100+ Books in 2025 discussion

1. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
2. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
3. Silent on the Moors by Deanna Raybourn
4. A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist
5. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
6. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

7. The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
*****9. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (Trans by Alison Anderson) One of my favorite books of all time!!!!

10. A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey (Why did she have to die so young? WHy didn't she write more books?!!!)

11. Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
12. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom: Albom is so gifted at writing about important things with a common-sense, underwritten style that is a delight to read. Moving, thought-provoking and totally unpreachy!

13. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester (A non-fiction delight for word-lovers and history buffs!)
14. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa

15. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (A fun kid's adventure book)
16. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
17. The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester (I am definitely a fan! This is a second book about the OED...fascinating!)
18. Where the Lilies Bloom by Vera and Bill Cleaver

19. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

*****20. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (Amazing! Provides marvelous food for thought about fiction, women and history. Loved it!)
21. Rainsong by Phyllis A. Whitney
22. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

23. The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith (The 44 Scotland Street books are not my favorites...too episodic, I think.)
24. The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn (Kind of disappointing...certainly not the same level of quality as the Lady Julia books.)

25. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Darrow (Well written, intriguing story, but lacked needed closure--a structural flaw I think.)
26. Death Was In the Picture by Linda L. Richards

27. The Curse of the blue Figurine by John Bellairs
*****28. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (The book, which explores the effects of abuse, mental illness and prescience was an amazing experience, woven of equal parts reality and illusion. I loved it!)

29. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz (If you want to feel better about your own dysfunctional family, take a visit to the Spellman's!!!)
30. The Man Who Cast Two Shadows by Carol O'Connell (Riveting murder mystery with very original & real characters)

Cindi- Did you LOVE The Spellman Files? It is one of my favorite series. I just read the final one.

Kellee: It was so fresh and wild...like an amusement park ride! I just checked out #2 from the library, but I'm not sure if they have the third one yet. The Spellmans put the FUN in dysfunctional!

31. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (11-year-old chemistry genius Flavia is one of the best characters I've come across in a long time! A fun, quirky mystery featuring dead birds and philatelists!)

32.**** These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner (A wonderful journaled story of the Arizona territory in the late 1800s...gritty, funny, perceptive. Loved it!)
33. Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (These books are so fun to read! Must get the third!)

34. ****Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell (A fascinating series featuring a mostly-civilized sociopath, Kathy Mallory, who tracks down serial killers: psychologically complex characters & the ability to genuinely surprise the reader!)
35. Sleep Softly by Gwen Hunter
36. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

37. The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (What a non-conformist! Her books always have a twist that delights!)
38. Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart(A fast, fascinating read about the villains of the botanical world.)

39.****Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (What an incredible recreation of England in the 1100s! I love all the medical and historical info, although some of the violence was a bit beyond my comfort zone...eek! Skillfully written: already have #2 in the series!)
40. Women Who Write by Stefan Bollmann (Interesting examination of history of women writers and the social barriers they've faced.)

41. ****The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (The stories of 3 amazing women nested into one narrative: about a 4-year-old girl discovered alone in a harbor in Australia and her eventual search for who she really is. Fascinating!)
42. Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

43. The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin
44. The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear (I was really looking forward to this one...good, but lacked emotional engagement. I'd love to see Maisie act impulsively and with emotion just once!!! Still a great historical mystery series.)
45. A River In the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (Not one of her greatest, but always a joy to spend time with the Emersons!!!)
46. Killing critics by Carol O'Connell (I love her style...so intense & edgy & psychologically complex!)

47. Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell
48. Stone Angel by Carol O'COnnell
49.***** The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (My second reading, so I was able to slow down and enjoy his incredible use of language. Everyone should read this book!)
50. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith (Another enjoyable outing with Precious and the gang!)
51. The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
52. God of the Hive by Laurie R. King (It was so HARD waiting for this conclusion. Very different in tone from "Language" but wonderful.)

53. Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin (An interesting examination of the Arthurian legend)
54. A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin
55. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Not as snappy as the Lightning Thief books, but great beginning to a similar Egyptian series.)
56. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer (Love this YA series about Sherlock's younger sister Enola!)
57. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by RL LaFevers

Wow! I have been absent awhile! I wrote and directed a play (completely amateur) which was performed last night. Now I can catch up here!
58. Shell Game by Carol O'Connell
59. Bellfield Hall: Or the Observations of Miss Dido Kent by Anna Dean
60. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
61. Uncertain Voyage by Dorothy Gilman
62. Soulless by Gail Carriger (My favorite new series...LOVED this!)
63. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
64. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Mrs. Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
65. Changeless by Gail Carriger (Can't wait for Blameless to come out in September!!!)

66. The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey (I so enjoy Tey's incredible writing!)
67. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
*****68. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (A witty delight from beginning to end...I've long been a fan of the movie, but the novel is even better because of the delightful narrative.)

69. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (Loved the relationship between C and her grandfather, science-loving kindred spirits.)
70.****Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (A marvelous steampunk adventure...can't wait for the sequel Behemoth!)
71. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (even better than the movie!)
72. *****The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (I adore sleuth Flavia, the poison-obsessed preteen chemist!)
73. Crime School by Carol O'Connell
74. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Isiguro
75.*****Kraken by China Mievelle (Though I am still puzzled why a wordsmith of his calibre is so dependent on the "F" word...I almost didn't finish because of it!)
76. Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie

77. Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons

78. *****Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
79. *****Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox ( LOVED this intriguing series about an alternate land of dreams!)
80. Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
81. The Prestige by Christopher Priest
82. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
83. Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix
84. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
85. Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
86. *****Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
87. *****Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

88. Defeat DepressionA great handbook for making choices that help put you back in control.
89. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks*****Incredible non-fiction book expertly blending the science, history and human elements. Should be required reading for anyone in or dealing with the medical profession.
90. Prep Can I just say ICK?!!!
91.Sofie Metropolis A fun light read that channels "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
92.Miss Melville Regrets Hilarious book with some wicked black humor. About a middle-aged woman who becomes an assassin.
93.Daughter of the Stars: A Novel
94. The House on Mango Street**** Incredibly poetic yet sparse vignettes which recount the coming-of-age of a Latina living in Chicago.
95.Jonathan Livingston Seagull

96.Blamelessby Gail Carriger. I just adore this series: Steampunk, supernatural, witty humor & great romance...what more could you want in a book?!!! I cannot wait for "Heartless"...
97. Tomb with a View by Casey Daniels. Love this funny series about a PI for the dead.
98. Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complexby Eoin Colfer. Not the best in the series, but still great!
99. Specials by Scott Westerfeld. A satisfying conclusion to the series: a realistic and well-balanced ending.

And, drumroll please....
100. Dirty Laundry by Tori Carrington.
Now all the rest is just gravy!!!

101. Foul Playby Tori Carrington
102. The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz. A delightful conclusion, but felt the romance a bit anti-climactic.
103.**** Clockwork Angelby Cassandra Clare. Intriguing! I hadn't read the Mortal Instruments series, but I am now!!!
104. The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes. A truly bizarre mixture with a dark sense of humor.
105. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Yikes! You can tell this is her first book...good story, but often awkward writing. Can't wait for the next one!
106. Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

107. Tulips & Chimneys by ee cummings. Whatofamuchofaway with words...!Love him!
108. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. What a great collection for Halloween: the dead in Spoon River cemetery tell their tales in free verse. One of my fave poetry collections.
109. Castle Barebane by Joan Aiken.
110.**** City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. Love this imaginative series!
111.**** City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. A highly satisfying conclusion...even though the shocking mysteries were pretty obvious. I'll miss these amazing characters!

112. Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn. I love how this book shows Brisbane and Julia trying to work out their relationships as husband and wife. A gorgeous setting in India.
113.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.

114. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. I am loving this WWI steampunk adventure! Can't wait for the third installment.
115. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. This took a long time to get through, but provided incredible insight into the life of one of my favorite writer/poets.
116. The Death and Life of Sylvia Plath by Ronald Hayman. A reread.
117. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter. A fun series with an interesting twist.
118.***** Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. Fascinating study of cadavers: their decomposition, their uses in medical and other research, and the people who study them. LOVED it!
119. Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space by Philip Reeve. A lighthearted steampunk adventure in space.
120. The Detective Girl by Bill Tibbetts. Unique self-published collection of sonnets about a detective school.

121.The Monsters of Templeton by Laura Groff.
122. Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier.
123. Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
124. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. This book could have been half the length with a good editor!!!! I felt it wasted a lot of my time needlessly.
125. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood.
126. The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
127. The Subject Tonight Is Love by Hafiz.
128. King James translation of the Old Testament My first time reading the entire OT from beginning to end in order.
129. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor.
130. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.
*****A nice, round 130 book total for 2010--one more book than last year!!! Bring on 2011!!!!!

Wow - 130! You totally skunked me. :)

Jen wrote: "Wow - 130! You totally skunked me. :)"

You said at the beginning of the year you were not attempting to reach 100 :) I just like the way this helps me keep track of what I read. What's your goal for 2011?

Cindi wrote: "Jen wrote: "Wow - 130! You totally skunked me. :)"

You said at the beginning of the year you were not attempting to reach 100 :) I just like the way this helps me keep track of what I read. What'..."

Yes, I definitely wasn't trying to reach 100 - that was a tough goal for me before and I knew I couldn't hack it two years in a row. :) I like keeping track here, too. I don't think I really have a reading goal for this year - I'm just trying to read some new kinds of things I haven't tried before. Goodreads is great for that, because I can browse through all my friends lists! :)

I agree! This is the first year I haven't reread tons of things...I always have new ideas and suggestions from scrolling through the updates. I've discovered so many authors I never would have without Goodreads! Happy New Year!!

Cindi wrote: "114. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. I am loving this WWI steampunk adventure! Can't wait for the third installment.
115. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. This too..."

Just thought I should point out: It's Bill Tibbitts, not Bill Tibbetts. Sorry, just a little pet peeve of mine.

Aida wrote: "Cindi wrote: "114. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. I am loving this WWI steampunk adventure! Can't wait for the third installment.
115. [book:The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath|11..."
Sorry! :)