The first month of 2025 is behind us, and my reading year started with a bang! One of my major goals for 2025 is to read down my physical TBR and January was a big success. I read nine books, eight of which I own physical copies of. I also had a few exciting pre-orders come in and was sent some lovely books by publishers. Let’s take a look!
What I read
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
Young adult horror
Format: Audiobook via Libby
The Rats by James Herbert
Horror
Format: Paperback
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
Mystery/translated
Format: Paperback provided by publisher
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
Horror
Format: Paperback provided by publisher
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Science fiction
Format: Audiobook
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
Nonfiction
Format: eBook
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown
Nonfiction
Format: Audiobook
Looking back at what I read in January, it’s a pretty unusual lot. I rarely read nonfiction, but happened to pick up two nonfiction titles last month. While I often read at least some fantasy, I didn’t read any in January, instead turning to crime fiction and horror novels (although admittedly, horror is my go-to genre these days).
I am really pleased with the number of audiobooks managed to listen to, especially as a number of them counted toward my physical TBR. Overall, it was a good reading month, but I think I’ll try to inject a little fun into February’s reading (January’s selection was quite grim).
Books I bought
I rarely pre-order books, but when I do I get them during the Waterstones double/triple points weekends. Last year, I pre-ordered the Waterstones special editions of Water Moon by Samantha Soto Yambao, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix, and Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan. I also picked up a copy of Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker from my local bookstore – this is one of my current reads and it’s fabulous and horrifying so far.
The era of buying a huge number of books each month is over, but you have to admit that this selection is on point.
Books sent to me by publishers
Publishers were very kind to me in January! A mix of January and February titles alongside some later 2025 releases, all of these books look so incredibly good. I think the ones I’m most excited for are Victorian Psycho and Greenteeth – Gothic horror and T. Kingfisher-esque fantasy both sound like just what I need!
Huge thanks to Titan Books, 4th Estate, William Collins, Harper360 YA, Chicken House, and Orbit Books for sending these along!
That’s it for this month! What did you read in January? Do you have any reading goals? Let me know!
I Should Read That 
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