As you likely know if you have been following all these years, I track my reading year from July to July – why not be different from everyone else who tracks January to January?. Nothing fancy, just keep a little tally in my notebook of all the books I read. This year I read 85 books, (eight more than last year) and today I will share with you some of my favorites for the Eighth Annual Reading Round Up 2025.
Over the past year I have written 53 book reviews, pulling into reviews my favorites of the 85 books. Most of my reading is done on my Kindle while traveling, a few hardback and paperback and a few more on Audible. I like Audible for car trips, a great way to be entertained on the road.
So as in the past several years, I’m sharing my most favorites from July ’24 to July ’25. I have a top ten list, and ten honorable mentions too. Some outstanding novels, biographies, historical non-fiction, as well as Booker finalists. Other than the number one slot, The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, the books are in no particular order. So here we go, my Eighth Annual Reading Round Up 2025;
My Top Ten
THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon
My Favorite Book of the Year. I listened to it on Audible while we were traveling in Australia. It was well written and well narrated. Though a work of fiction, Lawhon has well researched the story of real life 18th century midwife Martha Ballard and woven a remarkable tale of mystery, family, love and perseverance. Set in a cold frozen Maine in 1789.
And in no particular order nine more…
There are thousands of really good writers. And then there are the masters. Akbar’s first novel, Martyr is a mastering of the art of language. Cyrus Shams, an Iranian young man, moved to America as a child with his father. He has struggled through his life with the tragic knowledge that his mother died on commercial plane, shot down by Americans over the Persian Gulf. An incredible story unfolds.
THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY by Elif Shafak
Ancient and modern this book felt like reading a fairy tale. I was enraptured from the beginning – the beginning where we meet a tiny raindrop and follow the rivers in the sky through generations.
THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig
Grace Winters leads a self-proclaimed boring life in England as a 72-year-old retired teacher and widow. That is until she receives an email from a former student. Grace’s response to her student Maurice will be the entire novel – in all it’s beautifully written language, incredibly developed characters, fantastical magic and mystery…and a tropical paradise too.
THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni
What a great feel good novel. This is a story of being different. Being bullied because of it. And finding a way through it all to succeed and be happy. Dugoni has two books in my top ten list this year, see below. You must read his work.
BOY WITH WINGS by Mark Mustian
This is a story about an unlikely hero. Just a boy. A boy born with an abnormality to a single mother in the south in the early part of the 20th century. When anyone who was not white or “normal” was dehumanized, hunted, condemned and chastized. Johnny Cruel lives this life. Mustian has two books on my top ten list this year (see below).
This is a beautiful coming of age story set in the high mountains of Colorado post WWII. Love grows in many ways; between people, for the land, for family, for nature, for a way of life. At the heart of this story is love.
Incredible. I am an avid historical fiction reader, particularly when the plot is based on real events and people. Having recently been to and fallen in love with Armenia and the surrounding Caucasus countries, I devoured this story. Mustian makes my top ten list twice – see above Boy with Wings.
Hold Strong is a story of true events that occurred during war time, this story is WWII. Despite the fact there are literally hundreds of novels and non-fiction books about WWII – I was unaware of the horrific “hell ships” of the Japanese military. A truly remarkable book, and the second of Dugoni’s work to make my top ten this year. See Boy with Wings above.
The underlying theme of this mind-bending book is ambition and the evil it begets. The book bounces back and forth over a decade time frame with two brilliant college roommates, Eli & Victor, creating a chaotic and dangerous game for their Senior Thesis. When things go terribly wrong, people start to die. I am a huge fan of V.E. Schwab and this book was excellent.
Ten More You Should Read
THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW by Adrienne Young in a word Secrets
THE HORSE by Willy Vlautin in a word Redemption
THE GLASSMAKER by Tracy Chevalier in a word Women
TANGLES by Kay Smith-Blum in a word Radioactive
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan in a word Conscience
THE SAFEKEEP by Yael van den Wouden – in a word Unexpected
THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN by Marjan Kamali – in a word Friendship
THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick – in a word Value
MY FRIENDS by Hisham Matar – in a word Profound
THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore – in a word Mystery
Eighth Annual Reading Round Up 2025
Thanks for reading my Eighth Annual Reading Round Up 2025 and for reading all my book reviews this past year. Every Wednesday I post a new review…I hope you will continue to enjoy, share and comment as we read together.
See last week’s book review The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife here. See you again next week for more Reading Wednesday!
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