Trying Something Different This Year

You hear a lot about people's TBR (to be read) pile on reading sites. I don't necessarily have a TBR pile; instead, I have a list of books I can browse through when I'm looking for something to read. It's made up of books that I thought sounded interesting at some point, and I like having them as options. Last year, most of what I read came from that list. This year, though, I'm going to do something different - I'm going to read my bookshelves.

I just assumed I had already read most of what was on the various bookshelves in the house, but one day while waiting on something, I was looking at one shelf and realized there were nearly as many books on the shelf that I hadn't read as those I had. That sent me looking at other shelves, and before I knew it, I had a list of probably 30-40 books (and that doesn't include a few in boxes from when I relocated my sewing/writing room). A lot of them are books I bought when my kids were still young, as well as the history books I've given to my husband at Christmas throughout the years. Some were "bargains" I just couldn't resist at some used book sale. Anyway, it's their time.

I started with The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart. I bought this one for 75 cents at a library book sale. It's older than I am (published 1961), and not a genre I normally read (mystery/thriller, I guess), but even I had heard favorable things about Mary Stewart. The story starts with a woman (Mary Grey) who is talked into impersonating Annabel Winslow by Annabel's cousin Con to trick Annabel's grandfather into giving Con control of the family estate. For her part, Mary will get a cut of the family fortune. Things get complicated, though, when Mary finds out about a secret lover Annabel had who has come back home after years away. There's a major plot twist I won't give away, and things get rather convoluted in the climax. There were some sections that seemed to move slowly, and I was a little confused at one point, but overall, it was a pretty good read. This one gets to stay.

I will say, the character of Con was one of the more interesting ones I've encountered. On one hand, he's charming and handsome. He's also very hard-working and has made a success of the estate during the eight years since Annabel disappeared. He probably didn't even need to perpetrate the fraud to get the estate. On the other hand--he's a sociopath, for real.

2025 Year in Review - and What a Year!

There's something about the eve of the New Year that tends to make us reflect on what we've done in the past year. If you're an analytical person like me, you're even MORE drawn to a year-end reckoning. It's been a good reading year for me, as well as a good blogging year (meaning I actually did it!). I'm going to draw on my good old list from past yearly reviews again this year. 

Best Discovery - I'm going to consider this a book that wasn't on my reading radar before this year. There are several that might qualify, but I'll list only two - Wicked River by Lee Sandlin (which I found through an online article) and Lovely is the Lee by Robert Gibbings (which I picked up at a B & B on our trip to Maine). Wicked River had so much history I had never heard of, and Lovely is the Lee had such a lovely (sorry...) outlook, kind of like a warm blanket.

Saddest Disappointment - From reading the blurb about it, I really had hopes for Cherokee America, but it's the only book I didn't finish this year. 

Biggest Accomplishment - I read more books this year than at any time since I was a teenager, probably - 40! Except I just realized - Cherokee America is in the list, so I actually only read 39. So much for cramming in Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl today to be able to get to 40.... 

Other than that, reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck was quite an accomplishment. It was the longest book I read this year, and while I've seen other people say it is the most influential book they've ever read, I found myself getting bogged down.

Once is Enough (Books I will probably never read again) - This is going to be a "category" answer. I decided to read a traditional romance novel this year, just to see what they are like. I read The Arrangement by Mary Balogh. It had some interesting twists--for example, the male lead was blind. And its "nasty bits" were actually pretty tasteful. But this is just not my type of book. No disrespect to people who enjoy them.

Books I Thought Would Be Amazing But Were Only So-So - I have heard so many people say Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is excellent; I was kind of underwhelmed by it. I would also say the same about Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt; I thought it seemed more intent on having beautiful writing than on having a fully-coherent story. 

Books I Thought Wouldn’t Be Much But Were Actually Good - I read some older books, like from the 19th, early 20th century, and really enjoyed them. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome and Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons were not at all the stiff tomes I expected.

Favorite Re-Read - Most of what I read this year was new to me; the only re-read I did was Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt. I guess it wins by default!

Favorite Historical Fiction - Surprisingly, as I look back at this year's list, I don't see as much historical fiction as I expected, which is good, I suppose; I guess I stretched myself as a reader. I think my favorite historical fiction for this year was either Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Lawson or Corrag by Susan Fletcher.

Favorite Non-Fiction - Wicked River is a good contender in this category, as well, but I believe I will choose The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Who knew I could read a book that had so much technical information about science in it and enjoy it so much?

Biggest Reading Failure - Don't think I had one this year!

Favorite Classic - You know, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper was a lot easier to read than I was expecting. It kept me turning pages to see what would happen, and the language wasn't as hard to follow as I thought it might be.

Favorite Love Story - Hmmm....Maybe O Genteel Lady! by Esther Forbes. As the book says, "There are so many different ways of falling in love--" The story follows a young woman in the mid-19th century and her suitors, from the stuffy man she was expected to marry, to the passionate affair she has with a no-gooder, to her ultimate marriage to a good man who has been a steady presence throughout the story.

The Book I Can't Forget - There are two books I read early in the year that I find myself thinking about even months later - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, and John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead. I would recommend either one.

There are other excellent books that didn't get a mention in any category. Overall, it was a really satisfying year - lots of good stories and interesting characters to add to my mental cocktail party. Here's to more of the same in 2026! 

Thank you for letting me talk about books! I wish for you happy reading in the year ahead, as well!