100+ Books in 2025 discussion

1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
2. The Sparrow

3. Water for Elephants

4. Breaking Dawn

5. Speak

6. Crash


It was okay, written for a younger audience.

7. The Time Traveler's Wife


Kind of a long read, but still interesting. At least this book was not a cookie-cutter romance novel.

8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time


This was one of the best books I've read in a very long time. I felt like I caught a small glimpse inside the mind of an autistic kid.

9. Looking for Alaska, John Green


Excellent YA book. Humorous, meaningful and it reminded me of my youth.

10. Artemis Fowl


I was pretty disappointed with this book. It was definitely written for a junior high kid.

11. Gathering Blue


Not as good as The Giver, but still very interesting.

12. The Graveyard Book
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Neil Gaiman

This book was so imaginative, different and a little spooky... Neil Gaiman is one of the most creative authors out there.

13. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Elizabeth Gilbert

Great journey through her quest to become a balanced more spiritual person. I also learned a lot about the cultures of Italy, India and Indonesia.

14. Number the Stars

Lois Lowry

I was so impressed by The Giver, but her other books are not nearly as good.

15. Confessions of a Shopaholic

Sophie Kinsella
Entertaining, easy read, it felt like I was reading a Hugh Grant movie.

16. A Cup of Tea: A Novel of 1917

Amy Ephron
Dark romance, decent.

17. The Help

Kathryn Stockett
Excellent book--great read. One of the best books I've read this year.

18. NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children

Po Bronson
Interesting but very dry. It did make me reevaluate how I raise my kids.

19. The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver
Excellent book. I was not familiar with the political turmoil of the Congo. I learned a lot and it had a great story line.

20. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

David Sedaris
David Sedaris is always there with a good laugh. The way he words his stories....he can make the most mundane incident in his life hilarious. I still think When You're Engulfed in Flames was better, but this was far from disappointing.

21. Outlander

Diana Gabaldon
This was the first "romance" novel I have ever read. I thought it was entertaining and an easy read. Great escape novel.

22. Under the Dome

Stephen King
I am a huge Stephen King fan. I have been reading his books since Junior High. My favorite King book is by far The Stand. This book reminded me a lot of The Stand but in a much smaller scale. Good guys vs. bad guys, gore, murder...it had it all. I think Big Rennie was meant to be a cross between Cheney and Limbagh and Andy was Dubya. King is extremely descriptive and typically the build-up is better than the actual climax. This 1076 beast of a book was a worthwhile and fast-paced read. It didn't let me down.

23. Half Broke Horses

Jeannette Walls
Not nearly as good as Glass Castle, but still an interesting story/biography.

24. The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins
Fast-paced and an overall great story. I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy.

25. This Is Where I Leave You

Jonathan Tropper
Funny, thought-provoking and a great read. I laughed out loud several times.

26. The Art of Racing in the Rain

Garth Stein
Predictable, average book.

27. Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins
Not quite as good as Hunger Games, but still very fast-paced and exciting. I am really looking forward to the last book in the trilogy.

28. The Magicians

Lev Grossman
It had all the ingredients to be a great book, but fell short. I didn't care for any of the characters and kept waiting for it to get interesting. It never did.

29. The Lightning Thief

Rick Riordan
Imaginative, fast-paced and packed with adventure.

30. Garden Spells

Sarah Addison Allen
Fun, creative book, it was a delicious read!

31. The Shack

William P. Young
This book is very polarizing. People either love it or hate it. I hated it!

32. Running with Scissors

Augusten Burroughs
This has to be the strangest childhood ever.

33. The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Cute folktale.

34. Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu

J. Maarten Troost
Fairly funny, fairly interesting, fairly good.

35. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky
Loved this book.

36. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

John Berendt
Started off very strong for me, but then it wasn't as interesting toward the end. I did not know about this case so that made it more interesting for me.

37. The Pearl

John Steinbeck
I'm never disappointed by a Steinbeck book.

38. Olive Kitteridge

Elizabeth Strout
Great writing, but a very depressing book.

39. An Abundance of Katherines

John Green
Another great YA book by John Green.

40. The Stranger

Albert Camus
Quick read--it was just okay for me.

41. How to Be Good

Nick Hornby
This book started out strong for me and kind of petered out toward the end.

42. Tender Morsels

Margo Lanagan
Very imaginative and different. Disturbing at parts.

43. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance

Steven D. Levitt
Good, but not as good as the original.

44. The Shadow of the Wind

Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Excellent book. One of my all-time favorites. Beautifully written, adventurous story and full of suspense.

45. The Raw Shark Texts

Steven Hall
This book could have been really good or really bad. The concept is so strange but well-written and somehow believable. I think it is a cross between the Matrix and Bourne Identity.

46. The Host

Stephenie Meyer

47.
When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead

48. The Gargoyle
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Andrew Davidson
Awesome book, five stars.

49. Uglies

Scott Westerfeld
What can I say...eh.

50. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Mary Ann Shaffer
Cute book full of great characters. I am officially half-way there! A little behind...the move and a baby on the way doesn't help...

51. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Alan Bradley
Eh...