Welcome to the last book tag of 2025. This one is undoubtedly a tradition, since not only do I do it every year, but most book creators do, too. At some point, I need to do a yearly reading wrap-up, but I don’t feel ready for that just yet, so you can say I’m putting some highlights here. The original creator is Ariel Bissett.
Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
Amazon Blurb:
What happens when ‘normal’ life feels… wrong? Like a splinter in the mind?
Ever had that nagging “Is this it?” doubt—the job, the routine, the quiet erosion of evenings? That feeling life is an endless pilgrimage, chasing a destination that never quite satisfies?
Staring down thirty-something complacency, our relationship fraying under unspoken strains, Cesca and I did the mad thing. We quit our jobs, packed two bulging rucksacks, and set off for a year across twelve countries, testing not just the world, but us. Could we survive stripped bare, with no safety net of home’s comforting bath? Would we find the ‘music’ in the moments, or just more mishaps and eight-legged nightmares?
Just one, from my last book haul, and I will reshare if Goodreads allows it; it’s a mix of memoir and travel book.
Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
Goodreads Blurb:
In the enchanted town of The Hollow, the pumpkin spice is flowing, the witchery is messy, and one disastrous spell is about to be exposed by a skeptical outsider…
Clara Willow is the successful owner of a magical apothecary, but her ancient copper still is hiding a massive it’s the prison for Vesper, the highly chaotic poltergeist of Clara’s greatest romantic regret. The original ‘severance spell’ backfired, and now Vesper’s spectral chaos is threatening to cause a catastrophic resonance fracture—a magical meltdown that could destroy the whole town.
Clara needs help, desperately.
Sage Kincaid. a brilliant, hyper-logical anti-magic structural engineer who believes only in physics, stability, and evidence. Sage’s skeptical, grounding presence is the only anchor keeping the shop from collapsing, but she sees every magical event as a structural failure.
The cozy mystery isn’t about a missing body; it’s about a witch’s honesty. To fix the still, free the poltergeist, and save the town, Clara must abandon her protective spells and confess the full, unvarnished truth about her past lies to the woman who represents everything she unbreakable steadiness.
Can the chaotic witch convince the logical restorer that a love built on genuine honesty is stronger than any curse?
I think something like Pumpkin Spice Witchery by Verna S. Yi, which has fall vibes with a dash of winter, in my opinion.
Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?
Goodreads Blurb:
Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to prove she could make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is a shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap, giving her a chance to rebuild everything she’s lost: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend . . . and the last person she wants to work for.
James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and doing what’s expected of him in the family business and never contemplating anything different—until now when Madison’s happiness is on the line. He’s loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance. Now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that–even if it means he can only ever be her friend. The one problem? His charming, wildly successful younger brother, Tommy, seems determined to win her over first.
Then Tommy is called away on business and Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy farm-to-table restaurant on their own. But as the town starts meddling in their relationship, Tommy’s pursuit of Madison grows more relentless, and Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back, keeping things strictly professional becomes impossible. And when an unexpected disaster on opening night collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.
Release day is 30th December 2025
What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?
Goodreads Blurb:
Two little girls go missing on the same day in Stockholm. Their disappearances are never explained. In time, the investigations are abandoned.
A chance discovery puts Detective Ewert Grens back on the trail five years later. His own personal trauma makes him determined to find out what happened to these children who were snatched from a supermarket and a car park and never seen again and whose coffins lie empty in the local graveyard.
His search leads him into the most repulsive recesses of the dark web and the discovery of a paedophile ring that can only be cracked from the inside. Grens is forced call upon his retired partner, Piet Hoffman, the best undercover operative he knows, to try to infiltrate the group. They will have only one chance – but are they up to the darkest challenge of their lives?
Goodreads Blurb:
In the snowy embrace of a family ski trip, long-time friends Holden and Isaiah face an undeniable spark that challenges everything they thought they knew about their bond. As holiday cheer fills the air, Holden’s walls of denial begin to crack under the weight of growing attraction. Amid laughter-filled slopes, cozy lodge nights, and unexpected storms, their friendship evolves into something deeper and more passionate. But with family close by, they must navigate secrets and revelations that could change their lives forever.
Goodreads Blurb:
Cordy is looking for good luck, looking for the feeling of safety she lost when her father died in a fishing boat accident, maybe even looking for a hint of magic—anything that will stop her mom from wanting to leave the coastal town she and her brother have always called home. What Cordy finds is a muddy, hungry little dog who ends up bringing all the luck she could want, and more.
Holly Goldberg Sloan writes family stories that wrap around your heart and make you laugh out loud—stories about people you dearly wish lived next door to you. You will fall in love with Cordy and her family as quickly as they fall in love with the stray pup named Lost. Full of unexpected, unforgettable moments, this is a tender and endearing tale of coping with loss and making peace with the inevitable truth that change is a constant.
What trends have you noticed in your reading this year?
I read more at random. Let me explain, if I’m browsing books and find something interesting, I need to read it right away, which is new for me, and something I’m not a fan of.
How do you feel about your reading goals? Anything you want to change, adjust, or abandon?
Sadly, I had to step back from some readathons and bookstagram due to health issues. I will post my reading plans in the coming days.
Have you already started making reading plans for next year?
I have some which I will share in an upcoming post.
I saw that Ariel revised the 2025 questions, so I used them. In terms of tagging, I don’t know who wants to do it, likely no one by now, but if you do consider yourself tagged.
Mybookworld24 