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What’s been your best read this year?

215 replies

HighburyLass · 28/11/2025 19:12

Just one book (if you can!) that has stood out for you this year?

For me, it’s James by Percival Everett. Was given it as a present, I wouldn’t have chosen it. But my goodness what a great read. I was unsure as I hadn’t read Huckleberry Finn but it really didn’t matter (and now maybe I will!)

What have been your reading highlights?

OP posts:
KimGa · 28/11/2025 22:17

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Still thinking about this book - read it on my summer holiday. Loved it so much.

A love story with the pulse of a thriller, Broken Country is a heart-pounding novel of impossible choices and devastating consequences.

Fuckitydoodah · 28/11/2025 22:21

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey - I couldn't put it down.

Copied from amazon:

Yorkshire, 1979

Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.

Because of the murders.

Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn't an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv's mum stopped talking.
Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?

So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don't.

But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families - and between each other - than they ever thought possible.

What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?

SL2924 · 28/11/2025 22:34

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

Bit of a murder mystery. Intricate story with lots of different threads and characters that weave together. Best book I’ve read in ages.

Gettingdressed · 28/11/2025 22:36

Alltheburpees · 28/11/2025 19:44

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden.

Another vote for this! Still thinking of it months later

TheCountessofLocksley · 28/11/2025 22:44

A re-read of All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque.

Interesting to see the other side of WWI through the eyes of Paul Baümer a young German soldier. It’s a semi autobiographical novel about the horrors of war and the physical and mental trauma experienced by young German soldiers. Truly an anthem for doomed youth.

SwimBikeRunBake · 28/11/2025 22:49

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

It is about a group of people who find themselves in a hostage situation. But it's not so much about the hostage situation but the connections between the charecters and how decisions we make affect others. It's funny, heartwarming and with gentle plot twists and unforgettable charecters.

DirtyFrie · 28/11/2025 22:54

PallyMally · 28/11/2025 20:33

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
Each chapter follows a different character but their stories intertwine. There's no big story arc really but I devoured it.

I hated this with a passion, only finished it as it was for book club

OnToast81 · 28/11/2025 23:05

Fuckitydoodah · 28/11/2025 22:21

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey - I couldn't put it down.

Copied from amazon:

Yorkshire, 1979

Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.

Because of the murders.

Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn't an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv's mum stopped talking.
Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?

So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don't.

But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families - and between each other - than they ever thought possible.

What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?

Sold!! Sounds brilliant. Is it based around Peter Sutcliffe or is it fictional?

PInkyStarfish · 28/11/2025 23:09

F*ck the Planet: How to Resist the Great Reset in the Trump Era by Daniel Jupp.

In a world where globalist agendas threaten our rights and freedoms, F*ck the Planet is a raw and unapologetic call to arms for those who refuse to be silenced.

We are told that the planet is dying. We are told that we are to blame. We are told insane things—that we need to worry about cow farts changing the climate and to accept huge spending on unreliable energy supplies. And none of it makes sense while all of it makes us poorer and the people who propose it richer. All of it is forced on ordinary people who don’t want it by leaders who don’t care about the things we care about, including our lives and our way of life.

It’s all about their clown planet, and none of it concerns our very real world.

For many people in the western world today, it seems as if our leaders, our mainstream media, our institutions, and our political parties have gone insane. Now our economies are failing, our standards of living are falling, our ruling class treat their own people with ever increasing authoritarianism, our borders are opened, and our wishes are ignored.

If you feel alienated by all of this and wonder what you—an ordinary person who loves liberty and your country, but hates what your government is doing—can do, then this book is for you. It doesn’t just describe the growth of Globalist censorship and authority, but equips you with the attitudes and tactics you need to peacefully resist.

This is the book that gives you the tools to protect the things that really matter.

GingerPaste · 28/11/2025 23:15

The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

“The Pearl tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver whose life changes when he discovers an enormous, valuable pearl he believes will bring his family prosperity. Instead, it brings greed and violence, revealing how hope can turn destructive when corrupted by ambition and envy.“

BauhausOfEliott · 28/11/2025 23:16

James by Percival Everett was probably my best read of the year too. I’ve loved all of Everett’s books that I’ve read.

Because I’m not someone who can just choose one book, ever, I’m also going to say Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan. It’s a really sharp, witty, clever book full of appalling people and it kind of made me think it was the sort of book Dickens would have been writing if he’d been born 150 years later.

Finally, on a very different note, the Empire trilogy by Jay Kristoff. Pitch-black, blood-drenched, violent, sexy, gut-wrenching gothic grimdark fantasy with a vengeful, morally grey, alcoholic protagonist.

UtterlyOtterly · 28/11/2025 23:24

GingerPaste The Pearl is very good, one of my favourite Steinbecks.

Another vote for Raising Hare, I found it fascinating and refreshing.

Ripeness by Sarah Moss is my favourite novel of the year. I'm a fan of Moss's novels and couldn't put this one down.

JennyForeigner · 28/11/2025 23:46

PInkyStarfish · 28/11/2025 23:09

F*ck the Planet: How to Resist the Great Reset in the Trump Era by Daniel Jupp.

In a world where globalist agendas threaten our rights and freedoms, F*ck the Planet is a raw and unapologetic call to arms for those who refuse to be silenced.

We are told that the planet is dying. We are told that we are to blame. We are told insane things—that we need to worry about cow farts changing the climate and to accept huge spending on unreliable energy supplies. And none of it makes sense while all of it makes us poorer and the people who propose it richer. All of it is forced on ordinary people who don’t want it by leaders who don’t care about the things we care about, including our lives and our way of life.

It’s all about their clown planet, and none of it concerns our very real world.

For many people in the western world today, it seems as if our leaders, our mainstream media, our institutions, and our political parties have gone insane. Now our economies are failing, our standards of living are falling, our ruling class treat their own people with ever increasing authoritarianism, our borders are opened, and our wishes are ignored.

If you feel alienated by all of this and wonder what you—an ordinary person who loves liberty and your country, but hates what your government is doing—can do, then this book is for you. It doesn’t just describe the growth of Globalist censorship and authority, but equips you with the attitudes and tactics you need to peacefully resist.

This is the book that gives you the tools to protect the things that really matter.

A joke book for Christmas! Fun!

Pieceofpurplesky · 28/11/2025 23:53

Another one for The Names. Just loved it. The whole sliding doors concept and the interweaving of characters.
Also loved The Grace Year by Kim Lovett. One of the most thought provoking books ever read.
I also indulged in the entire ACOTAR series and found it perfectly frivolous and just what I needed for pure escapism.

WonderfulSmith · 29/11/2025 00:01

SomethingAboutNothing · 28/11/2025 22:08

Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift.
It's about a woman on her own after everyone else died of an illness. One of those books where the lead character isn't particularly likeable but you still root for them. It stayed with me for a while afterwards.

Came to say that too. I read it in a weekend, which is unusual for me.
She survives by fluke really; it’s Bridget Jones in the apocalypse, but better than that.

JennyChawleigh · 29/11/2025 00:03

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
“A powerful, bewitching blend of memoir and literary investigation … Ní Ghríofa is deeply attuned to the gaps, silences and mysteries in women’s lives, and the book reveals, perhaps above all else, how we absorb what we love—a child, a lover, a poem—and how it changes us from the inside out"

WonderingAndOverthinking · 29/11/2025 00:12

socool · 28/11/2025 21:48

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

About a chemist Elizabeth Zott and her experiences of sexism in her profession during the 50s/60s. Her life as a chemist became v. difficult as a woman so she changed tack and unwittingly became a huge TV star on a cookery show. Through that show she empowered women and well.... you have to read it to find out more. Tragic in places but so uplifting I thought.

Just finished this today. Fun read.

tryinghi778 · 29/11/2025 00:12

The housemaid

Thecows · 29/11/2025 00:14

The Dutch House absolutely loved it. About two siblings thrown out of their beautiful house by their horrible stepmother and tracks them through their lives along with the fate of the house.

orangejacketlamp · 29/11/2025 00:15

Project Hail Mary by Andy weir

Freebus · 29/11/2025 00:18

A Very English Scandal by John Preston
Nonfiction- about the Jeremy Thorpe affair/ murder plot.
The plot itself and miscarriage of justice was fascinating , but also it showed how politics was back in the 70s. There were charismatic, corrupt, flawed politicians who had no real policies and were incompetent. There were also dull, plodding politicians who had no real ideas and were also incompetent....

Also loved South Riding- set in the 30s in Yorkshire, a brilliant state of the nation book.

Aavalon57 · 29/11/2025 00:21

DoAWheelie · 28/11/2025 22:00

Not a single book, but a series. Dungeon Crawler Carl. I binged the whole thing in just a few weeks as I couldn't put it down. It just kept getting better and better.

I'm now stuck waiting for book 8 which doesn't come out until next May. Already looking forward to re-reading the first 7 in the lead up to release.

Heard so much good stuff about this series. I've a six-month wait on Libby for book one!

ABeerInTheSunshineMakesMeHappy · 29/11/2025 00:23

socool · 28/11/2025 21:48

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

About a chemist Elizabeth Zott and her experiences of sexism in her profession during the 50s/60s. Her life as a chemist became v. difficult as a woman so she changed tack and unwittingly became a huge TV star on a cookery show. Through that show she empowered women and well.... you have to read it to find out more. Tragic in places but so uplifting I thought.

Doesn’t a talking dog come into this at the end? I agree the book had a promising start.

DoAWheelie · 29/11/2025 00:40

Aavalon57 · 29/11/2025 00:21

Heard so much good stuff about this series. I've a six-month wait on Libby for book one!

I very much recommend you go with the audiobooks vs the print version for this series. The narrator is one of the best in the industry and works closely with the author to elevate the books into something so very special.

TokenGinger · 29/11/2025 00:43

The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah.

It follows the story of a teen girl, Leni, and her mum and dad. They move to Alaska, literally in the middle of nowhere. The dad has PTSD from serving in Vietnam. He’s controlling, abusive. Leni and mum live in fear of him. Leni finds love, dad cannot find out, etc. It’s a story of love, and survival. It’s a really powerful, moving story and one that’ll stay with me for a long time.

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