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Ever notice how least-favorite lists light up the room? I lean into that energy and break down ten books from 2025 that didn’t land for me and why. Not to dunk for sport, but to get curious about craft, genre, and expectations. Some titles offered powerful insight with limp storytelling; others promised thrills but disappeared into pacing, lore dumps, or glossy advice that never turned into action.

I start with the fascination behind “worst” lists and the validation they spark, then move book by book. Fruit of the Drunken Tree delivers urgent history but loses steam in its length. Big Magic inspires faith in the muse, yet my practical creative brain craves steps over slogans. In romance, The Sound of Us brushes close to green flags but falters with cringey smut that mistakes intensity for intimacy. True Biz opens a crucial window into Deaf education and cochlear implant ethics, even as the plot feels thin. Sci-fi shows its seams in Mickey7’s lore-heavy detours and Hitchhiker’s brand of British humor that never gelled for me.

I also call out advice that works better as an article than a book in La Clave de la Confianza, and examine how a perfect-on-paper premise can still bore in Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. The countdown ends with The Monster of Elendhaven, where edgy style overshadows intent and leaves meaning behind. Through it all, I keep the door open: if you love these books, keep loving them. My aim is honest critique, not joy theft.

Listen, argue with me, and sharpen your own reading lens. If this resonates, follow the show, share with a bookish friend, and leave a quick review telling us which pick you’d defend—or ditch.

All episodes of the podcast can be found on our website: https://booksvsmovies.buzzsprout.com/share

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