100+ Books in 2025 discussion

Just discovered this fantastic website.

Oops, don't quite know how to add books to this. If anyone can advise how to add books that connect them to book info please let me know.

Have got most of my books this year from 'Read It Swap It', great site, enables you to get any book you are after without adding to your own groaning shelves. And introduces you to authors you may not otherwise have come across.

So here goes:

1. The war of the worlds - interesting to read the original after all this time.

2. The woman who walked into doors (Roddy Doyle): Unsympathetic characters but such assured writing you had to go on reading and suspended judgement.

3.Goodnight Steve McQueen: Story of a would-be rock star written by a woman who had actually made it in the pop world. So I suppose I was expecting more insights than were given here.

4. Heaven knows I'm miserable now: My difficult student 80's: Universal autobiography of being a student ... someone else has lived in a damp flat, yeah!

to add the books just click on the add book/author and u look the book up on there and u can choose to either just put a link to it or the cover of the book

Thanks for that, Heather.

5. War Horse: A guilty pleasure - Female lead dense and self-obsessed, but had to read to the end.
6.Plain Truth: First Jodi Picoult book I have read, and enjoyed the Amish background and culture clashes.
7.For Love Sue Miller: Separated woman clearing her late mother's home. Real characters with real, messy lives.
8. The Lords' Day: Intriguing scenario - what if terrorists take over the opening of parliament and have captive the royal family and government, gripping and feels very possible.

I think I have posted this in wrong place, under group discussion rather than alphabetically. Please let me know how to move this...
9. New Moon: Lead female character still irritating - where are her female friends, and doesn't she protest too much about everything - can't believe I'm still reading this. (no 6 was Breaking Dawn which seems to have disappeared somewhere.
10. Revolutionary Road: the American Dream going wrong with shocking end.
11. The Lost Symbol: Have thoroughly enjoyed all his previous novels. This didn't live up to them. Rather wondered with this why all the characters were so excitable about not a lot.
12. Sparkling Cyanide: Another guilty pleasure - Agatha Christie, Surprised that as part of the plot the murder victim had an open marriage, Oo- er Agatha!
13. The Spell: by Alan Hollinghurst. What a brilliant, sharp writer. Social comedy dissected with a scalpel.
14.Love, etc.: Had read loads of Julian Barnes years ago and loved the wit and cleverness. But this didn't do anything for me, and two months on I can't remember much about it.
15. The Vows of Silence: Susan Hill. Enjoyable detective novel, and the detective, Simon Serailler has his faults and family problems.

16. First Lady- Michael Dobbs- assured writing of political scheming by an insider.
17. Churchill's Triumph- Michel Dobbs, bringing Churchill's war years alive, perfectly interweaving fact & fiction.
18. Juliet, Naked- Nick Hornby, interesting idea about an obsessed fan and the mundane reality of his musician hero.
19. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Don't understand the hype and popularity of this novel. So many pointless red-herring characters, and scenes of unpleasantly vivid torture.

20. The Distant Echo- second novel of Val McDermid I have read and underwhelmed by this one too. Interesting idea about 4 students being suspected of a murder. But easy to guess early on 'who done it', and the students didn't engage my attention/sympathy.
21. The Scapegoat- Daphne du Maurier. Had read most of her novels as a teenager. Intrigued by the idea of this novel: 2 identical men swap lives.
22. Eclipse
23.
Winston's War- Michael Dobbs. History, great characterisation and tension. What more could you want.

24. Goodfellowe MP: Michael Dobbs. Fictional M.P. and the behind-the-scenes ruthless manoeuverings, all too believable.

25. The House at Midnight: Didn't live up to its wonderfully atmospheric cover and blurb.
26. Amsterdam: Ian McEwan.
27. An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern
Britain: or Sixty Years of Making the Same Stupid Mistakes as Always: John O'Farrell always makes me laugh out loud, and this was informative and fascinating too.

28.The Accidental
29. The Thirteenth Tale
30. Churchill's Hour- Michael Dobbs.

31. Picture Perfect: Jodi Picoult. Woman who has lost her memory discovers she's marrie film star.
32. Five people you meet in heaven.
33. Blind Assassin: Margaret Atwood. Found this a boring slog.
34. The Sittaford Mystery: Agatha Christie. Murder mystery taking place with homes cut off by heavy snow.
35. Timeline: Michael Crichton - timetravel.
36. Never Surrender: Michael Dobbs.
37. Camberwell Beauty: Jenny Eclair - an enjoyable, funny read.
38. Snobs: Julian Fellowes.

39. Twilight.
40. A Suitable Vengeance- oddly modern era but dated detective novel - the characters weirdly obsessed by class & titles.

41. The Various Haunts of Men: Susan Hill

42. The Pure in Heart: Susan Hill
43. The Risk of Darkness: Susan Hill
44. The Host: Interesting idea of humans being taken over by aliens. But same irritating female protagonist who featured in the Twilight novels: humourless, and believing herself to be soooo caring and soooo self-denying, aaah.

45. Death in the Garden: Mystery - interesting mix of 1920's & contemporary. Niece inherits her great aunt's country home, discovers her relative was once accused of murder, and carries out research to find out the truth.

46. Breaking Dawn:Guilty pleasure. Stupid, self-unaware main character - carried on reading waiting for her to get a comeuppance.
47. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire: Fascinating woman, politician, & fascinating biography.
48. The Cat Who Came for Christmas: Even intellectual men can gain something from sharing time with a moggie.
49. Fatherland: Intriguing idea - how would life be like in Britain if Hitler had won the war.
50. The Whole Day Through
51. The Line of Beauty: Brilliant. Amazing writing, wonderful piece of English history.
52. Senator's Wife: Sue Miller. The story of newly married Meri fascinated by her next door neighbour, the senator's wife. Disturbing unforeseen denouement. Didn't think a novel could surprise me, the ending of this one did
53. Case Histories: A Novel: Kate Atkinson.
54. When Will There Be Good News?: Kate Atkinson.
55. Bleak Midwinter: The plague comes to modern-day Oxford.
56. Something Wicked: Light read.
57. Maggie's Tree: Julie Walters - written by a fantastic character actress - but the novel is written as a screen-play - the characters' facial expressions described in minute detail - yawn.
58. The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Promised more than it gave.

59. Doors Open. First Ian Rankin I have read. Group of friends agree to carry out an art heist and soon get out of their depth. Pacy.

60. One Good Turn: Kate Atkinson - story of connections starts by a road rage incident.
61. This Book Will Save Your Life: Brilliant title - unlikely set of events follow.

63. The False Inspector Dew: Thoroughly enjoyable, period who-dunnit, murder takes place on a luxury liner. First Peter Livesey I have read, and already orered another one.
64. Memoirs of a Survivor: Doris Lessing. Had read this many years ago. Set in the near-future when society/government has totally broken down. Fascinated by this scenario, less enamoured of the dreamscapes the narrator escapes into.
65. The Two Mrs. Grenvilles: Love the way Dominic Dunne's writing speeds along. Little description, but the characters are instantly evoked by their talk. Set in the 1940s when a good-time showgirl marries into New York's upper classes.

66. Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?: More Puzzles in Classic Fiction- Enjoyable short essays on works of classic fiction, affectionately pointing out authorial errors.

67. The Swimming-Pool Library: Allan Hollinghurst. Loved 'The Line of Beauty' and thoroughly enjoyed 'The Spell', but found this one claustrophobic, and the narrator's obsession with casual sex and male genitals very tedious.
68. The Takeover: Muriel Spark - had it on my bookshelves for 30 years, and had no recollection whether I had read it when bought. A parable of the seventies - and as relevant today. Light-hearted tale of the complacent international rich being ripped-off by various spongers. Amusing, but didn't really involve me.

69. Bloodhounds: Peter Lovesey. Murder mystery involving a crime reading book club. And I didn't guess who did it!

70. A Woman of No Importance: Oscar Wilde play. Deliciously funny one-liners. Frothy, country house characters, but ends with a scene of feminist morality.

71. Last Bus to Woodstock: Colin Dexter first Morse novel. Didn't seem psychologically convincing that the 'who dunnit' did it. If it wasn't for the t.v. series would probably not read another: but this was the first novel in a 3-novel compendium.

Lara wrote: "I think I have posted this in wrong place, under group discussion rather than alphabetically. Please let me know how to move this..."

To move a topic from one folder to another, click on the topic then click on 'edit' next to the topic title. You should be able to move your topic to the "L" folder. Let me know if you would like me to do it for you.

Hope this helps!

72. The Bell Jar: Sylvia
Plath - Had put off reading this book for years as I thought it would be terribly depressing. It was actually funny, witty, and very well written, it sounded authentic. Having worked in a mental hospital there was no oooh-aaah moment. But this novel will resonate with me because of Plath's subsequent history

73. The Wench Is Dead: Colin Dexter.Second novel in a book trilogy. While Morse is recuperating in hospital he solves a Victorian crime. Enjoyable mix of 20c life & historical sleuthing.

74. An Ideal Husband: Oscar Wilde. A politician about to be exposed for insider trading in his youth. Amusing, fast-moving. Chauvinistic. Still relevant.

75. The Jewel That Was Ours: Colin Dexter. Third novel in the Morse omnibus. A coach of elderly Americans on a cultural tour of Britain. Lots of twists in a story involving the theft of an important jewel and the murder of the man who has researched its history. Lots of twists and red herrings.

76. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Agatha Christie. I felt Christie left too huge a clue very early on, so 'who done it' was not a surprise, but still enjoyed the characters and the way Christie spread out her red herrings.

77. The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul: Douglas Adams. Original, humorous writing. Intriguing idea - how would immortal gods cope in today's society? Had enjoyed Hitchhiker's Guide when it came out, but I found this a tedious read and gave a sigh of relief when I'd finished it.

78. Another City, Not My Own: 'Dominic Dunne - a guilty 5-stars, see my review under the title.

79. Real People: Alison Lurie. Orignally read in the 80's and just re-read. My review under the title.

80. The Truth About Lorin Jones: Alison Lurie. Review under the title.
81. Long Time Coming: Robert Goddard. Review under title.

82. A Season in Purgatory: Read it years ago, and enjoyed it as much second time around.

82. (my numbering has gone wonky)Piece Of My Heart: Peter Robinson. A girl is murdered at a pop festival in the late 60's, then 30 years later a music journalist is also murdered as he researches into one of the acts. Enjoyed the way the novel moved between the 60's and present day.