episodes last year, where I read the book and then watched the movie. The top two adaptations that I thought were done well were: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover and Pumpkin Everything by Beth Labonte.
What are the highest and lowest rated books I’ve read this year on GoodReads, and do I agree? Lowest – Mint to Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc: 3.34. I gave it 4 stars and disagree.
Highest – The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah: 4.65. I gave it 5 stars and agree.
What is a popular book that everyone loves that you haven’t read yet? The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.
2026 GoodReads Reading Challenge Goal: 125 titles
Have I started planning my 2026 reading goals? Yes. Listen to episode #132 to hear all my plans for this year.
