End of the Year Book Tag | What I Still Want to Read Before 2025 📖

[@amy8458]

Hi Aisling , Hope you enjoy The Winter of the Witch. The Winternight Trilogy made me a historical and myth fantasy reader. You've converted me to a literary fiction reader. Look forward to your thoughts on Brooklyn. I've had the best reading year since joining Booktube in 2017 because I've found the right friends to watch and know my tastes for the first time.

[@aiscahill]

Thanks, Amy. That's such a lovely sentiment. I'm glad that you get so much out of the BookTube space ☺️

[@spexi513]

“Five Stars is a feeling “ - indeed ! 📕🪱💚

[@spexi513]

Loveddddd Orbiital . And The Safekeep I really really liked 📕🪱💚

[@aiscahill]

I'm so glad to hear it. I bought Orbital on a whim over the weekend and feel really drawn toward reading it. I almost bought The Safekeep too, but put it back when I got the image of my overstuffed bookshelves into my head 😅

[@onourpath]

I've read Orbital, The Safekeep, and am currently reading Stoneyard Devotional. I loved James, but The Safekeep is far and away my favorite from the Booker shortlist, although I'm totally loving Stoneyard Devotional, too. My New Year's plan is to read from the longlist -- out any day! -- and shortlist of the Tournament of Books, which will run through March of next year. I did booktuber challenges on Storygraph from both Ben and Simon -- I'm just wrapping those up, and am excited to see what they come up with next year. I'll try to read some from the NBA and Women's Prize shortlists, Booker translated books shortlist, the regular fiction Booker shortlist, and the Pulitzer winner (maybe.) I love reading the prize shortlists, but the challenges from storygraph help me read my own tbr books. The Tournament of Books is really my favorite book thing that happens, so I follow it pretty closely every year -- starting in 2005 -- twenty years! I also sort of work on the NY Times 100 best fiction books challenge, and the Penguin best fiction books -- those will take me years to complete. It sounds like a complicated mess of reading, but the timeline usually allows for it. And, since my life isn't complicated enough 🙄, I need this reading insanity on top of it. But, I do have fun, and if I'm not having fun, I'm moving to the next book, because life is short!!!

[@aiscahill]

Would you believe, I have never heard of Tournament of Books before this comment? But it looks excellent. I’d love to do more reading challenges and read more prize nominees but for now I’ll potter along with reading the books on my shelves. Sounds like you have an excellent year ahead in 2025 ☺️

[@onourpath]

@aiscahill excellent.... or insane!

[@jay_poet]

I’ve had The Wind Up Bird Chronicle sitting on my shelves for a while now but I never feel like I’m in the mood for Murakami. I’ve moved up in the library queue for Brooklyn! Only a 4 month wait now 😂 I bought Assassin’s Apprentice a couple months ago - I need to reread the trilogy so I can finally finish the series. I only have a couple of reading plans for next year - to read what I own and read Robin Hobb pretty diligently.

[@aiscahill]

I found that it was a book that I was enjoying well enough, but never felt overly motivated to pick it back up when I put it down. Which is probably why I haven't finished it. Who knows, you might still manage to read it before me 😂 It sounds like our goals are pretty well aligned in that regard. And yet, reading what I own still continues to prove incredibly challenging 🫠

[@starlasell5698]

❤📚📚❤️

[@aiscahill]

@@starlasell5698 💛✨

[@logansreads]

Great video Aisling! I’ve been considering starting 2025 with the Count of Monte Cristo too. That or Lonesome Dove (another big book). I’ve heard so many good things about it. Orbital and Outline also sound really interesting, though it’ll be a while until get to them.

[@aiscahill]

Thanks, Logan. I’m really curious about Lonesome Dove, too, but I doubt I’ll get to it any time soon. So many books to read, so little time ☺️

[@logansreads]

@ so true!

[@azu_rikka]

I have a lot of reading goals, but they are only there to be ticked off and give me some dopamin, not to push any numbers😅. A plan that I have for next year is reading 12 fantasy and sci-fi books. I already have twelve books in mind, but I might still change them or add more. I am very excited about it because I don't read fantasy (and only get along with little sci-fi). I do this project to buddy read with my daughter, who only reads those two genres and lives 1300km away😊.

[@aiscahill]

Ah, that’s an interesting challenge that you’ve set for yourself. I want to start to read more sci-fi, too. That’s such a lovely way to spend quality time with your daughter in spite of the distance ☺️

[@mr3465]

🖤

[@aiscahill]

Thanks for watching ☺️💛

[@sararistic499]

I've read Pamuk's Snow in January this year and it was well timed and quite atmospherical. Will not share further thoughts on it until you read it, would be curious how it is perceived by a reader not familiar with the culture that it describes. :) Looking forward to your thoughts on it!

[@aiscahill]

You have me very intrigued about it now. I do often think that I lose things or that things go over my head in certain books because I lack context in terms of place, time, history, culture and politics and wonder if I should research books more before I read them. But I also don't want to lose the magic of reading something new by having analysed it too much even before I've picked it up. I'd love to return to prioritising reading stories from authors all over the world once I get through the majority of the books on my shelves ☺️

[@debbievan8736]

Hi Aisling. Just love the way you describe literary fiction. I love most genres, but I agree, literary fiction does tend to have an added depth.🩷

[@aiscahill]

I never want to knock any genres, or to make anybody feel bad about the types of books that they read, but yes, I do find something special in literary fiction that I haven't quite found in other types of books. But I'll keep looking, for sure ☺️