BOOKS & STORIES I FINISHED READING IN 2025
27) Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World
~ by Mark Aldridge
See #16 and #19 below. This is the book. I would love to re-read some additional Poirot mysteries after finishing this book, but for now I will settle for the "new" TV series Lew and I are watching on BritBox!
26) Midnight Sun
~ by Stephenie Meyer
This is the 5th book in the Twilight Saga, although one could argue it's a different version of the 1st book... because it is! The narrator of Book #5 is Edward Cullen, the main vampire in this romantasy series. He's telling his side of how he and Bella got together. It was fun to read, although it was a little long; Edward is quite the thinker.
25) Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins – and WWII Heroes
~ by Tim Brady
Wow, what a fascinating story. The three "ordinary" girls were not-so-ordinary. They were part of the Dutch resistance in the fight against the Nazis. Despite their young age, sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen and redheaded Hannie Schaft were unbelievably brave. There are more books about them which I may read. There is also lots of information on the internet.
24) A Bit of Earth: A Year in the Garden with God
~ by Andrea G. Burke
The back of the book say the author "looks at the seasonal practice and common grace of gardening through a devotional lens." Although I am not a gardener, I thoroughly enjoyed her reflections. And she sort of made me wish I had a green thumb....
23) Prevailing Prayer: A Thorough Study on the Subject of Prayer
~ by Dwight L. Moody
I read the "Updated, Annotated" version of this excellent classic. The chapter topics are as follows: The Prayers of the Bible, Adoration, Confession, Restitution, Thanksgiving, Forgiveness, Unity, Faith, Petition, Submission, and Answered Prayers. The final chapter is a Prayer-Meeting Testimony.
22) The Green Ember
~ by S.D. Smith; illustrated by Zach Franzen
This is the first book in The Green Ember series. The main characters are anthropomorphic rabbits. (If the animals couldn't talk, it would be a hard story to tell!) The age range for this series is 8-12 years old, but this "more aged" lady enjoyed the first installment. I love the old oath in the story:
"My place beside you,my blood for yours;till the Green Ember rises,or the end of the world."
Time will tell if I read more of the series. As I've stated before, my "books to read" pile is quite large!
21) Sighing on Sunday: 40 Meditations for When Church Hurts
~ by Megan Hill
There are six sections in this helpful book. Each meditation is only one page (both sides), with prompts at the end to "Read", "Reflect", and "Pray". The six sections:
What Is Happening?
Why Is Church So Hard?
Why Should I Trust God When Church Hurts?
What Can I Do?
Why Should I Keep Showing Up?
What Have Others Done in My Situation?
This book is a great resource. Highly recommend!
20) Magpie Murders: A Novel
~ by Anthony Horowitz
This is a story within a story. If I have counted correctly, there are five deaths (murders?) to solve. Magpie Murders is the first in the author's Susan Ryeland series. If I can make a significant dent in my "books to read" pile, I think I would enjoy reading more of this series. Magpie Murders certainly kept my interest!
19) Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?: The Mystery Behind the Agatha Christie Mystery
~ by Pierre Bayard (translated from the French by Carol Cosman)
See #16 below. The "book about" that I mentioned gives a nod to this book by Pierre Bayard. Bayard's book has a lot of psychoanalysis — which I admit went over my head at times — but it is a fascinating look at whether Poirot has identified the correct murderer. Now I may need to reread #16 again!
18) The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter
~ by Margareta Magnusson
A friend of mine with ties to Sweden told me about this book. Some very good advice, if only I could follow it.... LOL!
17) Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
~ by Lynne Truss
The title refers to a joke about a panda that walks into a cafe, eats a sandwich, fires two shots from a gun unto the air, and then exits. When the waiter looks up "Panda", the explanation he finds says "Eats, shoots and leaves." The errant comma makes the joke, of course! The author of this book is British, and she does discuss some of the differences between British and American punctuation. I tend to take liberties with punctuation — especially when I'm striving for clarity — so I really enjoyed this book. (I'm not sure I always succeed with the "clarity"!)
16) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
~ by Agatha Christie
I'm reading a book about Agatha Christie's character Hercule Poirot. After reading a section about The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, I knew I had to stop and re-read the novel. It really is a good one.
15) The One That Got Away: A Short Story
~ by Mike Gayle
Do you believe in love? Like the "forever" kind? Reuben's best friend, Pete, tells him that the girl Reuben loves is getting married to someone else....
14) The Whisper Sister: A Novel
~ by Jennifer S. Brown
A "whisper sister" ran a speakeasy during the prohibition. This novel's main character, Minnie, came to America from Ukraine in 1920 with her mother and brother to join her father in New York. While Minnie's story is fictional, much of the historical setting in the novel is real. A fascinating storyline. (Warning: Some language and adult situations.)
13) Echo Island
~ Jared C. Wilson
Four teenage boys return home from a camping trip and find that their town is deserted. This was an interesting novel and had some twists that I wasn't expecting. It was a good read.
12) Sixes and Sevens
~ by O. Henry
A collection of short stories by the master of irony. Some of them I understood; some not so much. Still enjoyable.
11) The Librarianist: A Novel
~ by Patrick deWitt
This is a story about a man named Bob. He loves books and was a librarian before he retired. This isn't the type of novel that I usually read, but I enjoyed it more than I anticipated. It was just a story. About Bob.
10) Beneath the Swirling Sky (The Restorationists, Book #1)
~ Carolyn Leiloglou
What if you could enter a painting and make changes to it? Vincent and his sister Lili visit their Great Uncle Leo and have quite the adventure with their cousin Georgia! This is a really fun novel that I hope my grandsons will enjoy as well. Several real paintings are referenced in the story, so I did a lot of internet searching. There is a Book #2 in the series, and I am going to read it soon.
9) The Summer We Got Saved
~ by Pat Cunningham Devoto
The dust jacket says this is a "novel that masterfully interweaves the lives of three people amid the changing South of the 1960s." Several parts of the novel are based on true events. It took me a while to get into the story (and keep everyone straight as there were more than three people), but I finished reading it rather quickly once I hit the halfway mark. I'm going to pass this along to my officemate. I think she will enjoy it, too.
8) The Maid
~ by Nita Prose
This is the first novel in the Molly the Maid series. Molly is a quirky gal, probably on the spectrum although that's not specifically stated. Molly is proud to be a maid in a ritzy hotel, and one day she finds a man dead in his bed. She becomes a prime suspect. Lots of interesting characters in this one. I enjoyed it and will probably read more of the series. My officemate at work recommended this series to me.
7) The Truth about the O.J. Simpson Trial: By the Architect of the Defense
~ by F. Lee Bailey
If what the author wrote in this book is true, then O.J. did not commit the murders. 😲
A very interesting read.
6) The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
~ by Betty G. Birney
Eben is challenged by his father to find seven "wonders" right there in their hometown. This is a nice novel for youth, so I'm giving it to my grandsons. (They told me they don't want books for gifts, but too bad!)
5) Idaho Fall: A Twisty Whodunit
~ by D.J. Maughan
A clothing designer falls off her balcony and is in a coma.... Or was she pushed? While in her coma, she experiences the ability to tag along with the detectives investigating her accident, as well as observe her family. She learns a lot about herself in the process. The story kept my interest.
4) As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride
~ by Cary Elwes
I found my DVD copy of The Princess Bride immediately after I finished reading this book. I will be watching it with Lew as soon as it fits into our schedule (a lot of sports on TV these days!) so I can enlighten him with everything I learned. He will love my insight. 😄
3) Second Best Thing: Marilyn, JFK, and a Night to Remember
~ by James L. Swanson
I think this is only available on Amazon, since it is advertised with "Amazon Original Stories." It's a brief book about the night of JFK's birthday celebration — the night that Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday" to him in a skin-tight dress.
2) Eleven Numbers: A Short Story
~ by Lee Child
An intriguing fictional story starring mathematicians. How could I resist reading it?! 😁
1) The Mystery Writer: A Novel
~ by Sulari Gentill
Interesting characters and a good story. Caution for some bad language and poor caricatures of both Christians and conservatives. But neither caution prohibits me from recommending this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. A fun first read for the new year.
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