I used to trust book ratings. Now I’ve found a more personal way. Here’s how I choose a book to read based on something deeper than stars.

How reading fiction and nonfiction builds empathy, and sometimes, a quiet kind of loneliness in a disconnected world.

Here’s a list of the best books I’ve read in 2025 so far that I couldn’t put down, and felt a little sad to leave behind when they ended.

Clarice Lispector’s The Hour of the Star is the book that first pulled me into the classic fiction. The beauty of its quotes lingers with me.

I turned my Bookstagram from polished content into a creative space. Letting go of the rules helped me enjoy sharing again in my own way.

From childhood to now, every phase of life brought a first book that stayed with me. These are the stories I’ll always remember.