Welcome to Litsy!

I‘ve thought long and hard about my favorite reads from 2025 and this is what I came up with. In no particular order. I feel like I had an exceptionally good year, though, and I really enjoyed lots that didn‘t quite make the cut.

* In 2025, I began hardcore reading Harlequin books because they‘re guaranteed HEA‘s. No shame!
* In 2025, I started Taylor Jenkins Reid‘s books because I felt silly never having read her before. 3 down, and ongoing!

My absolute favorite of Rachel Hartman‘s books.

Charl is a young boy trying to deal with a plague, protecting his mother, a dragon, and his sudden ability to see ghosts.

#MiddleGradeMonday @Karisimo @Daisey

Exquisite and brutal.

Five stars and gallons of my tears.

I picked this up based on a recommendation, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

This is a unique time travel story, published in the 90s, but set in a near future pandemic that feels eerily prophetic, while paralleling a story set in an outbreak of illness in the 14th century.

Part sci fi, part historical fiction, part tragedy, overall, this book examines how human circumstances change, but love, fear, hope, and mourning still remain.

Interesting history of the Black Plague outbreak in Europe in the mid-1300s. I liked all the quotes and stories about individuals living at the time. Kelly also devotes an appropriate amount of text to the cruel atrocities committed by Christians against Jews using wild conspiracy theories as their excuse.

The Black Death in London, by Barney Sloane (2011)
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Premise: A look at the impact of the Black Death on the city of London and environs.

Review: This book‘s greatest success is in its incredible detail. Sadly that‘s also it‘s greatest weakness. Even as someone very nerdy about history, archaeology, and public health, the level of detail here was overwhelming and felt unnecessary. ⬇️

#timespacetraveller
#charactercharm
Doomsday Book was my first Connie Willis and an all time favourite, but I can't find my copy atm. @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A new Rachel Hartman book is cause for celebration in this house! Set in Goredd centuries before Seraphina or Tess of the Road, Among Ghosts is a Decameron-inspired tale of plague, memory, religious violence, and the courage it takes to pursue freedom, truth, peace, and community.

After escaping his abusive father, Charl & his mother find refuge in a small town. Life becomes more complicated when a dragon comes into town hunting them, a plague sweeps through, & Charl can suddenly see ghosts.

Lovely.I was enraptured & felt angry when I had to stop reading to go back to work. I adore Hartman‘s world building. Charl was a wonderful protagonist. He acts his age, but is also kind. Need to dive back into the world.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗