100+ Books in 2025 discussion

Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone who posts in this group...you've provided many great book suggestions that I've enjoyed immensely!
1. ****Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Beautiful examination of Chinese/Japanese and other relationships during WWII, plus a sweet romance. Extremely satisfying!
2.****Heist Society by Ally Carter. Marvelous tale of teens who pull off an impossible art theft to save someone. Carter keeps getting better!
3.****Great House by Nicole Krauss. Short stories linked together by the history surrounding a writing desk.
4.****Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliasotti. Wonderful creation of a steampunk civilization with great mystery and romance.
5.****Little Bee by Chris Cleave. Heartbreaking and eye-opening story of a Nigerian illegal immigrant with ties to a British magazine editor.

6. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter. Love this series, but shouldn't have read out of order...
7. ****Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. Excellent coming of age book about a psychologically wounded girl who goes South to heal. My one complaint? No healthy male relationships. I know this is a girl power book, but...!!!!
8. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter.
9. Incarceron. Imaginative dystopian book about two kinds of prisons.
Page total: 2,764

10. Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor. A disappointment. Over-attention to combat with little engaging character development.
11.***** book:Jellicoe Road|2999475] by Melina Marchetta. The best I've read in 2011. Incredible story weaving the present at an Australian boarding school with an accident that occurred in the 80's. About how every tragedy has within it the seeds of our redemption.
12.****The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy. Is it the creepy and frightening story of a young boy who assists a man obsessed with monsters? Yes. But much more. Explores deep themes like what makes a human monstrous, and the legacy and burdens passed from parent to child. Excellent!
13. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. Whimsical tale of a girl returning to the Southern town where her mother grew up and the secrets she hid from her daughter.
14. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. Lots of potential. Liked the basic story, but the writing was full of cliches...felt like it was rushed to print.
15. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. Interesting recounting of England in the 1920's, but I never felt emotionally connected to the characters.
16. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett. My first Pratchett, but definitely not my last. Hilarious first story of Disc World. Not a cliffhanger, but an edge-of-world hanger! Which book do I read to continue the story?!
total pages: 5,292

Hey, i'm reading The Color of Magic right now, it's hilarious! The next one in the series is The Light Fantastic. There are about 37 books in this series!

I knew there were a bunch & that's why I was confused! Thanks, Erin!

sure...let me know if you need to know what any of the next ones are! i get obsessive about reading a series in the correct order, slight obsessive about it!

Me too! I hate it when I get ahead and then have to go back!!!!It's annoying because my library usually doesn't have the first book of the series & I have to find it elsewhere!!!

I hate it when the library doesn't have a complete series, it makes me nutty.

Or the middle volume when you're obsessed and can't wait!

ha ha, so true!!!

17. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. I dislike when someone takes bits and pieces of philosophies and religions and comes up with their own mix of "wisdom," discarding anything that requires self-discipline or puts limits on their own selfish desires. To me, this is the opposite of wisdom!
18.**** The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye by Nancy Springer. A satisfying and delightful conclusion to a wonderful series starring Sherlock and Mycroft's younger sister Enola. I adore this series!
19. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris. Mildly amusing, but not my cup of tea.
20. ****The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Incredible story of an American Indian trying to escape the limits of rez life but stay true to who he is while attending a white high school. Funny and heart-wrenching.

21. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith. Fascinating story of a young black girl who passes as white in order to fly planes in the military during WWII.
22. ****Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. Kim, an immigrant from Hong Kong, tries to live true to her intellectual gifts at an exclusive private high school while hiding the abject poverty she and her mother live in. Shocking that such conditions exist! The contrast between Kim's American experience and her fellow students is stunning. Had a complaint with her decision at the end, however.
23. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. Excellent continuation of the dystopian series. Can't wait for the next one!
24. Billie's Kiss by Elizabeth Knox. Haunting, moody tale of the pink-haired survivor of a shipwreck on a small island and the secrets revealed in the investigation that follows. About mourning and healing.
25. ****A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley. Delightful continuation of the Flavia saga fraught with dark humor, peril and quirky characters. This outing revolves around the attempted murder of a gypsy woman. Love this series!

Page total: 7,999

26.**** The Anubis Gatesby Tim Powers. How odd that one of the classic Steampunk books doesn't really fit the current definition! If written today this would have been a trilogy...so much for one book!
27.***** Mockingbird by Katheryn Erskine. One of the best so far this year. Narrated by a girl who suffers from Asperger's whose brother was murdered in a school shooting. Amazing book about healing.
28. Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer. My first Heyer. She has such an incredible knowledge of all things Regency!
29. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan. great idea, but some cutesy parts stretched my credulity too far.
30. Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michels.
31.**** The Eyre Affairby Jasper Fforde. I adore this very creative, witty and literary series!
32.**** Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. I love how Fforde mixes classic literary figures (like Ms Havisham) with very modern characters in an alternative 1985! Fun reading!

33.****The Distant Hours. Great read, though it does follow the pattern of her other books. So many secrets you can't help but be surprised by at least one:)
34. The Well of Lost Plotsby Jasper Fforde. I am delighting in this series. Anyone at all bookish will adore the absurd humor of Thursday's adventure living inside the world of fiction.
35.Venetiaby Georgette Heyer. Love her witty Austenesque dialogue, but miss Austen's fine sense of morality in these Regency novels.

36.Search the Shadows by Barbara Michaels. I had actually already read this and didn't realize it til halfway through...!
37.****The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Partyby Alexander McCall Smith. I wonder how many hours of pleasure I've experienced through this series? Another sweet delight!
38.****A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It took me awhile to get into this:very episodic. But like real life, the small details build to an amazing whole. Incredible portrait of Brooklyn leading up to WWI.
39. Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff. Young Girl's experience during WWII.

I am so slow updating!!! Yikes!
40. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce.
41. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown.
42. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce.
43. Ship Breakerby Paolo Bacigalupi. I was a little disappointed in this. The plot and world building were an incredible feat, but I was not emotionally involved with the characters.
44.****Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer. Highly intersting look at the art of memory plus lots of details about the development of books. Loved it!
45. ****Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. Fforde is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! Incredible world-building, with a mix of witty satire, sci-fi, fantasy...really, he defies labels! Just an incredibly creative writer!

46. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen.
47. ****The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade. Wonderful retelling of the Modo story with other classic horror elements and a large dose of steampunk. Also emotionally engaging. Can't wait for more!
48. A Hard Day's Fright by Casey Daniels. I love this series about Pepper Martin Detective to the Dead. This one concerns a teen who will haunt a subway train until her body is discovered.
49. ****Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde. I laughed and cried reading this installment of the Thursday Next series. If Jurisfiction had a law about maximum number of sub-plots, this delightful book would surely be in violation!

I love Jasper Fforde!!! He's hilarious!

Me too! Can't wait for his next in the "Shades of Grey" series...

Just checked...it has a 2013 publication date...REALLY!!!????

Well, that first Shades of Grey was so detailed, I'm not surprised it would take that long. Although he should consider his fans and write FASTER!

Erin wrote: "Well, that first Shades of Grey was so detailed, I'm not surprised it would take that long. Although he should consider his fans and write FASTER!"

I'm trying to write a detailed story at the moment, and I will tell you, it takes a long time to do it, especially the way I'm going about it.

That's great, Aida. Most of my kids are currently writing something too. I'd love to get back to writing, but it's difficult setting aside the time!

I feel your pain. There never seem to be enough hours in a day, with school and chores and church stuff and reading . . .

And I have a tendency to read a lot more than I should!!!!

Cindi, I just started the Light Fantastic, the 2nd in the Discworld series. So far, it's as good as the first one. I finally got them all loaded onto my Nook.

I also see that you are reading the Alan Bradley series about Flavia...you have great taste in books!

Thanks, Erin. I adore Flavia! I consider myself an eclectic when it comes to reading. (Except Romance...not my fave genre!) Just accepted your friend request. I look forward to seeing your recommendations.

50. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Disappointed in this one...I get annoyed when characters do obviously stupid things, and I dislike when an author uses the "Good character used by evil forces against his will" gambit. UGH!
51. Radiance by Alyson Noel.
52. Holy Bible: King James Version.(Just the New Testament...I read the Old Testament lat year!))
53. ****The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. Exciting, clever, funny new series about Camp Half-blood. Wonderful new characters!
54. Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney. Amazing illustrations!
55.****The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.I'm not usually a huge horror fan, but this is an amazingly literate and powerful post-zombie apocalypse novel. Loved it!!!

56.***So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld. Witty & insightful examination of the world of trendiness wrapped up in a great mystery.
57. ****Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. Incredible world-building in this futuristic steampunk fantasy where the world's cities have gone mobile and hunt one another in "municipal Darwinism." The complex and emotionally engaging characters make this a unique treat.
58. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce.
59.*****A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Highly intelligent and complex fantasy about the forbidden romance between a witch and a vampire...but much, much more! A delightful read: constantly changing tone and settings, historically and scientifically rich, unique characters and intriguing surprises left me hungry for more! Can't wait for the next.
60. The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker.

61. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa.
62. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.
63. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan. (I really love this Zombie series because of its depth!)
64. ****The Blue Girl by Charles DeLint. My first DeLint, but definitely not the last! Glad to have discovered the "Father of Urban Fantasy."
65. First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde. Took this one a little longer to get going, but still hilarious.
66. ****Skellig by David Almond. Incredible Childrens novel about a boy dealing with the stresses of a premie sister in the hospital and moving to new home. When he meets a mysterious creature with wings dying in the tumbledown garage and a fiery homeschooled girl he discovers the magic in life.

Yikes!!! Busy summer...I haven't posted since May?!!!!Here goes:
67. One of our Thurdsays is Missing: Jasper FForde.
68. The Keepers' Tattoo: Kate Arbuthnott.
69.**** A Mango-shaped Space: Wendy Mass
70. Zombies Vs Unicorns: Black/Larbalestier
71. *****The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise: Julia Stuart. One of my faves this year!!!
72. People of the Book: Geraldine Brooks.
73. ****Room: Emma Donoghue
74. The Dark Deeps: Hunchback Assignments 2: Arthur Slade.
75. Wicked Lovely: Melissa Marr.

76. ****Bog Child: Siobhan Dowd.
77. The Hourglass Door: Lisa Mangum.
78. Low Red Moon: Ivy Devlin.
79. The Charming Quirks of Others: Alexander McCall Smith.
80. Ghostgirl: Lovesick: Tonya Hurley.
81. Royal Blood: Rhys Bowen.
82. ****The Dark Inquiry: Deanna Raybourn
83. ****Heartless: Gail Carriger. So sad there's only one more book in this series...LOVE it!!!
84. Uncommon Criminals: Ally carter.
85.**** The Search for WondLa:Tony DiTerlizzi.

86. The Alienist: Caleb Carr
87.*** A Test of Wills: Charles Todd. Finally tracked down this first in the Ian Rutledge series...Amazing!!!
88.**** Wings of Fire: Charles Todd.Such psychological complexity. Love Todd's examination of post WWI England.
89. ****The Magic Thief: Sarah Phineas.
90. Search the Dark: Charles Todd.
91. ****Midnighters: The Secret Hour: Scott Westerfeld.
92. Midnighters: Touching Darkness: Scott Westerfeld.

93. Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld.
94. ****Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner.
95. The Monkey's Wedding: and Other Stories by Joan Aiken.
96. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear. A great outing with Maisie and the Secret Service, but I wish she'd open herself up emotionally...she's so cerebral and detached...
97. Legacy of the Deadby Charles Todd. I am addicted to this post WWI series, but this book made me feel like screaming in frustration.There was no closure...what happened to all the characters??!!!
98. ****Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. A pre-movie re-read. I have been disappointed by so many series endings lately that I really appreciated what Rowling was able to accomplish in this incredibly complex conclusion. Amazing!
99. The Anteater of Death by Betty Webb.
100. A Book of Witches by Ruth Manning-Sanders. I grew up reading these incredible collections of folk and fairy tales illustrated by Robin Jacques. I was so happy to find this one at a used bookstore...wish I could find the rest!

You finished!

Hooray! Congrats on completing your 100!

Thanks! I'm a month ahead of last year!

101. House of Dark Shadowsby Robert Liparulo.
102. The Unidentifiedby Rae Mariz. A pretty good YA dystopian book I found at the library!
103. ****Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Childrenby Ransome Riggs. I really loved this book: strange gifts, time travel, WWII, an isolated island, family legacies & monsters rolled up into a book so gorgeous it is it's own argument against ebooks!
104. The Worst Thingby Aaron Elkins.
105. The Boneshaker by Kate Morton.
106. ****The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum. An incredible NF book that almost reads like a novel. Tells the story of Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, the fathers of modern forensic science in the US and the incredible cases they worked on! Made me want to perform a necropsy (or at least watch!) & do my own investigation!!!

107.**** Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. Excellent reworking of vampire legend!
108. Numbers by Rachel Ward.
109.**** The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
110. Watchers of Time by Charles Todd.
111. Pirate King by Laurie R King. Sorry to say I was disappointed in this latest outing by one of my favorite authors...seemed redundant and very, very slow, like King was enamored with her setting more than the plot.
112. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr. I liked how this book was about using agency to survive and heal.
113. *****The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
114. *****The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss. Loved this unique alternate history which is an intriguing mixture of Jane Austen and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Highly recommend this!!!!

Yikes!!!it has been this long? Better update quickly!!!
115. The Last Days: Scott Westerfeld
116. Unbroken: Laura Hillenbrand
117. ****The Thirteenth Tale: Diane Setterfield
118. Someone in the House: Barbara Michaels
119. The Unquiet Bones: Melvin Star
120. ****Dissolution: CJ Sansom
121. ****The Night Circus: Erin Morgenstern
122. Naughty in Nice: Rhys Bowen
123. ****Daughter of Smoke and Bone: Laini Taylor
124. ****The Dark and Hollow Places: Carrie Ryan
125.****Goliath: Scott Westerfeld
126. The Rubber Band: Rex Stout
127. A Trail of Ink: Mel Starr
128. The Undrowned Child: Michelle Lovric
129. Up the Chimney Down: Joan Aiken
130. Oxford Shift: Veronica Stallwood
131. Ammie, Come Home: Barbara Michaels
132. Playback: Raymond Chandler

133. A Corpse at St Andrew's Chapel: Mel Starr