For the longest time I thought the library app I use had an annoying small selection of books to choose from.
Well, books in the categories I’m interested in {mostly nonfiction} with biographies and historical fiction are usually at the top of my list.
Last night as I was pulling up the books I read in 2025 {listened too} I accidentally hit the wrong tab.
Somehow I got on a different screen and before I knew it I was ticking boxes and instead of there only being 119 biographies to choose from, it was showing there are 437 available!
Whoa Nelly. If only I had discovered it sooner, I would have listened to twice as many this year!!
Oh well. At least I finally figured it out. 🙂
Books I Read In 2025
The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
Very descriptive, long, a little too many coincidences, but a great audiobook to listen to while working on rugs, buoys and ornaments.
Don’t Sing At The Table – Life Lessons I Learned From My Grandmothers by Adriana Trigiani
From the description of Viola in the first chapter alone, I knew I would have wanted Viola as a neighbor. No drama. Straight forward. Hardworking {in everything}. And flair. 🙂 I loved this book!! I listened to it twice so I didn’t miss anything.
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
I actually listened to this story TWICE even though there are {collectively} about 3 minutes in the book that I didn’t think needed to be there.
Interesting and hopeful, sad and funny at times the ending was a bit of a surprise. And one decision {as Eillis, the main character} I don’t think I would have made.
Long Island by Colm Tóibín
I listened to Long Island {the follow up to the book Brooklyn} twice as well. The ending reminded me of the George Lucas quote “We are all living in cages with the door wide open”. I won’t give anything away, but I will say that I am glad I am not an indecisive person.
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
Brutally honest and heartbreakingly sad. Money means everything, and it means nothing. In the end, I think we all just want to know/feel that we are loved. Unconditionally.
Cronkite by Douglass Brinkley
Interesting! I enjoyed it. What a career he had!
Be Ready When The Luck Happens by Ina Garten
“Do what you love, if you love it, you’ll be really good at it”. Jeffrey Garten I listened to this book twice and really liked their work/life balance. I liked that they have their own interests and do their own thing and are still able to be “together”.
The Man in The Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal
The entire time I was listening to this story I wanted to hop online and find out more about this person. It was very hard to wait until the end of the book to look up the people involved and to find out more. What a strange, strange tale. And creepy too.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
I could have done without some parts of it but for the most part I really liked this book. I listened to it twice and now I want to see Bletchley Park in person.
Elsewhere by Richard Russo
Excellent.
So Many Steves by Steve Martin and Adam Gopnik
Brain On Fire by Susannah Cahalan
As You Wish by Cary Elwes
Cary has a great voice and his stories of the making of The Princess Bride were fun to listen to.
Inside Out by Demi Moore
Dear Writer by Maggie Smith
As someone who writes daily, I thought there were a ton of good little nuggets in this one book. The author referenced a lot of her previous books, which at times was tiresome, but overall I liked what she had to say. I like it so much that I listened to the audiobook twice.
Coming To My Senses by Alice Waters
The Men Who Built America by Simon Winchester
Good, but I felt like certain important events/men that “built America” were skimmed over towards the end.
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Different, but good. Not something I would normally read but I think one of you recommended it so I gave it a try. About 20% of the way into this book I realized the writing style seemed familiar. I looked up the author to find out that I had read one of his other books; The Midnight Library a few years ago.
It too was a book I wouldn’t typically read but I enjoyed it as well.
The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro
I really liked this book! I recognized a lot of the artists and ended up listening to it twice.
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food That Tells Their Stories by Laura Shapiro
Kind of a snooze fest. I had it on while I was painting.
Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous
I had never heard of Duchess Goldblatt before but stumbled upon it and I enjoyed this book so much I listened to it twice.
We all cope with things in our lives differently. I felt like this was raw, complex, sad, thoughtful, uplifting and funny all in one. And hey, the author’s favorite Lyle Lovett song happens to be my favorite one too.
Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber
Super cheesy and predictable but great for background “noise” when I was rug hooking. 🙂
The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander
I have never read {listened} to a book that made so many references to drinking before. It was as if a neighbor couldn’t pop over, or walk by and be invited in without the subjects drinking wine, beer, gin and tonics, or champagne. It was ridiculous.
Other than that, I thought it was a cute story.
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
Books I listened to again
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
I’ve listened to this about a half a dozen times over the years. It’s another great background noise story to listen to while I’m rug hooking.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett’
I have probably listened to The Dutch House 6 times.
The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines
The Astronauts Wives Club by Lily Koppel
I found it really odd that Janet Armstrong’s name was only mentioned once or twice. Nothing about her character.
Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper
Books I started and stopped
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos
A Natural Woman by Carole King
The voice.
Food For Thought by Alton Brown
There’s listening to Alton Brown on the cooking channel for 30 minutes and then there’s listening to an audiobook of his for 6+ hours. I made it about 1 ½ hours before all the fast paced talking and side comments were just too much.
*There are even more books that I started and stopped that I can’t remember or didn’t feel the need to mention.
Every year I try to listen to as many books as possible while I’m working on my rug hooking projects.
It seems like I’m always looking for suggestions. Especially now that I figured out how to look up books on the library app! 🙂
Do you have books you read this year that you want to share?
Please leave us a comment below. I know we’d all love some ideas.
~ Mavis
Mellie says
The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb