Delayed in posting this one this year — just not enough time or spoons or whatever a person is supposed to have in their utensil drawer to get everything done! But at last, I can now present the list of books I read in 2025, so get ready to take notes.

As ever, I like to note that I’m not so into “this is what I thought” reviews. Reviews, to my mind, should tell you a little about the story, maybe what other authors the writing or story reminds you of, and a general sentence about if it worked or not. What you love I may find dull, what I can’t stop talking about might make you want to disappear around a corner.

Anyway, that’s where the “no judgment” book list of mine came from. I am judging, of course — the fact that I finished a book and it’s on this list says something. There are always some I start and can’t bear to finish. But if you’re looking for some recommendations for what to read next — check these out!

Life by Keith Richards

As someone who’s not a giant Rolling Stones fan – but who also has nothing against the legendary rockers – I’d heard great things about Richards’ autobiography. He’d always seemed like the most interesting of the Stones to me, anyway, a real embodiment of a great guitar riff. And while I don’t know if he used a ghostwriter or not, the prose in this book feels very personal, very readable, and really well done in a non-showy way. Richards kept journals throughout his career and seems to have a very good recall (despite the mounds of drugs he ingested over the years), and he’s the guy I’d love to sit down and have a whiskey (not a beer) with. It’s a long book but never a slog, and it’s terrific that he incorporates so much about his musical knowledge, his instruments, the whole nuts and bolts of putting together a great song – while also acknowledging that there’s a bit of unknowable magic in the whole enterprise.

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helen Tursten (Marlaine Delargy, Translator)

Partially, this is an incorrect title, because main character Maud may be elderly when the book begins – and she’s about to embark on a trip to South Africa – but she’s been wily and unafraid to elminate problematic people her entire life. She’s not exactly a serial killer, but – well, you’ll see. Let’s just say you don’t want to get on her bad side. And there’s a bonus to this quick, fun read: gingerbread cookie recipes in the back!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

A gentle, earnest story about a social worker for magical children who’s sent on a mission to investigate an orphanage where the “worst” of the magical kids lives – and discovers both it, and himself, are not what he expected.

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

It’s hard to imagine how this tale of a mad doctor isolated on an island who creates manimals landed when it first published in 1896 – it’s horrifying and scary (and yes, has a few problematic places) even for modern audiences. A fast read, and worth having in your mental vocabulary.

Turducken by Lindz McLeod

Short, surreal SF/F/H stories starting with the title one about a man who bred an actual living turducken – which then has three minds of its own. Most of the stories are short and vivid, heavy on metaphor and will leave you with indelible images.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

A thoughtful, funny, but ultimately moving projection of what Jesus Christ’s early (and pre-preaching) years were like, as told by his BFF Biff – who is tasked with helping the future messiah learn what it’s like to be human.

The Elementals by Michael McDowell

Gently-paced but menacing from nearly the first page, this slow-burn horror focuses around two legacy families of the south and the trio of summer houses they frequent – but which contain menacing spirits that have haunted them for years.

Nothingland by Katherine Silva

Part three in the Undead Folk novella series sees Janet/Ella tracking down the man who killed one of her fathers, and coming to some measure of peace – but based on the endpage, this story has more legs on it yet.

New Rock, New Role by Richard Sparks

The first book in a planned four-book series in which an older RPG player finds himself and his teammated vaulted into a living, breathing version of the game he’s been playing – but his high stats have been set back to noob. Surprisingly, he’s not all that eager to escape back to his more humdrum life, and takes on quest after quest to become a new kind of hero.

Three Things Cameron Couldn’t Tell You by Michael Haynes

Haynes is a master of short-short stories (longer than flash, though) which confront the humanity amid science fiction altered realities that are often less-than-ideal. There’s heartbreak, lost opportunities, and vengeance aplenty in these satisfying bites, and you’ll want to savor each one rather than rushing through the entire book at once – but, you know, good luck on that.

The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Chauntecleer is a proud, mercurial rooster who rules the roost – and apparently many other animal species with a mighty crow and an iron (not literal) wing. But when the evil wyrm living beneath the earth decides to take over the world, he’s got a fight on his hands – and more allies than he realizes. This is a book younger readers can enjoy, but is written in a more adult style, a la Watership Down. (And should not be confused with the ancient Irish book by the same name.)

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

In whch Fox News – er, Fax News, not only ruins the world by brainwashing those who watch it, but also turns them into murderous zombies who … well, let’s just say this is fiction not non-fiction, though the lines certainly are blurry these days.

Mort, by Terry Pratchett

Or, Death takes a holiday after taking on an apprentice who promptly makes all the possible errors and learns that history is unstoppable even if you prevent the death of a cute princess who’s destined to die. Some real gems in here, and super clever writing.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

A study of elephant behavior, grieving rituals and mother-child bonding. Oh, and there’s also a human daughter looking for the mother she believes abandoned her, a disenchanted former cop, a failed psychic (or is she) and a massive twist at the end you won’t see coming unless you think throughout the whole thing, this teenage daughter does not behave like a 13 year old at all. Oh, and elephants. Did I mention the elephants? So many elephants.

The Mind Worms by Nicholas Kaufmann

The corporations are at it again, infecting locals with their toxins – which means poor Jordan is carrying a mysterious disease that makes him see worms, which kills him … and that’s when things really go downhill for the analyst and the town of Sakima. This is Kaufmann’s third book featuring the curious coroner (with the worst luck in the world) Dr. Laura Powell.

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

When my friend Lynda tells me “this one’s a rough ride” in a bookstore as we pass a book, I know it’s the one for me. In a futuristic world where animals develop a transmissible virus that prevents them being eaten, it’s vegetarian/vegan heaven! Except, it’s not: Human desire for flesh means cannibalism is not only fashionable, it’s trendy. I’d like to think the world where we decide that eating people (and raising them in herds, as well as hunting and experimenting on them) is more sensible than just becoming vegans is too awfully fanciful to happen, but I live in this world, right now, where people are now deciding that established, verifiable, effective science experiments now need to be tried all over again, like vaccines and fluoride in the water and pasteurization. So yeah, I believe we have enough selfish, ignorant morons out there that they’d go for any meat rather than no meat.

If Wishes Were Retail by Auston Habershaw

A simple premise – what if a genii (or djinn) set up a shop in a mall to dispense wishes (at a reasonable price)? It’s much harder than you’d think to get people what they wish, as it turns out, even when he has a helper in 17-year-old Alex, who has one wish of her own: To get out of town and go to college. Not a lot of books make me laugh aloud (even if I enjoy them) and this one has at least one gag that did exactly that. A delightful, fast read.

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale

One of the legends of the genre that had more or less passed me by until I went to a panel at ArmadilloCon (which included his son) where they talked about what made his stories so effective, scary, and also often funny. It sounded up my alley so I picked up this new edition from Tachyon Publications in the dealer’s room – and a convert was made. Lansdale’s stories are gory and go the extra mile to get you into a true horror state of mind, but are also original and fierce, while also laced with tons of dark humor. Not for everyone, but these were definitely for me. Will search out more from the guy people just call Joe.

Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein

This was sent to me in the hopes of securing a blurb, and it was one of the best presents I got in 2025 – despite my initial hesitations about the topic (AI in the workplace) and a modern twist on the epistolary format. But I quickly overcame all of that because the prose was snappy, the characters lots of fun, and the story took me on a real journey I didn’t expect to have. Like I said in the blurb, it’s electric, terrifying, witty and deeply human. Put it on your list for 2026!

OK, what did I miss? Let me know in the comments what books you loved this year, and what books I should be reading in 2026 … I’ve got stacks of TBR piles, but you never know!

2022 No Judgment List (29 books)
2023 No Judgment List (20 books)
2024 No Judgment List (20 books)

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