Tag: Fable

Books That Shaped My 2025: A Year of Growth and Reflection

This year, I aced my reading goal by finishing 21 books despite personal challenges. I experienced significant growth and nostalgia, reconnecting with past passions like W.I.T.C.H. comics. Exploring new genres, including self-help, enriched my understanding of myself. I look forward to a creative 2026 and here is the full list of titles I’ve read this 2025.

With only a few days left in the year, I’m proud to have still achieved my reading goal for 2025 (target: 20 books), and with a little more time to spare (I read 21 books this year).

This year has been very challenging for me personally and professionally, but I think I have grown more this year compared to previous ones, though this growth is much more painful, but I’m happy I’m still here–bent and broken, at some point–but still alive, and still very much hopeful.

2025 has been an eye-opener for me, allowing me to reconnect with my true self and core. I have shrunk myself so much for unworthy people the last six to seven years, and I’m glad (and sad at the same time) that I had a breakthrough.

With this, I was then able to reconnect with some of the things I enjoy doing or am interested in — especially the ones I was passionate about during grade school and high school. Foremost, reading comics.

Do you remember W.I.T.C.H.? There used to be a Tagalog-dubbed version of the TV series (and also a comic book series) on ABS-CBN (if I’m not mistaken) in the early 2000s (I think I was in high school then). I was thrilled to find a digital version of the entire series, although I haven’t had the time to finish it yet. It felt surreal to revisit the past and experience the nostalgia of it all. True enough, life was much simpler then.

If you cannot picture W.I.T.C.H. but kind of remember, I found this gold on YouTube:

I do remember that I used to save my baon to buy the Kzone and W.I.T.C.H. comics from Filbar’s in SM North EDSA and eventually in their SM Valenzuela branch (I was in high school when SM opened their Valenzuela branch, hehe). I used to collect copies of W.I.T.C.H., but I know I haven’t completed them since I was still in school. If I remember correctly, it was P75.00 per comic/volume (similar to a magazine). I used to collect some volumes, but I was constantly moving houses, so I lost track of the physical copies, though I was able to save some of my Pugad Baboy and Kiko Machine comics (some of these copies are signed by Manix Abrera himself when we met in Baguio a few years ago).

I still bought a lot of books this year (probably another hobby! Hehe). I still have a long list of books to read, and I wish I had more time to immerse myself in reading more this 2026. But it was great seeing these new books piling up and checking on them from time to time — a reminder that there are still things to look forward to.

Aside from comics, I read some self-help and classic books this year, which I don’t usually do, and far from fiction and romance that I’m into. It is already great to explore and discover more about yourself anyway, and here’s to hoping that the next year (or so) becomes better and more creative.

Books I read in 2025

  1. W.I.T.C.H. Part 1: The Twelve Portals – Elisabetta Gnone
  2. W.I.T.C.H: Halloween – Elisabetta Gnone
  3. The Graduate – Charles Webb
  4. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
  5. Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Caroll
  6. W.I.T.C.H.: The Dark Dimension – Elisabetta Gnone
  7. W.I.T.C.H.: The Power of Fire – Elisabetta Gnone
  8. How My Neighbor Stole Christmas – Meghan Quinn
  9. Heidi – Johanna Spyri
  10. The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  11. Unfortunately Yours – Tessa Bailey
  12. Reportage on Crime – Quijano de Manila
  13. The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion
  14. Better Than the Movies – Lynn Painter
  15. Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek
  16. The Seven Year Slip – Ashley Poston
  17. Our Kind of People – Carol Wallace
  18. The Stranger in the Lifeboat – Mitch Albom
  19. A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough – Wayne Muller
  20. Say You’ll Remember Me – Abby Jimenez
  21. Pugad Baboy 33 – Pol Medina, Jr.

Also, I tried a new reading recorder application called Fable. It has a nicer UI compared to Goodreads (which is the one I used to utilize before because I also have a Kindle), and it is very easy to use and connect with fellow bookworms.

You can also track your reading streak and average rating per book that you have read. I only use the free version, but the premium (Fable Plus) one offers many more features that you can also enjoy. And not only can Fable record the books you have in your library, but also the TV series and shows that you are hooked on!

How about you? What’s your favorite read this year? No worries if there’s none! This year’s tough anyway.