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.

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

@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 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

@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.

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

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

@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.

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. 🙂

@Justawaterformeplease @Breathmiller Doh, Sorry I do mean The Great Alone. I read The Women last year and loved it too. Both 5* books for me.
I got a bit confused after scrolling through Titsywoo book shelf.

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.

@therewasafishinthepercolator thank you for the warning. I will bear that in mind when ever I get round to reading it. Last year I read The Autistic Spectrum by Lorna Wing which I know is more of a guide and even that made me emotional!!

@Breathmiller I haven’t read Jane Eyre yet but it is on my classics TBR along with Rebecca which I have started many times. I did attempt the Mill on the Floss many years ago and although I enjoyed what I read of it I didn’t finish it either. The push to read some classics is because my DD (16) read Pride and Prejudice and then we watched the BBC adaptation. She loved both but was shocked I hadn’t read the book. We hope to read classics which have good tv adaptations or film versions so we can watch together after and compare.

Thank you. I've read some but not all so will have a look at them.

1: A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater
This was such a great little downstairs book for me to pick up a read a few "chapters" of whilst I was eating breakfast. There are no actual recipes, but just memories of food, travel and gardening (and often all three) in Nigel's particularly evocative and comforting style.

I will timidly join you. Always loved reading but have been reading too little until last year. Got audible and combining with dog walking really got me going.

My 1st book completed this year was Secret History by Donna Tart. Love the first half, not so keen on the second.....

My favourite books last year was: Milkman and The Prophet Song. Really recommend Milkman to whomever was looking for a book set in the Troubles. Is not really about it, but is very much part of it.

I gave this book as my Xmas gift at my book club and the receiver loved it - looking forward to reading it myself . Reading Intermezzo atm

Hi everyone, I posted up thread in response to a couple of posts, but somehow didn't link or quote the posts I was responding to!
My first book this year was Chaise Longue by Baxter Drury, I really wanted to like this more than I did. Current read is The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas, which I am enjoying so far.
All the colours of the dark was my favorite read of 2024.
I'm planning on reading at least classic novels this year, thought I might start with a reread of Anna Karenina. Happy reading all

@Lua Secret History is one of my favourites, I think I’ve read it three times!

@DiggoryVenn
I loved The Secret History too but I think The Goldfinch eclipsed it.

Don't bother with The Little Friend, though - one of the worst books I've ever read!