This year, I didn’t always log rereads, so most of these are the new books I read. In 2025, I was working on a gothic horror kind of project that I have ultimately shelved for the time being, until I can take a sabbatical in England to study the geography, history, local plant life, and castle architecture (dream big!). I have since shifted my focus to a different project that requires less historical research to pull off. Let me know if there are any takers on funding that sabbatical, though!
Best Scary Things
I think you should read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and Diavola by Jennifer Thorne close together. I listened to both on audiobook, and they would be complimentary.
Good Use of Magic
I listened to Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young on audiobook with the audio speed turned down so it was read slightly slower than standard, which is not a thing I usually do, but it added a really languorous, calm pacing to the telling. I really enjoyed it that way. I think the use of magic in this book was lovely. The story was ultimately about the characters making human choices (not the magic), which is important when magic is involved in storytelling. Overall, well done.
Best Nonfiction
If you are interested in the history of chemistry and medicine, or if you think you know everything there is to know about alchemy from osmosis through your consumption of fantasy books and movies (or New Age self-help), you should probably check out the The Secrets of Alchemy by Lawrence M. Principe to learn about the long history of these endeavors that have led to modern day medicine and chemistry. It was an academic read (slow, small print, in paperback, in the wee hours after work and on weekends), but it was worth it.