Top Ten Tuesday: Spring 2025 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a tag hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's prompt is "Books on My Spring 2025 To-Read List"!

I love making lists, especially reading lists, but even more satisfying is sticking to them. I'm very pleased to report that I read every book on my Winter 2024-25 To-Read List! Yay!

This time, instead of throwing a bunch of books on this list and trying to get to them amid my regularly planned reading, I made my Spring 2025 reading plan and then added books from that to this list. (You'd think I would have tried doing that before now ...) There are a few books on this list that aren't on my reading plan, and there are a lot of books on my reading plan that aren't on this list, but I think I'm setting myself up for a much easier goal this time!

Note: these are in alphabetical order. All covers are linked to Goodreads.

1. Circe, by Madeline Miller

Genre: Myth Retelling

"In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love." (From Goodreads)

2. Daindreth's Outlaw, by Elisabeth Wheatley

Genre: Romantasy

"She broke her curse, but can they break his? Daindreth’s Outlaw is the sequel to Daindreth’s Assassin, continuing the story of the assassin who falls for the archduke she was sent to kill." (From Goodreads)

3. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

Genre: Fiction

"Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities." (From Goodreads)

4. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, by Heather Fawcett

Genre: Fantasy

"When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series." (From Goodreads)

5. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

Genre: Historical Fantasy

"The year is 1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon, and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation's past. But scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell, whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country. Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange. Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men which overwhelms that between England and France. And their own obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine." (From Goodreads)

6. Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen, by Donia Bijan

Genre: Food Memoir

"For Donia Bijan's family, food has been the language they use to tell their stories and to communicate their love. In 1978, when the Islamic revolution in Iran threatened their safety, they fled to California's Bay Area, where the familiar flavors of Bijan's mother's cooking formed a bridge to the life they left behind. Now, through the prism of food, award-winning chef Donia Bijan unwinds her own story, finding that at the heart of it all is her mother, whose love and support enabled Bijan to realize her dreams. From the Persian world of her youth to the American life she embraced as a teenager to her years at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (studying under the infamous Madame Brassart) to apprenticeships in France's three-star kitchens and finally back to San Francisco, where she opened her own celebrated bistro, Bijan evokes a vibrant kaleidoscope of cultures and cuisines. And she shares thirty inspired recipes from her childhood (Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant and Orange Cardamom Cookies), her French training (Ratatouille with Black Olives and Fried Bread and Purple Plum Skillet Tart), and her cooking career (Roast Duck Legs with Dates and Warm Lentil Salad and Rose Petal Ice Cream). An exhilarating, heartfelt memoir, Maman's Homesick Pie is also a reminder of the women who encourage us to shine." (From Goodreads)

7. The Foxglove King, by Hannah Whitten

Genre: YA Fantasy

"In this lush, romantic new epic fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten, a young woman’s secret power to raise the dead plunges her into the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King’s royal court." (From Goodreads)

8. The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, by Elaine N. Aron

Genre: Nonfiction

"Are you a Highly Sensitive Person? Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day as essential to you as food and water? Are you noted for your empathy? Your conscientiousness? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you? If your answers are yes, you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). Over twenty percent of people have this amazing, innate trait. Maybe you are one of them. A similar percentage is found in over 100 species, because high sensitivity is a survival strategy. It is also a way of life for HSPs. In the 20th Anniversary Edition of this groundbreaking classic, Dr. Elaine Aron, a research and clinical psychologist as well as an HSP herself, helps you grasp the reality of your wonderful trait, understand your past in the light of it, and make the most of it in your future. Drawing on her many years of study and face-to-face time spent with thousands with HSPs, she explains the changes you will need to make in order to lead a fuller, richer life." (From Goodreads)

9. The Storm Keeper's Battle, by Catherine Doyle

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

"Fionn Boyle, Storm Keeper of Arranmore, is facing the fight of his life. The terrifying all- powerful sorceress Morrigan has been raised from the dead and has sealed off the island from all help. Fionn is the only thing that stands between her and a dark future. He's got to find a way to defeat her. But there are some terrible choices in store for Fionn as the dark sorcerer begins to take his nearest and dearest for her own. With only two candles left to burn, will Fionn master his powers in time to stop her?" (From Goodreads)

10. Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler

Genre: Fiction

"A socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding." (From Goodreads)

Have you read any of these books? Do you like to plan out your reading months in advance, or are you more of a mood reader?