Reading Thread/Goals for 2025

[bobbiwoz]

27/32 - The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

Description:
"When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.

At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?

Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love."

This was a pretty cute story. It's basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form.

58/70
You described it perfectly, and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for mentioning it! 4/5

 

[cayennews]

#39 The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose. Good overall. I was able to guess who did it thought. Also a bit long-winded.

 

[bobbiwoz]

#38 The Christmas Stranger by Richard Paul Evans. I love all of his books. Another terrific story.

I think I have forgotten about this author, but I looked him up and found “The Noel Diary” by Richard Paul Evans, and I really enjoyed it!
59/70, 4.5/5

 

[Simba's Mom]

#50/56-"The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau" by Kristin Harmel, 5 stars. Definitely one of the best books I've read for 2025. And the theme had a similarity to Disney's "Robin Hood" which helped its appeal to a Disney lover. Extremely thought-provoking. There was a little much coincidence right at the end, but by then I just couldn't give it less than 5 stars.

 

[OKW8297]

31/30 Inheritance by Nora Roberts. A woman inherits a huge haunted Victorian manor with a storied past. This is the first in her trilogy and I really enjoyed it. Will definitely read the next one.

 

[Lumpy1106]

21/20 - Rebecca Yarros, "The Things We Leave Unfinished", 4/5 stars - A woman hires a ghost writer to finish a book that was started by her grandmother. It's a little too "Harlequin Romance" in parts but finishes strong with some nice plot twists

22/20 - Jake Tapper, "Original Sin, President Biden's Decline, It's Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again", 5/5 stars. Kinda says it all. If you look this one up on Goodreads the reviews reflect the very polarized national political opinion - which IMHO, misses the point. I thought this was well done. Pre-final-debate a lot of the sources are confidential, after-final-debate they are not which I found fascinating.

 

[Wood Nymph]

A Time to Kill - by John Grisham - 3/5

I didn't know that this was his first book until I was close to the end of it. That explains why it was so hard to get into for the half of the book. It could have used a lot of editing to get it moving along. The last section of the book was good, though.

The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her black father acquires an assault rifle and takes matters into his hands. For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life... and then his own.

 

[Lumpy1106]

23/20 - John Green, "Everything is Tuberculosis" 4/5 stars. This was an interesting read. The history of Tuberculosis with a look forward to a couple of possible futures. If you are in a more wealthy country you can be forgiven for thinking this disease has been eradicated - it has not.

 

[MGMmjl]

28/32 - Her Silent Night by H.K. Christie

Description:
"A man dressed as Santa is found murdered and shoved up a chimney—a meticulously staged scene straight out of a nightmare. Days later, another murder staged like a twisted Christmas display is discovered.

With every gruesome crime comes a taunting Christmas card bearing a hand-drawn snowflake… delivered directly to PI Martina Monroe’s door.

Martina, fearless and unyielding, teams up with homicide detective Kate Maddox and crime reporter Natalie Sloane, whose articles on real-life Christmas tragedies have begun inspiring the killer’s next acts—a sure sign he isn’t just reading her stories. He’s watching her.

As the killer’s motives come into focus, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear: this isn’t just revenge. It’s a message.

Now, with the clock ticking toward December 25th, Martina and Kate must unmask a killer before the holiday turns deadly for them all."

I enjoyed this Christmas thriller.

 

[bobbiwoz]

60/70. After enjoying the last story, I looked up another Richard Paul Evans book, “The Broken Road.” It’s not a Christmas story, but it was very good! 4/5

 

[willowsnn3]

#32 How To Test Negative for Stupid: And Why Washington Never Will by Senator John Kennedy (LA)
“America’s most quotable Senator”—offers his perceptive (and hilarious) takes on the ridiculousness of political life in this scathingly witty takedown of Washington and its elite denizens.
How to Test Negative for Stupid offers the Senator’s tongue-in-cheek guidebook through Washington, punctuated by his thoughts on various issues and humorous stories about life from Louisiana politics and inside the Senate.

 

[MGMmjl]

29/32 - Final Descent by Audrey J. Cole

Description:
"After suffering a breakdown from her brutal divorce, airline pilot Claire Winslow is rebuilding her life with her five-year-old daughter. Just as she’s finding her footing, an online romance spirals into a chilling nightmare. Her first date with Evan goes terribly wrong, and he soon begins stalking her, showing up outside her home and even her daughter’s school.

After nearly a week of no sightings of him, Claire dares to believe maybe he’s moved on. Relieved, she puts her focus on her upcoming flight—the first chance she’s had to prove herself since she was put on leave. Then, on a layover in Boston, Claire spots Evan at her hotel. She goes to the police, but with no real name and nothing traceable online, they say there’s nothing they can do.

When Evan boards her flight wearing a pilot uniform and takes the jump seat just before takeoff, Claire is convinced he’s there to kill her—or take the plane down. But after her recent breakdown, the question becomes: is she right…or unraveling all over again?"

This is a short novella (only around 90 pages.) But I did enjoy it.

 

[Kirby]

#48 - The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs
Genre - Romance
I enjoyed this one, give it a 4/5. Clean book, one part brought a tear to my eye near the end. I've always enjoyed the books by this author.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard - by Michael Callahan

When TV producer Kit O'Neill discovers her late grandmother was Mercy Welles, an Oscar-nominated actress who disappeared just as her career was taking off, she puts her investigative skills to good use, which leads her to Martha's Vineyard-the island that holds the key to the fateful summer that changed everything forever.

This was a good story with a few mysteries to solve. The story is set-in two-time periods, 1959 and 2018 and has two main characters, the grandmother and granddaughter. It is all nicely wrapped up in the end.

 

[bobbiwoz]

61/70. the second book-in the series…The Forgotten Road. 4.5/5

 

[melk]

35/30 The Night of the Party by Rachael English

A night of secrets binds four friends for life after a priest's suspicious death during a snowstorm party in 1982 Ireland.

Good mystery spanning decades in the lives of the four friends. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Kirby]

49 - Happily Ever Amish by Shelley Shepard Gray
50 - Once Upon A Buggy by Shelley Shepard Gray

These are books 1 and 2 in the Amish of Apple Creek trilogy. It seems I read the third and final book, An Amish Cinderella, earlier this year or last year. I liked it well enough that I chose to read the first two. I enjoyed book 1 and give it a 4/5. Book 2 was okay and give it a 3.5/5.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Haven’t updated in a while
29/25 - Homicide and Honeycrisps by Summer Prescott
Girl helps solve the mystery of a man found dead in the corn maze on her parents farm. A quick read. It was ok,

30/25 - The Soldier’s K-9 Companion by Belle Calhoune
Girl runs a K-9 training ranch in Alaska. Her old friend is suffering from war related PTSD and she suggests one of her dogs to help him. She also has a past trauma. They help each other heal along with the help of others and their relationship has a hea. I always enjoy this authors books.

31/25 - With Sugar on Roundtop by Virginia K. Bennett
Halloween cozy. Local librarian tries to help solve murder of local business man
On haunted Halloween trail. Meh.

32/25 - The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn by Valerie Bowman
Fired NYC event planner returns home to help plan small town fall festival, she is helped by former boyfriend and they reignite their relationship, it was ok.

 

[bobbiwoz]

62/70. I wanted a Christmas Story, and I am cruising, so I needed something on Libby. “A Christmas Duet” by Debbie Macomber. Mother character was especially annoying and unbelievable to me. 3/5

 

[willowsnn3]

#33 Never Flinch by Stephen King
More crime fiction than horror. Brings back 3 of my favorite characters from the Mr Mercedes trilogy: Holly Gibney, Barbara Robinson & her brother Jerome so I had to catch up on them. It was good, not great, I've been sorta disapointed in King's most recent books but overall it was a good story.