2025 was the year that changed me beyond description. My body has been reshaped, my brain rewired. Every fibre of my being has been used and adapted to creating and sustaining another life. It has been a process both miraculous and animal, both heavenly and earthbound. And it resulted in the birth of my daughter, who arrived by caesarean section at the end of a fairly excruciating 24-hour induced labour, on a Saturday evening in November.
Sitting beside me was my husband, Marcus, who burst into tears as they ripped her untimely from my womb and hoisted her aloft beneath the spotlights. Another miracle, to have found such a loving and special person with whom I am building this family. We married in September in a small but lovely wedding in South London with our close family.
So – all this to say, I haven’t had the time, energy or brain space for reading that I used to. Pregnancy came with a lethargy and a fogginess that I hadn’t quite expected, and since the birth of my daughter, I’ve found it almost impossible to put any mental effort into anything except her immediate care. As it should be. I am rewritten by the hand of millions of years of evolution.
The main achievement for me in 2025 was finally reading War and Peace, via the lovely slow read hosted by Footnotes and Tangents. The concept is simple: one chapter per day, with a community chat and podcast to support your reading. I often read my chapter on my lunchbreak at work before logging into the chat to see everyone’s reactions. And yes, sometimes I skipped a day and had a couple to make up afterwards…but the principle of the slow read generally made this huge tome feel manageable, and I loved feeling immersed in the story over the course of the year. It’s not too late to sign up for 2026!
I think War and Peace is probably an apt book at all times, but it felt incredibly timely in 2025 to be reading about the devastation that the whims of misguided men in power can wreak. I’m not sure I agree with Tolstoy’s entire thesis of history as an irresistible force, but then again, I have recently felt much like a tiny speck being carried along by a great tide. And, as a pregnant person, I felt more vulnerable than ever before, and conscious of my responsibility bringing a new human into a difficult world. Pregnant women don’t often fare well in War and Peace, also a stark reminder of how lucky I am to have gone through this process in the modern world.
Aside from War and Peace, in 2025 I read 10 books. I normally bold my faves, but to be honest with you, I really enjoyed everything I read this year.
The Devil’s Half Acre by Kristen Green – a fascinating history of Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who married the owner of a hellish slave jail in Virginia, inherited the site, and transformed it into a school.
The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson – based on a true story, this novel tells the story of an Icelandic woman captured by slavers and taken to Algiers in the 16th century. Culture clash doesn’t even begin to cover it.
The Fifth Sun by Camilla Townsend – I’ve wanted to read this for years, ever since hearing about it on The Rest is History. A very readable history of the Aztecs, with so much detail that the tragedy of the conquest was powerfully moving.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith – a faux-Dickensian tale of impostors and identity in Victorian London, with a brief detour to the Caribbean. Sometimes on the nose with its themes of celebrity and influence, but absorbing nonetheless.
The Ninth Child by Sally Magnusson – fairies in the Scottish wilderness.
The Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price – a history of the Vikings. SO much stuff I didn’t know! Incredibly interesting, particularly the sections on Viking religion and gender roles.
Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner – I’ve been vocal about my love for Kaner’s series, and Faithbreaker brought it to an exciting and fitting end. I highly, highly recommend this trilogy, especially if you enjoy high fantasy.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo – I’m a longtime fan of Bardugo (and met her at a book reading several years ago). Although she’s most famous for the Grishaverse YA books, her adult offerings are wonderful. The Familiar explores Spanish history, intertwining dangerous magic with the oppression of the Inquisition, and a Jewish lead who must conceal her identity whilst exploiting her growing powers.
Superior: The Return of Race Science by Angela Saini – I’ve had this non-fiction on the TBR for a while, but needed to be in the right mood for it. Obviously highly relevant and more than a little disturbing.
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman – I loved Grossman’s The Magicians series, so was excited to read his take on Arthurian legend. What’s refreshing is that it’s a very straight take on the mythology – no gritty realism here – but at the same time incorporates modern themes in a way that somehow feels totally authentic (there is LGBTQ+ representation throughout, for example). If this were a film, it could do with 30 minutes or so being cut from the final reel, but overall, I really enjoyed this Medieval romp.
Catherine Queen 
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