26ish books 2025

Loved this book. I think The Mercies was one of the most popular books on last years thread.

Hello! Id love to join please. Trying to get back into reading books after having two small children and spending too much time on my phone! I’ll aim for 26, including audiobooks and re-reads.

Starting today with Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. He has just released the 5th book in the series but I need a refresher before I read that. So re-reading the other 4 first.

First book of the year done! Although I started it last year! It was The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargreaves. I'm a fan of historical fiction and this was excellent. Really atmospheric.

@CordylineCapybara I'm another one with an upstairs and a downstairs book. It definitely worked in 2024.

I may be a while until I finish my first, as one of the two I'm reading is over 800 pages (The Last Chairlift by John Irving)!

First book down. Feels like cheating as I started it last year. An audio book too!

1. I haven't been entirely honest with you, Miranda Hart

What I thought about it - I should have read the description first. It wasn't what I expected at all. It felt more like a self help book when I was expecting comedy. This isn't to criticise it and it did make me laugh in parts. But I learnt an important lesson in reading descriptions before committing to a book! Having finished it I still love Miranda and have an enormous amount of respect for her. She's achieved a lot despite enormous challenges.

Would love to join in 😊 reading A Valley Dream by Anna Jacobs ATM .
I find her books very easy reading and enjoy them . They aren't Booker prizes by any means but l enjoy them 😊

I joined the 50 books thread not realising there was another one. There's no way on earth ill manage 50, and my goal is more likely to be 12 to 15, so I think I'll be better off here.

I started "The hike" by Susi Holliday yesterday, its easy reading, but what I need to get going again.

*Trespasses 🤦‍♀️

I'm a cheat too as I've been starting and stopping this for months now (a reflection on my lack of focus, not reflection on book) but I started again on the 1st and blattered through it.

Excellent snapshot of a young Catholic teacher's experience in The Troubles. Realistic, well written and not laid on too thick like some can be. Thoroughly enjoyed. Once I got used to lack of speech marks.

1. Tresspasses by Louise Kennedy

Thanks for the new thread. I managed 17 last year so hoping to match or improve on that. I have started the year off with The Bee Sting. Enjoying it so far but I think it’s going to take me a while.

First book and a bit of a cheat as I actually started it on 30th

1: Never Met Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro. I watched the film several years ago but the premise is revealed so slowly I think it spoiled the book for me really. I found it a bit overwritten and lengthy and wasn’t a fan of the voice of Kath and her repetitiveness though I see how he managed to sustain such a clear narrative voice was quite an achievement. Def prefer Remains of the Day

Hello all! I didn't actually update all my books last year but it came to 33 in total.
I've finished two so far this year:.

1. All Good Things by Amanda Prowse. Took me ages to read despite being very light because it just wasn't that exciting. Read the last couple of pages today.
2. We should all be Feminists by Chimandana Ngozi Adichie - a relief both in content and length!

P.s. I haven't decided on my next book yet but think I am going to pre-order a few. The plan is I will hopefully forget about them then get a nice suprise when they turn up. Might do it after a couple of wines and start with Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson.

Hello all, and Happy New Year!
Today I finished Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys by Viv Albertine.
I'm not actually that much of a fan of the Slits but I appreciate they were doing something different musically and pushing at boundaries for women. Viv has lead a very full life and writes well. I like her attitude and her perspectives on a lot of things. It goes up to 2013, and her post Slits life is as interesting as her time on the punk scene - such as her losing herself in motherhood, being a sahm and trying to fit in with private school parents. She tries to get some of herself back starting with a weekly ceramics class and her husband doesn't like it....As you'd expect, some of the things she and those around her do are questionable at best, and she seems to have a lot of time for people I would find intolerable. Sid Vicious, unsurprisingly, comes across as an utter bellend and I'm at a loss as to why she was such close friends with him for so long.
The title of the book comes from a comment her mum made - that those all she cares about. Unfortunately, while I get the importance of clothes to punk, of those 3 I only care about music really and her constant details of what she is wearing and how she longs for a boyfriend (this continues throughout, not just as a teen /in the band) get tiresome. The women in her life are so much more interesting. But I do know that's an unreasonable complaint given the book's title!

Hi
Joining thread please.
First book is Holly by Stephen King.

I’d love to join this thread as I lurked a lot last year. I’m about to start Held by Anne Michaels, a Booker shortlist book and am listening to the Safekeep by Yale van der Wouden but I’m not finding it very engaging. I’m interested in what others think of it. I read 27 books last year and thought it was a strong year for new releases.

Hi. I would love to join. I'm starting 2025 reading I haven't been entirely honest with you by Miranda Hart. I'm going to try to read a combination of fiction and non-fiction in 2025.

You might find us all a bit slow! The 50 books thread is a lot more fast paced

Happy new year all.

I would like to join. Im aiming for 24 books in 2025.
12 x fiction & 12 non fiction.
So 2 x books per month.
Fiction will be between kindle & audible and non fiction physical copies as i type up notes / quotes from them (hate marking books)

Guess i need to choose my fiction book

My none fiction book for this month will be Mental fitness by Ant Middleton

Thanks for the new thread Tink and happy new reading year everyone! 📖

I read on average 2 novels a week.
Just going through all Freda Mcfadens at the moment . Can't wait for Mark Edwards new one. Also Lisa Jewel and Louise Voss will have new ones. I'm a psychological thriller fan.
At the moment I'm read an actual book and not my kindle.. Vanessa Feltz autobiography.. present for my birthday .. I'm loving it

Hi I'd like to join. Last year was the first time of counting how many books I read in a year and I did 26. I'm going to try and beat it if I can. Currently on Richard Osman's We Solve Murders and Sophie Hannah's Silent Night (I have an 'upstairs book' and a 'downstairs book' to encourage me to read more and scroll less!)

Happy New Year!

I'm partway through Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham. A group of friends visit the place that inspired their favourite book, a tale about a group of anthropomorphic animals preparing for their annual Barley Day festival. Only to discover that the characters are real, and truth is far deadlier than fiction.

Thank you for the new thread! I had a lull towards the end of 2024 as was reading a non-fiction that I’m not that into, but not enough to stop. Hopefully will polish that off soon and move onto some good new ones :)

Checking in for another year, thank you @Tinkhasflown

@therewasafishinthepercolator same here, I want to read more actual books whether kindle or hardcopy, I love that I can listen to audiobooks while doing other things but I have got out of the habit of just sitting and reading and my concentration span is shot too so I think that would help.