Best books/authors you've read recently (this year)?

[Jaxcat]

The Boomerang by Robert Bailey (political thriller)
The Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz (murder mystery, book-within-a-book structure; has another series with sort of modern day Sherlock and Watson vibe)
A Beacon in the Night by David Lewis (set in Blitz London during WWII, follows a female spy rooting out Nazis in London, somewhat historical fiction)

[Pete Hogwallop]

I read... a lot. Best book I've read so far in 2025 out of 50+, is probably Truman by David McCullough.

Coincidentally, I just finished Magpie Murders about a month ago.

And I just finished Heartwood by Amity Gaige. Not the greatest book ever, but really good.

Looking forward to starting My Friends by Fredrik Backman today. I've enjoyed many of his books at this point.

[Jaxcat]

^Did you like Magpie Murders? I've liked all of Horowitz' mysteries thus far. I, too, read quite a bit, generally 60-70 books annually. I'll get the Truman book. I don't read as much nonfiction as I think I should but have a hard time finding one of interest.

[Joneslab]

^Did you like Magpie Murders? I've liked all of Horowitz' mysteries thus far. I, too, read quite a bit, generally 60-70 books annually. I'll get the Truman book. I don't read as much nonfiction as I think I should but have a hard time finding one of interest.

My favorite Horowitz is The Word is Murder, a really fun mystery that's less dense than Magpie Murders.

I'm reading the mentioned Heartwood. Like, don't love. She's a really good writer, has this poetic style that fits the woodsy themes in the book.

I read Chris Whitaker's All the Colors of the Dark last year and loved it, one of the finest thriller I've ever picked up.

I've gotten into epic fantasy over the last couple years...but, ironically, I can't really recommend too many books because they're sometimes so hard to finish. I like the *idea* of fantasy better than the actuality of it. I have really like a lot of Brandon Sanderson's books, especially The Way of Kings, which if you stick with it has one of the best last acts of any sci-fi/fantasy novel I've ever read.

[Pete Hogwallop]

^Did you like Magpie Murders? I've liked all of Horowitz' mysteries thus far. I, too, read quite a bit, generally 60-70 books annually. I'll get the Truman book. I don't read as much nonfiction as I think I should but have a hard time finding one of interest.

I don't read tons of non-fiction either. That one is really good, though. Warning - it's very long. But it's crazy how he never went to college, failed at a couple of businesses, made it into politics, was a strategic pick for Vice President kind of by default and then was suddenly the President a few months later after FDR passed away shortly into that term. One of the very first things he had to do was make the decision about the nuclear bomb. It's almost unbelievable.

I actually forgot the other best non-fiction book I've read this year. It's called "The Only Plane in the Sky" by Garrett Graff. It's just quotes of firsthand accounts of 9/11. It's the most gripping, edge of your seat non-fiction book I've read....even though I essentially know what happened. Graff's D-Day book is in the same style and almost as good.

I thought Magpie Murders was just OK. Maybe better than average. It interested me enough to eventually read the next one.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I read Chris Whitaker's All the Colors of the Dark last year and loved it, one of the finest thriller I've ever picked up.

I second this. I forget sometimes all the great books I've read, but All the Colors of the Dark was 5/5 stars for me.

[Jaxcat]

That's interesting. All the Colors is the only book in probably the last 5 years that I couldn't finish. Just never got into it at all.

Reading The Other Woman's House by Sophie Hannah currently. Really like it so far. Psychological murder mystery. Lots of twists in the plot so far.

[KCKUKFan]

Just finished King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. Pretty damn great.

[George]

I've been all over the place this year in terms of genre, pub. date, etc. Some stuff for the classes I teach, some for myself.

• Harry Caudill's Night Comes to the Cumberlands (again)
• Lehane's Mystic River
• Dubus, Gone So Long
• Adam Gamal's The Unit (skip it)
• Waldrop's Drowned Town
• Ben Kesling, Bravo Company
• McPhee's Draft No. 4
• Ron Hansen, Atticus
• John Ehle, The Land Breakers
• Coates, The Message
• Dan Flores, Wild New World

[Pete Hogwallop]

Just finished King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. Pretty damn great.

I've read several of his, but not that one...yet. It's on my list.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I've been all over the place this year in terms of genre, pub. date, etc. Some stuff for the classes I teach, some for myself.

• Harry Caudill's Night Comes to the Cumberlands (again)
• Lehane's Mystic River
• Dubus, Gone So Long
• Adam Gamal's The Unit (skip it)
• Waldrop's Drowned Town
• Ben Kesling, Bravo Company
• McPhee's Draft No. 4
• Ron Hansen, Atticus
• John Ehle, The Land Breakers
• Coates, The Message
• Dan Flores, Wild New World

I'm going to have to look into these. I've read the first two and loved them. I've read everything by Lehane. I wish he wrote more. I'm not sure I'm not sure I've heard of many of the others.

[George]

I'm going to have to look into these. I've read the first two and loved them. I've read everything by Lehane. I wish he wrote more. I'm not sure I'm not sure I've heard of many of the others.

I'd recommend pretty much everything on that list except for The Unit. I have a fascination with non-fiction spy/spec ops stuff, but those books are never satisfying because they're (obviously) not allowed to write about the very things I want to know -- yet I continue to buy them. The Unit, though, is especially bad because the guy's just a bad writer. If you're interested, the takeaway is this: there exists a hyper-elite special-ops unit above all the other spec-ops units. The end.

As for the others, you'll find a title or two that are sort of specific in that they pertain to my teaching/writing interests, but I still wouldn't steer you away from them. If you're a Lehane fan, the first of those titles that I'd recommend is Atticus.

[KCKUKFan]

I'm going to have to look into these. I've read the first two and loved them. I've read everything by Lehane. I wish he wrote more. I'm not sure I'm not sure I've heard of many of the others.

Lehane is a fantastic writer. I think he's working more in movies and television now.

He wrote a number of episodes of The Wire, but thats ,25 years ago now.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I'd recommend pretty much everything on that list except for The Unit. I have a fascination with non-fiction spy/spec ops stuff, but those books are never satisfying because they're (obviously) not allowed to write about the very things I want to know -- yet I continue to buy them. The Unit, though, is especially bad because the guy's just a bad writer. If you're interested, the takeaway is this: there exists a hyper-elite special-ops unit above all the other spec-ops units. The end.

As for the others, you'll find a title or two that are sort of specific in that they pertain to my teaching/writing interests, but I still wouldn't steer you away from them. If you're a Lehane fan, the first of those titles that I'd recommend is Atticus.

OK. I've added Atticus to my reading list. Thanks!

[Joneslab]

I recommended this to someone recently (maybe here?) but the best nonfiction book I've ever read is The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher.

True-life British locked room mystery. It's unbelievable, one of the few books I've re-read. (I think I've read it three times.) BBC turned it into a miniseries a few years back, if I recall.