100+ Books in 2025 discussion

Excited to join in here. I challenged myself to read 50 books last year and managed to read close to 100. So, this year I am challenging myself to read 100. We'll see if I read over a 100 or not ;-)

I'll list the books I've read so far in the next post. I'll give them stars & keep a record of the page numbers. I might add reviews as well.

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 3* 326 pages
2. Housekeeping 2.5* 219 pages
3. Happy Ever After3.5* 333 pages
4. Indulgence in Death 3.5* 373 pages
5. Light Boxes 2.5* 149 pages
6. Doomsday Book 3.5* 578 pages
7. Warrior 4* 354 pages
8. Scoundrel 4* 400 pages
9. Rebel 3.5* 398 pages
10. Stranger 3.5* 463 pages
11. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 4* 384 pages
12. The Madonnas of Echo Park 4* 224 pages
13. Dreamfever 3.5* 362 pages
14. Jar City 4* 288 pages
15. Undead and Unfinished 1* 256 pages
16. Shadowfever 3.5* 594 pages
17. Snow Angels 2* 336 pages
18. Huckleberry Finished 1* 304 pages
19. The Remains of the Dead 2.5* 279 pages
20. Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship 3.5* 224 pages
21. The House on Mango Street 2.5* 128 pages
22. Silence of the Grave 3* 288 pages
23. The Sherlockian 3.5* 350 pages
24. Case Histories 4.5* 336 pages
25. The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant 2* 256 pages
26. The Draining Lake 4* 312 pages
27. 84, Charing Cross Road 5* 112 pages
28. Come, Thou Tortoise 3.5* 412 pages
29. The Tiger's Wife 3.5* 352 pages
30. Homicide My Own 1* 219 pages
31. The Secret of Lost Things 4* 349 pages
32. The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator 4* 288 pages
33. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life 4* 220 pages
34. Gods Behaving Badly 3* 292 pages
35. The Ice Princess 4* 393 Pages
36. Collision Course 4* 199 pages
37. Last Night's Scandal 3* 361 pages

38. Arctic Chill 3* 352 pages

Good solid mystery set in Iceland. Liked it.

39. Water for Elephants 4* 335 pages

Very good book, well written with a likable protagonist and love interest. Hated most of the parts involving the elephant though was expecting it. Are people really that cruel? A rhetorical question...glad I read it even though not a book I would've picked up on my own (for book club).

Lillie wrote: "39. Water for Elephants 4* 335 pages

Very good book, well written with a likable protagonist and love interest. Hated most of the parts involving..."

Not sure if you knew but movie coming out this weekend with Reese Witherspoon as lead female role.

Just saw an ad this past weekend, lol. I'm glad I read it before it came out.

Stephanie wrote: "Lillie wrote: "39. Water for Elephants 4* 335 pages

Very good book, well written with a likable protagonist and love interest. Hated most of the ..."

40. Treachery in Death 4* 375 pages

Good solid read. I love her In Death series and feel that she always delivers.

43. The Name of This Book Is Secret 4* 384 pages

What a fun book! Full of magic and adventure. Just perfect for the preteen crowd.

44. The Raphael Affair 3* 272 pages

Good book for art lovers.

45. The Summer Without Men 3* 182 pages

Skimmed too many pages for this to have been a great book. Liked what I actually read though. Wish those parts were expanded, hated her relationship part of book.

46. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt 4.5* 306 pages

Really enjoyed this feel good book. Read very much like a movie, a sweet coming of age book. I was transported to the South in the mid 60's.

Why didn't I rate a 5*? Not sure, except for the couple of times I was taken out of story, the rest kept me reading. Not a perfect book but throughly engaging. I may come back to change the rating.

47. The Story Sisters 3* 325 pages

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It had all the makings of a story I like, sisters, magic, love, redemption but something was missing. Maybe it was too much of everything. At times it felt like everything and the kitchen sink had been thrown in. There are times when less is more.

That said, the writing kept me there till the end, sucked me in & I even cried a few tears. I managed to read it in a 24 hour period. Not bad. Will be reading Practical Magic by the same author.

48. A Lesson in Secrets 3.5*

Good book, Maisie Dobbs is back to form. Not one of the best in the series but still enjoyable. The mystery seemed to be wrapped up a little too quickly for my taste but am looking forward to her next offering (next year??).

Lots of "buts" in this review, maybe that's why it rated only a 3.5 stars.

49. The Year of the Hare 2* 194 pages

Not even sure how to review this one. Odd, very odd.

50. The Chalk-Circle Man 3.5* 247 pages

Oddly intruiguing, entertaining. Felt as though the translation wasn't done by a native English speaker. Have ordered his next book.

51. The Trumpet of the Swan 3* 272 pages

Book read for mother-daughter book club. Had a good message. Would recommend it for the younger readers.

52. Catching Fire 391 pages 4*

Loved going back to this dystopian series. Only slightly annoyed at the "love" triangle. Think it would've better if it didn't exist.

53. It Happened One Season 4* 384 pages

Fun, light read. Just the thing on these summer days.

54. Doc: A Novel 3 1/2* 394 pages

I was expecting this to be a mystery novel ala the new Jane Austen mysteries only with Doc Holliday. I was mistaken. This is a historical novel of Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and various other Dodge players.

The first several chapters did not engage me and I was about to put it away. I am glad that I continued reading it. And even happier that I was able to enjoy it once I changed my expectations of it.

55. The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam 3* 238 pages

I enjoyed many aspects of this book, there were clever parts. I was hoping for just a bit more. I have the next book so hopefully it will be better.

56. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake 3 1/2* 397 pages

Fun light historical romance. Check any notions of reality when reading and enjoy the story.

57. Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord 3* 357 pages

Another light historical romance. Liked it slightly less then the first in the series (trilogy).

58. Just Like Heaven 3 1/2* 384 pages

Brain candy. I might be ready to go back to more literary fair soon but I'm having fun for now :)

59. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart 2* 367 pages

Hate it when I get to the third book in a series and I'm wishing that they had left well enough alone. Disappointing.

60. Smooth Talking Stranger 3* 384 pages

Enjoyable read with a heroine who, unfortunately, occasionally bordered on stupidity.

61. Mockingjay 3*
390 pages

Wanted to love this book. sigh. The first book was terrific, the second was very good...oh, well. Didn't hate it, so that's a good thing.

62. The Sisters Brothers 4* 336 pages

Quirky, bizarre, funny western about brothers who are hired killers in 1851.

63. Ablutions: Notes for a Novel 2.5* 164 pages

Bizarre, unlikable narrator. Writing kept me reading though it was like a slow motion train wreck. Some laugh out loud moments.

64. Shantaram 4* 944 pages

Great book but could've been edited just a bit. Felt like Bombay was a character all its own. Got to know the city very well & the author's love of city came across throughout.

Only annoyance was that narrator believed himself heroic.

65. Silk Is for Seduction 3* 384 pages

Not as strong as her previous books.

66. Parrot and Olivier in America 3 1/2* 381 pages

Beautiful writing, I felt transported to the past when America was young. Enjoyed Parrot's narrative far more than Olivier's. There was something slightly obnoxious about Olivier.

67. The Book of Lost Things 4* 470 pages

What a fabulous book. It was mixture of fairy tales, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. The story had a great flow, I cared about the young boy and the writing was imaginative. I even enjoyed the exploration of the fairy tales used in the book at the end of the story.

68. The Lady Matador's Hotel: A Novel 4* 311 pages

What a great writer! A friend compared her to early Isabel Allende and I agree. Will be on the lookout for her other books.

69. The Women in Black 3.5* 142 pages

Very slim book set in 1950s Sydney about a group of women who work in a department store. Read like a script for a movie. If there's a movie out there, I wouldn't be surprised.

70. Original Sin 3* 304 pages

Light, no brainer summer read.

71. The Map of Time 1.5* 611 pages

Haven't read too many clunkers but this one sure qualifies. Started out interesting but then it got lost, bogged down. Not worth the time. Also felt deceived by summary. Thought I would be reading about HG Wells and time travel.

72. Shady Lady 4* 224 pages

Fun addition to the Corine Solomon series. Glad to hear that she'll be writing two more. Love her other series as well, Sirantha Jax (next one's out in September).

73. The Pleasure of My Company 4* 163 pages

Love the way Steve Martin writes. Very enjoyable novella overall. A little rushed at the end. Will be looking for his other books.

74. Starting from Happy: A Novel 1* 215 pages

Ugh! Could've saved some trees with this one.

75. A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True 2* 351 pages

I wish I could say I even remotely liked this book. I wanted to, I really did. Oh, well...

76. Nemesis 4 1/2* 474 pages

What a gripping mystery! I can usually figure out what is going on or who's done it fairly quickly but not this time. Each time I thought I figured it out, the kalaidescope shifted and I was left in the dark. Fantastic!

Only reason it wasn't 5* was because of the continued neo-nazi red herring. Wish one of the Scandinavian mystery writers would keep any mention of that group out of their writing. It would be refreshing. Rant over.

77. 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life 3* 228 pages

A read for my first book club. A little too sweet & saccharin for me. Great idea though. One should always thank people for taking their time to give us gifts - material or otherwise.

78. A Discovery of Witches 3* 579 pages

Another this is the type of book I usually love but... Editing would've helped this book tremendously. We seriously didn't need page upon page of vampires not eating greens, making salads, raw meat, etc. Got it the first one or two times. And yoga? Really? That many pages devoted to it? Serious editing would've made me love this book. Will have to think about reading the sequel when it comes out. If I don't forget about it first.

79. The Radleys 4* 366 pages

Fun, fun book about an average British family who happen to be vampires. Loved the low-key approach to the story. There is drama but it isn't overwhelmingly dramatic (if that makes sense).

I look forward to reading Matt Haig's other books.

80. Archangel's Blade 4* 320 pages

Am on a roll with vampire books. Another fun book. I was expecting to read about Elena and Raphael not Dmitri but it turned out to be just as good as the rest of the series.

81. Tempted 3.5* 400 pages

Enjoyed it while I was reading it but not memorable.

82. The Savage Detectives 2* 648 pages

TG I'm done with this book. Not enough interesting parts to keep me glued. Started this back in April/May? Eh.

83. Aftermath 2* 307 pages

Very disappointing book for me.

84. Practical Magic 3* 286 pages

Good entertaining book. Was put off by some of the writing. It felt awkward. Liked the story even though it was wrapped up very quickly and in a neat bow.

85. Deal Breaker 3* 339 pages

Good mystery involving a sports agent. Think that's the first of it's kind I've read.

Very dated though. It was funny to read references to the early 90s.

86. The Keeper of Lost Causes 3 1/2* 395 pages

Not sure if I really liked this book or not. I kept going back and forth, especially when the reason behind the crime was revealed. Felt myself rolling my eyes like a teenager. Yeah, the crime portion was unbelievably crazy.

On the other hand the detective portion, though a few of those sections were eye roll worthy (personal life), were solid. I liked the detective's interactions with his assistant/driver. And, I really enjoyed the setting, Denmark. Don't think I've read any other Danish books.

87. The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #1) 3* 369 pages

Good solid fantasy read for middle school age. There were witches, sorcerers, magicians, Egyptian gods, were-animals, vampiric beings and a set of girl/boy twin protagonists. All in all, a fun fast read. Only caveat one should know is that this is the first in a six part series.

Haven't updated in awhile but have had a good run-read 6 books:

88. The Secret Life of Bees 4* 302 pages ~ beautiful story

89. The Rabbit Factory 4* 602 pages ~ lots of fun, entertaining mystery

90. 4* 425 pages ~ the fun continues with the Hollywood detectives

91. A Visit from the Goon Squad 2 1/2* 341 pages ~ very disappointed in this prize winning book. I expected a novel, what I got was related short stories. Had I known that, I wouldn't have picked it up.

92. Flipping Out 3* 320 pages ~ good but not as good a mystery as the first two

93. Nox Dormienda:: A Long Night for Sleeping 3* 323 pages ~ interesting setting and time (Roman Briton), not such a fabulous mystery as ending came out of nowhere

94. Cain 4* 159 pages

A novella really. What an amusing, subversive, heretical book! Thoroughly enjoyable.

Do not read if you take your faith seriously.