5•4•3•2•1 Books

I didn’t realize how much this year’s reads reflected my moods — cozy, eerie, and quietly contemplative. Maybe that’s what I love most about reading: it traces where you’ve been without you even noticing.

These are the rare gems I’ve found in the rubble of modern literature — stories that linger, that breathe, that remember the weight of words and the depth of their characters. Lately, that feels harder to come by amid the rush for quick, sellable writing and AI-polished pages.

Still, the year’s not over yet. I’m hopeful there are more stories out there waiting to surprise me before 2025 closes its final chapter. ✨

5 Books I Love:

1. Julie Chan is Dead — Liann Zhang

   Sharp, unsettling, and impossible to put down. What begins as a story about identity and social media quickly spirals into something much darker. Liann Zhang perfectly captures the anxiety of living online while delivering a thriller filled with twists that genuinely surprised me. One of those books that becomes increasingly difficult to stop thinking about after you've finished it.

2. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees — Patrick Horvath

   Imagine a cozy woodland picture book colliding with a serial killer story. It sounds absurd, yet it works remarkably well. The contrast between the charming artwork and the darkness lurking beneath the surface creates something both unsettling and oddly delightful. Equal parts horror, mystery, and satire, this graphic novel is unlike anything else I've read.

3. Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery — Rachel Ekstrom Courage

   Pure comfort reading. The author captures the voices of the Golden Girls so well that I could practically hear every line being delivered by the cast themselves. It's witty, nostalgic, and exactly as cozy as the title suggests. If you're a fan of the show, reading it feels like spending one more afternoon in Miami with old friends.

4. The Travelling Cat Chronicles — Hiro Arikawa

   Few books have made me laugh and cry with such ease. Told largely through the perspective of a cat, this novel is warm, gentle, and deeply human. Beneath its simple premise lies a beautiful reflection on friendship, love, and the people who shape our lives. A reminder that some of the most moving stories are also the quietest.

5. Victorian Psycho — Virginia Feito

   Darkly funny, disturbing, and gloriously unhinged. Virginia Feito takes the familiar Gothic setting of Victorian England and twists it into something wickedly entertaining. The narration is razor-sharp, the humor is deliciously cruel, and the entire novel feels like a fever dream dressed in lace and velvet. Not for everyone, but absolutely for me.

4 Books on my TBR:

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Interactive Illustrated Edition) — J.K. Rowling

   I've read the Harry Potter series more times than I can count over the past twenty years, so this isn't exactly a new read for me. What intrigues me is the edition itself. MinaLima's interactive illustrated books transformed the first three novels into works of art. Since the project ended after Prisoner of Azkaban, I'm curious to see how this edition approaches Goblet of Fire. Sometimes revisiting a beloved story through a new format is reason enough.

2. East of Eden — John Steinbeck

   This feels like one of those classics that has been glaring at me from the edge of my reading life for years. I've read very little Steinbeck, but I know he has a reputation for beautiful prose and memorable characters. At the same time, I've never fully connected with American literature as a whole, so part of me wonders whether this novel will finally change my mind—or confirm my suspicions.

3. Les Misérables: The Manga

   Victor Hugo's famous tragedy has never particularly called to me. Yet somehow, seeing it adapted into a manga format makes it infinitely more approachable. If there's ever a version capable of convincing me to step into this world, this might be it. At the very least, I'm curious to see how such an enormous and beloved story translates into visual storytelling.

4. I Who Have Not Known Men — Jacqueline Harpman

   This is the book on my list that intrigues me the most. The premise is mysterious, the praise is unusually passionate, and every review seems to hint at something profound without revealing too much. Those are often the best books to enter blindly. I know very little about it—and I'd like to keep it that way until I turn the first page.

3 Books I Recommend:

1. How to Age Disgracefully — Clare Pooley

   If you're looking for a book that restores your faith in people, this is it. Warm, funny, and endlessly charming, Clare Pooley brings together an unlikely cast of characters and reminds us that it's never too late to reinvent yourself. Beneath the humor lies a story about community, purpose, and finding connection in unexpected places.

   
   

2. Kitchen — Banana Yoshimoto

   A deceptively simple novel about grief, loneliness, and healing.

   Banana Yoshimoto has a remarkable ability to capture profound emotions with quiet, elegant prose. Despite its brevity, Kitchen lingers long after the final page, offering comfort without sentimentality and sadness without despair.

3. Hostage — Guy Delisle

   Part graphic novel, part memoir, Hostage recounts the true story of a humanitarian worker held captive for months in the Caucasus. What makes it extraordinary is its restraint. Rather than focusing on action or sensationalism, Guy Delisle explores isolation, routine, and the psychological realities of captivity. It's thoughtful, absorbing, and unlike any other graphic novel I've read.

2 Books I recently Read:

1. Orange: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 — Ichigo Takano

   Some books lose their magic with every reread. Orange somehow does the opposite. No matter how many times I return to it, I find myself appreciating it even more. Its blend of friendship, regret, hope, and second chances remains just as moving as when I first picked it up. Few stories capture the emotional complexity of growing up with such sincerity, and it's become one of those rare books I'll happily revisit again and again.

2. Valentine in Montreal — Heather O'Neill

   This was an entirely unexpected read—one I picked up during my first wedding anniversary trip to Montreal. Sometimes the most memorable books aren't the ones you've carefully researched, but the ones that find you at exactly the right moment. Heather O'Neill's writing is whimsical, atmospheric, and distinctly Montreal, making this book feel inseparable from the city where I discovered it. Reading it now brings back memories of the trip just as much as the story itself.

1 Book I am Currently Reading:

Sensor by Junji Ito

I'm a huge fan of Junji Ito, and Sensor felt like exactly the right addition to my collection. There's something uniquely captivating about Ito's work—equal parts fascinating and disturbing—that keeps me coming back for more. I'm still reading this one, but I'm already enjoying another journey into his wonderfully strange and unsettling imagination.

Looking at this list, I can't help but smile. Over the past few years, I've explored hundreds of books across countless genres, discovered new favourite authors, revisited old favourites, and watched my TBR grow at a rate I could never hope to keep up with.

These days, life is a little busier, and I may not read quite as much as I'd like. Even so, this feels like a fitting snapshot of my reading life at the moment: a mix of beloved books, future reads, recommendations, and stories that continue to surprise me.

I've managed to read the majority of the books that once lived on my TBR, though there are still a couple hundred waiting patiently on the list. And knowing myself, I'll continue adding new titles whenever something intriguing crosses my path.

It's been a beautiful, chaotic literary journey—one filled with unexpected discoveries, unforgettable characters, and shelves that somehow never seem to have enough space. While the pace of my reading may change, my curiosity never will.

Here's to the next chapter.