2025 Year End Survey and Top Picks List

 

I had a really good year of reading in 2025. I surpassed my Goodreads goal of 60 books, completed a couple of reading challenges with other bloggers (20 Books of Summer and Nonfiction November), in addition to two personal challenges (A Year of Elizabeth Strout and A Year of Maggie O'Farrell). I discovered several new authors and am eager to read more from their backlists. I don't have any goals for 2026 other than to read more from my own stacks, especially those books that are over 400 pages. 

Now for the fun stats!

Total Books Read: 67

Print Books: 56

Audiobooks: 11

ebooks: 0

Female Authors: 55

Male Authors: 12

New-To-Me Authors: 21

Fiction: 54

Nonfiction: 13

General Fiction: 36

Classics: 0

Poetry: 0

Historical Fiction: 5

Horror: 0

Science Fiction/Fantasy: 2

Time Travel: 0

Dystopia: 0

Mystery/Thrillers: 10

Westerns: 0

Epistolary: 1

Childrens: 0

Young Adult: 0

Memoir: 9

Travel/Food: 1

Nature/Science: 1

Essays: 0

Rereads: 7

Debuts: 6

Over 400 pages: 6

Over 500 pages: 2

Over 600 pages: 1

ARCs: 7

Borrowed from Library: 10

Borrowed: 2

From My Stacks: 48

Total Pages Read: 19,410

Total Hours Listened: 128 hours and 23 minutes

Backlist: 56

Published in 2025: 10

To Be Published in 2026: 1

Ratings:

5 stars: 6

4.5 stars: 17

4 stars: 18

3.5 stars: 13

3 stars: 7

2 stars: 6

Top Picks of 2025 (5 stars):

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

A Far-flung Life by M. L. Stedman

Honorable Mentions:

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

So Far Gone by Jess Walter

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Tin Man by Sarah Winman

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The Names by Florence Knapp

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons

We Spread by Iain Reid

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

The Next Day by Melinda Gates

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Find my previous Year End Surveys and Top Pick lists here.

2024 Year End Survey and Top Picks List

 

I thought my reading in 2023 was outstanding, but this past year was equally enjoyable. I didn't have as many 5-star reads in 2024 as I did in 2023, but the combination of 5 and 4.5 star ratings came out only one book shy of last year's totals. Remarkable!

Much like 2023, I surpassed my Goodreads goal of 60 books, and my numbers in November and December were better than anticipated. I also gave up on a lot of books. I might post a collage of those disappointments, eager to hear why others loved them, but doubt I'll be swayed to give them a second chance. I also sampled over two dozen books in December that have been on my shelves for years. They have gone in the donation box and it feels great to see some space in my bookcase!

Now for the fun stats of 2024!

Total Books Read: 63

Print Books: 50

Audiobooks: 13

ebooks: 0

Female Authors: 48

Male Authors: 15

New-To-Me Authors: 23

Fiction: 51

Nonfiction: 12

General Fiction: 29

Classics: 2

Poetry: 0

Historical Fiction: 5

Horror: 0

Science Fiction/Fantasy: 1

Time Travel: 0

Dystopia: 1

Mystery/Thrillers: 13

Westerns: 0

Epistolary: 1

Childrens: 1

Young Adult: 2

Memoir: 8

Travel/Food: 1

Nature/Science: 1

Essays: 0

Rereads: 7

Debuts: 9

Over 400 pages: 8

Over 500 pages: 3

ARCs: 12

Borrowed from Library: 11

From My Stacks: 40

Total Pages Read: 15,130

Pages not included from books I gave up on: 711!

Total Hours Listened: 163 hours and 8 minutes

Time not included from books I gave up on: 10 hours and 23 minutes

Ratings:

5 stars: 7

4.5 stars: 14

4 stars: 24

3.5 stars: 6

3 stars: 7

2 stars: 5

Top Picks of 2024 (5 stars):

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron

Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane

Billy Summers by Stephen King

Honorable Mentions (4.5/5 stars):

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Holly by Stephen King

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

September by Rosamunde Pilcher

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Comforts of Home by Susan Hill

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill

Find my previous Year End Surveys and Top Pick lists here.

2023 Year End Survey and Top Picks List

 

I can't remember the last time I had such a great year of reading! And to think that every book in the above collage was a 5-star read is truly amazing. Was I more generous than usual with those gold stars? I like to rate my books quickly after reading because I my first reaction. As time passes, I question those early impressions, but as I look at those beautiful covers, I know those books all left a lasting imprint on me. The sign of an excellent book is that I want to own a copy in order to read it again, and while I already have most of these on my keeper shelf, I'm going to buy two that I borrowed from the library.

I surpassed my Goodreads goal of 60 books, reading 5 more than last year. June, July, and October were my slowest months, and not so coincidentally, the months we were traveling in our RV. November and December were very good with regard to numbers and quality, which surprises me since I'm usually too busy with holiday events, and reading typically falls by the wayside. Not so in 2023.

I gave up on more books than ever before, particularly audiobooks, but I reread more books from my keeper shelves, enjoying some, but finding others less impressive than the first time around.

Here are the fun stats:

Total Books Read: 65

Print Books: 52

Audiobooks: 13

ebooks: 0

Female Authors: 50

Male Authors: 15

New-To-Me Authors: 26

Fiction: 61

Nonfiction: 4

General Fiction: 33

Classics: 4

Poetry: 0

Historical Fiction: 4

Horror: 0

Travel/Food: 0

Science Fiction/Fantasy: 2

Time Travel: 1

Dystopia: 1

Mystery/Thrillers: 19

Westerns: 1

Childrens: 0

Memoir: 1

Essays: 2

Rereads: 8

Debuts: 7

Over 400  pages: 10

ARCs: 1

Borrowed: 20

Gift: 1

From My Stacks: 43

Total Pages Read: 17,565

Total Hours Listened: 171 hours, 54 minutes

Ratings:

5 stars: 13

4.5 stars: 9

4 stars: 23

3.5 stars: 8

3 stars: 10

2 stars: 2

Top Picks of 2023 (5 stars):

Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

Foster by Claire Keegan

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Recursion by Blake Crouch

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

Honorable Mentions (4.5/5 stars):

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Maame by Jessica George

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill

Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult 

Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Find my previous Year End Surveys and Top Pick lists here.

2022 Year End Survey and Top Picks List

Another year, another list. I am so pleased with my year of reading, but can you tell I have a difficult time narrowing my favorites down to a Top Ten list? I decided to include the 4.5-star reads since they are so close to perfection.

While I didn't reach my Goodreads goal of 75 books, averaging more than one book a week is pretty good for me. With travel and my husband's health scare, it's a wonder I got that many read. 

Here are the fun stats:

Total Books Read: 60

Print Books: 43

ebooks: 1

Audio Books: 16

Female Authors: 47

Male Authors: 13

New-To-Me-Authors: 23

Fiction: 49

Nonfiction: 11

General Fiction: 28

Classics: 1

Poetry: 1

Historical Fiction: 7

Horror: 2

Travel/Food: 2

Science Fiction/Fantasy: 1

Mystery/Thrillers: 10

Childrens: 1

Memoir: 8

Rereads: 5

ARCs: 6

Borrowed: 4

Gift: 1

From My Stacks: 49

Total Pages Read: 14,460

Total Hours Listened: 180 hours and 11 minutes

Ratings:

5 stars: 10 

4.5 stars: 10

4 stars: 15

3.5 stars: 5

3 stars: 16

2 stars: 4

Top Picks of 2022 (in no particular order):

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher (5/5)

Taste by Stanley Tucci (5/5)

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (5/5)

The Absolutist by John Boyne (5/5)

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (5/5)

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson (5/5)

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout (5/5)

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (5/5)

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (5/5)

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (5/5)

The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve (4.5/5)

Water Like Stone by Deborah Crombie (4.5/5)

Setting Free the Kites by Alex George (4.5/5)

Monogamy by Sue Miller (4.5/5)

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson (4.5/5)

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (4.5/5)

Sailing by Starlight by Rod Scher (4.5/5)

House Lessons: Renovating a Life by Erica Bauermeister (4.5/5)

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett (4.5/5)

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult (4.5/5)

My plans for 2023 include reading several of the "chunksters" on my shelves, as well as taking part in my favorite reading challenges (20 Books of Summer & Nonfiction November). I have acquired quite a few new books this past year, many of which were on several bloggers' "Best Of" lists for 2021 & 2022. We'll see just how many I can get to!

Find my complete 2022 list (with links to all reviews) here.

Find my previous Year End Surveys and Top Pick lists here.

2021 Year End Survey & Top Reads List

2021 may not have been the best year thanks to the continuation of the pandemic, but with regard to my reading, I am very pleased. I met my goal on Goodreads, completing 63 books (my goal was 60) and surpassing the past two years' numbers by 8 books. Once again, I participated in three reading challenges (20 Books of Summer, RIP XVI and Nonfiction November), which helped to motivate me to read more of my own books.  

Books Read: 63

Print: 41

Audio: 21

Ebook: 1

ARCs: 5

Rereads: 4

Fiction: 45

Nonfiction: 14

Poetry: 4 (I never know how to categorize this!)

Mystery/Thriller: 17

SciFi/Fantasy: 3

Classics: 1

Teen/YA: 1

Memoir: 6

Travel Memoir: 2

Self-Improvement: 1

History: 1

Books in Translation: 1

Male Authors: 12

Female Authors: 51

New Authors: 27

From My Stacks: 51

Borrowed: 12

Ratings:

5 stars: 6

4.5 stars: 8

4 stars: 19

3.5 stars: 2

3 stars: 14

2 stars: 10

1 star: 4

Top Reads of 2021:

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson (5/5) 

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (5/5)

Circe by Madeline Miller (5/5)

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti (5/5)

Bear Town by Fredrik Backman (5/5)

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (5/5)

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (4.5/5)

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (4.5/5)

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand (4.5/5)

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (4.5/5)

Testimony by Anita Shreve (4.5/5)

Still Me by Jojo Moyes (4.5/5)

House Rules by Jodi Picoult (4.5/5)

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (4.5/5)

Honorable Mentions:

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny (4/5)

Falling by T.J. Newman (4/5)

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver (4/5)

The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (4/5)

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (4/5)

On Island Time by Hilary Stewart (4/5)

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (4/5)

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon (4/5)

Mourn Not Your Dead by Deborah Crombie (4/5)

And Justice There is None by Deborah Crombie (4/5)

Kissed a Sad Goodbye by Deborah Crombie (4/5)

A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie (4/5)

#1 Book of 2021: The Splendid and the Vile

Find my complete 2021 list (including all reviews) here.

Find my previous Year End Surveys and Top Ten Lists here. 

How I kept track of my reading:

 

I'm going to try a spreadsheet for 2022.