It’s time for my first update on my Reading Reflection for the first quarter of 2025. My goal for the year is a slow climb out of a pretty bad reading slump that I’m now 2.5 years out of. I’m doing well, if I say so myself. I’m hoping to crush this goal this year.
What did I read?
The first quarter is always easy because it shows how many books I’ve read. The image above is a slight lie because I finished a book in April already, so I only read sixteen (16) books in the first quarter of 2025, for a total of nearly 5000 pages.
My moods were primarily emotional and reflective, this quarter. Which I suppose makes sense. I still looked for lightheartedness, adventure, and informative works. I read medium paced books with a few fast and slow paced books thrown in. 80% of the books I read were fiction, and 20% were non-fiction.
I read several literary books this quarter, followed by YA and fantasy, with a few LGBTQIA*, mystery, and contemporary books thrown in. I hit more genres this quarter than I have in some years.
After one of my most read authors from first quarter last year became persona-non-grata (for very good reason) in the bookish community, I worked to keep all my author reads to a single book. However, I read two books by Hisashi kashiwai translated into English. These were the Kamogawa Food Detectives books. I was able to get two of the three. The books have been out for well over a decade in Japanese, but were recently translated and produced on audiobook. Spoiler alert: Book 1 was one of my top reads for the quarter. I’m going to read the third after my award reading is over.
Best Books of the Quarter
Of the 16 books I read last quarter, I gave six (6) 10-star ratings. (I’ve decided to return to my preferred rating of 10 stars for more flexibility in the rating system.) One book came close at 9 stars. What were they?
I received an ARC copy of When the Earth was Green by Riley Black (2025) and it did not disappoint! I’ll be honest, I know Riley from my science writer days over a decade ago. I have a signed copy of one of her previous books. I will always stalk NetGalley for her next book to read as an ARC. (And then buy it when it comes out!)
I’ve said it before, Riley made me care about a mosquito that lived roughly 100 million year ago in the geographical area that is now Myanmar. This is excellent writing. If you enjoy dinosaurs, this is the book for you! Go read it it, quick!
P.S. I’ll be using it as a comp for my next queried novel.
We follow an ARC released at the end of February with a book released a dozen years ago. When Stacy Gonzalez agreed to be my narrator for my novelette, Arcing, I added a large number of her books to my to-read. I have followed narrators in the past and Stacy is excellent! I recommend any of her narrated books! Find one in your favorite genre.
I also read Middle Grade (MG) books fairly regularly. I enjoy stories and am not all that picky about age category and genre. Sylvia and Aki by Winifred Conkling (2013) tells the story of the Mendez vs Westminister School District and the Japanese Internment camps through the eyes of two girls who lived through it. Stacy’s narration is excellent.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (2017) has been on my to-read list for a very long time, and I finally got round to reading it. I wish I read it closer to when it went on my list, though my reading slump probably interferred with that a little. Laini Taylor’s line-level writing makes me want to be a better writer. I almost don’t even care about the characters and the plot, but she also nails the worldbuiling, characters, and plot. She’s not a sci-fi writer, but she’s a dream “blurb” for my YA SF that’s coming out next year.
We’re half-way through my favorite books for this quarter and we get to the first one for the year: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (2022). This was also the first book I’ve read by Scalzi even though more have been on my to-read list. Mostly, I’m upset it reminded me of a deceased family member at a specific point and left me crying on the train during my commute. But it was something that most people are not going to be saddened by. This is otherwise a fun romp.
Next up is a book I found through the Trip Fiction website. I don’t think it’s a book I would have read otherwise. Memorial by Bryan Washington is set in Texas, USA and Kyoto, Japan. There are some choices made that would normally knock it off my “bests” list but the interweaving of timelines is superbly done.
Finally, we’re to my most recent top read of the quarter, The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson. I’ve been describing it as a cozy horror-ish fantasy, a lovely read. It came out in March and I was privileged to get an ARC. It’s going on my awards noms for next year. If any of the above is your deal or you read a little more at the links, please check it out!
If you’re curious about my reading habits and other books I’ve loved, please read my past Reading Reflections. I’ll see you in three more months. Same bat time, same bat channel.