2025 in Review - Jan-Mar

Welcome to part one of four of '2025 in Review'. In these posts I will be taking an opportunity to reflect on the year and to share with you the books that helped to shape it.

Overall in 2025 I finished 11 books and 2 audiobooks, which I'm quite happy with. It was a full and busy year, decorated with a lot of sunshine and adventure as well as cosy dark days inside. It was also a year in which I had no 'dnf's (did not finish) and would gladly recommend everything that I did read. So, I hope there will be plenty to add to your bookshelves by the final quarter.

January 2025

• Finished reading Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.

• Plenty of coffee dates and dinners to make the month less drab.

I try to not let January be a dull and uneventful month after the festival of December, as I want to start the year as I mean to continue; with those I love doing the things that I love. This means my social calendar does not always dwindle and I progress with my goals rather than reset them.

Obviously, the colder weather and lower funds has me chilling out on the sofa with a book too. Still too chilly for intensive gardening or running, so getting out and about is bookended by cosiness.

During January, I finished reading Coco Mellors' second novel, Blue Sisters. Her debut novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein was impossible to put down, and so I was more than eager to get my hands on Blue Sisters. I am always interested in reading about sisters as an older sister to a younger sister myself. My relationship with my younger sister has always been an inexplicably close one complicated by mental health conditions and different ideas on how to approach adulthood. So having the opportunity to read about complicated relationships between sisters has become a kind of balm for me; they become books I wish I could gift to my own sister. A way of saying "I see you. I know there is necessary distance, but I'm here and I love you". I really felt this with Blue Sisters as the four sisters were the chalk and cheese we are; all entirely individual but weaved together with a bond only sisters can know. The togetherness in tragedy; the love in the conflict.

Mellors has a talent for painting the messiness of relationships with elegance; the collision of different lives illustrated with delicate embroidery. Anyone could read either of her two novels and see themselves, their friends, their lovers, staring back at them with their less than favourable parts on display for all to be seen but by no means less loved for it. If you are a fan of drama and complicated human relationships - including extensive explorations of mental health conditions and addiction - you will easily sink your teeth into Mellors' work.

February 2025

• Finished reading Godkiller by Hanner Kaner.

• Happy birthday month to me.

Greetings to the Aquarius and the weird romantics that dwell in the second month of the year, you are in good company. Since my 30th birthday I have approached my birthday with far more excitement than I used to. I have started a new tradition of marking the occasion by wandering about Kew Gardens and The Natural History Museum (the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition being a favourite) followed by good food and cocktails.

I do not want aging to be something I fear, but instead something to be grateful for.

In this month, I escaped into my first fantasy series for some time. I am not sure where my love for the fantasy genre faltered but I started to find them unrelatable and lacking the meaning I needed during my late twenties. Godkiller appeared on my socials regularly and was also a 'book of the month' in Waterstones; I think I picked it up when I had a gift card and during a moment of curiosity; why was everyone so interested in it? On one of the opening pages before the novel's start, Kaner is described as being inspired by 'angry women'. Sold.

Perhaps not the most original of settings and conflict based plotline, but most definitely some of the most interesting characters. Representation clearly matters to Kaner as her characters explore themes of identity, heritage, loyalty, and ableism. I instantly felt invested in these characters (which is always dangerous in the fantasy genre as authors are known for killing off your favourites) and found myself rooting for them, crying for them, and frustrated with them.

Godkiller is a great start to the trilogy and I will recommend this to anyone wanting escapism, romance, and excitement before springtime seduces you back outside.

March 2025

• Finished reading/listening to A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough.

• Finished reading Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner.

• Went on the greatest adventure in Australia.

In the month of March my partner and I boarded a plane and jetted off on a 16 night holiday to the wonderful land of Australia. We visited family in Perth, as well as explored Sydney and Melbourne. It was a trip filled with adventure, incredible wildlife encounters, and good food with even better company. It would take an entire blog post to truly do that holiday justice.

The trip to Australia came with two 17 hour flights between London and Perth, with some internal flights between the cities. This meant a great opportunity for reading. Sadly, my autism makes flying most uncomfortable so I probably read a lot less than some others may have been able to. To help myself out, I purchased some noise-cancelling headphones and downloaded an audiobook narrated by David Attenborough. This was my first time encountering audiobooks, and I think it has won me over as a fan.

The fact that it is narrated by Attenborough himself is a huge win because he has a calming voice that lends positively to the overwhelming scenario of a cramped 17 hour flight. As you can imagine, the topic was not a light one, yet Attenborough's tone and confidence is able to navigate the doom of climate change with gentle determination that draws you in to the fight rather than scares you away. Yes, I did feel guilt listening to this incredible book whilst inflating my carbon footprint aboard those planes, but it also filled me with hope.

I think A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future is a book EVERYONE should and must read, no matter what your thoughts are on the climate crisis. Attenborough has lived an extraordinary life that is inspiring, and he is leaving behind a most remarkable legacy that is in all of our hands. It will give you so much to consider and will grow your understanding of impact and consequence, of accountability and choice. Please, give it a go and maybe watch the accompanying film on Netflix if you are more visual.

After investing in the characters in book one, I obviously took Kaner's second offering, Sunbringer, with me on my holiday. I needed something to counter the seriousness of Attenborough whilst I was in a space of escapism and adventure. I did find the plot falter a little toward the end as most fantasy series do in the middle, but the strength and liveliness of the characters kept the novel fresh and exciting. I will most definitely be picking up the final instalment when it is released in paperback.

Overall, the first quarter was a busy and eventful one with a lot of good reading. Stay tuned to find out how the rest of the year went.

And most importantly reader, have a warm and safe new year. May all you hope for find a way to you in the coming year.