How has your week been? What have you been reading lately? I read Dead Silence, S.A. Barnes, a scifi horror book that was just amazing. It just kept teasing out the suspense and terror slowly from beginning to end. Now on to the 10+ bookish links I bookmarked recently.
one+ Let’s start with the allegations against author Neil Gaiman. From NPR: The allegations of sexual and emotional abuse against author Neil Gaiman … are viscerally repellant. They were published in an admirably well-reported article in New York Magazine and its website Vulture this week – and Gaiman denies most of them. The allegations first came out last year (we mentioned here) – and what’s your approach once you learn something disturbing about an author who’s work you love? Some argue separation of author from their work – I am the opposite. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. When we talk about authors for example, supporting them means contributing to their financial well-being. That’s not something I’m going to do for an author who I learn is racist for example. They get no more of my money, time or attention.
two+ Is this whole “men don’t read fiction” thing an actual crisis?
three+ This list of 48 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2025 has a lot of new to me authors and books that I’m adding to my reading list, like The Haunting of Room 904, Erika T. Wurth. Another favorite are these annual lists compiled at Goodreads (by users), Anticipated Literary Reads For Readers of Color 2025.
four+ The Guardian released a month-by-month guide to the best books 2025 has to offer. Obviously included for January is Onyx Storm, Rebecca Yarros. Is anyone else anxiously awaiting this book?! Also The Goodreads Editors Share Their January Book Picks (I spy Good Dirt, Charmaine Wilkerson which I’m also looking forward to reading) and Readers’ Most Anticipated Books for January.
five+ If you’re into some seasonal reads as well, then check out 69 Winter-Themed Novels for Cold-Weather Reading. HIGHLY recommend Bear Town, Fredrik Backman, so was happy to see it on the list, as well as The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden. Along with Winter Self-Care Ideas for Book Lovers. I’m all for creating a cozy reading nook. In fact, if you want a little challenge, sign up for 2025 Winter’s Respite Readathon and read as much as you can in February.
six+ There’s some really good tips in How to read more books in 2025. Every year on the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, there’s an annual challenge. This challenge is designed to help people stick to one particular habit consistently, for an entire year, so that it truly becomes part of our lives … For 2025, the challenge is “Read 25 in ’25”: read for at least 25 minutes every day in 2025. (And yes, listening to an audiobook counts.)
seven+ Winter is a perfect time for reading cozy fantasy books, so here’s 7 cozy fantasy novels for when you need a comforting escape. And of course, from the list, I’ve read and recommend Legend & Lattes, Travis Baldree and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna, which was on my list of Favorite Books Read in 2024.
eight+ For the library patrons who use the Libby app, here’s 10 Libby Tips To Get The Most Out Of The App (Libby is an app you can download on your phone that gives you access to your library’s collection of eBooks and audiobooks.)
nine+ In case you missed it, this week I shared 3 of the “Best Books of the Year” On My Reading List [The 2024 Edition] and Kim shared Q1 : New Release Excitement.
ten+ Off the Books … what are you watching? The Most Anticipated Literary Adaptations Coming to TV and Film in 2025 or Books to Movies 2025: Must-Watch Adaptations Coming Soon? I feel a bit of paralysis with all these lists to be honest – so I started with the first thing on this list of The 40 most anticipated TV shows of 2025 – American Primeval. It’s a tv series, so I’ll report back when I’m done as I just started it on my flight back home yesterday.
We made a final update to our Huge Round Up of 2025 Year Long Reading Challenges and The Most Popular 2025 Reading Challenges on StoryGraph, so take a look and see if there’s new to you reading challenges that you’d like to participate in this year.
—- Cheers to the weekend and week ahead!
