This blog post is all about the books I read in January 2025.
2025 is off to a great start reading-wise. However, I do think having a flight from New York to Ireland and then another very long set of flights from Ireland to Bali, Indonesia definitely helped.
Not to mention having Bali belly for a few days which meant I was able to get sucked into the new Onyx Storm.
There were great books, mediocre books and disappointing books in January. But we’re off to a good start, so let’s hope 2025 reading continues this way!
If you want to keep up with my reading in realtime, you can follow my Goodreads profile here.
This blog post is all about the nine books I read in January 2025.
The 9 Books I Read in January 2025
Below are the reviews and ratings of the nine books I read in January 2025.
1. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
When their father falls ill, estranged sisters Meredith and Nina reunite with their cold, distant mother, Anya. Bound only by a Russian fairy tale from their childhood, they honor their father’s dying wish to hear it told in full. As the story unfolds, the sisters uncover the harrowing truth of Anya’s past in war-torn Leningrad—a secret so devastating it will forever change their understanding of their mother, their family, and themselves.
My Rating: ★★★★
Winter Garden is a very popular and widely acclaimed novel and I wanted to read this over the cold period since I don’t think it would have had the same impact reading it in 30-degree weather in Southeast Asia. It wasn’t what I expected, and I actually felt like I learnt a lot about Russian/Eastern European culture and history. I’d highly recommend, but my only fault was the ending which seemed so far-fetched and unrealistic that slightly ruined the story for me.
RELATED blog post to read: The Best 15 Winter Books to Read This Christmas
2. Paris the Memoir by Paris Hilton
In Paris, the ultimate It Girl peels back the layers of her carefully curated public persona to reveal the real Paris Hilton—one shaped not just by wealth and fame, but also by deep trauma. From her rise as a pop culture phenomenon to the shocking abuse she endured in the “troubled teen industry,” Hilton shares a raw, surprising, and deeply personal account of her life. Exploring the price of celebrity, the impact of the early 2000s gossip machine, and her journey toward healing and self-discovery, this memoir reclaims her narrative with honesty, humour, and resilience.
My Rating: ★★★★★
I bet you weren’t expecting this. I actually picked this up in New York at Westsiders Rare & Used Books for $1 from their bookcart on the street. I had seen this on social media last year and it was receiving high praise, so call me intrigued. I’m actually so glad I read this and learnt a lot about Paris Hilton’s upbringing, dealing with the 90s era fame and paparazzi and the traumas she endured in her teens. I’d really recommend this to learn more about Paris Hilton and to see that there’s more to her than meets the eye.
RELATED blog post to read: 11 Celebrity Memoirs to Sink Your Teeth Into
3. The White Album by Joan Didion
Joan Didion’s The White Album is a seminal collection of essays capturing the turbulence and aftermath of the 1960s. Blending personal reflection with cultural critique, Didion explores key figures and events—including Charles Manson, the Black Panthers, and the rise of consumer culture—through the lens of her own uncertainty. With sharp prose and keen insight, this classic of American reportage helped shape our understanding of modern mass culture.
My Rating: ★★★
Another book I picked up for $1 in New York, this time from Book Thug Nation’s $1 book cart in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I had read Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking a few years ago and had always wanted to read more of her work. This book was more of a short essays compilation about life in LA back in the 1970s and 1980s. It was strange to read about wildfires in LA from back in that time while LA is currently going through some of its worst wildfires in history. Even with 50 years in between, things are still the same.
RELATED blog post to read: Best 100 Books of the 21st Century: How Many Have You Read?
4. Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
Blessings is a poignant coming-of-age novel set in post-military Nigeria, exploring identity, love, and resilience. Obiefuna, a sensitive young dancer, struggles to find his place in a world that refuses to accept him. When his father discovers his relationship with another boy, he is sent away to a strict boarding school, while his mother, Uzoamaka, grapples with his absence and the secrets within their family. As Nigeria moves toward criminalizing same-sex relationships, Obiefuna’s journey becomes increasingly perilous. Told through alternating perspectives, Blessings is a deeply moving story of self-discovery and love in the face of oppression.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Penguin very kindly sent me this book last year, so I picked it up when I was back in Ireland and took it to New York to read. A beautiful and tragic queer love story set in Nigeria where same-sex relationships are against the law. Reminded me of A Little Life, but much shorter and less tragic.
RELATED blog post to read: The Best Valentine’s Day Romance Books to Read This Year
5. Foster by Claire Keegan
A small girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland, without knowing when she will return home. In the strangers’ house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. And then a secret is revealed and suddenly, she realizes how fragile her idyll is.
My Rating: ★★★★
Claire Keegan is the queen of short stories. I was blown away by Small Things Like These when I read it last year (and need to check out the movie ASAP!) so it was no question downloading Foster when I saw it was 99p on Amazon. Another very short story but so expertly told with so many emotions in the 100 pages. An expert storyteller.
RELATED blog post to read: 15 Short Books to Help You Reach Your 2024 Reading Goal
6. Enchanted Islands by Laura Coffey
In search of solace from heartbreak and her father’s illness, Laura Coffey embarks on what was meant to be a brief holiday but turns into a six-month journey through the Mediterranean, retracing the mythical path of Odysseus. As she explores islands where mythology and reality intertwine, she finds healing in travel, nature, and the ancient stories that have endured for centuries. But when her father’s condition worsens, she is forced to return home and confront the very pain she tried to escape. Blending myth with personal reflection, her journey becomes a poignant meditation on loss, home, and the narratives we create to make sense of our lives.
My Rating: ★★★★
I picked this book up when I was at home in Ireland as it had arrived in the mail for me. By the cover and title I was expecting some fantasy fiction, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This was actually a piece of non-fiction that intertwined with some Greek mythology. This may sound like an odd concept but I actually really enjoyed the travel stories mixed with the story of the author’s father/daughter relationship. I didn’t enjoy reading about the pandemic but I guess since it was non-fiction, it couldn’t not be talked about.
RELATED blog post to read: 13 Travel Books For Those Who Love to Travel
7. Layla by Colleen Hoover
After a traumatic attack leaves Layla physically recovered but emotionally changed, Leeds takes her back to the bed-and-breakfast where they first fell in love, hoping to repair their relationship. But strange occurrences and Layla’s erratic behaviour make him question everything. When he connects with another guest, Willow, who seems to understand his growing unease, he finds himself torn between two impossible choices—one that could save Layla or one that could destroy them all.
My Rating: ★★
This might be my lowest-starred Colleen Hoover book, but good God she loves problematic characters and themes. I would say this was more on the lines of Verity with a bit of paranormal involved, but the characters were so unlikeable and it was the strangest storyline. Plus, it seems like every book has to have a character with an eating disorder, which I don’t get.
RELATED blog post to read: The Colleen Hoover Books You Need to Read Right Now
8. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
A lonely, exhausted mother, home full-time with her toddler while her husband constantly travels, finds herself unraveling—until one night, something within her shifts. She develops sharp canines, patches of fur, and an undeniable primal hunger. As she transforms in ways both literal and figurative, she begins to embrace a wild, untamed version of herself, challenging the constraints of motherhood and power. Nightbitch is a darkly funny, subversive exploration of identity, rage, and the feral instincts that lurk beneath the surface of modern womanhood.
My Rating: ★★★
Ok, so this book I had seen everywhere last year. Plus, when we were in New York I saw posters for the Broadway play starring Amy Adams. It was nothing like I expected but I enjoyed just going with it and being surprised with every other page. It felt very feminist in its message but so unique. If you pick this up, go in with eyes and mind open and just let the story take you where it’s going.
RELATED blog post to read: My 9 Most Anticipated Books Releasing in 2024
9. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail has spent nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, but the real battle is only beginning. With enemies lurking both inside and outside their ranks, trust is a luxury she can’t afford. To save her dragons, her home, and the man she loves, Violet must venture beyond the failing Aretian wards in search of allies, testing her strength and cunning like never before. But as war looms, she holds a dangerous secret—one that could either save them all or bring everything crashing down.
My Rating: ★★★★
I adore this series and had to read this third instalment as soon as it was released. I was actually surprised to get it in Bali the day it came out, so I dove straight into it. Parts of it, I loved. However, I will say that the book felt like it was full of context to prepare us for more of the series to come. The entire book was building towards a showdown that seemed to wrap up way too quickly at the end and I hate to say it felt quite rushed. I’m hoping that this book was leading to a bigger and better book four.
RELATED blog post to read: 11 of the Best Fantasy Books to Read This Summer
RELATED book blog posts to read:
Leave a Reply