It's the time of year when readers look back on their past year of books and reflect on what they've read. And if you're a "content creator", you come up with a top ten list of your best reads for 2025, and maybe your least favorite ten as well. I've never been able to rank things like that. My brain doesn't work that way. And then too, I'm not a competitive fellow, and I rarely, if ever, make a contest out of things that aren't a contest. All of which is to say that I'll leave it up to you to look over my list of books, and see the grades I awarded them for any suggestions you might be looking for.
A you can see from my list below, I read a lot of books this year. Though to put in in perspective, it's less than two books a week if you count only the books I finished. I started 105 books (one listing was a movie of a book I've read) and I completed 84 of them, abandoning 21. I am a fairly fast reader, and with no job, I have a lot of free time to read.
As anyone who follows this blog knows, I found two stellar authors this year, along with one honorable mention. Beth Brower's The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion series was a standout hit for me, combining witty writing and endearing characters with an always engaging, and evolving plot. Georgette Heyer was my second wonderful discovery, especially her more comic Regency romances. I read 23 Heyer books this year. I couldn't help myself. Life is short. My honorable mention is L M Montgomery and her Anne of Greene Gables stories. In addition to these three authors, I also read some books by one of my all time favorite authors, Patrick O'Brian, whose stories still hold up after three or five re-reads.
What else did I discover this year? One thing I found is that it seems that I'm no longer a fan of old time adventure stories. I read adventure stories by Robert Lewis Stevenson, and John Buchan, as well as some from more obscure authors and none of them really clicked with me, despite the fact that Buchan is/was a lifelong favorite of mine. I think that as I've gotten older, I'm less interested in the story and more entertained by the writing itself, which is why I still enjoy those O'Brian sea stories, adventure stories as they are, since I love the way he writes. And then there is the fact that, adventure stories often have a lot of described action, which, it seems, I no longer have a lot of patience for.
Thanks to Tristan's classic booktube channel, I tried some classics like Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, but, alas, I found that I could not work up a great appreciation of them, though Tristan did introduce me to Heyer as well as giving Jane Austen a try, which in turn, led me to Brower. There are also perhaps a dozen books plus that I also tried at the suggestion of other booktubers and friends, with, shall we say, mixed results. I believe Jile's News of the World to be the standout suggestion of this group of books.
As I said at the top, it was a bumper year for reading, both in the quality and quantity of books. For comparison, I read 112 books between 2021 & 2023. In 2024 I started 53 books, DNFed 5 for a total of 48 books read. I expect 2026 to be much closer to 2024 than to 2025. Still, a book a week in a nice pace. The issue, as I talked about in a previous post, will be finding a book a week that I will enjoy.
Below is the list of books I started this year. For some reason that I can't recall, the list starts with the most recent book I read and works its way down to January 2025. The first number in green is the number of the book, the second is the number of the Saturday Morning Post blog that I reviewed the book in. A number of those review haven't been posted yet, but are coming in the next two months. And, of course, the grade I gave the book. All my grades are based on my enjoyment, not on any objective quality of the book.
I hope your reading year was as wonderful as mine, and this year's even better.
My 2025 Books Read
Book # - Review Blog Post # - Title - Author - grade
106 170 In Pawn by Ellis Parker Butler C
105 172 The Foundling by Georgette Heyer B
104 172 Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer
103 171 Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer C+
102 171 False Colours by Georgette Heyer A
101 170 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott C+
100 169 The Blue Castle by L M Montgomery B-
99 169 The Box of Delights by John Masefield C
98 167 Bath Tangle Georgette Heyer C
97 168 The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer A
96 168 The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer C
95 167 Windhaven by George R R Martin & Lisa Tuttle DNF 21%
94 166 Cotillion by Georgette Heyer A
93 166 A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer B
92 165 A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer DNF 38%
91 164 The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer A
90 163 A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs A (Reread)
89 162 Jack Derringer by Basil Lubbock DNF 41%
88 161 Arabella by Georgette Heyer A-
87 160 The Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz DNF 61%
86 159 Prester John by John Buchan C
85 158 The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyunga N/A
84 157 Robin by Frances Hodgson Burnett DNF 16%
83 157 A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett B-
82 157 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett B
81 156 Anne of Windy Poplar by L M Montgomery A-
80 156 Anne of the Island by L M Montgomery A
79 155 The Black Arrow by Robert Lewis Stevenson C
78 155 Catriona by Robert Lewis Stevenson DNF 8%
77 154 Anne of Avonlea by L M Montgomery B+
76 154Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery A
75 153 Dirk Gentry’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams C
74 152 War of the Roses – Stormbird by Conn Iggulden DNF 57%
73 151 Topper by Thorne Smith DNF 21%
72 151 Biltmore Oswald, The Diary of a Hapless Recruit by Thorne Smith C+
71 150 Toto A J Hackwirth C
70 149 April Lady by Georgette Heyer B+
69 148 Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford DNF 34%
68 147 The Inn on Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman B
67 146 The Gentleman: A Romance of the Sea by Alfred Ollivant DNF 6%
66 146 The Yeoman Adventurer by Geroge W Gough B
65 145 The Princess Bride by William Goldman DNF 19%
64 144 The Car of Destiny by C. N. & A. M. Williamson DNF 6%
63 144 The Six Hundred by James Grant C+
62 143 Dear Enemy by Jean Webster C
61 142 The Four Pool Mystery by Jean Webster
60 141 Lavender & Old Lace by Myrtle Reed C
59 140 Daddy-Long-Legs Jean Webster A
58 139 When Patty Went to College Jean Webster B-
57 138 The Hour of the Dragon Robert E Howard C
56 137 The Fortune of War Patrick O’Brian A
55 136 Piranesi by Sussana Clarke F
54 135 Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer B
53 134 Starman Jones by Robert A Heilein C (reread)
52 133 Why Shoot a Butler? By Georgette Heyer C+
51 132 News of the World by Paulette Jiles A
50 131 The Adventures of Mary Darling by Pat Murphy DNF 42%
49 130 The Sorcerer’s Concubine by Lidiya Foxglove B-
48 129 The Mauritius Command by Patrick O’Brian A (reread)
47 129 Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian A (reread)
46 128 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolsttoy DNF 1%
45 128 Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy C
44 127 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain C (reread)
43 127 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain C+ (reread)
42 126 My Brilliant Career by (Stella Maria Sarah) Miles Franklin C+
41 125 Doctor Nye by Joseph C Lincoln C+ (reread)
40 124 Dark Coulee by Mary Logue C
39 123 Kim by Rudyard Kipling B+
38 122 The Heirs of Atlantis (1st Draft) by Chris Fox DNF 30%
37 121 The Brough Treasurer by J S Fletcher C
36 120 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen DNF 14%
35 119 Tales from the Folly by Ben AAronovitch B-
34 118 Movie: The Lightkeepers C Based on The Woman Haters by Joe Lincoln
33 116 Fletchers End D E Stevenson C
32 116 Bel Lanington by D E Stevenson C
31 115 The Body at the Tower Y S Lee B
30 114 The Last Kingdom Bernard Cornwell B-
29 113 New York Minute Stephen Aryan C
28 112 An Infanous Army Georgette Heyer C
27 111 Convenient Marriage Georget Heyer DNF 31%
26 111 Emma Jane Austen DNF 6%
25 110 Winter Journeys Audrey Driscoll B
24 109 What Comes of Attending Commoners Ball Elisabeth Aimee Brown DNF 55%
23 108 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 7 Beth Brower A
22 108 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 8 Beth Brower A
21 107 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 5 Beth Brower A
20 107 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 6 Beth Brower A
19 106 The Old World, Book One, By the Hands of Men Roy M Griffis C
18 105 The Wizard’s Butler Nathan Lowell DNF 29%
17 104 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 3 Beth Brower A
16 104 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 4 Beth Brower A
15 103 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 1 Beth Brower A
14 103 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 2 Beth Brower A
13 102 John Nuclear at the Perihelion Palace Berthold Gambrel B
12 101 The Devil’s Cub Gerogette Heyer B
11 100 Brother Cadfael’s Penance B
10 99 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen C+
9 98 The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer B+
8 97 The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer B+
7 96 Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer A
6 95 Mansfield Park by Jane Austen B-
5 94 These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer B+
4 93 Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett DNF (40%)
3 92 The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer B
2 91 Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer B+
1 90 The Dawning of Everything by David Graeber & David Wengrow DNF
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