2025 Mid-Year Check-In
Somehow it’s July. We’ve read a lot (for the now-times). Our TBR hates us. Here’s the damage.
The Stats So Far
Here’s how the year’s shaping up for each of us.
Kelly’s Stats:
- Total Books Read: 30
- Audiobooks: 20
- Physical Books: 2
- eBooks: 8
- Book Events: 2 events sounds pathetic, but one of them was 4 days long!
- Debuts: 4
- Books Bought vs. Books Read: 35 books purchased this year, I have read 7 (which also sounds terrible, but to be fair I definitely read a bunch of books publishers have gifted me which doesn’t count in the purchased category!)
- Queer Books: 25
- New-to-Me Authors: 10
- Number of “book bans” I declared…and immediately broke: I definitely banned myself from book boxes but broke it twice this year so far (not counting one-off special editions or series I needed to continue buying (ugh)).
Christy’s Stats:
- Total Books Read: 49 (two books until I am back on track sigh)
- Audiobooks: 27
- Physical Books: 8
- eBooks: 14
- Queer Books: 23 (this feels low?)
- Books I preordered and then forgot about until they arrived: 🙃
- Book Events: 2? Yikes.
- Books that made me cry: Compound Fracture wrecked me…and Sunrise on the Reaping
- Times I threatened to throw a book across the room (and maybe did): 1.
Our Favorite Reads (So Far)
Books Sure to Make the End of the Year List (Kelly)
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
- Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- Holy Terrors (Little Thieves #3) by Margaret Owen
- Roll for Love by M.K. England
- Dan in Green Gables: A Graphic Novel Modern Reimagining of Anne of Green Gables by Rey Terciero
Books Sure to Make the End of the Year List (Christy)
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
- I Think They Love You by Julian Winters
- The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancru
- Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
- Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
- You Belong Here by Sara Phoebe Miller & Morgan Beem
Audiobook Highlights
Kelly’s Fave Audiobook(s)
- Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus – written & narrated!
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab – full cast for each main character POV!
- When Love Gives You Lemons by Steven Salvatore – Narrated by Jason June!
- Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna – written & narrated!
Christy’s Fave Audiobook(s)
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo
- When Love Gives You Lemons by Steven Salvatore
- Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McCleod Chapman
Bookish Highlights
Here are a few things that made us smile.
- ALA – It was so nice to get to be an a book focused event with each other! Plus all the books! Christy got so many for her LFL and that was worth it just in children’s’ books alone.
- Some of our favorites blog posts:
- Comic Crush Saturday: Pride 2025 Edition
- Author Interview: Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero
- Co-Review: Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus
- Book Recommendations: The Horrors That Haunt You: Why Caitlin Starling’s Books Get Under Your Skin (and Stay There)
- Book Recs: Reading Beyond the Bestseller List: YA Fantasy Picks for the Reluctant Reader
- Guest Post: Huda F Wants to Know? by Huda Fahmy
- Book Recs: Books to Read After Sunrise on The Reaping
- Feature: Your Outie Reads YA
What’s Next?
Here’s what’s on our radar for the next 6 months.
Kelly is Looking Forward to…
- Coming up on 14 years of book blogging…wow!
- The slew of queer books still to be released this year, and hopefully reading as many as I can, including the ones already released! Books Like:
- Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian – Releases September 23rd
- The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes – Releases September 16th
- Fireblooms by Alexandra Villasante – releases September 30th
- I really enjoy pairing my holidays with holiday themed stories and this year we have a few new ones to tackle!
- Joy to the Girls: A She Gets the Girl Novella by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick – Releases September 30th
- I am looking forward to enjoying blogging and reading and booksagram again, I mean it hasn’t happened yet, but I hope it happens really soon, ha!
- Maybe planning for the newly resurrected BookCon in 2026.
Christy is Looking Forward to…
- The Columbus Book Festival is this weekend and I’m moderating TWO panels! I am so excited to meet new bookish folks, see some old favs, and immerse myself in books for 3 days.
- I am hoping to get my monthly read up to 10-12 rather than the 8 it’s been sitting at. Really I wish I could get back to at least 15 but living with your best friend and the state of the world is distracting!
- Disney’s Marathon Weekend is BOOK THEMED. Can you believe that? So my wife (yes, wife!) and I are planning some bookish costumes!
If you’ve got recs that should be on our radar, send them our way! Here’s to a back half of 2025 full of five star reads, plot twists, and maybe a little self control at the bookstore (no promises).
