2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
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Five Star Books
Some of the 5 Star books I've read recently have been:Love in Plain Sight: Love n' Marriage / Almost An Angel. Debbie Macomber is one of my favourite authors. I've all the books I've read of hers so far (many more to go still). And this book didn't disappoint. Well worth a read.
The Heretic Queen. Michelle Moran has become another new favourite author of mine. This was the first book of hers that I have read and it really just blew my mind. I couldn't put the book down, or when I did I had to pick it up again and continue reading it to find out what happened next. Great book. Excellent author.
Fatal Females:13 cases that gripped a nation Avery interesting book detailing the cases of some of the most notorious female killers in Australia. Great writing but not the sort of thing you'd read if you want a light and fuzzy feel good book to read, but still a great read anyway.
An Illustrated History of the Crusades and the Crusader Knights: The History, Myth and Romance of the Medieval Knight on Crusade, with Over 400 Stunning Images of the Battles, Adventures, Sieges, Fortresses, Triumphs and Defeats I absolutely loved this book. I've always been fascinated by the crusades and the motivations behind them. This book became an even more firm favourite when I saw how much information they had on The Knights Templar - my favourite group of all.
Still Alice This was a slow book to get into but perseverance paid off in the end. I was first drawn to this book because it dealt with dementia, more specifically alzheimers, as I had two uncles who suffered from dementia before they died and my own father seemed to be heading that way before he died. This story was very sensitively done but was also very realistic without getting bogged down in medical jargon relating to the progression of the dementia.
Until I Say Goodbye: A Book about Living I loved the title of this book, especially the bit about it being about living. This book details the last year of a well known and well thought of journalist who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. I felt very privileged, as a reader, to be allowed into such a private time in the author's life. Why? Because this book, the author said, was written as a way of helping her husband and children (a journal if you will) to come to terms with the finality of what the author was having to deal with. However, she wanted this story to be the legacy that she left her children so they could look back at this year and get some strength from it. This was particularly precious to me as my mother did a similar thing for me, when I was in High School and very ill for months at a time, detailing her garden and each plant in the garden and its significance. This is something I still have today and cherish enormously.
The Secret Keeper This was another awesome book. Without giving too much away, the ending was a total surprise but pulled everything else in the book together in such a way that it all made tremendous sense. So much so, that it left the reader realising that it couldn't have had any other ending. Awesome read and terrific writer.
I have read lots of other 5 star books this year but this is a start.
It seems that I rarely give 5 star ratings but I recently did so for The Light Between Oceans. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The Husband's Secret was also very deserving! Both are about moral dilemma's which totally captivated me.
Joel Richardson 5 Stars Joel Richardson researches and writes a very important and interesting book that compares the Bible and the Qur'an revealing 21 uncanny similarities between the two when it comes to the Antichrist. The two-part Audiobook narrated by Richard Powers allows the listener enjoyment while being educated. I recommend this book in any format because the content applies to a most serious subject, the threat of Islamization in the world by an ideology that is setting the stage, as predicted, for the end of days.
John Eidsmoe 5 Stars I thoroughly enjoy John Eidsmoe's style in writing this book as he applies scripture to today's social problems. Without condemning anyone, John logically and intelligently states a case from a humanistic point of view and then a Biblical one. He backs his opinions with sound historical evidence and moral conviction. I quote and share a few of his.
I very rarely give 5 stars, but recently did so for Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I highly recommend it!
Jonathan Cahn 5 StarsJonathan Cahn writes a superb fictional narrative about a non-fictional occurrence that spans over 2500 years. Listening to The Harbinger on Audiobook, narration by the author, is a pleasure and appropriate since the message it delivers is meant to be heard by everyone. I am going to buy the book, next, so I have it for reference at my fingertips. Jonathan Cahn came to my attention via Glenn Beck when this book was first published. Glenn recommended Cahn's profound work then and still does today for those who have not read or heard it, yet. I was, also, recommended this book by the many people who have experienced it and for whom I have great respect.
Ronald Reagan 5 StarsA great honest account about events that occur during President Reagan's time in office. Reading about the events before they occur reveal what is on the president's mind and how he makes decisions. What is also so revealing about this diary is Ronald Reagan's deep faith and love in God and Nancy, his wife
by Thomas Tryon Loved this book! This book is a beautifully written horror/thriller. Writing like this had me in awe... Some lengths away, the burial was in progress. The mourners clustered around ..... while Mr. Tuthill intoned the Twenty-third Psalm, as inevitably he did. Leaves, burnished red and gold, rustled above the narrow hole. Somewhere a bird sang. But of that group none seemed to mark the odd contrast between the entrancing birdsong and the pastor's doleful cadences. Niles observed how silently a stem detached itself from a twig: giving up its life—bright leaf,falling. . . falling. . .The leaf spiraled down to rest upon the lid of the casket. It looked like a hand, offering benediction
I read this one very quickly. I just could not put it down. It was originally published in 1971 and should get much more recognition than it has. I think that might be changing though since it did get republished just in 2012. If you are looking for something creepy to read for October, this one will fit the bill.
I love this 5 Star books!I have to agree with Megan on
. I loved it. I have never been a sci-fi person and I didn't want the book to end. I almost felt like I was reading a video game (not that I play video games, but it was just a different perspective of writing that grabbed me.) I am going to continue on with the series.
I think this is my all time favourite book. I read A Fine Balance twice and both times I read it, it really stuck with me. It was a life changing book. Anything Rohinton Mistry writes touches me. I wish he would come out with a new book.
This is kind of a silly book for me to add but I loved it. I remember seeing that there was a movie called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and I thought how ridiculous it was. I was for sure not going to watch that movie. Then I saw the book on Kindle for pretty cheap so I bought it. It was a bit silly but I really enjoyed the book. I liked it so much I bought his other book called Unholy Night and then I realized that I had his other book already Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. What I like about this author is that he takes real events from Abraham Lincoln's life and puts vampires into the situation and it fits. It seems like there really were vampires there, that's how seamless he puts them in.
MY 5 star books so far this year are :
Jodi wrote: " I read A Fine Balance twice and both times I read it, it really stuck with me. It was a life changing book. Anything Rohinton Mistry writes touches me. I wish he would come out with a new book. ..."I read that one this year too. It has been one of my top favorites for 2013 and was quickly added to my all time faves list. What struck me is how Mistry makes you sympathize with the villain before you even realize it! I found myself thinking "Why am I feeling sorry for this monster!?" He is truly talented at humanizing even the most inhuman.
My 5 star books so far this year have been:Fight Club by Chuck Pahlaniuk.
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K Vaughan
Two books which very almost made it to five stars are:
Enigma and Archangel both by Robert Harris.
First: The Harry Potter books. I just had to say this. Other than those I have the following:Room by Emma Donoghue
Really awesome book told from the perspective of a 5 year old boy.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
You know this one. Just read it.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The most awesome sci-fi book ever written!
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Oh my Goood, so good!
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Just because. It's Game of Thrones. And it's awesome.
My 5 stars this year - Oryx and Crake,
The Year of the Flood,
Behind the Scenes at the Museum,
Started Early, Took My Dog,
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared,
Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up and Tried to Be a Pop Star,
Never Let Me Go,
Timeline,
The Secret Keeper,
Cold Comfort Farm,
The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times
and my absolute favourite
The Snow Child.
My favorite books so far this year are1)Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
2)The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
3)The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman and
4)Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Listing all of my 5 star reads this year so far....Old faves read again >>> **
**
Finished this yesterday, and loved it too. But a bit depressing..
My most recent 5 stars were for:Two Boys Kissing - a wonderfully moving and important story by David Levithan
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - more brilliance by Neil Gaiman
The Cuckoo's Calling - it was actually a 4 and 1/2 stars for me, but I was so pleased to see JK Rowling writing something that felt like her(despite the nom de plume), that it gained the extra half star. Almost all of the Harry Potter series was a 5 star for me.
Ah, the Ender's Game series. Wish I could still recommend it - well written, but I so wish people wouldn't financially back a man with his bigoted agenda.
Smitha wrote: "Finished this yesterday, and loved it too. But a bit depressing.."Agreed, it was a bit depressing but after a short bawling spell I realized that it really moved me and in the end made me feel good! Weird, I know...
Finished Rebecca
with Lianne as our TBR Twin choice, and we both gave it 5 stars. I'd give it more stars if I could. It was one of our favorite books we've read - a true classic.
My 5 star books :)Necessary Lies
Doctor Sleep
The Shining
The Storyteller **MY FAVORITE BOOK**
Room **SAD BUT GREAT BOOK**
Free the Bears **IF YOU LOVE NATURE AND WILDLIFE YOU WILL LOVE THIS**
there is just a couple for you :):)
Felicia wrote: "First: The Harry Potter books. I just had to say this. Other than those I have the following:Room by Emma Donoghue
Really awesome book told from the perspective of a 5 year old boy..."
How good is room, I haven't spoken to many people that have read it
Ashlee wrote: "Felicia wrote: "First: The Harry Potter books. I just had to say this. Other than those I have the following:Room by Emma Donoghue
Really awesome book told from the perspective of ..."
Room was a really good book!
I've only had two 5 star books so far. The first one is a Doctor Who audiobook called Doctor Who: The Day of the Troll. It's a little bit over an hour long but is really creepy. David Tennant's voice, as always, is wonderful to listen to.The second book is Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow. It's set a few years before the Trojan War and has Aeneas, Andromache and Odysseus as the main characters. I love Bronze Age stories and found this to be a really great book. :)
Actually my first book of 2014 was a five star read. It was also a book I'd won so that makes it even better. :)
- ★★★★★ - 03/01/14The Virgins by Pamela Erens, 281 pages
It's not very often that I'd like books in this genre but it was really good. My full review is here.
Just found this thread-here's my 5 star reads so far this year:
(first in series)
(first in series)
(first in series)
(first in series)
My second 5 star book this year! :)
- ★★★★★ - 17/02/14Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, 412 pages
My very favourite Charles Dickens book so far. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and I loved every minute of it. Charles Dickens is a truly wonderful wordsmith and his characters are so vivid and unique. This story is so sad and sweet and I definitely see myself rereading it one day.
Ashlee wrote: "Felicia wrote: "First: The Harry Potter books. I just had to say this. Other than those I have the following:Room by Emma Donoghue
Really awesome book told from the perspective of ..."
I realize I'm extremely late at answering this, but Room is so good! Probably one of my favorites books of all times!
A few 5 star books I've read so far this year are:
I know most people think of this as nowhere near as good as The Kite Runner, but as the only Hosseini book I've read so far, I found it to be amazing!
A very difficult subject, the Communist takeover and brutality in Cambodia, this is told from the perspective of a young girl from the upper class. It's a testimony to the strength a person can find in overwhelming circumstances.
A beautiful story about WWI Gold Star mothers who go to France to visit their sons' grave sites.
This is a truly suspenseful novel about a teacher accused of sexual misconduct who stumbles onto a sex trafficking ring. Excellently told!
I'm going to have to read this one again, because I know I missed a lot the first time. I read it as a TBR Twins read I May, and my partner and I both felt that a re-read was in order. It's a very complex book about a group of people who come to Auschwitz for a few days of meditation. How they interact is at times comforting, and at times confrontational. It's an important book.
I just finished this one recently. It's about a woman, American born of Haitian parents, who is kidnapped while visiting them in Port-au-Prince. When her father decides to try to negotiate her ransom, her captors subject her to unspeakable abuse. The second part deals with her efforts to move on with her life. A chilling debut novel.
I quite reguarly read books that I give 5 stars to. But every now and then I'll read a book that I wish I could give more than 5 stars to. The Fault in Our Stars is one of these books, as is The Help.This year I read a brilliant 5 star book by a new author - The Gatekeeper by Kim Watts - Its essentially a children's book, but in the same way that Harry Potter or The Hobbit are children's books.
And i'd say if you enjoyed Harry Potter/The Hobbit/Alice in Wonderland then this is one for you!
Ian wrote: "I quite reguarly read books that I give 5 stars to. But every now and then I'll read a book that I wish I could give more than 5 stars to. The Fault in Our Stars is one of these boo..."Hi, Ian, I also gave both The Fault in Our Stars and The Help 5 stars. I'm not sure I would have gone higher on the first, but if I could give 6 or even 7 stars, The Help would definitely be one that I would rate that high!
The Gatekeeper sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out when I get through a few more already on my list! Thanks for the recommendation.
Claire P wrote: "Ian wrote: "I quite reguarly read books that I give 5 stars to. But every now and then I'll read a book that I wish I could give more than 5 stars to. The Fault in Our Stars is one ..."Well if you check it out I hope you enjoy it! We seem to have similar tastes, even though the 3 books I mentioned are completely different genres.
I am going to be adding so many books to my TBR list from this thread alone! My recent 5 star books (this year) are:Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Discovered this. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
Be ready to get your heart crushed though, but it is really really good...
In looking at this year and last year, I realized that I live in the land of four stars. But there were a few that I gave five to:Children's Books - Wonder (a story about a boy with a facial deformity who begins traditional school in 5th grade), Out of My Mind (a story of a girl with cerebral palsy who is often taken for stupid because she cannot speak but has an ingenious mind), President of the Whole Fifth Grade (a winning combination of cupcake recipes, entrepreneurialism, and social studies lessons!), and One for the Murphys (a story of a girl who is rescued from an abusive situation and has to temporarily stay in foster care).
I was a little harder on YA/adult fiction, but I still had three: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened (funniest book I have ever read, hands down), Americanah (a unique look at being caught between African and African-American), and The Fault in Our Stars (a YA story of two teens who have cancer and love in all of the ways they intermingle). I read some great books over the past 15 months, but these were amazing.
And two of my all-time favorites - Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx (this is a heartbreaking book that tells a street story from a slightly different perspective) and Serving Crazy with Curry (after a botched suicide attempt, a young woman stops talking and starts making extremely inventive foods to work out her inner struggles).
I have more in-depth reviews posted for all of these if you want more information.
I just finished reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery and absolutely had to give it five stars. It was witty, beautiful, interesting, heartbreaking, and I couldn't put it down today.
Ariel (mots_femme) wrote: "I just finished reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery and absolutely had to give it five stars. It was witty, beautiful, interesting, heartbreaking, ..."It's a list book! :-D (1001 books). Cool, will see how much it is on kindle, thank you :)
Winter wrote: "It's a list book! :-D (1001 books). Cool, will see how much it is on kindle, thank you :) "Yeah it is. :) I think it definitely earned it's spot too, so good. If you get to read it, I'd love to know what you think!
Ariel (mots_femme) wrote: "Winter wrote: "It's a list book! :-D (1001 books). Cool, will see how much it is on kindle, thank you :) "Yeah it is. :) I think it definitely earned it's spot too, so good. If you get to read it..."
I will let you know!:) Anyone else you recommend?
Winter wrote: "I will let you know!:) Anyone else you recommend? "I think most of Albert Camus' books and essays are on the list, they're totally worth it. Especially The Stranger & A Happy Death. Also rec The Handmaid's Tale, it was my first dystopia and I still love it.
I'm just about done with: Every Man Dies Alone and I highly recommend it. A great read and one that doesn't leave you once you put it down.
I tend to give out fives extremely rarely, and sometimes I'm still not sure if they deserve them or not months down the line. I give out fours and threes way more often - possibly too often, although if it doesn't mean I like things far too much it just means that I have really good taste so maybe I can live with that ;) Nevertheless, this is what I read and gave fives to this year:The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 4 by Hiromu Arakawa
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 5 by Hiromu Arakawa
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 6 by Hiromu Arakawa
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read)
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Wizard's Dilemma by Diane Duane
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
Paul wrote: "I tend to give out fives extremely rarely, and sometimes I'm still not sure if they deserve them or not months down the line. I give out fours and threes way more often - possibly too often, althou..."I'm the same way -- five star ratings are tough to earn from me . . . I guess I want it to really mean something. I *adored* Station Eleven and only gave it four . . . if there were half star ratings, it'd be 4.5 for sure. For me so far this year, only two five star books: Fates and Furies and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Is also difficult to me to give 5 starts to books... Last year I only gave 5 starts to two books and so far this year is the same...1.Yes Pleaseç
2.We Should All Be Feminists
Both are by women this year... The second one is the transcript of a speech that I watch at least 10 times already and that I think should be mandatory to everybody...
There were some other books that I enjoy but for me to find a book that I give 5 starts...Is kind of complicated... The book most really touch me and I have to feel that I can´t stop reading it.
I have read some really good books this year. Here are some of my 5 star books:Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard
City of Thieves
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Martian
Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Elephant Whisperer
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
All the Light We Cannot See
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State
The Nightingale
Cinder
Did You Ever Have a Family
I have quite a few, but I'm posting these two because they were very unexpected 5 stars for me: Defending Jacob. I read this last year as "a book recommended by a family member" from the PopSugar challenge. It was recommended by my mom, who is a huge reader and has a ton of books she could recommend to me. She told me about this one, but I wasn't really looking forward to it...especially after reading Saving Max, which had a pretty similar synopsis but was a huge disappointment. I was absolutely blown away by this book, and it is one of the books that really stands out for me of everything I read last year. It is about a teenage boy who is accused of murdering a classmate. His father is convinced that he is innocent, but his mother is not so sure. It's kind of a tough one to describe without giving anything away, but is was an excellent book.
The second one is Little Girls. I don't normally read scary books because I'm a huge coward and my imagination tends to run wild. I read this one also as part of the challenge and I knew just from looking at the cover and the synopsis that it would freak me out. The story itself is so well-written and really brings you into the creepy atmosphere. It is about a young woman who returns to her childhood home after her father, who had dementia, commits suicide. While there, she notices that the little girl living next door strongly resembles a childhood neighbour of hers who died. This is by far one of the most scary books I've ever read and is an excellent choice if you're looking for something creepy.
2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Ocean at the End of the Lane (other topics)The Name of the Wind (other topics)
Tell the Wolves I'm Home (other topics)
Lady Midnight (other topics)
Me Before You (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Neil Gaiman (other topics)Carol Rifka Brunt (other topics)
Patrick Rothfuss (other topics)
Gabriel García Márquez (other topics)
Jeffery Deaver (other topics)
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Please remember that everyone has different tastes in books; this thread is not the place to tell someone else that their taste is awful. You can, however, speak up if you disagree with someone and outline your reasons why as long as you do so respectfully.