book trends we need to leave in 2025

Overview

Leon ranks book and trend items from the past year and argues which ones should be left behind in 2025—while recommending a calmer, more mindful approach to reading and media consumption.

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Reading goals: stop “policing” other people

• People debate whether reading goals (especially 100+ books/year) “count,” sometimes accusing others of lying, skimming, or only reading certain formats (like audiobooks or graphic novels).
• Leon reframes this as unfair “competition” behavior: reading goals should be personal, not a reason to attack other people.
• He notes that reading 100 books/year is possible (even for full-time workers), even if it isn’t his preferred pace.

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Leave behind speed-reading-by-goal; embrace “slow consumption”

• Leon criticizes end-of-year pressure that turns books into a finishing checklist.
• He gives an example: buying/choosing shorter books just to meet the goal rather than reading what you actually want.
• For 2026 (as an antidote), he recommends:
  • Read more slowly
  • Sit with the story
  • Annotate
  • Meditate / take time to land in the moment

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Health / mental reset: Headspace (sponsored)

Leon suggests using meditation after stressful days to avoid reaching for the phone/scrolling or crashing on the couch.

Key features / takeaways

• Guided meditations of 5, 10, or 30 minutes
• Even a quick “reset” can be enough

Claims mentioned

• Headspace is proven to decrease stress and increase happiness in 10 days
• Free 60-day trial via the video link/QR code

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Personal curriculums (self-learning via community sharing)

• A rising trend: people build month-by-month “curriculums” on a topic (books + articles + essays), annotate/write, and share results at the end of the month.
• Leon generally likes self-education and challenge, with one caveat:
  • It can slide into consumerism—buying notebooks/highlighters/journals that never get used.
• He frames it as a likely 2025 trend that also echoes broader attention/phone-related patterns.

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Social media detox + anti-phone content: keep the critique, avoid harmful nostalgia

Leon points to a wider movement to get off phones / doomscroll less (anti “brain rot” challenges, attention-span fixes, critiques of big tech).

Major caveat

• Some content romanticizes pre-technology life and shifts into nostalgic, idealized past imagery, including gendered stereotypes (e.g., women in the kitchen).

His alternative

• Instead of “go back,” imagine a future where our relationship to phones/technology is healthier.

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Fanfiction getting published (community work → mainstream books)

• Leon notes an increase in published adaptations of fanfiction, especially “Dramione” style works (more than Star Wars ship-style adaptations).
• He defends fanfiction’s legitimacy:
  • Communities like Archive of Our Own (AO3) are community-funded and not driven by publisher profit incentives.
• Since some fan works can now earn money, he describes it as both positive and complicated.

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Pop culture renaissance: The Hunger Games stays evergreen

• A “Little Hunger Games Renaissance” surge appears tied to:
  • The new book Sunrise on the Reaping
  • Anticipation for the next movie release
• Leon sees it as a future classic—the story keeps getting re-analyzed by new generations.

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“Performative male reader” → ironically mocked, authenticity questioned

• Trend: a man reader stereotype coded as “soft boy” feminism signifiers (mustaches, tote bags, matcha, listening to female artists, etc.).
• Leon questions whether the stereotype is real or invented:
  • Many videos are men cosplay-mocking the trend, turning the mockery into its own performance.
• Overall message for 2026: shift from irony-only to actually trying (less “everything ironically”).

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Romance aesthetics: romanty covers and design repetition

• Leon criticizes “romanty” covers (dagger/crown/sword + roses + swirly fonts) as copy-paste.
• His view:
  • Similar genre covers can help shelf recognition, but he wants more artistry/variety.
• He suggests more illustrated art on covers (citing Charlie Bowater as an example).

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Medieval core: lady knights and “gothic revival” momentum

• Trend: increased visibility of female / lady knights in fantasy romance.
• Leon says examples exist but remain limited; he hopes it grows.
• He connects it to a broader medieval core wave, including gothic revival momentum.

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Two niche trends he hadn’t heard much about

• Gay hockey romance
  • He highlights a rivalry title: Heated Rivalry, adapted into a show on Crave.
• “Y/N videos”
  • Leon explains Y/N self-insert fanfiction and notes TikTok/animators now satirize and animate the trope.
  • He even points to a visual shorthand: Y/N is often depicted as a bald character with lots of blush.

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Cozy Asian fiction (Japanese/Korean): “cozy” may not be for him—asks for recs

• Many stories use settings like bookshops/cafes/warehouses.
• Leon hasn’t read much because he’s unsure the “cozy” vibe fits his tastes.
• He asks viewers for recommendations if they know better.

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Blaming “booktok/book talk” for bad writing (push back)

Leon argues bad writing isn’t caused by book talk—poor writing existed long before TikTok.

• He critiques the common blame target:
  • People often blame booktok creators (mostly young women), rather than the platform algorithms.
• Explanation of skewed perception:
  • Algorithms boost popular books and attention-grabbing content (emotion, spice, drama).
  • Negative reactions tend to perform better, creating a distorted sense of what booktok “reads.”

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Bookish aesthetics: sprayed edges + “single-color” variants

• Leon says sprayed edges won’t disappear as a trend.
• He specifically mentions single-color sprayed-edge paperbacks (example: Carmela with red sprayed edges).
• His stance:
  • He prefers natural pages unless it’s a special/collector’s edition.
  • He dislikes paying extra just for the appearance on standard first-time paperbacks.

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“Fairy porn” as dismissive language toward women readers

Leon strongly criticizes calling women’s reading “fairy porn,” even when the woman doesn’t specify genre.

• He argues it invalidates women and downplays their reading capacity.
• He frames it as a misogynistic pattern, similar to older dismissals like “you only read YA.”

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Closing wish for 2026

• More niche genres
• More critical reading
• Slower, more mindful consumption
• Greater awareness of media influence

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Notable locations / products / speakers mentioned

• Headspace (meditation app; sponsored) — free 60-day trial via link/QR code
• Hunger Games franchise — Sunrise on the Reaping; upcoming movie
• Streaming service: Crave (for Heated Rivalry)
• Fanfiction platform: Archive of Our Own (AO3)
• Book/author references: Sally Rooney, Sylvia Plath, bell hooks, Charlie Bowater (cover illustration reference), Rachel Gillix (The Knight and the Moth)
• Example medieval core titles mentioned: Second Death of Locke, Starving Saints, The Everlasting
• Speaker mentioned: Jordan Theresa (commentary about misogyny and “performative” assumptions)