What are you reading? Options

[Decrepit]

Below appears all thus far unreported book reads of 2025:

42. 09/02/2025: 1549 “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery – Project Gutenberg free e-book
This is one of my "best reads" of the year, as was Ms. Montgomery's "Blue Castle" the year it was read. I believe it is officially classified as children's or young person's literature, but think it suitable for all ages.

43. 09/07/2025: 1623 “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke
This book is, or once was, highly hyped on Booktube. I think it is a worthwhile read.

44. 09/27/2025: 1245 “The Secret Diaries of Hitler’s Doctor” by David Irving (second read)
After finishing Piranesi I entered a long reading block. This book did not end it, being a "kitchen table read", read in two-to-five page spurts during meals. That the read concluded when it did is pure happenstance. As to the book itself, I consider it a decent read for those interested in the subject. Otherwise, don't bother.

45. 10/18/2025: 0932 “The Eden Conspiracy” by Paul Wallis
46. 10/24/2025: 1836 “Escaping from Eden” by Paul Wallis
Fascinating reads on the proposition that our Earth was long ago visited by beings from another planet. I like them quite a lot. (They broke my reading block.)

47. 10/31/2025: 0916 “Cage of Souls” by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I'm a Tchaikovsky fan. This was a good read, but not among my favorite Tchaikovsky. (His "Service Model", my first read of 2025, is one of my "best reads" of that year.)

48. 11/08/2025: 1837 “DNA of the GODS: The Anunnaki Creation of Eve and the Alien Battle for Humanity” by Chris H. Hardy, Ph.D.
Another book along the lines of the two Wallis books mentioned above, and another good read.

49. 11/09/2025: 2249 “The Inheritors” by William Golding
Having reread Golding's "Lord of the Flies" earlier in the year, I decided to give this short novel about pre-historic man a go. I like it.

50. 11/15/2025: 1324 “Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds” by John Fugelsang
Another fascinating book, and an easy read. As an ardent non-believer, I found much interesting food-for-thought here. Not that it will do me any actual good. As a non-confrontationalist, I have no desire to debate "the other side", and in any case don't have the memory to regurgitate the references upon which the author bases his claims. Easily recommended to those who are in to this sort of thing. Possible a "best read of the year", or at least an honorable mention.

51. 12/10/2025: 1459 “Written on the Dark” by Guy Gavriel Kay
Any book by GGK is a must-read for me. The man can write! That said, I don't think his recent output equals his earlier novels, this book being no exception. If you want the best of Kay, try "Lions of Al-Rassan", "A Song for Arbonne", and/or "Sarantine Mosaic" (two books). Many recommend "Tigana" as the way to start. While I like it, I don't consider it his best.

52. 12/12/2025: 1204 “The Architect of Genocide, Himmler and the Final Solution” by Richard Breitman (second read)
Another kitchen table read, and another self-recommendation for those interested in the topic. The author interestingly decided to end his coverage at the point when the "Final Solution" was fully implemented, not seeing us to the end of the war in Europe. This put me off at first. I later decided that he didn't need to go further than he did, the final phase of the Holocaust being well documented elsewhere.

53. 12/14/2025: 2104 “Snake-Eater” by T. Kingfisher
I've become something of a Kingfisher fan. This was another enjoyable, solid, easy read.

54. 12/17/2025: 1634 “Pre-Shannara: Word and Void, book 2, Knight of the Word” by Terry Brooks
55. 12/23/2025: 1624 “Pre-Shannara: Word and Void, book 3, Angel Fire East” by Terry Brooks
56. 12/27/2025: 1517 “Legends of Shannara, book 1, Bearers of the Black Staff” by Terry Brooks
57. 12/30/2025: 1834 “Legends of Shannara, book 2, The Measure of the Magic” by Terry Brooks
My reading year ends with four more Terry Brooks "Shannara" novels. I first read the initial Shannara trilogy soon after my conversion from history buff to a fantasy reader, then read a few more of the series' early releases. Finding the books rather hit-or-miss, I then abandoned the series. So matters stood, until on a whim (and thanks to a sale) buying the "Genesis of Shannara" trilogy early 2025. I was super impressed by it. Enough so that I continued on. All these books are good, solid reads, and sometimes better. On a less positive note, after finishing "Genesis of Shannara" I decided to re-read the initial trilogy, an attempt that ended in DNF not far into book one. I might or might not give it another try this year.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 1 2026, 03:33 PM

[Acadian]

You had a productive year as far as reading goes!

[Burnt Sierra]

With catching Covid and ending up in hospital, I only managed to add another two books to my list last year.

Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry, the final part of the "Lonesome Dove" series of westerns, and Thirsty: 100 Great Wines and Stories by Tom Gilbey.

That ended up with a total of 44 books, 4 books of poetry and 1 play read in 2025.

The highlights were The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie and Outline by Rachel Cusk.

Let's see what 2026 brings! Well, one thing it's definitely going to bring is Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay, which i hadn't even realised had been released until I saw Decrepit's post, so thanks for that!

p.s. I'd be one of the people recommending Tigana, along with The Lions of Al-Rassan, Ysabel and The Last Light of the Sun. You know you have a good author when a variety of people will all suggest different books.

[Decrepit]

I would normally wait longer to post my initial 2026 reading log, but my Paperwhite is taking forever to charge. (Sometimes it fully charges in about two hours, sometimes it takes half a waking day. The issue, I believe, is that the mini USB recharge plug fits loosely in the Paperwhite's charging socket and doesn't always make sufficient contact.)

1. 01/01/2026: 0351 “Paladins of Shannara, book 1, Allanon’s Quest” by Terry Brooks
2. 01/01/2026: 1638 “Paladins of Shannara, book 2, The Weapons Master’s Choice” by Terry Brooks
3. 01/01/2026: 1848 “Paladins of Shannara, book 3, The Black Irix” by Terry Brooks
These are short stories. Had they been bundled as one book, I'd consider them as a single read. But they are separate purchases/downloads, giving me an excusive to count them separately. They are decent reads, for what they are. "Allanon's Quest" chronicles events leading directly to the opening of Brooks' original Shannara novel, "The Sword of Shannara". The other two relate to Shannara novels I have not read, or possibly read so long ago I've no recollection of them.

4. 01/04/2026: 1715 “The Seventh Bride” by T. Kingfisher
A supernatural horror/mystery novel. I enjoyed it.

5. 01/06/2026: 1844 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 1, Wards of Faerie” by Terry Brooks

6. 01/09/2026: 2055 “Steaming Into series: book 8, Steaming into the West, More Tales of Western Steam” by Michael Clutterbuck
A very niche book on steam-era British railroading from an in-cab perspective, thus right up my alley. I thought the series over and done with, so was pleasantly surprised to see this appear as an Amazon recommendation. It didn't disappoint.

7. 01/11/2026: 1839 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 2, Bloodfire Quest” by Terry Brooks
I'll say nothing about this trilogy until after finishing book three, which I'm not terribly far in to.

[Decrepit]

Recent reads:
01/15/2026: 1741 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 3, Witch Wraith” by Terry Brooks
This was another solid Shannara series.

I rifled through my various book storage boxes this morning and find that I own the original Sword of Shannara trilogy and all four Heritage of Shannara novels as physical books. I've read the original trilogy three times, most recently during 2005. The first three Heritage books received their initial reads between 1991 and 1994, their most recent reads during 2005. The fourth has been read (by me) only once, in 1994. I recall little to nothing about any of them, except that The Elfstones of Shannara is easily my favorite among the early Shannara novels, or at least was as of their last read.

Upon finishing Witch Wraith I took another stab at Sword of Shannara but, as with last year's attempt, just couldn't get in to it. This morning, waiting for my Paperwhite to charge, I gave my paperback of Elfstones a try, and was hooked from the start. I'll stick with it, but switch to my Paperwhite digital copy.

As of now, my overall favorite Shannara series is Genesis of Shannara trilogy, read early last year, and a favorite read for that year.

ADDENDUM: I failed to point out that I have not yet read the entirety of the Shannara universe.

ADDENDUM 2: Having gotten further into Elfstones, I notice deficiencies I don't believe I picked up on during prior reads. Nothing lease-breaking. I believe Brooks simply became a better writer / storyteller as the Shannara universe expanded.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 17 2026, 02:40 PM

[Decrepit]

At 0445 this morning, 20 Jan 2026, I completed a fourth read of Terry Brooks' The Elfstones of Shannara, second book in the original Shannara trilogy and my ninth read of the year. I've long considered Elfstones the best of the original series. Not yet having done a fresh re-read of book three, I can not say for certain that this still holds true. I can say that Elfstones is a solidly good read.

With an over twenty-year gap between this reading and the last, this read began with me knowing no more than the gist of the story and, of course, its outcome. There is, however, one brief, tragically dramatic scene from my previous reads that has remained vividly visual in my mind. Imagine my surprise when, reading those page this time round, I discovered that this long cherished scene isn't in the book! Something akin to it exists, something with less emotional wallop. Question is, is what I remember purely a creation of my imagination, or have I grafted a scene from another early Shannara book onto Elfstones? Time will tell, I suppose.

In any case, I will begin a fourth read of book three by day's end.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 21 2026, 01:22 AM

[Acadian]

Very interesting how you remembered a scene and, after a long delay, it apparently seems/feels so differently upon reread.

[Renee]

In 2025 I read The Nurse's Secret 3x, I loved it so much. Somebody in my family left this book in my favorite reading spot, don't know who, and I assumed I wouldn't enjoy it, as I assumed it's about a subject I have little interest in, but after reading the opening chapter while waiting for a friend I was hooked! It's about a lot more than nursing, by lord! My sister's a nurse so she read it too. She "speaks the language" used in hospitals, so she could def relate. I also had no idea I was about to spend half the summer of '25 in hospitals.

Details below

"The Nurse's Secret" is a historical novel by Amanda Skenandore that follows a young female grifter in 1880s New York who cons her way into America’s first nursing school while evading a series of murders.

This post has been edited by Renee: Jan 21 2026, 01:47 AM

[Acadian]

Nice when you find a book you enjoy!