26ish books 2025

[Tinkhasflown]

A shiny new thread for 2025.

All welcome and note 26 is just a number. Everyone can set their own target and you are welcome here even if you only read 2 books a year.

I personally count the larger novel style books I read to my children and audio books I listen to. Others don't and there are no rules.

I look forward to all your suggestions again this year.

I've been very poor at updating my list this year, I do read the posts though. The final books on my list:
20. Wuthering Heights 4*
21. Mrs Porter Calling AJ Pearce (Book 3) 3*
22. My Brothers Name is Jessica - John Boyne 3*
23. A Room with a View- E M Forster 3* I expected to love this more than I did. it was an ok read.
24. The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton 4*
25. Earth - John Boyne 4*
26. Don't Let Him In - Lisa Jewell 4*
27. I.know this much is true - Wally Lamb 3*
28. Emmeline Pankhurst- My Own Story

It has been a very mixed bag of books this year with a LOT of dnf's. Work is mental busy leaving me less time to read due to exhaustion, that means I just move on if a book isn't grabbing me.

Thank you all for the company and book recommendations this year. It has been a pleasure as always and my books I want to read list is ever growing because of you all. I hope you'll all stick around for 2026.

Phew! Just managed to fit in number 25.
Marble Hall Murders by Antony Horowitz.
The last (boo!) in the series and fantastic as ever.
Lesley Manville was brilliant on audible.
Thanks to audible, this is the first year I’ve finished 25 books.

Have followed through year but not commented much...have loved reading more this year and think I have just snuck a full 25 in!

1. Remarkable bright creatures
2. James
3. My brother's name is Jessica
4. Small things like these
5. Foster
6. The satsuma complex
7. The power & the glory (dnf)
8. A house of special purpose
9. Black Moon

10. Love's Executioner 11. Small World 12. Half a Yellow Sun 13. The secret life of Albert Entwhistle 14. A terrible kindness 15. So late in the day - Claire Keegan 16. Full House - Maeve BInchy 17. Dublin 4 - Maeve Binchy 18. Loyalty - Martina Cole 19. Light a penny candle - Maeve Binchy 20. A week in winter Maeve Binchy 21. The shortest day - Colm Tóibín 22. How Winston Delivered Christmas 23. Testament of Mary - Colm T 24. Nesting - Roisín O'Donnell 25. She asked fot t - Louise Kennedy Currently reading Weyward which I'm really enjoying 😉

Sorry post has cramped up..bot sure what happened 🤣

1 How We Disappeared - Jin Jin Lee
2 The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
3 The Swimmer - Graham Norton
4 A Doula's Journey - Hazel Tree
5 A Spell of Good Things - Ayòbámi Adébáyò
6 I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai.
7 Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher
8 The Other Side of the Bridge - Mary Lawson
9 My Cousin Rachel - Daphne Du Maurier
10 Orbital - Samantha Harvey
11 10 minutes 38 seconds in this Strange World-Elif Shaak
12 The Blackwater Lightship -Colm Tóibín
13 The Sun over the Mountains - Suzie Fletcher
14 Nesting - Roisin O'Donnell
15 Moon Tiger - Penelope Lively
16 Us Three - Ruth Jones
17 Sketches from the Periphery : A Novel - MP Summers
18 The Girl with the Louding Voice - Abe Dare
19 Apeirogon : a novel about Israel, Palestine and shared grief - Colum McCann
20 The Testament of Mary - Colm Tóibín
21 Grace -A Novel. Paul Lynch
22. My Own Story - Emmeline Pankhurst
23 My Friends- Hisham Matar
24 Femlandia - Christina Dalcher
25 The Heather Blazing - Colm Tóibín
26 Berserker - Adrian Edmondson
27 The Boy From the Sea - Garett Carr
28 The Ministry of Time - Kaliane Bradley
29 Girls - kirsty Capes
30 All the Lives we Never Lived - Arundha Roy
31 When The Cranes Fly South - Liza Ridźen
32 Go Set A Watchman - Harper Lee
33 Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
34 Strange Fruit - Lillian Smith
35 Fundamentally - Nussaibah Younis

My list for 2025. I enjoyed so many of these. As always, there's a couple I could take or leave and I did have a couple of others that I didn't finish so I haven't added them but for the most part I feel I read well for my preferences.

I haven't read at all in December and it has shown in my phone scrolling usage for sure. I have already downloaded some new books on my Kindle for the 1st and I got vouchers for Christmas. So, I'll get back on the reading wagon and join you all again in 2026.

(I also want to reduce my MN usage but will come on here for reading inspiration)

This is my list. I have read slightly more this year than I normally do. I have found a few new authors which, as you can see, I'm now working my way through their series.

1, The Mercy Chair by M W Craven
2, For Reasons Unknown by Michael Wood
3, The Body Beaker by M W Craven
4, The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter
5, Nobody’s Hero by M W Craven
6, Outside Looking In by Michael wood
7, Making a Killing by Cara Hunter
8, The Executioner by Chris Carter.
9, Thea and Denise by Caroline Bond
10, A Room Full of Killers by Michael Wood
11, Zodiac by Conrad Jones
11, The Unthinkable by David Challen
12, The Fall by Martin Kemp
13, The Night Staller by Chris Carteby.
14, Blood Flowers by Jay McGuiness
15, The Murder Mile by Lesley McEvoy
16, Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan
17, Poison Tides by Jay McGuiness
18, Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh
19, Human Remains by Jo Callaghan
20, The Killing Song by Lesley McEvoy
21, The Death Sculptor by Chris Carter
22, The Final Vow by M W Crave
23, Keep2Laughing by Chris McCausland
24, Gone Before Goodbye by Reece Witherspoon and Harlan Coben
25, The Kill List by Nadine Matheson
26, The Christmas Book Hunt by Jenny Colgan
27, The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan

DNF All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.

I have added several of the books you have all.posted to be read next year and will be looking out for next year's thread.

33. Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb. Far shorter and much more light weight and chatty than his other novels. Told by a lad of around 10, set late 1964 up to just after the school Christmas show, with the school being a Catholic one with lots of opportunities for farce. Not as Christmassy as I'd hoped but the finale Christmas show is well set up and funny. I liked the little details of the narration through the child's eyes, such as his observation that the new teacher has two bottles of perfume in her bag - the lily of the valley one, which he is allergic to and makes him sneeze, and one called cognac.

I managed 30 books this year - a mixture of actual books, audiobooks and kindle. Some re-reads as well as new stuff. I DNF 5.

I’ve been terrible at keeping up with the thread/posting anything this year as I joined the 50 book thread for the first time but it moves so fast I could not keep up! So I will look out for a new 25 books thread and start as I mean to go on. I’ve also seen a ‘read what you own’ so I may join that although I do have a Christmas book token burning a hole in my pocket…

I only managed 24 books, must try harder this year!

Hey 🖐

I would love to join you all this year - I took part in the 50 books challenge this year and made it to 32 books read - I have a busy year ahead so I think 26 books or more is a bit more realistic challenge and less pressure also.

I hope the slower, less competitive pace will mean I get to know people and build some rapport.

I am starting this year with a book called 'The French for Christmas' by Fiona Vaply - a romance novel which is easy to read and understand!

Happy reading everyone :)

Welcome @Clairedebear101286

Link to new thread for 2026:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/5468646-26ish-books-2026

I did finish another one yesterday before year end!

34 The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey This was dated and modern at the same time. A good crime novel, some great characters, a lot to like but there was also some horrible, nasty misogyny. I can't really explain as it would amount to spoilers but I found it quite shocking. I accept that this is what people thought and probably plenty still do but it tainted it for me.

Evening 👋

I have just finished my first book of 2026!

(1) The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy

I am trying to read what I own - it was an enjoyable but forgettable read....

Onto the next!

Happy reading everyone 😄

There's a new thread for us all!