Did I read all the books on my 2025 priority list?
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At the beginning of 2025, I shared 10 books that were on my priority list for 2025. If you have not read it, you can find it here. Today, let us take a look at whether I have finished any of the books on the list I made. I have become aware that I am a real mood reader. 2025 was all about finding reads that I was in the mood for, so I am a little bit scared to look back at this list. I have a feeling that I was not in the mood for any of the titles. I am aware that this post will go up when 5 months of 2026 have already passed. I am just really feeling like finishing this post. I started writing before my beautiful son was born. Finishing stuff is a goal for this year, a step towards recovery. By everything I finish, a post, a book, a series, or another task I have started but did not finish, I will get closer to being me.
The 10 books I wanted to read were:
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Gleanings by Neal Shusterman
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
Jade City by Fonda Lee
The first three books on the list were Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. I am proud to report that I have, in fact, read Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Click on the title in my previous sentence, and it will bring you to the review. Mockingjay did put me in a reading slump; it left me with so many feelings. Writing the review for Mockingjay took me a long time, as I needed time to think about whether I really liked it or if I was not satisfied with the ending.
After reading Mockingjay, I was not in the mood to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes; it is still unread and will not be read until I finish my current reads. When I finished Mockingjay, I wanted something cute and fluffy. I picked up The Baby Dragon Café by Aamna Qureshi, I thought this was what I wanted to read, but I am sad to report that I have DNFed it for now. I might pick it up when I am in a different mindset.
September brought on the horror cravings, so instead of reading something cozy, I started my first-ever T. Kingfisher book, Thornhedge! This is an author I have been interested in reading ever since she showed up on my radar. This was a great idea. I still have to write the review for Thornhedge, but this is also coming (part of finishing things)! You do not want to know how many unfinished drafts I have waiting to be published and finished.
The fourth book on the list was Gleanings by Neal Shusterman, which is a collection of stories from the Arc of Scythe series. I read the original trilogy in 2021; this collection came out a year later. This is still unread, my perfectionist mind saying: but you do not remember all the details from the trilogy, why read these stories? Neal Shusterman is publishing a prequel book for the series, which is good motivation to ignore my brain and get this read in 2026.
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas, you might wonder if the same reason comes up for this as I have for Gleanings, but this is not the case. I did not read it in 2025, but I am happy to report that this, together with Tower of Dawn, are my current reads! It is easier for me when I have written a review for the previous book in the series, as it helps me remember more details. I am not worried that I don't know where I am at; also, Sarah J. Maas does give you brief summaries of the events of the previous book(s) when they come up. This helps a lot. I am really enjoying getting back into the series, and I am set on finishing it once and for all.
Howl's Moving Castle is up next. I really have no excuse for this one; it should have been read. Next is Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I have started it, but I have not finished it. I was enjoying it, so I am not sure why I did not continue this one. Are you seeing the trend yet? I am not good at finishing books; this really needs to change.
Moving on to the two Jeff VanderMeer books, they fall into the same category as Gleanings. "I don't remember everything in the first book; I should first reread it". That did not happen. They remain unread.
Lastly, another book I have started but did not finish. This was also a book I was really enjoying, but my mood changed, so I put it down, and have not picked it up yet. Concluding, I have read two of the ten books I intended to read. I have struggled with finishing a lot of books, and that is something I am actively working on in 2026.
The books I did finish in 2025 are:
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
It's Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People by Ramani Duvarsula
Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
SpyxFamily 1 by Tasuya Endo
Financieel Vrij by Janneke van den Brink (audiobook)
SpyxFamily 2 by Tatsuya Endo
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (audiobook)
Life, The Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams (audiobook)
Herstellen van narcistisce mishandeling by Iris Koops
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (audiobook)
Positief over bevallen: een verfrissende kijk op zwangerschap, geboorte en kraamtijd by Milli Hill
SpyxFamily 3 by Tatsuya Endo
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