My Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

My Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025

I decided for this list to only include the books that I do not have ARCs for. These are all coming out between July and December of this year. Below my list of ten, I've also put in some books I have or had ARCs of, which I will be reading by the end of the year. There are so many incredible books coming out in the next six months. 

1. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna- Release Date: July 15th, 2025

~ I enjoy Sangu's fantasy worlds, both in the adult cozy fantasy range and her middle grade books. This one has a semi-villainous talking fox, which makes me very excited to check it out. Also, I love how she writes her love interests. Cannot wait to get to this one very soon.

2. The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar- Release Date: August 5th, 2025

~ I loved Louis Sachar’s books as a child, especially The Wayside School stories. When I heard he was writing an adult fantasy book, I knew I would have to read it. Hope it has as much whimsy as his children’s books with an adult feel to it. 

 

3. Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer- Release Date: August 5th, 2025

~ I read the first book for my book club earlier this year and then read the second right after. Definitely looking forward to seeing what will happen in the third, especially after the ending of the second. The humor in these books is great!

4. Katabasis by R. F. Kuang- Release Date: August 26th, 2025

~ This might be my most anticipated book on this list. One of my favorite classics is Dante’s Inferno and this is said to be a cross between that and Piransei. Sounds absolutely perfect to me. I cannot wait for this to come out. 

 

5. For the Rest of Us edited by Dahlia Adler- Release Date: September 2nd, 2025

~ Love these story collections that are edited by Dahlia Adler. For the Rest of Us is filled with holiday-related stories from many different cultures. 

6. No Friend To This Home by Natalie Haynes- Release Date: September 11th, 2025

~ This will not be coming out in America until March of next year, but it is coming out in the UK in September. I'll keep it on this list because I may get a copy from Waterstones so I can read it this year. Natalie is one of my favorite authors, and I cannot wait to read her version of Medea’s story. I’m sure she is going to do an incredible job with this, as she always does.

7. The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan- Release Date: September 23rd, 2025

~ The Sun and the Star is my favorite of Rick’s books, and I am so happy he is continuing Nico and Will’s story in this book. 

8. Twice by Mitch Albom- Release Date: October 7th, 2025

~ Mitch Albom has been one of my favorite authors since high school, and I always look forward to his new books. This one sounds like a beautiful love story about a man who can have a second chance at everything. Such an interesting premise.

9. Cinder House by Freya Marske- Release Date: October 7th, 2025

~ I will forever love retellings, and this sounds like one of the best I have ever heard of. It is a queer novella based on "Cinderella." Ella was murdered at sixteen and is trapped as a ghost at her father's home. She is only visible to her stepmother and stepsisters. She finds a way to untether herself from the house, but cannot be seen or heard by anyone else. At the stroke of midnight each night, she finds herself back on the staircase where she was killed. She makes a bargain with a fairy to be able to have three nights of freedom and finally be able to be seen and touched. 

10. The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers- Release Date: November 20th, 2025

~  I love books about books, especially magical books and bookshops. This book sounds like the perfect standalone fantasy for me. 

 

Anticipated Books which I have/had ARCs of

     

 

I read an eARC of this book earlier this month, and it was great. Definitely, looking forward to adding it to my physical library when it comes out. Such a beautiful story. Nikita Gill is my favorite poet.   

 

I am currently reading a physical ARC of this book and it is absolutely wonderful so far.  

Favorites of Spring 2025

      🌷 My Favorites of Spring 2025 🌸

Below, I have listed some of my favorite music, movies, YouTube videos, and TV that I have watched or listened to this Spring. This has been a great season for some amazing entertainment. 

🎞️ Movies/Movie Trailers/ Specials:

1. On the Road Again: A Goofy Movie 30th Anniversary with Bill Farmer and Jason Marsden | Disney 🚖

~ This was a great special for the 30th anniversary of A Goofy Movie. I love that Bill Farmer and Jason Marsden still do stuff like this for this movie. Great video. 

2. Thor: Ragnork 🔨

~ A rewatch of one of my favorite Marvel movies. I think this a near perfect movie. I especially love Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston’s brotherly bond as Thor and Loki. The balance between emotional and humorous scenes was very good in this. It is a delightful movie. 

🎵 Music:

This year has been great for new music. Here are some of the best that I loved in Spring 2025. 

1. “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts and the Backstreet Boys

    🎼 I have been eagerly looking forward to this version of this song ever since it was first announced. It came out on May 2nd and it’s so damn good! I love it even more than the original. Definitely looking forward to the rest of the album in June. Rascal Flatts will always be one of my favorites bands. 

2. “Twilight Zone” by Ariana Grande

    🎧 I’ve been a fan of Ariana’s for many years but don’t listen to her all that often. She has many songs that I love and this is a new favorite. It sounds heavenly, especially the beginning. I could listen to this song on repeat. I love all her music on this new album but this song is perfect! 

3. Life is a Highway: Refueled Duets by Rascal Flatts

    🎵 Rascal Flatts has been one of my favorite bands ever since I was a child. So I was excited to hear this remixed cd and it was perfect. I like how many of these songs has a bit of a different sound. Each one sounds great with the other singers too. My favorite of their songs will always be “Stand.” This new version was perfect! Makes me nostalgic for when I used to sit in my room and listen to their music for hours when I was in middle school. Beautiful album. 

5. “Love Me to Heaven” by Jonas Brothers

     🎶  Gosh, I adore Jonas Brothers music so much. Love the beat of this one. 

6. “End of the World” by Miley Cyrus

    🎼 A great new song from Miley.

📺 TV Shows:

1. Ghosts (Season 4)

~ This seems to be on every one of my favorites lists anymore. Definitely, my favorite show that is currently playing on tv. I’m so glad we are getting at least two more seasons. It is just so brilliant! 

2. Andor (Season 2) 

~ Andor is a perfect example of what can be done with Star Wars entertainment and I hope that they will learn from how well it is being perceived by the audience. It is an adult show and I mean that as the highest compliment. Tony Gilroy does an incredible job editing this show together. He is able to make you feel tension for characters who we know are going to survive because they are in later Star Wars media. There are so many incredible quotes that stand out. I adored every minute of this wonderful season. Brilliant storytelling, character work, and media. Definitely, the best we have gotten from Disney Star Wars. Watch this show! 

3. The Bad Batch (Season 1: Episodes 1-5)

~ I only just started this show this past Saturday (June 14th), so I’m only five episodes into it so far. Definitely, a great show to watch after the heavily emotional Andor. I love the found family elements between the Bad Batch and Omega. It’s so cute and fun. Looking forward to seeing what will happen next in the show. 

🖥️ YouTube:

1. BooksandLala- Kayla’s videos bring so much joy to my days when I watch them. We do not have the same taste in books all the time but I love listening to her talk about them and seeing her creative ideas. 

~ Reading Books that have been on my TBR for 10 YEARS

~ Guessing Your FAVOURITE BOOK Challenge ep. 2- YAY!

~ reading 2 brand new releases 🐝 📚 buzzword book vlog ep. 4- “There’s an 11-year old in the backseat.” Lol I love these vlogs with Kayla’s mom. They’re great. 

~ 24-Hour Reading Vlog ⏰ Revisiting my FIRST Ever Booktube Vlog- Little Liam is so adorable, oh my goodness. I remember when he was that little. 

~ Guessing Favourite Books Based on Your Zodiac Sign & Career- Probably my favorite of Kayla’s new series. Love these videos so much. 

~FINALLY a 5⭐️ Read|| Buzzword Reading Vlog ep. 5- Great video as always. Oh my gosh, I have to read The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton, very soon. Sounds so good. Maybe, I read it for this month’s Buzzword challenge like Kayla did. (I did not)

~ me + my mom + books 🌹 Buzzword Reading Vlog ep. 6- I love watching the clips with Kayla and her mom. 

~ Dreaming Up My Perfect Books 🧠📚- This is such a great idea. Definitely, going to turn this into a tag and do my own dream book concepts. 

2. Dominic Noble

~ Wicked~Lost in Adaptation- Yeah, I will never understand who read this book and thought it should be a Broadway musical, but I’ll be forever happy they did. 

~ Wicked~ Lost in Adaptation (The Film)

3. Charlie Hopkinson

~ Jedi Masters Learn Alderaan get’s exploded

~ Young Obi Wan learns how he dies

~ Qui Gon reacts to the Death Star getting destroyed

4. The Super Carlin Brothers

~ I got back into watching J and Ben’s videos this season. I don’t know why I stopped watching them but have really been enjoying seeing their theory and quiz videos again. I’m not going to list the videos I enjoyed of theirs because there are many of them. I like to listen to them in the background while I’m working on other projects. Such a great time. Love this channel so much. 

Other Favorites

1. Puzzles

~ This is my favorite puzzle that I have ever done. I love that it literally looks like a stain-glass window and that the light shines through it. It is stunning. Also, it has the Dodo bird on it who is my favorite character from the movie. 

~ Loved working on this puzzle while listening to a few audiobooks. 

2. Diamond Painting

~ Got this wonderful diamond painting from Michaels. It’s one of their Make Market kits. I absolutely love everything about this one, especially with it being on a wooden backing. Definitely one of my favorites I have done. Turned out beautifully. 

3. Food 

~ Salad made with spinach, grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a pickled egg: my favorite salad. 

~ Lunch: 

    -Spinach wrap with Lebanon Bologna, Turkey, Spinach, mustard, and mayo, 

    -Tomatoes

    - Homemade Parfait with Strawberry Yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, and granola

Books on My Summer 2025 TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Books on My Summer 2025 TBR

I did very well with my Spring 2025 TBR and read 8 books out of the 10. I started The Herbwitch’s Apprentice by Ireen Chau yesterday and am about halfway through so I will be finishing it this Spring. Couldn't get into the last one the multiple times I tried to pick it up this season (The Way of Edan by Philip Chase) and I decided to try it again later on this year. 

There are so many books I want to read this summer. Here are 10 I would like to get done in the next few months. It is quite ambitious though with three books over 500 pages, so we will see. Hope you all have a great summer. Happy Reading!

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusack- I have been meaning to read this book for over a decade now and am finally going to do it this year. The narration being from Death's perspective is so intriguing. 

2. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde- The Thursday Next series is a favorite of mine so far and I definitely have to continue with it soon. It's been way too long since I read the second book.

3. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown- I love books about books and this one deals with a book that has portals into other worlds. My dream come true. 

4. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson- I read Words of Radiance in the Spring and have wanted to pick this up ever since I finished it. Here's hoping I can find the time to read this behemoth of a book very soon. I'd love to finish the first arc of The Stormlight Archive this year, but I know that probably isn't going to happen. 

5. The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden- Yet another series I want to continue soon. I read The Bear and the Nightingale years ago and adored the story. It feels like the right time to finish this trilogy. So, I’m going to read this book this season and read the third book later on in the year. 

6. My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows- This list is filled to the brim with books I have wanted to read for awhile. I love the Janies' books and this one is right up my alley. Female pirates, "Little Mermaid" retelling, and humor. 

7. Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher- I have a physical ARC of this book and I'm going to read it within the next month. T. Kingfisher is a favorite author of mine. This Snow White retelling sounds amazing. It has a secret dark realm held within the magic mirror. I’m so intrigued. 

8. Animal Farm by George Orwell- I wanted to have a few classics on this list that I have been meaning to read. Recently, I had a conversation with my brother about 1984 after I had read it for the first time and I happened to mention how I never read this one. So, I made a promise to rectify that soon. 

9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte- Another classic I have been meaning to read for years, but never have. I did start this book years ago and couldn't get into it. I would like to try it again this season. 

10. Judgement Day by Terry Pratchett- This is the fourth and final book in The Science of the Discworld series. I’m looking forward to finishing this series. 

Bookish Wishes

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Bookish Wishes

The Top Ten Tuesday for this week is to give a wishlist of books you would like people to get for you. I decided to change this a little bit and put books that I have read that I would like to eventually get a physical copy of for my collection. These are books I either read from the library or through eARCS. 

1. The Halcyon Fairy Book by T. Kingfisher- I read this book throughout January and February this year. It is divided into two different sections. The first is T. Kingfisher’s commentary on various fairy tales from many different countries. She is absolutely hilarious. I laughed so many times reading her comments. Then the second part is her book Toad Words which is a collection of her own fairy tales. This book is not sold anymore physically. I’m hoping I will be able to find a copy of it someday for my T. Kingfisher collection. 

2. Zamonien series by Walter Moers- I have read both the first and third books from the Zamonien series.  Only some of the books in the series have been translated into English. I read both books last year and loved them. It is my dream that all of the books in this series will be eventually translated and to be able to get them all. So far only the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth have been translated into English. I do physically own the first book and have the third in audiobook. 

3 Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series by various artists - A few years ago, I read through almost all of this series with library books and loved them. Each book in the series focuses on a creature or type of character from folklore such as: witches, giants, sirens, fairies, dragons, tricksters, shapeshifters, and ghosts. I would love to eventually be able to get all of these books for my collection. 

4. The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter- I remember when Heather first announced that she was going to publish an origin story for the Evil Queen from “Snow White” that was loosely based on Anne Boleyn. This book was even better than I thought it would be. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the book. It was a perfect book for me and I definitely want to add it to my collection sometime soon. Cannot wait for the sequel to come out next year. 

5. The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland- I read this book over two years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s a vampire novel about a woman named Collette who is also a preschool teacher. It is one of the most interesting novels I have ever read and I still have not picked it up for my own collection. Definitely, plan on getting it eventually.

6. Descender: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 by Jeff Lemire- Descender is a science fiction graphic novel series. I read an ARC version of the deluxe edition of this book almost eight years ago now for the first time and really enjoyed it. Then, I read it again about two years ago to read the second part of the series. I definitely want to add this to my graphic novel collection someday.  

7. Spear by Nicola Griffith- King Arthur stories have always intrigued me and this was definitely a great take on the folklore. I especially enjoy the relationship between Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot characters in the story. 

8. Death’s Country by R. M. Romero- I read Death’s Country last year with an ARC from NetGalley and fell in love with it. R. M. Romero is an incredible writer and I adore how her novels in verse so much. I could gush about this modern-day take on the myth of “Orpheus and Eurydice” all day and I do not know why I didn’t buy myself a copy of it yet for my collection. It will definitely be soon. 

9. Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa- Yet another book that I adore that I have yet to add to my collection. Most Ardently is a queer Pride & Prejudice retelling which I read last year with an ARC. It is one of the best young adult books I have ever read and is just a beautiful romance. 

10. The Collected Poems of J. R. R. Tolkien- These are the only books on this list that I have not read before. I have read a couple of the poems over the years, but not all of them. I’m hoping to add these beautiful books to my Tolkien collection. They are absolutely stunning in every way.