26ish books 2025

2 - The House of Doors - Tan Twen Eng

I wish I could give this 10 stars! Absolutely loved it, but I am originally from SE Asia not far from where it is set in Penang so quite evocative for me. Lovely book.

Hi @Goodafternoonmillie just thought I'd warn you the book is very much Fern's experience and she did have significant mental health issues including self- harm. Rest assured that was not my DCs experience nor is it for many many ND children. I just didn't want to mislead you into thinking it's a great guide for parents or for you to go into it thinking is this what is ahead - don't worry! Fern's is an extreme case.

Good luck with the assessment. 🙂

@Breathmiller thats understandable. I remember at the time I was reading it, it played on my mind a lot and did freak me out when I was up in the middle or the night with DC. I will re read at some point.

@therewasafishinthepercolator thank you for sharing about Strong Female Character. I hadn’t heard of this book and have added it to my ‘want to read’ list. My eldest is awaiting an assessment and I strongly believe she is.

@Breathmiller

Ok, so not all strictly classics but some of my favourites are:

Great Expectations - Dickens
Anna Karenina - Tolstoy
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Brave New World - Aldeous Huxley
1984 - Orwell
The End of an Affair - Graham Greene
The Outsiders - SE Hinton
Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes

I loved Trespasses.

I felt like it was a well written story that happened to be set in the Troubles (accurate too) rather than an in-your-face clichéd This Is A Big Scurry Book About The Troubles So It Is with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. IYKWIM.

I tend to have an aversion to a lot of stuff set in The Troubles (I'm N. Irish) so don't have a lot of recommendationfobut perhaps try David McKitterick books? Making Sense of The Troubles would be his most popular one I think.

Say Nothing gets good reviews so I'm assuming it is fairly accurate. It has been made into a show on Disney but I can't bring myself to watch it. Particularly after reading Jean Mcconville's son is not happy with it's production.

If you do come across any particularly good ones post them here. I sometimes feel like I should read more on The Troubles. * *

@Breathmiller
100 Years is a complete masterpiece.

I also adored We Begin at the End but I’ve yet to read his 2 previous books.

Amazingly, Chris Whitaker isn’t American! His descriptions of the US landscapes are so detailed and beautiful, I was quite surprised at this.

Almost finished reading The Echo Chamber. It's a lighthearted and comedic take on social media, wokeism and modern living. I see what he's trying to do - it would make an amusing newspaper article - but as a novel no. Its laid on too thick and no real depth (characters or story).

I love Boyne's storytelling, characters and relatable dialogue. This book has none of that. All characters are (intentionally) awful, silly caricatures. Events and conversations are unbelievable with sole purpose to highlight the ridiculousness of wokeism / the Internet. I appreciate it's for comedic effect and Boyne writes well and is witty but this isn't the book for me. My dad might find it funny. Bar some undoubtedly amusing lines I did not I'm afraid.

Finished listening to Fern Brady's Strong Female Character on Audible. Wonderfully honest and humorous insight into her experience growing up with and living with autism. Amazing woman.

(And it makes me so proud of my own ND DC as it's a stark reminder of just how hard they find navigating stuff that others take in their stride so that made it quite emotional for me.)

Now listening to The Great Alone.

This is useful as I as a bit confused when I read the blurb for The Women. Both sound good though.

Thanks everyone for the classics suggestions.

@Scout2016 your husband has good taste. One Hundred Years if Solitude is also one of my favourite books and I often think about rereading it.

@Goodafternoonmillie thank you. After going to watch Nosferatu the other night and realising that style is not for me any more then I'm not sure Frankenstein would be either. But, I haven't ever read it so you never know. I will keep it in mind.

@Orangebadger yes, thank you. I think someone (perhaps you?) suggested more Du Maurier after I raved about Rebecca last year. I wasn't ready for another one straight after but that just may do the trick this year. I know a few people rate Jamaica Inn.

Just started reading The Haunting Season. There's like 8 short stories in one book. So far so good

@Breathmiller if you liked Du Maurier then you could try My cousin Rachel or Jamaica Inn. For me, I loved Rebecca, but I think these were both better.

I try to read 1 or 2 classics a year. I have quite a few on my TBR shelf. Not sure which one I'll read this year.

@Tinkhasflown I just read The Women and don’t recognise it from your description. Do you mean The Great Alone? The Women is about the nurses in the Vietnam War. (Although I would still give it five stars!)

@Breathmiller the only classic I have read is Frankenstein which I loved. I definitely want to read some more of the classics!

@Breathmiller my husband has similar tastes and loved One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, reckon it was his book of 2024. Think that could be considered a classic.

I am making a note of the Chris Whitaker Colour book for a friend's birthday idea, thank you!
I enjoyed Begin at the End and have Tall Oaks not yet read.

I love the classics too. My favourite has to be Little Women. Must have read it like 100 times now lol

Ooh I'll have a look for this. Love crime/thriller

Welcome @Goodafternoonmillie . What a treat to have a supplier so close to hand.

@Goodbyeimgoinghome I'm so glad you like Wuthering Heights second time around. One of my favourite books when I was younger and I have that kind of affection for it that I am pleased when someone else enjoys it. Have you read Jane Eyre?

I would like to add at least one classic in every year. I read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier early on last year and loved it. I tried The Mill on the Floss later but didn't finish it. It wasn't awful and it may be the frame of mind I was in as much as anything so I may try it again

Any suggestions of classics from anyone?

Just finished my first - Wuthering Heights. It’s a re-read and I didn’t enjoy it at all first time. Glad to say I really liked it this time and have no idea why I didn’t appreciate it before.

I am planning to read some more classics this year so I am doing the MN read along, Count of Monte Cristo, a chapter a day.

Also working my way through The Bee Sting.

My book of 2024! This was our December bookclub read and I already know that Patch and Saint will stay with me. Glad you loved it too!

I really enjoyed (if that's the right word) this book. I'm not particularly a fan of Elvis, but always felt for Lisa Marie and have enjoyed Riley's acting. I listened to the audiobook and thought it was beautifully done.

I'd love to join.

Finished Trespass by Louise Kennedy this week and it was amazing. Great book to start the year with. Some passages had me properly laughing out loud, but in other places it was gut wrenching in its reality. I knew a bit about The Troubles but am keen to learn more now. If anyone can recommend any books, fiction or non fiction, that'd be great (although I've already read a few).

1. All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

What a way to kick off the year... I can already predict this will be my Book of 2025.
It's so many things....crime, comedy, thriller.
But mostly it's a novel overflowing with heart and humanity.
The characters will stay with me for a long time.
I can't recommend this book enough.