I’m the first person to say that it doesn’t matter how many books per year you read, or how fast you read them, or whether you’re consuming those stories via hardback or paperback or audiobook or graphic novel. But as anyone who’s ever met me knows, I’m also VERY motivated by a neat little tracker graphic and the idea of getting the equivalent of a “gold star” in anything. Blame the high-achieving academic I used to be, I guess. And the Goodreads reading challenge makes for a remarkably effective little kick in the pants to convince me to read just a liiiiittle bit more than I might otherwise.

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I hit my reading goal last week— 100 books, with three weeks left in the year to go (weeks that I’m absolutely planning to fill with reading, because is there anything better than curling up under a blanket on a cold day with a cuddly dog and a book and a cup of hot cocoa? I think not).

So without any further ado, these are my top 10 books of the year (in no particular order).

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett

Listen, anyone who’s ever met me would know that I was going to adore this book (and its sequel, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands). It’s an anthropology book! With realistic portrayals of academia set in spectacularly silly settings, punctuated with real-feeling danger. It’s the perfect book to read while drinking a cup of tea on a cold rainy day. And there’s a sweet romance. What’s not to love?

The Black Count, by Tom Reiss

Y’all know I love a good bit of nonfiction. Add into it betrayal, social revolution, and a tie-in to one of my favorite pieces of classic literature? I’m so very in. I fully understand why this book has picked up as many accolades and awards as it has— highly recommend; this might be my favorite thing I read all year.

Funny Story, by Emily Henry

I love a good rom-com, especially one written by Emily Henry (IF the main trope is not just micommunication being solved by sex. Looking at you, Happy Place and People We Meet on Vacation). But seriously, this one was fun, snarky, sad— lots of things I like and appreciate.

The No-Girlfriend Rule, by Christen Randall

There few things I love as much as tabletop role-playing games, and few things I hate as much as the toxic environment of patriarchy and macho-nerd-boy-masculinity that seems to pervade the spaces that host those beautiful TTRPGs. If you need proof, take a look at how the Critical Role fanbase has treaded Marisha Ray and her character Keyleth for years (yes, I’m still mad). This book was exactly what I needed: a cute queer romance in which the main character learned to love the game that occupies a concerning amount of my free time. LOVE. Also, thank God my partner’s DnD table never had a “no-girlfriend rule,” because that’s been my party for close to 5 years now and I’m deeply thankful for them and the stories we’ve told together.

Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross

Is this book perfect? No. But does it include the kind of romance where two people are clearly perfect for one another and also would do increasingly stupid things for each other while also being at each other’s throats constantly because they’re too well-matched professionally for them to be anything but competitive? Yup, and that’s good enough for me. I complain a lot about enemies-to-lovers getting all the appreciation when rivals-to-lovers is clearly the better trope, and this book exemplifies what I like so much about the latter.

The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman

Lev Grossman is consistently reliable for slightly snarky, mildly cynical, and very well-written takes on classic tales, and this is no exception. I do like it better than some of his previous work for the simple reason that Quentin Coldwater makes no appearances whatsoever, and the main character is MEANT to be kind of terrible instead of it being a terribly unfortunate byproduct of his as-written personality. Also, this iteration of Nimue kicks ass and she’s great.

We Ride Upon Sticks, by Quan Barry

I’ve been on a “weird feminist horror” reading kick for a couple of years now, and this was a favorite this year. It covers all the bases for me— coming-of-age story, sports team drama, epic overcoming of obstacles, and some weird witchcraft shit to top it all off. I always appreciate when I find myself thinking about a book months after I finish reading it, and that was absolutely the case for this one. Genuinely loved.

Whalefall, by Daniel Kraus

This was a very close tie with The Black Count for Favorite Book Of The Year. It’s a fun concept to begin with— guy gets swallowed by a whale, but scientifically accurate— but it expands into a bigger story about grief and trauma and forgiveness, with a hefty dose of magical realism towards the end. I loved this. If you’re on the fence about picking it up, do it— especially if you like Andy Weir or Mary Roach’s writing, you’ll like this.

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Wind and Truth, by Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson’s come a LONG way, y’all. Strong leading female characters. Chapters grappling with the meaning of gender. A whole book about what it’s like to wrestle with a faith you’re born into that doesn’t love you back. A queer relationship, on the page. A shower scene! And through it all, a mix of epic battle, quiet humor, and the complex interweaving of multiple worlds and stories in a way that made me wish I was taking notes. I do still think that Sanderson maybe needs a closer edit in some pages (we get it! The one guy’s beard had patches of red!) but in general he’s come a massively long way from an inclusion standpoint and I’m excited to see what’s next for him and his books.

Cassiel’s Servant, by Jacqueline Carey, maybe?

Okay, so hear me out… this wasn’t actually my favorite book I read this year. It was the first book I read this year, and I loved it. But most of why I enjoyed it was that it gave me more compassion for a side character that I’ve under-appreciated in the past, mostly because it put in perspective just how absolutely insane the actions of the main character in the series are. But the thing is, I think that was this book’s purpose— it achieved that purpose well, and I have no regrets about adding this book (in hardcover!) to my physical shelf.

Honorable mentions!

Taste, by Stanley Tucci

I craved homemade pasta with really good olive oil for two straight weeks after I read this book. I made anchovy-and-parsley papardelle three times in five days. I made the zuchinni pasta recipe two times the week after that. I think the reason this book isn’t ranked higher up on my list is probably because if I re-read it again, I’d gain ten pounds. But man, does the man write evocatively about food.

The Seven-Year Slip, by Ashley Poston

I liked Poston’s YA books (Geekerella, etc) quite a lot back in high school. Her adult books are just as fun, but add some open-door romance scenes. And a twist: time-travel apartment, a la Frequency or The Girl In The Fireplace. Also, The Seven-Year Slip is a food book— see above about Stanley Tucci. I LOVE a good food book (Blood, Bones, and Butter, by Gabrielle Hamilton, was also almost on this list).

The Farseer trilogy, by Robin Hobb

I loved these books. I spent all three of them DEEPLY concerned about anything horrible happening to the dogs in them, and clutching my own dog so tightly that she got overheated and fled the couch. But these were fun, and escapist, and dark, and clever. Liveship Traders is up next in the new year.

Please note, this list is probably not representative of my reading habits as a whole this year. I’ve read an astonishing number of mildly trashy (but in a good way, like The Bachelor or Survivor or Top Chef) rom-coms and quite a bit of decent-but-not-exactly-cheerful nonfiction. But the books that always seem to float to the top for me are the epic fantasy, the deeply weird, and the guilelessly (but not sickly) sweet.

What have you been reading lately? Please let me know in the comments— I’m always looking for recommendations, especially as I place my Libby holds for holiday reading and as I build my TBR for next year (is it too depressing if I start calling next year’s reading goals Project 2025 just to make myself laugh?).

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