100+ Books in 2025 discussion

Having completed my goal in 2014, now begins 2015!

1. The Nightingale Before Christmas--Donna Andrews
Much like herding cats, Meg Langslow is trying to herd interior decorators in this latest bird-themed mystery offering from Donna Andrews. Decorators are working feverishly to make their particular room or area in a Christmas-themed house ready for the big show. Yet, sabotage is rampant (packages missing, for example) and everyone is pointing a finger at Clay Spottiswood, a man who is causing his fair amount of trouble. Apparently, someone is willing to murder him for his own brand of snarkiness, and they do.

Now, it's up to Meg to solve the murder, get the twins, Josh and Jamie, and her husband Michael prepared for Christmas, and keep the other decorators happy for the upcoming show. And she has a little more than three days to complete it all.

2. The Kitchen House--Kathleen Grissom
A historical novel of the late 1790s to 1811 that features indentured servant Lavinia, an orphan from Ireland, and her slave family (Mame Mae, Belle, Dory, Ben, Papa George, etc.). Growing up in the Kitchen house, where the family cooking is done, Lavinia has a unique life; so has the men and women of the Kitchen house.

Interrelationships with the master's family makes for a poignant, compelling read as families become more and more intertwined and old (and new) resentments fester. Told from two perspectives (Belle's and Lavinia's), the story is one of family bonds leading to the question: who or what makes a person truly family?

3. Captivated by You--Sylvia Day
The fourth in a series, that originally was to be a WTT trilogy, has now been expanded to at least five books. This continues the drama-filled love lives of the emotionally flawed couple of Gideon Cross and Eva Trammell (now secretly Eva Cross as they are secretly married in this one).

Now, claiming they are officially an engaged couple, former friends and enemies are coming out of the woodwork to cause an already passionate, but rocky relationship to deteriorate into a mess.

4. Hidden-- Catherine McKenzie
A story about relationships and the things kept hidden from loved ones told through the filters of three people: Claire, Jeff, and Tish. Did they or didn't they?

5. The King--Tiffany Reisz
4.5 stars actually--this is the story of Kingley's beginnings of his club for his kind while fighting off the fundamentalist Rev. Fuller's attitudes and blackmail. A great background story.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon--Sarah Addison Allen
Two women find acceptance and love in this town of misfits. Emily finds her mother and Julia finds her daughter, and with a little signature magic thrown in for good measure.

7.5 Five Things I Know-Rev.Kim Crawford Harvie
a quick read with some truths per the Unitarian minister such as Be Kind, SMOG, the nine words, etc.

8. The Blood of Olympus
4½ stars actually--the conclusion to the YA series featuring Greek and Roman gods fighting to stop Gaea from reawakening and destroying earth

9. On the Way to Everywhere-Kirsten B. Feldman
A snarky coming-of-age novel starring Harry Kavanaugh, an irreverent, irrepressible teen trying to flunk out of an elite all-girls high school until she doesn't want to, battling her way back one algebra problem at a time.

10. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm-Kate Douglas Wiggin
This is the 1903 classic tale of Rebecca who goes to live with her maiden aunts, righteous Miranda and sweet Jane, in the little brick house. Rebecca makes friends, young and old, and is irrepressible in her lust for education and life (in general).

11. Hatshepsut: The Pharoah's Daughter-Leslie Howe
the story of the woman who acted as Pharoah and may have been the woman who rescued Moses from the bulrushes of the Nile

12. Lost Lake-Sarah Addison Allen
Another magical read that features a young mother Kate and her daughter Devin as they visit Lost Lake, a cabin getaway for a group of misfits. 4.5 stars!

13. A Long Way Home-Saroo Brierley
3.5 starts actually--this is Saroo Brierley's story of finding his way back home. At the age of five, he accidentally traveled from his home to Calcutta. There he miraculously lived on the streets there until he was picked up and put in an orphanage. From the orphanage to Australia to the family who adopted him. Twenty-five years later, he traced his journey back to his home in India.

14. The Last Runaway-Tracy Chevalier
Honor Bright, a Quaker, comes to the United States (and Ohio) with her sister who is to marry another Friend. Grace dies of yellow fever, but Honor goes on. She meets with other Friends and gets involved with runaway slaves. Her new family is opposed to it, but her conscience keeps her helping those she can. Yet, she begins understand being a runaway when she does it, too. Can she reconcile with her husband? Or will they always be on opposite sides of the issue? Set in Wellington and Oberlin, this looks at runaway slaves and the Underground Railroad and those who were on both sides of this issue.

15. The Good Girl--Mary Kubica
A thriller about a kidnapping that goes wrong, with an unexpected ending. Mia is kidnapped and it destroys her family.

16. Captivated--Megan Hart, Tiffany Reisz
Two erotic novellas in one book. Megan Hart's story of Jesse, a submissive bartender, and Colleen, his patron and love and Tiffany Reisz's modern version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet...with a much happier ending for Remi and Julien

17. First Frost--Sarah Addison Allen
A worthy successor to Garden Spells...it was magically delicious. The Waverley women (Claire, Sydney, Bay, and even Evanelle) all have their own special gift, but it will take until first frost to get them back on track. Each is dealing with an issue, but until the blossoms come on the apple tree, they will just muddle along.

My only regret: I have read all of her novels and will have to wait for her next magical read.

18. The List--Siobhan Vivian
3.5 stars actually--this YA novel centers around an anonymous list posted the week prior to homecoming. Eight girls are singled out as either the prettiest or ugliest girl for each grade. Who does it and how it affects each girl, positively or negatively, is the crux of the story. In addition, it shows the affects upon friends and family, too.

19. The Secrets of Life and Death--Rebecca Alexander

Two intertwined stories are linked together in this novel that combines life, death, and magic. Told from the perspectives of the past (Krakow 1585) and the present (England 2013), the two collide in a mysterious set of circumstances.

This novel is combination of historical fiction involving figures such as Dr. John Dee, Edward Kelley (Dee's assistant), and Elizabeth Bathory as well as present day fictional characters Jackdaw Hammond and Felix Guichard, who team up together to protect a young girl from dying. Overall, a suspenseful read that contains occult magic at its core.

20. The Night Garden--Lisa Van Allen
3.5 stars actually--A magical garden full of mazes is the setting for this novel that features Olivia, the woman who is in charge of it, her father, and Sam, the man she loves. She has a secret, which causes her to be aloof, alone, and untouchable. When Sam returns to the Green Valley area, she must confront her feelings once again. Can she make those changes and take a chance on love, or will she grow into a lonely, bitter old woman?

21. The Seduction of Emily--Rachel Brimble
A historical romance set in Bath, England that features Emily Darson, Will Samson, and her abusive fiance Nicholas Milne.

22. The Road to Gandolfo--Michael Shepard (AKA Robert Ludlum)
A disgraced general, MacKenzie Hawkins, decides to kidnap the Pope. He enlists an attorney, Sam Devereaux, his four ex-wives, and an international cast of agents in his schemes. It is a madcap plan that might just work; now if only Sam can stop him before he lands in jail with Hawk.

23. Frostfire--Amanda Hocking
The first in the Kanin chronicles which features Bryn, a half-breed tracker who wants to become a member of the elite Hogdragen. First, she must collect changelings and hunt down the traitor Konstantin Black while avoiding her growing feelings for Ridley, her immediate superior.

24. Every Time I Think of You--Tracy Garvis Graves
As the back cover indicates: Daisy DiStefano has two people she holds dear: the grandmother who raised her, and her three-year-old son, Elliott ("Ewwiott" as he would say).

The novels opens with the seemingly random murder of her grandmother while her son cowers under the bed protected by a small toy army soldier clutched in his hand. For Daisy, she must learn to protect Elliott and herself.

With few clues, the police are baffled, but a new reporter on the local paper,Brooks McClain, is drawn into the case especially when he meets Daisy and Elliott.

Brooks has returned home to help care for his mother, who is dying of a ravaging disease. While temporarily home from his reporter's position in San Francisco, he becomes more than a little involved with all the events (and people) of this case.

Romance blossoms between the two as they spend more and more time together, yet eventually distance may tear them apart. Will the murder be solved, and will there be a happily-ever-after for Daisy and Brooks?

Both suspenseful and romantic, this story draws the reader in. The characters of Daisy, Brooks, and Elliott* are decent people, people that are likeable with good values. So, too, are the ancillary characters of Pauline, Shane, Pam, and Theo, but there are also some baddies like Scott, Daisy's ex-husband, and Dale.

A few issues are also considered like drug use and its effects on families. All in all, a thoroughly compelling story that will leave the reader engaged to the end and rooting for a good ending to the family.

25. The Glass Magician--Charlie M. Holmberg
The second book in this series features Ceony Twill discovering and fighting a Gaffer, a magician bonded to glass. Along the way, she learns more about glass magic, too, from her friend Delilah. A clever, fun series.

26. Earth Awakens--Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
The final story of the trilogy (prequel) of the first Formic War. It features an international cast of characters including Mazer Rackham and sets up Ender's Game.

27. Wild--Cheryl Strayed
A memoir of a summer's hiking trip alone on the Pacific Coast Trail by the naive, dumb woman who accomplished it.

28. A Promise by Daylight--Alison DeLaine
4.5 stars actually, this is a historical romance between Millicent Germain and Winston, a duke. Masquerading as a man, Millie Germain dreams of becoming a physician and thus is employed as a medic to the Duke of Winston. Winston has had a near-fatal accident that has caused wounds that need healing. Miles (aka Millicent) attempts to get Winston to change his lecherous ways.

Before too long, Winston figures out this Miles is a woman, and then the sparks fly. On the one hand, he wants her; on the other, he doesn't wish to take her virginity. Keeping her secret becomes difficult as they become romantically entangled.

Will Millie ever become a physician? Will Winston ever realize that he has found the woman of his dreams? Can this pair achieve a happily-ever-after?

29. Dead Game--James Neal Harvey
A suspense thriller of a serial killer playing a deadly game with the police officer who put him away. Now he is out of the insane asylum and playing for keeps.

30. His Kind of Perfect--Kinsley Gibb
a contemporary romance featuring Anabelle and Derek.

31. Keep Me Safe--Maya Banks
a romantic suspense-thriller with a psychic and a psychopath who is after her. And the man who loves and wants to protect her.

32. Independently Wealthy--Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
the sequel to "New Money" finds Savannah Morgan investigating her father's (Edward Stone) death. More than that, she becomes closer to her half-siblings (Caroline and Ned) and forges alliances with them, yet she retains her core goodness. A chick-lit heroine that is unpretentious while wearing designer clothes.

33. The Moon Sisters--Therese Walsh
Olivia and Jazz Moon, two sisters, are on a quest to understand their mother better after her death. Olivia, a young woman, is a girl who tastes and smells objects. Her sister, Jazz, is more down to earth, but their journey will take them on paths which intersect, each getting a taste of what the other instinctively seems to know. Told from each woman's perspective, it is a journey that the five stages of grief and then coming out on the other side relatively intact.

33.5 The Canyon (a short story in the Voices of the Apocalypse series)--Simone Pond
4.5 stars actually--One woman, Mary, wants to keep her last child, Lillian, alive as the Repatterning becomes more hostile. Fearing for their lives, they set out on an adventure hoping to find a better life in the wilderness. This is part of the back-story for the rest of "The City Center" dystopian saga, and is a worthy addition to the series.

34. The Prepper (a short story in the Voices of the Apocalypse series)--Simone Pond
this one set in Colorado, several smart boys realize that the Repatterning is not all it is cracked up to be, that their conscription notices are really death disguised as patriotism. Critter and his friends plan and when the destruction begins, he grabs Mona, the girl he likes.

34.5. The Hill (another short story from the Voices of the Apocalypse series)--Simone Pond
this one is set near D.C. where several friends sneak out to the Hill to smoke forbidden cigarettes as the Repatterning clamps down on 'vices' like movies, the Internet, and tobacco.

35. Charm: An Amazing Story of a Little Black Cat--Leyla Atke
a short children's story about the rescue of a black kitten and the affect it had on a woman

36. In Search of A Love Story--Rachel Schurig
Emily has had her issues with men. When Dylan breaks up with her, her friends, Ashley and Ryan, decide she needs a romantic makeover as in studying romantic novels and movies. They set about changing her into a more romantic Emily.

In fact, everyone seems to want to change her. Her new boyfriend Greg included. Elliott, the only one who doesn't just may be perfect for her if she just allows herself to acknowledge that friends can be the best romantic lead. A cute love, if somewhat predictable, love story.

36. The Big Crowd--Kevin Baker
3.5 stars actually. Politics and corruption go hand in hand in this novel about a mayor (Charlie O'Kane), his brother Tom, and the story behind the death of a star witness against a New York crime syndicate. Set in the 1940s and 1950s in New York and Mexico, the story unfolds about what really happened to Kid Twist. It is based on an unsolved mob murder, but is well researched as Tom discovers more about his brother than he really wanted to know.

Sometimes following the train of thought (or what he visualized happened) of Tom O'Kane was a bit confusing.

37. The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women who Helped Win World War II
3.5 stars...this is story of the young women, many of whom were barely out of high school, who helped to enrich the uranium that was used to build the first atomic bombs. Always a secretive place, now the stories are available about their lives before, during, and after.

38. Karma Girl--Jennifer Estep
4.5 stars actually--Estep's first novel is a hoot with plenty of laughs. Carmen Cole is a woman-scorned, and she vows to unmask all the superheroes and ubervillains as revenge for her fiance' and best friend's betrayal. Yet,there are surprises in store for Bigtime's superheroes and ubervillains and even Carmen herself. Add in some romance, and it is highly recommended fun reading.

Now I know why Gwen Frost (of the Mythos Academy series) had a poster of Karma Girl on her dorm-room wall. Always loved the shout out that harkened back to this novel...clever marketing, too.

39. 12 Shades of Surrender--various authors including Megan Hart, Lisa Renee Jones, and Tiffany
Twelve different authors, twelve erotic stories. Some good, some not-so-good, and others awesome (and one that I've read before), but all with overtones of BDSM.

40. A Gentleman 'til Midnight--Alison DeLaine
This is the first in this historical romance series that features strong women who are in roles traditionally held by men. Captain Katherine Kinloch pulls Captain James Warre out of the sea and saves his life. However, there is already history between them, and it is going to take changes in each of them to forgive and forget the past. Like the others in the series, giving up control and admitting that passion, lust, and love is theirs for the taking is never easy for these couples.

41. The Kind Worth Killing--Peter Swanson
4.5 stars actually, Full disclosure: I received this novel as a First Goodreads giveaway, but that in no way affects the review.

Suspenseful, seductive, and thrilling as killing haunts this novel as several characters (green-eye Lily, Ted, Miranda, and Kimball) tell the story from each of their perspectives. Double crosses abound, and twists and turns add to the flavor of the novel. Moreover, Lily's comment early in the novel that some people are the kind worth killing makes me smile because I suspect that we have all met one or two people for whom this is apropos. Yep, loved it and the added twist at the end.

42. Fresh Temptation--Reeni Austin
A classic romance with nearly all the What-the-tuck trends (even the unnamed one) between green-eyed Cara Green and Victor Barboza.

43. A Painted House--John Grisham
the lives of a cotton farming family as narrated by seven-year-old Luke

44. The Fault in Our Stars--John Green
Hazel, Isaac, and Augustus...the story of several kids with cancer, and so much more

45. Zac & Mia--A.J. Betts
Zac Meier is a teen-aged cancer patient who has become familiar with every room on the floor (he has stayed in all of them). Now, once again in Room 1, he is totally isolated because of a bone marrow transplant. Enter new patient Mia next door in Room 2. She is loud (playing Lady Gaga repeatedly), angry, and scared. Somehow, the pair forms a bond that lasts beyond their stays in the hospital. This bond helps each overcome setbacks and obstacles. Each of their perspectives are represented. Poignant yet true-to-life, a story worth reading by all.

46. 3:00AM--Nick Pirog (a novella)
3.5 stars actually, Henry Bins has a rare disorder that allows him one hour of wakefulness a day. His time awake is from 3:00AM to 4:00AM; the rest of the twenty-three hours is spent sleeping in a coma-like state. Yet, in his hour, he does it all including solving a murder of a neighbor woman. When he hears the scream of a woman, he investigates making himself a person of interest. But if he didn't do it, who did? The President?

In the process, he becomes owned by a cat named Lassie, who is quite the conversationalist. A truly fun suspense read.

47.5 The Gift--Simone Pond
another short story from The New Agenda series
48. Fog City--Simone Pond
another short story from the Voices of the Apocalypse series (both read when the others were read)

49. Dangerous Alliances--Kyra Davis
4.5 stars--This is the second on the Pure Sin series, and it continues the tale started in Deceptive Innocence. Bell (Adoncia) and Lander are still in the revenge mode, trying to connect Travis and Edmund to Adoncia's mother's murder conviction and subsequent death as well as prove their involvement in corrupt banking practices.

Not only are they working as a team to provide justice of their own, they are lovers as well. Together they are a formidable team. Spicy sex scenes interspersed with ruthless plans to trap the guilty makes this one a fun read.

50. The Adventures of Jillian Spectre--Nic Tatano
A cute, quick YA paranormal fantasy read about a mystical seer. Jillian Spectre can see romance through her crystal ball. Not hers, but other people's. It is through her seer's powers that she finds out more than she bargained for and must save her friends and family from becoming 'pod' people, that is people so addicted to their technology (read: cell phone). Can she save them? And still find romance, too?

51. Deceptive Innocence--Kyra Davis
The first book in the Pure Sin series introduces Adoncia and Lander who slowly begin to trust each other and plot the downfall of Travis and Edmund Gable.

52. Ice Kissed--Amanda Hocking
the second book in the Kanin trilogy that features Bryn, Ridley, and Konstantin