Everything I Read in January-February 2025
2025 started on a high note with reading! I finished eight books in January and February. I read a lot of nonfiction to kick things off; a new year always puts me in the nonfiction mood. Of the eight books, I read six nonfiction books and two fiction books, and I listened to four of the nonfiction books on audio.
For 2025, my goal is to read 50 books and 14,000 pages! That’s almost a book a week. 😅 If you’re also a reader, join StoryGraph and add me as a friend: my username is cottoncashmerecathair! And please share your favorite recent read(s) in the comments.
READ NEXT: Everything I Read in November-December 2024
Everything I Read in January-February 2025
Fiction
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is a bit of a polarizing author; lots of people LOVE her books, and another group of people really don’t connect with her books. I’m somewhere in between, I think. I enjoy her books but I also don’t rave about them to everyone. The stories haven’t been super memorable for me.
I think Happy Place is my least favorite of the books I’ve read by her so far; I enjoyed the friendship aspect, but it took me a good 30-40% before I really got into it. The first third of the book was a bit of a slog for me and I really did not like either main character. I liked it a lot better by the end, and I also didn’t really hate the ending like so many others did.
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
I’ve had this book on my physical TBR for a couple of years and wanted to read something with a Valentine’s themed color in February, so I picked this one up! It reminded me a bit of The Idea of You because it involves a regular person that is writing a story on a famous person (set over two timelines, now and 10 years in the past), but I actually liked this book more. It was really sweet even if difficult to believe at times, and I loved the ending!!!
Because the main character is a journalist that also wrote a personal blog, there are bits of her articles, blog posts, and even editorial pieces written by others woven throughout the book.
Nonfiction
Atomic Habits by James Clear
I purchased a physical copy of this book a couple of years ago or so, and I decided that I finally needed to get it off my TBR! I’d heard such great things about it, and I totally understand why it gets such high praise and comes recommended by so many. It’s repetitive, but I find that helpful for really drilling the ideas into my head.
Even though I’m pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADHD, I still found it helpful to read, and I actually applied one of the tips with success before I read this book (habit stacking, which is discussed in The Power of Habit). You may or may not find that these techniques work for you!
10x is Easier Than 2x by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan
This is a business book that also came recommended by a bunch of people. It felt like a bit too much at times, and some of the stories were cringy, but I liked the overall message and can tell that I’ve personally been at 2x with my blog for far too long. I’m just afraid to leap to 10x! Like Atomic Habits, I also found this book repetitive (maybe more so). It was a little annoying but I needed that to reinforce the ideas the author presented. I recommend this book to those of you with your own blogs or businesses!
Audiobooks
Momfluenced by Sara Petersen
This book is a reflection of the author’s curiosity towards moms that have made careers out of being Instagram influencers and how they’re able to sell a “perfect” form of motherhood to their followers (and how much she and others buy into it).
It’s an interesting analysis of how and why we latch onto these people, and I liked that the author brought up important conversations around race, consumer culture, and the “ideal” family. I wanted a little bit more out of this book (particularly around how these momfluencers’ kids are impacted by their private lives being shared online), but I still liked it overall.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
I knew of Ina from her show on the Food Network, Barefoot Contessa, and I loved hearing her share her story in her memoir! I had no idea about her difficult upbringing or life before the Food Network (and how that almost didn’t happen). It’s inspiring to hear her story because we didn’t meet the Ina we know now until she was well into adulthood. I loved hearing about the multitude of life experiences and job she had as well as her love story with Jeffrey. I also loved the quick story she shared with Taylor Swift. I recommend this memoir!
Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang
I add a lot of books to my TBR and fail to remember how I heard about them, and this is another example of that. 😆 I saw it available to listen to via my library and dove in! It’s a 10-year-old book about a timeless topic: rejection and getting over the fear of rejection.
To do that, the author set out on being rejected 100 days in a row and documented his progress on his blog. He would think of something to say or ask randomly throughout his day in the hopes of being rejected, and he was surprised by the times his request wasn’t rejected. I found this fascinating and fun to listen to, and it sort of makes me want to put myself out there more so I also get over the fear of rejection.
Down the Drain by Julia Fox
OMG, this memoir. This is a doozy of a memoir (with lots and lots of trigger warnings), but wow is it enthralling! I didn’t know much about Julia Fox before picking up her memoir (I watched a couple episodes of OMG Fashun and saw her on WWHL), and she lived a life I cannot even begin to fully understand or grasp because it was so completely different from my own experience or that of anyone I know.
I was truly captivated by her writing style and kind of sad when it ended. I wanted to shake her younger self at times for putting herself in situations she knew were bad over and over again and hug her when she dealt with so much loss. She’s already been through so much in her young life!
