Mid-Year Check-in 2025

We've reached the halfway point of the year, which means it's time for a Mid-Year check-in. I will stick to my trialed and true format of 20 questions, inspired by the Midyear Book Freak Out Tag, but adapted to fit my reading a bit better. Without any further preamble (you know the drill by now); let's get into it!

1.        How has your reading-year been so far?

In a single word: “meh”. For some cosmic reason that I cannot fathom, I’ve been on a consistent pattern of 1 On-Year packed with new favourites, followed by 1 Off-Year, where I read some good books, but very few truly stand out to me. 2024 was the On-Year, so it figures that 2025 would be a bit more moderate. And it was… I am very happy with how consistently I’ve managed to stick to my goals as set in my 2025 Master-TBR, however my “maximum-goal” has definitely helped me slow down and read more mindful and has made it easier for me to DNF books that I’m not enjoying.

2.        Top 3 favourite reads of the year?

By the end of 2024, I had embarked on an unofficial quest to read (almost) every Booker-nominee of that year. I consider that entire endevour a success, if only because it introduced me to this book.  Stoneyard Devotional by Charlotte Wood is a brilliantly penned literary fiction novel that struck a unique chord with me in its depiction of grief. We follow a woman who upends her life to join a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro, despite being an atheist herself. Amidst the quiet routine of the monastery, she confronts her grief over her mother, who passed when she was a teen; an even which has rippled through her life ever since. This was such an understated masterclass in staying as much as you can, with as few words ar possible. It’s a study in silence and all that is said (and unsaid) within it, both in terms of its protagonists journey and on a metalevel through its prose. I’ve read this book 2x in only a couple of months and still cannot get it out of my head. I can already guarantee that this will make an appearance on my favourites list at the end of the year.

Coincidentally, my second favourite was also written by a Charlotte; that being Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. This was my nr. 1 most anticipated novel of the year, as I’ve adored everything the author has done so far and had high expectations for her latest work. She delivered! Wild Dark tells the story of Dominic Salt and his three children, who live and work as caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. One night, following a devastating storm, the impossible happens: a woman mysteriously washes ashore.Part mystery, part character-study in loneliness and isolation, Wild Dark Shore grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until I flipped the final page.

Finally, for my third favourite, we’re going back to a classic of the sci-fi genre: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. Although I usually don’t include rereads in these top 3’s, I’m making an exception, as this was the first time I appreciated this novel in the way that I did. Previous reads had always been in the context of a school- or college-essay and had me looking at the story through a certain lens. I already loved it on a technical level, but now, viewing it through my own lens I felt an emotional resonance that hadn’t been there before. Considering what the novel is about, it’s almost poetic justice that “my own personal lens” gave this such a different dimension for me. Regardless, this reread made me realize how much I adore this story, and how it deserves a spot among my all-time favourites. 

3.        Favourite fantasy novel? 

Although there was one book that gave this one a run for its money, I’m giving this spot to A Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jiminez. (Don’t worry, the one that I loved even more will come up in one of the later questions…) The Spear Cuts Through Water is the book-equivalent to a Russian nesting doll. It’s a story within a story, about identity, legacy and the power of mythology and narrative. It’s layered structure, combined with it gorgeous language make it one of the most unique, memorable and ambitious fantasy novels I’ve read in a long while.

An honourable mention goes to The Will of the Many by James Islington, which was an incredibly fun time, but as formulaic as it was enjoyable. This is your basic power-fantasy, magic-school-set-in-a-roman-empire-inspired-world-trope, executed to perfection. Yet in a battle of originality, The Spear Cuts Through Water wins by a longshot.

4.        Favourite horror/thriller novel?

It has not been a good year for horror, as I’ve had more disappointments than I can count within the genre. Almost by default, the title of favourite goes to The Sundowners Dance by Todd Keisling. That being said, this was one that I really liked; a cosmic horror tale about a cultlike homeowners association and the terrors of growing old…You can find my full review here.

5.        Favourite young adult novel?

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran is a coming of age horror novel by the author of She is a Haunting. We follow a Vietnamese-American teen, living in the small coastal town of Mercer, Louisiana, which has been overtaken by a toxic algal bloom that drifted in from the ocean. Noon and her mother, fisherfolk by trade, must navigate not only the fallout of this ecological disaster, but their personal grief and an ever-present sense of displacement. Thematically and prose-wise, this was an easy five-star for me. Beautifully written, tensely atmospheric, and packed to the brim with briny metaphors and layers.

6.        Favourite children’s/middle-grade novel?

The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt had everything I love in a middle-grade; friendship, family, a fun adventure and a deep core of wisdom and emotional heart that even adult readers can appreciate. We follow Hercules Beal, a 7^th grade boy who’s assigned a task by his eccentric teacher, that seems a little too big for a small boy like him; to fulfill the 12 labours of his namesake Greek Hero in real life. This sets off a summer full of adventure, wonder, learning and labors both physically and emotional.

My full review can be found here.

7.        Favourite non-fiction?

Everybody and their dog (pun intended) would’ve seen this one coming. It’s Three Wild Dogs and the Truth by Markus Zusak. I’ve talked about this memoir a bunch of times leading up to its release, and subsequently in my Q1-Wrap Up. This had my name written all over it, being a combination of three things I love most in the world: books, dogs and Markus Zusaks writing. Zusak relays experiences of his own (family-)life and writing career along a timeline set by the “problem-fosterdogs” he took in over the years. It’s witty, it’s poignant, it’s heartfelt and equally emotionally devastating at times; exactly what you might expect from Zusak.  

8.        Best debut?

This question made me realise that I haven’t read and loved many true debuts this year. Almost all authors I’d recommend wholeheartedly had at least published a short-story (collection) or novella before, so I can’t count them as true debutants.

A completely new voice that I will watch in the future was Saskia Nislow with Root Rot; a gothic horror novella that nailed the “uncanny valley” feeling. A full review can be found here.

9.        Best sequel or series continuation?

Here we have it; the book that could’ve doubled for my “best fantasy”: A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is the second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, following The Tainted Cup, which I reread before diving into this one. That continuous reading-experience was one of the highlights of my year so far. Without spoiling the first book, this series follows an eccentric detective duo solving crimes among the high political spheres of a fantasy-world full of alchemical and botanical magic. It’s Robert Jackson Bennett, so you know the worldbuilding and magic are going to be top-notch.

10.   Longest book you’ve read?

Clocking in at a whopping 1006 pages for the paperback: Jonathan Stange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I’m actually proud of myself for finishing this one, as it’s been dauntingly staring me down for years now. This epic historical fantasy relays the tale of 2 rivalling magicians, the last of their kind, against the backdrop of 1800’s London’s gentleman society. This book is clever, intricate, ambitious, and utterly English. That confidence in its stylistic choice will mean it’s either your cup of tea or not, but I for one am very happy to have read it.

11.   Shortest book you’ve read?

Woodworm by Layla Martinez is a haunted-house novella, translated from the original Spanish by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott. It manages to pack a lot in its 124 pages though, covering topics like generational trauma, class, and the cyclical nature of violence

A full review can be found here.

12.   Biggest disappointment? 

If we’re basing disappointment of expectations-vs-reality, this is a three-way-tie between 3 (relatively) new releases. First, there was the November 2024 release An Earthquake Is a Shaking of the Surface of the Earth by Anna Moschovakis. I won’t go into too much detail, as I have a full review up here. In two words: bloated and pretentious… Second, I was quite looking forward to Chuck Wendig’s latest release The Staircase in the Woods. As a 90’s baby, I grew up with the internet-creepypastas about these aforementioned stairs, and a novel about the subject, by the hands of an author I’ve had some success with in the past, sounded great. It started off incredibly promising; think It meets House of Leaves. Unfortunately it took a turn I didn’t appreciate, using sensitive topics like  (childhood) trauma in ways that felt more like shock-value than representation... A full review for this one will be coming shortly.Third and probably worst was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, which utterly flopped for me: Overgrowth by Mira Grant. Again, I have a full review for this book up here, so I won’t go into too much detail. That being said; this has been my final straw for Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire. Although I love her concepts, I have so far only loved one of her actual books (Middlegame) and will no longer be picking up her new releases in the future. Of course, there also was an objectively worst book among my reads so far. That dubious honor goes to The Nameless Things by Ernest Jensen. Rarely have I read such an under-edited mess, masquerading as a finished product. You can find my full review here.

13.    A book that made you happy?

Pretty much every single reread I did this year. More on those under question 16.

14.   A book that made you cry?

There was only one, and you probably felt it coming as I’ve mentioned it already. Three Wild Dogs and the Truth by Markus Zusak. To answer your question; yes, this is a memoir based on true events spanning decades. So yes, inevitably some of the dogs are going to die… The way Zusak described those scenes had me sobbing though… Each of their chapters is a eulogy and a homage to the lives these dogs lived and the people they touched. “Archie, I imagine you at sea” had me bawling…

15.   A book outside of your comfort zone?

Everybody and their dog knows that contemporary romance and I don’t match well. And yet, Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young is the exception that proved the rule. Read as part of a sensitivity-reading project, I was wonderfully surprised by how much I liked this romance featuring two protagonists with limb differences.Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot that made me roll my eyes or cringe, just like any other romance-novel… But within its genre, it’s probably one of the best I’ve read. A full review can be found here.

16.   A book you can’t stop thinking about?

The books I’ve thought the most about since finishing them are Solaris and Stoneyard Devotional. Those haunting qualities are exactly what make them my favourites. But since I’ve already featured them, I’m going to say Pink Slime by Fernanda Trias, mostly because I still can’t figure out, nor put into words why I loved it as much as I did. This is a book in that strange subgenre of literary-weird-eco-fiction with a very inward and personal perspective, written in stunning prose, which is inexplicably my reading-catnip. In it, a coastal city has been all but abandoned after a toxic algal bloom made living conditions unsafe. The only people left are those without the means to evacuate. Among them is our protagonist: a woman working as a care-giver for a rich family’s disabled child. I plan on rereading it later on in the year, in hopes of figuring out why it intrigued me so much. If you’ve ever had this experience of not knowing why you love something, please let me know what book it was; I’d be curious to hear your story.

17.   Favourite reread?

Perhaps my biggest surprise of the year has been my incredible success-rate with re-reads. From rereading favourites and having them hold up to that title, to rereading classics that now tóó are my favourites: the rereads are responsible for some of the best reading-experiences I’ve had. I’ve been on a little classical-sci-fi kick lately, which included the aforementioned Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, but also Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers and The Inverted World by Christopher Priest. The creativity of those early sci-fi minds is unmatched. On the more modern side: I loved my reread of This Disappearing House by Ally Malinenko (one of my all-time favourite middle-grade novels) and my revisit of The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett in preparation of book 2 of the series. All 5/5 experiences.

18.   Most beautiful cover design?

Instead of a single book, I have an entire trend: hauntingly beautiful nature-horror-illustrations. As seen in They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran and The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney and Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens by Lynn Hutchinson Lee.

19.   A 2025 release you haven’t gotten to yet, but want to make a priority?

Owning it by Jen Campbell; an anthology on what it’s like to grow up disabled, from 22 own-voice authors, edited by the one and only Jen. I’d pre-ordered this collection, because I’ve adored Jen’s poetry and short stories in the past and wanted to support her. I still haven’t gotten around to reading it, and want to make sure to do so before the end of the year.

20.   Most anticipated releases for the second half of 2025?

Here’s a little rapid fire round, as a full list of all the releases I have my eye on can be found under the Anticipating Tab. Priority on my radar for now are the following four.

-            Ghost Fish by Stuart Pennebaker: a magical realism novel about a young woman haunted by her sister’s death, who starts to believe that her beloved sibling has returned to her—in the form of a ghost fish.

-            Broken Dolls by Ally Malinenko; the next middlegrade novel from the author of one of my all-time favourite books This Appearing House. I already had Broken Dolls on pre-order, but especially want to urge anyone who’s interested to do the same. Malinenko deserves all the extra support she can get, as she’s currently battling a recurrence of her cancer that formed the inspiration for This Appearing House.

-            What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher; the third and final(?) entry in the Sworn Soldier trilogy, that started with What Moves the Dead.

-            Sunbirth by An Yu; described as a bewitching and atmospheric novel following two sisters in an isolated village as the sun begins to diminish above them. It’s magical realism by the author who gave us the masterpieces Braised Pork and Ghost Music, so I don’t need to know anything else to be excited.

Feel free to let me know what your favourite reads of 2025 were so far, and which ones I should absolutely add to my TBR for the second half of the year.