For this year, I’m going to try to update this post every month, then add in my over-all thoughts and stats and stuff on New Year’s eve.
Reading goals for 2025 are:
- Clear out some of the TBR Pile of DOOM
- Read some sequels
(I read a lot of “Book 1″s in previous years, let’s finish the story…) - Read multiple genres
(Not just Fantasy and SF, I aim to read some historical fiction, history, biographies, etc…) - Read 50 books
(In 2024, my goal was 30, and I read 60… but in previous years I didn’t do so well. 50 should be do-able…)
January
1 – Miss Penny Saves the Heir
This was a fun cozy mystery. The main character talks to ghosts and her cat.
I read the second book in this series last year (it’s Christmas themed…) and enjoyed it. I’ll most likely be reading the third book this year as well.
My Rating: 4 stars
2 – Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea
Cozy fantasy about a book/tea shop. This was a fun adventure.
(Content: no/low spice f/f romance sub-plot.)
My Rating: 4 stars
3 – A Covenant Under the Shadow of the Dragon God, Volume 1 (Light Novel)
by D. Gustave Heath
Fairly typical isekai, just a tad on the more violent side. It starts out slow, but gets pretty good by the end of volume 1.
My Rating: 4 stars
4 – Wernher von Braun: A Life from Beginning to End
Biography of one of the world’s early rocketry pioneers. My only complaint here is that I wish it were longer.
(Fun fact: I named a ship after von Braun in A New Threat.)
My Rating: 5 stars
5 – Monster Reserve Ranger: A Slice of Life Fantasy – Shane Cutter
So, I had some reservations based on the cover, but the description and reviews didn’t say anything about …. spice…
Overall, it’s a really good slice of life fantasy about a guy who retires from the army and becomes a magical forest ranger.
<turns the page>…. Oh. Well, um, can’t let the kids read this….
My Rating: 3 stars
6 – Lord Edgington Investigates #1 – Murder at the Spring Ball – Benedict Brown
I read book 9 out of this series in December last year, loved it, and want to read more.
Book 1 is just as good. The main character isn’t as mature in this book… but that’s a good thing, he grows over time. This is a delightful mystery story, and I’m going to read more of them.
My Rating: 5 stars
7 – Miss Penny Directs the Choir – Cathy Quintilla
Another fun mystery with Miss Penny, Onyx, and Tobby. All our favorite characters are here, and it’s a nice cozy mystery.
Only ding here was the motivation and stuff at the end got a bit convoluted, in my opinion.
My Rating: 4 stars
8 – Alan Turing: A Life From Beginning to End
A concise summary of the life of a brilliant codebreaker, who could have been so much more.
My Rating: 4 stars
9 – The Last Bookshop in London – Madeline Martin
Oh, this one was so good! It captures the love of reading, the love of books, the way a story can let you live in another time, as another person.
It’s also an excellent historical fiction. You live out what it was like in London during WWII.
I’m going to get the paperback version of this one.
10 – Hedy Lamarr: A Life from Beginning to End
This is a biography on one of the most beautiful, and smartest women ever.
Unfortunately this one reads more like an IMDB entry than a biography, with only a paragraph or so about her inventing (what would become the underlying tech behind) WiFi.
My Rating: 3 stars
11 – Lord Edgington Investigates #2: A Body at a Boarding School – Benedict Brown
The second book in the series. Yet another fun mystery. I don’t like to talk too much about the plot, partly because you can get the gist from the back of the book copy at Amazon or wherever, and partly to avoid spoilers.
The book is a lot of fun, and I’m going to keep reading the series.
Wow, I read a lot of stuff in January! (To be fair, the first two books I started in December, but finished in January…)
This year, I’m making my yearly book post early, and updating it every month. (I’ll add the end of the year stats and stuff on New Year’s eve/day.)
So stay tuned to see what I read in February, and keep checking in.
My Rating: 5 stars
12 – The Last Dragon on Mars – Scott Reintgen
This one was really good! A nice dragonrider book, that doesn’t use any overly tired tropes, some fresh ideas, and a nice space-opera setting. I couldn’t put it down!
My Rating: 5 stars
13 – Beyond Mach 3: A Pilot’s Journey Through The U-2 and SR-71 (1950 to 1970) A Memoir – Buddy Brown
A fascinating personal account of one of the SR71 pilots. It’s a neat look into the background of what it took to be a pilot of the SR71, and what it’s like to fly it and other aircraft.
My only gripe is I’d prefer more content on the Blackbird.
My Rating: 5 stars
14- Miss Marple #1: The Murder at the Vicarage – Agatha Christie
I hadn’t read this classic before. Really good mystery. My only complaint was that the titular character is basically an extra in the story, which I found odd, since she smart and interesting character.
Still a good read, though.
My Rating: 4 stars
15 – Umbra: Sentient Stars – Amber Toro
This was a good space opera adventure. Lot’s of stuff going on, fun adventure, and a nice setup for book 2.
There are three main viewpoints, and I was into two of them right away, and couldn’t stand the last one… until the end of the book (that one did get a nice redemptive character arc, though.)
There was a romance element, but it felt a tad tacked on, and not given enough time to develop naturally. (Perhaps it will in book 2?)
My Rating: 4 stars
16 – The Bookshop on the Corner – Jenny Colgan
Last year was the first I’d read anything by Jenny Colgan (a Christmas themed one.) Based on that, and this one, I’m going to read more. The book captures the love of books, reading, and everything that goes with that.
I think the van is my favorite character 😉
My Rating: 5 stars
17 – Counterstrike’s Ruin: The Naplian Stratagem – Steve Rzasa
Fun SF/Military novel. Ittty-bitty print on the cover says it’s book three, but enough details are filled in that it reads like a stand-alone novel.
The plot is mostly political/war driven, but there’s lots of starfighter action too.
My Rating: 4 stars
18 – Twenty-One Stones: Leap Limit Book 1: A Time Travel Adventure
This book is half future dystopian, half time-traveling adventure. The back of the book promises a fun time travel adventure to the American Revolutionary War…
… but the first 25% or so is dystopian. Personally, I’m not a big fan of dystopian, so I didn’t really like the first 1/4 of the book.
Once it actually got to the time travel adventure part though, it was really good! The character stumbled around, made friends, and learned about the past. It was great.
The ending was a tad too drawn out, but it did lead right into book 2…
My Rating: 4 stars
My favorite book from January:
Hmm, it’s a toss up between:
- The Last Bookshop in London
- The Last Dragon on Mars
- The Bookshop on the Corner
All of those were excellent.
February
I don’t think I’ll be able to get through that many books this month. Let’s see!
19 (F01) – Jake Rodger’s Planet
This is kinda Hatchet, only on an alien planet, and on hard mode.
This was a fun adventure, and recommended for people who like Hatchet, Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, and similar stories.
My Rating: 5 stars
20 (F02) – Ellis McFadden Mysteries #1: Breathing Space – Kristen Painter
This is a really good cozy mystery, set on a space ship. And there’s a talking cat!
This was a really nice mystery, different that the typical, and I really want to talk about that…. but, spoilers!
And, the romance sub-plot did NOT have a third-act betrayal, Yay!
If you like space opera, or (and especially “and”) then you’ll want to read this.
I’m for sure going to the next books in the series.
My Rating: 5 stars
21 (F03) – Robert Oppenheimer: A Life from Beginning to End
An overview of the life of Robert Oppenheimer (father of the A-bomb)
Like most of the Hourly History books, these a quick overview of the person. In most cases, it’d be nice to have more details, but they do cover the major highlights.
My Rating: 4 stars
22 (F04) – Joe Grey #17: Cat Telling Tales – Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Why start a series at book 17, you ask. Good question. I saw the hardcover of this at a surplus store for like 25 cents, and it was about cats, so I got it. I then saw it was on Kindle Unlimited, and it’s easier to read on my tablet, so…
These are really good. The mystery portion is okay, but the cats!
There are ordinary cats, then there the very rare intelligent Speaking Cats. Jo Grey (and a few of his friends) are Speaking Cats. And they help their human friends solve mysteries.
Don’t get me wrong, the mysteries are pretty good, but I’m here for the Speaking Cats. Most of the book is from their point of view.
My Rating: 5 stars
23 (F05) – Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas – Frederick Douglass
Somehow, I never got around to reading this in high school.
A very informative book, Mr Douglass is open about how it was like to be a slave… and in his words, he had it easy compared to some in the deep south.
This book, and others like it, should be read, even after emancipation, to remind us to treat other humans … as humans … and how we would like to be treated. We need to be reminded of where we were, so we never go back there again.
My Rating: 5 stars
24 (F06) – Bloodline of the Phoenix #1: Rings of the Matriarch – S.D. McKittrick
This is a good fantasy litrpg story. Cam was all set to take over his father’s Adventurers Guild, then he gets his class and skills at age 18…. but he’s not a fighter like he’s been trained for, he’s a crafter!
What I love about it, is the main characters get together early, and are devoted and loyal to each other. Also, the parents aren’t dead, and they’re supportive and loving.
This is a fun adventure, level-up, and charter story that avoids falling into the same tired, re-done plot tropes.
My Rating: 5 stars
(Sigh… don’t read book 2. I started it, and the author turns it into a freaking harem novel. There’s already a zillion of those! It was just about the only one it its subgenre where the characters were monogamous… then they had to go and ruin it. I quit book 2 partway through.)
An overview that goes into a fair bit of detail of the SR-71 program.
The book has lots of pictures, and a few personal stories, though I would have preferred a few more.
My Rating: 4 stars
26 (F08) – Taroniah at Sea – Peter Rhodan
I first read the Taroniah books last year, so when Amazon told me a new one came out, I bought it right away.
This time, Taroniah decides to do something about the pirates that are harrying all the southern kingdoms.
… Those poor pirates…
Again, this is just a good time. This is how you do an OP character the right way.
My Rating: 5 stars
Did you read any of the same books as I did? Comment below, and lets talk about them!
Aaron is the author of the Psygens and Space Cats series, and the Etherno series. Aaron is a certified Linux nerd who’s been a fan of both Star Trek and Star Wars as long as he can remember. Naturally he writes space-opera. He lives in rural Michigan with his wife, four kids, and at least two cats.
You can learn more about Aaron and his books at aarondemott.com
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