Spending hours on end on transport, relaxing on the beach or just decompressing in a coffee shop, one thing I did obsessively on my trip was read. Here are the books I read in 2025, most of which were read during my time away.

Ikigai by Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles – I probably had too high expectations for this: I thought I was going to read it and by the end have found my purpose that I am currently desperately searching for. It’s more a wellness book with evidence on what makes for a healthy long life. If you’ve watched the Blue Zones doc on Netflix, there’s not a whole lot more in this than was in that. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – short and sweet. I’ll describe it as a lovely, heart warming story. I smiled when I finished it and felt really happy for the characters in it. The only issue I had was that I don’t think the translation got everything across – at times the language felt a little stunted. 

The Perfection Trap by Thomas Curran – interesting, good use of science and structured well to outline what perfection is, why it happens and how to fix it. I think it could have been slightly quicker paced though. 

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry – a perfectly predictable, perfect holiday read. I really love this author!

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn – didn’t know what to expect but this was a beautiful book. It was an incredible story of resilience, true love and just doinggggg the hard/scary stuff. (Although, I heard there was some scandal about this couple and this book but I’m gonna pretend like I don’t know any of that, la la la la la). 

Hunted by Abir Mukherjee – good twists and turns with decent pace, although I feel a fewww chapters could have been cut. Entirely unsatisfied by the ending. 

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski – 10/10. Great mix of science/science jargon with simplified, empirical examples and analogies for proper understanding. 

Orbital by Samantha Harvey – purely narrative, it didn’t have a storyline. It just felt really a really long description of space, the earth and the astronauts. Not my style at all. 

The History of the World in 47 Borders by John Elledge – I have recommended this book to anyone and everyone that will listen. SO incredibly well written and tackles difficult topics without shying away from them. Author is funny and makes history a fun read. One of the best non-fiction books I’ve read. 

A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith – 11/10, so well written in uppity olden timey English without being stiff, good humour weaved throughout, really good pace. There are a lot of characters to keep up with but still easy to follow. Honestly, no notes. 

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak – so tragic but so compelling. Story of true friendship. Part 1 was definitely my favourite. It’s so cleverly written. 

Hook Shot by Ryan Kennedy – BIGGGG boy trigger warning on this one. I smashed through this in a few days. It’s a lovely Black love story but a bit cringe in places but I’ve come to expect that of romance books. 

Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna – a lighthearted read but also not. Tackles some really hard hitting issues but almost without you realising. Good humour woven in. Lots of characters to keep track of BUT so well written it’s easy. Really had me yearning for London summer and the ages of the characters sat right where I needed. Honestly, 11/10. 

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman – okay much to consider but really like the way it’s written. It’s written like you’re reading someone’s stream of consciousness/journal style. I need to have a book club discussion on this so, anyone who has read, please come chat to me!

The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella – not everyday highbrow, abstractly profound reading: sometimes just fun! This is the most perfectly predictable, easy, holiday read. It’s funny and it’s relatable. I smashed through it in a day and a half after randomly picking it up off the bookshelf in my hostel.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – absolute trash. It’s giving YA, lack of character development, ridic storyline, and yet I was sat…

ACOMAF (2nd book) by SJM – I’m glad this book brought the bat boys into my life but that’s about it. I said absolutely not to book 3 and 4 but I was intrigued by Nesta so read book 5…

ACOSF (5th book) by SJM – the spice was spicing, the female friendships were friendshipping and the bat boys were bat-boying but that’s about it. This series really just taught me that I can do anything – if Sarah J Mass can convince the world that this series is well written, well developed and generally good, then I can do anything and everything that my mind can conceive.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – I tried to stay away from romantasy but couldn’t and now I’m just sad that I’ll never get to ride a dragon. A good read but nothing groundbreaking. FAR better than ACOTAR though, (which isn’t hard lol).