Syl's Blog

My Reading Habits in 2025

Alright, I'm getting in one more post before the end of the year!

I've kind of been dying to talk about the books I read this year, but not in a typical "top books of 2025" way. 2025 was officially the year I got back into reading, but that didn't happen until around August, so I went most of the first half of the year without reading much at all. I think I read a grand total of two books before August.

Then something happened. I suddenly wanted to read again -- and voraciously. I was craving books, particularly in the horror and dark fantasy genres. I started utilizing my library, which thankfully is very close to my apartment, and I'm pleased to say that most of my reads this year came from the library. I've even kind of made friends with one of the librarians because we have the same taste in books, and it's nice to chat with her about my latest reads.

Anyway, I think I want to just do a general overview of things I noticed with my reading this year, and I will mention some of my favorite books, but I'm not going to do a ranked list or anything like that. So here goes!

Horror and Diversity

I think one of the reasons I got back into reading in such a big way this year is because I started reading books in my favorite genre. I've always gravitated toward horror games and movies, but for some reason I never picked up many horror books in the past. I'd never even read a single Stephen King novel (and I still haven't, but I'm hoping to change that in 2026). I have read a good chunk of mystery, which is kind of a sister genre, but not much that you'd say is outright horror.

This year, I completely changed that. I think it's good to challenge yourself when it comes to reading, but I also think my biggest struggle with reading over the past few years has been that I challenged myself too much. I was picking up books because they were highly acclaimed and described as books that everyone must read in their lifetime. And it was taking me literal months to get through them.

I do think it's important to read literature outside your comfort zone and to consume a variety of media by diverse creators. That's something I absolutely want to do, but I don't want to constantly try to brute-force my way through a book if my heart's not in it. I don't know, maybe that's a discussion for another time. But guess what -- there are so many diverse creators working in the horror genre! And those books are important too! They have things to say!

A standout book for me this year was Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, a Native author. It's about a young Cree woman in Alberta, Canada, who deals with haunting dreams after the death of her sister. It focuses on family, community, and loss alongside its supernatural elements. It plays with horror genre conventions, particularly in the way that dreams are presented and how the main character's family reacts to them. In Cree culture, dreams are significant and deeply meaningful, so the Native characters in the book take them seriously.

I've struggled with dream sequences in books by white authors because they often feel like a weak plot device, but in Bad Cree they were integral to the story and came to life in a way I'd never experienced before. I gained a greater appreciation for dreams and their meanings, as well as their importance in Cree culture, because of this book. It also gets into inter-generational trauma and experiences that are unique to Native people. It was affecting and wonderful, and I'm so glad I read it.

I want to find more horror books by diverse authors in 2026. Here are a few I have on my list:

...and many more!

New Favorite Authors

This year, I read two books by Brom, two books by Uketsu, four books by Darcy Coates, and four books by T. Kingfisher. I can safely say that they're all new favorite authors that I discovered this year.

(Technically, I'm still reading my second Brom book and it won't be finished until after the New Year, but we'll just sweep that little fact aside for now.)

Brom writes dark stories based on folklore that end up being quite cathartic. Slewfoot is about a young woman in Puritan New England who clashes with her oppressive village and cavorts with the pagan spirit living in the forest next to her house. Krampus, the book I'm currently reading, is about -- well, you've probably heard of Krampus, but it brings him and Scandinavian mythology into the 21st century.

Uketsu is a Japanese YouTuber who wears a mask to hide his real identity and is known for his creepy videos. He's written two books so far, Strange Pictures and Strange Houses, and has a third one coming out in 2026 called Strange Buildings. I read his first two this year, and they were chilling. They're quick reads, but they're great examples of doing a lot with a little. Uketsu gives you just enough detail to thoroughly creep you out and then lets your imagination run wild.

Darcy Coates is a prolific horror author who plays with a bunch of different tropes, from haunted houses to serial killers. Although a couple of her books fell flat for me in places, I enjoyed them overall and plan on reading more from her. My favorite so far is Dead of Winter, which follows a vacation group stranded in the Rockies in the middle of winter while a serial killer picks them off one by one. Her books are easy to read but full of suspense and genuinely scary. She does the horror aspects very well, even if some of her characterization and plotting feels off at times.

T. Kingfisher is my favorite new author. I've fallen in love with her offbeat characters and worlds. Nettle & Bone follows an unlikely group of heroes after they're recruited to avenge a princess-turned-nun's abused sister. The Sworn Soldier series puts us into a re-imagined version of the world in Poe's Fall of the House of Usher with a non-binary main character and some beautiful fungal horror. Then there's The Hollow Places, which gives us a unique, entertaining, and genuinely creepy look into alternate universes.

Short Is Sometimes Very Sweet

A few of the books I read this year were novellas, which you could argue inflated my reading total, but I'm still proud of myself for reading them.

Novellas are a bit tricky because sometimes the author ends up being stunted by them. They can have great ideas that aren't developed properly due to the story's short length. I definitely ran into that a couple of times this year.

But there were two novellas in particular that stood out to me as beautifully crafted within their page limits: The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke and Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio. If you're looking for quick reads that will stick with you, I highly recommend those two.

The Wood at Midwinter is a gorgeously illustrated story about the relationship between humans and nature, and our capacity for love. It made me appreciate my dog, Ranni, even more than I already did.

Graveyard Shift follows a group of five night owls as they investigate strange occurrences in their college town. It's kind of a series of character studies, as each of them has a distinct personality as well as their own reason for staying awake. It's such a neat concept, and I thought it was done really well. The writing was sharp and detailed for such a short book, and I felt like I was there in the town. I definitely plan on checking out this author's longer works.

2026 Reading Goals

And I suppose that's it! My goal for 2026 is to read a total of 50 books, mostly horror with other genres thrown in for good measure. I'd like to read a couple of non-fiction books, and I want to make sure I read plenty of diverse stories by diverse authors. I have two books on hold at the library already. I can't wait to see where 2026 takes me in my reading journey!

#books