Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs (by Rachel Jeffs)

Trying to hit the ground running on the RHC, so I also finished this book for the category "a book about a cult." And wow. 

I can't believe Warren Jeffs is still alive and probably still perpetuating this horrible situation (he was giving directives from inside prison right up until Rachel Jeffs left). There's the multiple wives and child brides, yes, but also everyone in this "church" is being horribly abused.  Rachel Jeffs was molested by her father and she discusses that, and how it impacted her relationship with the church, but makes sure to state at the outset she's not a victim.

I'm happy she got out with her kids and seems to be living her best life.  I hope that is the outcome for every person, especially girls and women, trapped in this cult.  

Heroines, Rescuers, Rabbis, Spies: Unsung Women of the Holocaust (by Sarah Silberstein Swartz)

I chose this as my first Read Harder book of the year, for the category "a nonfiction book about resistance."  

It is a profile of ten different women, including the first female rabbi (who died in Auschwitz and was forgotten for many years) and others who survived the war.  Some of the subjects are more interesting than others - it turns out that among the nine women are the author's mother and aunt as well as a friend of their family.  I'm sure the author's passion for their stories is what led to this book but it does feel a bit self-indulgent and maybe not quite as compelling as some of the other stories.

Still, it was worth reading and I'm glad Swartz highlights the bravery and resistance of these women via this book. 

Metallic Realms (by Lincoln Michel)

One of my favorite novels of all time, as you may know, is Pale Fire. So when I realized this is essentially "if Charles Kinbote was an awkward nerd and John Shade was a sci-fi writing collective" I was so in.  

So many fun twists - I loved the sci-fi stories that are presented here as the products of the "Orb 4" writing collective, which vary wildly in style and quality but are always fun to read.  The narrator (and "lore-keeper") is named Michael Lincoln (not Lincoln Michel) and the author himself is referenced as a case of mistaken identity (and possibly makes a cameo at the end). The clueless unreliable narrator is both sympathetic and terrible.  There are so many inside jokes and references I'm sure I didn't get.  

I did my usual "check the Goodreads reviews" and as always there are people who take it all literally and don't seem to understand what Michel is doing. But if you are a Pale Fire and sci-fi fan, this one is for you.

The Shining (by Stephen King)

I've read a ton of Stephen King in my life (It was one of my favorite books when I was a kid) from Insomnia to The Tommyknockers to 11/22/63. And yet somehow I'd never read The Shining, in spite of seeing the Kubrick movie and the miniseries.  (My problem with the Kubrick movie is that Wendy is annoying. My problem with the miniseries is that Danny is annoying.) 

Growing up I had to just borrow the books from my older cousin so I am guessing she didn't have The Shining which I why I never read it.  And damn, it is scary. (I have this vague memory of a "deleted scene" that King published in Entertainment Weekly back in the day, where someone gets into the elevator and it goes down, and then it keeps going down way further than it's supposed to be able to go down. To hell, get it? Anyway it was scary too.) 

I had to keep putting the book down because the tension and horror was too much. I knew the book ending wasn't the same as the films so really didn't know how it was going to turn out. And the undercurrent of alcoholism and domestic abuse is great.  (I mean not "great" obviously but, well done. Thematically intense.)

You probably don't need to tell me that The Shining is a masterwork but, well, of course it is.  Great way to kick off my reading year. 

Year-End Book Wrapup 2025

Once again, my goal this year was to read 75 books and complete the Read Harder Challenge.  I read exactly 75 books and completed the RHC.  You can check out everything I read for RHC in last year’s wrapup, which I just updated because apparently I forgot to update it this year. Here's the 2026 RHC and ToB shortlist for any curious cats!


Top 5 books of the year:

1. The Story of Art Without Men

The first two are very close, but ultimately for the sake of feminism, I put the feminist book first. I loved this book, bought it for my sister-in-law, and basically didn't shut up about it for two months.  I even got a woman artists calendar for Christmas! Highly recommend if you are interested in art history. 

2. The Director

As usual, the Tournament of Books picks a winner (this was also on the New York Times list of best books of the year.)  A great read with an innovative structure, absolutely masterful and my favorite novel of the year by far. 

3.  The History of Sound

This was from the 2025 Tournament of Books, and it's a short story collection which is usually not my bag, but I loved this.  

4. Sky Daddy

From this year's longlist, a book about a woman who is sexually attracted to planes. Weird in a Remainder type of way, plus I love getting into the heads of narrators like this. I'm glad I read this before the shortlist came out, since it didn't make it, and I would have hated to miss it. 

5. This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch

Another RHC book. See what I mean? This year all my picks are from either the RHC or ToB so you can see why I always go back to those.  This is another feminist one - specifically about how it's okay to like the things you like and make space for those things in your life, even if you are an alleged responsible grownup woman.  

Honorable mentions: The Glass Girl, The Final Girl Support Group, Lorne, When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Swimming Studies, The Wedding People

Bottom three books:

1. Headshot

The Tournament giveth, and the Tournament taketh away. I read this in the interest of finishing as many Tournament books as possible but I hated it. 

2.  Rusty Brown

Just, toxic men being toxic and the whole thing gave me the icks.  Sorry I did not enjoy this, Chris Ware. 

3. Ungifted

Mostly here because it was a huge disappointment coming from Gordon Korman and also I don't find kids posting upskirt videos on the internet to be charming or funny.  


2025 plans: 

Per the final category here, I get to still chip away at the 2015 challenge - I'm down to three books remaining and one is "a book by an author from Africa" which is already on the 2026 list.. maybe I'll do an audiobook this year.  

I am not looking forward to romantasy (my two least favorite genres smushed together). I'm also sad to see the cookbook one again, since last time I read a book about eating bugs because I couldn't think of a culture whose food I hadn't eaten. There's gotta be something, right?  

The full list of categories:

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[ ] Read a microhistory 
[ ] Read a book featured on a “best book covers” list 
[ ] Read a YA book by a Latine author 
[ ] Read a novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns 
[ ] Read a nonfiction book about resistance 
[ ] Read a gothic novel published in the last ten years 
[ ] Read a sports book by a woman, trans, or nonbinary writer 
[ ] Read a classic from the Zero to Well-Read Podcast 
[ ] Read a romantasy book with a queer and/or BIPOC main character 
[ ] Read a book recently adapted for film, TV, or musical 
[ ] Read a book by a d/Deaf author 
[ ] Read/try a recipe from a cookbook about a culture whose food you’ve never eaten 
[ ] Read a nonfiction comic 
[ ] Read a work of magical realism or fabulism 
[ ] Read a book by a librarian 
[ ] Read a queer picture book 
[ ] Read a book about a cult or cults 
[ ] Read a nonfiction book about AI or social media 
[ ] Read a book by an intersex author 
[ ] Read a book set in space 
[ ] Read a genre (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) book in translation 
[ ] Read a nonviolent true crime book 
[ ] Read a book by an African author 
[ ] Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!