Top 8 Posts of 2025 – Year in Review (Part 3)
Hi Readers! Welcome to Part 3 of Year in Review series: Top 10 Posts of 2025. This post is possible only because of ALL OF YOU. Because of a slow reading year, it was a slow writing year too. I shared 37 posts this year. The total viewership reached more than 31800 views! This is just 3k views shy from last year, which is quite good, if you ask me. This year was challenging in terms of blog upkeep so much so that I had a thought of shutting down shop. There have been way too many issues way too often which was a complete nuisance for me to sort out every time. Because of this, there are still errors that crop up and it’s not all perfect. And that’s exactly why despite it all, I am just beyond thankful to have such a wide readership. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
~~INTERMEZZO: SALLY ROONEY’S BEST NOVEL YET!~~
What does it mean to be happy? Fulfilled? If I had to pick my answer based on Intermezzo, I would say it simply means being able to share your thoughts with your loved ones time and again. Stream of consciousness writing can either make you dizzy or leave you amazed. With Intermezzo, I was amazed. There were several instances where page after page description is singularly just the thoughts that are happening inside one character’s head. Once it’s just ordinary day to day living. Other times we can feel him falling into a downward spiral of depression and hitting rock bottom. Another when he is thinking about his childhood. And, really, many others. The stream of consciousness writing was so fresh and unreal at the same time, because I could relate to the 100 kmph speed of thoughts running in my brain. What didn’t strike a chord with the previous Sally Rooney books for me, worked like a charm in this one. I have rated Intermezzo by Sally Rooney at 4/5 stars!
~~STRANGE PICTURES BY UKETSU: READ NOW!~~
There is always a book that takes Bookstagram by storm. Everyone is either reading that book or can’t stop talking about that book. It’s always a five-star read. It’s an unputdownable book. It’s so unique that you wouldn’t have read anything like it before. I’m here to tell you that ALL of this is NOT an exaggeration because Strange Pictures by Uketsu falls true on all this hype and more!
Strange Pictures consists of four chapters, all look like an individual story but they’re all connected in a glorious way that unravels to the reader little by little and then all at once. The first chapter is layered because what sounds straight-forward has hidden meanings – both words & pictures. The second chapter has a drawing made by a child – which can mean many different things. The third chapter is intriguing because why would an art teacher draw a landscape of mountains during his final moments? It makes you think and draw your own conclusions, which are very closely related to your own life. So, it works on a personal level as well by making you a part of the book. I have rated Strange Pictures by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion at 5/5 stars!
~~BOOK RECOMMENDATION: MY FRIENDS BY FREDRIK BACKMAN~~
My Friends is the story of an artist who had no idea his painting would sell in billions some day, but his friends did. These friends who spent a few summers together in their childhood but somehow became everything to each other. Joar, our wild and fierce friend, who badgered the artist to paint. He claimed it was to win a competition, but only he knew he did it to save the artist from falling into a deep hole. Ted, our quiet and loyal friend, who understood why everyone did what they did, but kept it to himself, because he didn’t need to prove to his friends how smart he was. They knew it anyway. Ali, our wild and lovely girl friend, who came like a storm and disappeared like it too. But, the kind of storm that comes in to save everyone from a drought, leaving everyone shocked, happy and grateful. And, of course, we have our artist friend, without whom the story will not exist. I have rated My Friends by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith at 4/5 stars!
~~THE HEALING HIPPO OF HINODE PARK: READ IT OR SKIP IT?~~
The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park consists of five short stories centred around characters living at a condominium called Advance Hill close to which is the somewhat-secluded Hinode Park where the Healing Hippo or as the say Healing Kabahiko is stationed. The premise is that if you touch the part of the Hippo where you are feeling pain, the hippo heals you. When it comes to healing fiction or feel-good books, it’s always tricky. Some of them are life-changing because they have these mini life lessons that speak to you in volumes. But, then in some others, there is nothing relatable so it becomes a little juvenile or silly to read. With Michiko Aoyama’s first book ‘What You Are Looking For is in the Library’, it was the former scenario, but with the second book, it was the latter. I have rated The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Takami Nieda at 2/5 stars!
~~HEALING JAPANESE FICTION BOOK RECOMMENDATION: THE LANTERN OF LOST MEMORIES~~
The Lantern of Lost Memories is made up of three short stories, where in each one a person has died and is transported to a rest stop which is a photo studio where their photos are developed based on the memories which flash through their eyes before they die. I found all three stories to be unique, with each speaking of different values all relevant to humans in all walks of life.
The first story, ‘The Old Lady and the Bus’, taught me that even when life gets tough, there is always a silver lining, and how we should never lose that hope. Hope of happiness, hope of success, hope of calm. The second story, ‘The Hero and the Mouse’, taught me that there is good and bad in all of us, and how kindness is always the correct path. The third story, ‘Mitsuru and the Last Photo’, taught me that life is unfair, but you must do your best. If that doesn’t work, go to an echo point and scream into the void and let it all out! Every single life lesson from this book is something I needed to hear right now. It gave me hope, courage and audacity to live my life. I have rated The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi, translated by Jesse Kirkwood at 5/5 stars!
~~ATMOSPHERE, A LOVE STORY BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID~~
A love story set at NASA in 1980s with a woman lead astronaut? A setting so fragile with peak uncertainty over the very existence of characters? Set during a time where being the first women in the space was revolutionary? A story with immense scope of political, emotional, mental and physical complications? And getting to explore the gloriousness of all of this through Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing? Obviously, Atmosphere was one of my most awaited reads of 2025. And, as it usually goes with high expectations, you end up disappointed. Especially given the potential the story had, I felt like it didn’t measure up.
Atmosphere is the story of Joan Goodwin, an astronomer, who is selected for a space program. She is joined in the journey by Vanessa Ford, an aeronautical engineer, Commander Steve Hagen, Pilot Hank Redmond and Mission specialists Lydia Danes, John Griff, Donna Fitzgerald among others. A dynamic team, quite accepting, friendly and non-sexist folks. Almost felt like it was set in the current period. We also see Joan’s sister Barbara & niece Frances. I have rated Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid at 3/5 stars!
~~DAYS AT THE TORUNKA CAFÉ BOOK REVIEW~~
Days at the Torunka Café consists of three short stories revolving around the Torunka Café showcasing the tenderness in relationships above anything else. Located at the end of a tiny alley, this cozy café is run by Isao Tachibana alongside his daughter Shizuku and a part-timer worker Shuichi. All the interconnected stories had heavy themes of death, grief, regrets, self-identity which revolved around finding and staying in those memories of happiness. While the connections to those long-forgotten memories brought the characters a lot of solace, they also painfully reminded them that it was in the past. So, we see them cling to those memories in self-destructive patterns, but at the end of it, they move on with the help of the community built around the Torunka café. I have rated Days at the Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa at 2/5 stars!
~~RESERVOIR BITCHES: BLOODY, BOLD, AND BRILLIANT!~~
When we live a sheltered life, we take so much for granted. But, reading books across borders really helps to understand the truth about different cultures, economic backgrounds, ages and occupations. The theme of this book is clear from page one: Violence on Women. Each story, inter-linked, is a story about indifference towards hate, cruelty, violence to women’s lives and deaths, particularly in Mexico. The language is unpolished, straight shooting, gruelling and will leave you in a state of shocked silence. The crimes; murder, rape, mutilation, torture, are written without holding anything back. The writing is almost as horrid as the actual state of the crimes. It’s not for the faint hearted. I have rated Reservoir Bitches written by Dahlia de la Cerda, translated by Julia Sanches and Heather Cleary at 3.5/5 stars!
Stay tuned for the final post in the series – TOP 8 HIGHLIGHTS OF 2025!
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.