This is the very last Little Things of 2025, which feels a little surreal. I can’t believe another year of these posts is already wrapped up. I’ve loved putting them together each month, and I especially love hearing from friends, family, and readers who try something I’ve shared and take the time to reach out. That never gets old, and influencing someone to read a book I loved might honestly be my favorite outcome of all.

I hope you’re settling into the holiday season and finding a little space for rest and downtime. We’ve been leaning into slower days, lots of family time, and simple moments at home. I’m looking forward to diving back into work when January rolls around, but for now, here are a few more little things that made this month feel special.

1. My Top 5 Books of the Year (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

I read 70 books in 2025 and officially blew past my original goal of 50, something I truly couldn’t have done without my beloved Kindle. I read so many genuinely great books this year that narrowing it down to just five felt borderline impossible, but these were all clear five-star reads for me.

My rating system is entirely vibes-based, and these are the books I could reread over and over and still feel just as obsessed. I also did quite a bit of rereading this year. Books like The Love Hypothesis are forever favorites, but I kept those off this list since they weren’t new to me in 2025.

The order below is simply the order I read them throughout the year, not a ranking, because picking a favorite would be cruel and unnecessary. If you usually trust my book taste or feel like we tend to love the same kinds of stories, I highly recommend adding these to your list.

1. It’s no secret how much I love the Empyrean series, and Onyx Storm absolutely delivered as a continuation of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. The plotting was top-tier, the world felt even more layered, and you could really feel how intentional everything was. I especially love all the little connections and Easter eggs woven throughout the story. This book gave me one of the worst reading slumps of my life because nothing I picked up afterward could compare, which says everything. Painful book hangover, zero regrets.
2. I was absolutely raving about Shardless while I was reading it because it felt so different from anything else I’d read in romantasy or even fantasy in general. It’s mind-bendy in the best way, with time travel elements that actually make you use your brain. It felt refreshing in a genre where a lot of stories can start to blur together. Add in a friends-to-lovers storyline (a personal favorite, for obvious real-life reasons), and it completely got me.
3. I read several Carley Fortune books this year, but One Golden Summer was hands-down my favorite. It’s technically connected to Every Summer After, but you don’t have to read them in order (I didn’t), and it worked on its own. This book just made me want to drop everything and go to Canada even more than I already do, which feels like a recurring theme in my reading life at this point. It’s a really solid contemporary romance with humor, heart, and some heavier topics woven in without feeling overwhelming.
4. The chokehold Ali Hazelwood has on me should genuinely be studied, because I will read (& love!) anything this woman writes. Mate is the second book in her paranormal romance series that starts with Bride (another favorite and a reread for me), and somehow she made me care deeply about werewolves, which was not on my 2025 bingo card. Her writing just makes everything fun, flirty, and impossible to put down. If you want a guaranteed good time, picking up an Ali Hazelwood book is a very safe bet.
5. I already wrote about The Ascended in the November Little Things blog, and as expected, it’s held onto one of the top spots for my reads this year. It felt genuinely fresh and different, which is not an easy feat when you read a lot of books, especially within the same genres. Similar to Shardless, it made me feel like I was reading something new instead of a recycled version of the same story. It is a dark romantasy, so if that’s not your thing, this probably isn’t the book for you. But if you do enjoy darker, more intense reads, this one absolutely delivers, and I cannot wait to read everything these authors write next.

2. Magical Athletes (for the kiddos)

Mike (my husband) is a huge board game person and is always on the lookout for fun, interesting games to play with the boys, and Magical Athletes has been a massive hit in our house. The kids ask to play it every single day after dinner and multiple rounds on the weekends. It has just enough strategy and logic to keep things interesting, but enough luck mixed in that it doesn’t feel stressful or overly competitive. It’s been the perfect family game for this stage, especially for kids around Griffin and James’s ages (7 and 9), and it’s easily become a go-to for family game night.

3. Something Old Becoming Something New

Growing up, my parents had a chair in their home that originally belonged to my grandmother. She owned apartment buildings back in the day, and this chair came from one of those apartments. It’s a 1950’s mid-century modern piece that actually folds out into a bed, which explains the multiple cushions and makes it even cooler. On my last visit home, I was suddenly struck with inspiration and asked my dad if he could refinish the wood for me. He worked so hard on it and did an incredible job. I had new cushions made, and together it completely breathed new life into the chair.

I love having pieces in my home that carry a story. I still have chairs my parents refinished for me when I first moved out, along with a coffee table my dad brought back to life that had been sitting in their basement. There’s something really special about living with things that were made or restored with care, especially by people you love. I hope one day one of my boys wants these pieces too, knowing Papa worked hard on them and that they’ve been part of our family for a long time. The process ended up being more expensive than I expected, and for now the kids aren’t allowed to play on it because it’s fragile and very old, but it was absolutely worth it. I love it so much.

4. Tarte Blush

I got this blush as a sample in an Ulta order and immediately fell in love. I honestly didn’t know you could love blush this much. I use the pink shade, and it blends beautifully without lifting my foundation underneath. That has always been my biggest issue with cream blushes. Instead of feeling like I’m smearing my makeup around, I just tap it in with one of my foundation brushes. It melts right into the skin. The color is perfect. Zero complaints. This is easily one of my favorite makeup finds of the year.

5. Thrive Tubing Mascara

And lastly, another makeup find that completely lived up to the hype. I honestly didn’t even know what tubing mascara was at first. I just kept seeing it talked about on social media and decided to try it.

Tubing mascara works by wrapping each lash in tiny tubes. This makes lashes look more defined and separated, and it also makes it much easier to remove at the end of the day. This was the first tubing mascara I tried, and I’m already on my third tube.

It gives great length without clumping. My lashes fan out instead of sticking together. It also comes off easily when I wash my face with warm water, which I love because I hate scrubbing my eyes. Highly recommend!

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As always, these little things are just that. Small finds, moments, and favorites that added a lot of joy to this season of life. From books that completely took over my brain, to family game nights, to rediscovering old pieces and finding new everyday favorites, these are the things that made December feel full in the best way. I hope you found something new to try, read, or love, and I’ll be back next month with more little things worth sharing.