Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis by Priscilla Presley. This was fascinating, though a few experiences should be taken with a grain of salt. For a “mom said/daughter said” experience, pair this with Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown.

How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast. A memoir by the daughter of Erica Jong (author of the ground-breaking Fear of Flying), who pens the story of her life with her mercurial mother.

Care and Feeding by Laurie Woolever. The author’s journey to working with renowned chefs Mario Batali (a jerk) and Anthony Bourdain (shy but nice) while battling her addictions.

Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker. Riveting tales of world travel by a lone woman on a motorcycle.

One Year and a One-Way Ticket: Ditching My Mother’s Five-Year Plan to Travel by Danika Smith. Smith’s engaging stories of her world travels.

The Uncool by Cameron Crowe. As a teenager, Crowe was interviewing and touring with famous 1970s bands, and went on to write and direct movies, including Almost Famous. 

John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie. I am savoring this informative look at the songs Lennon and McCartney wrote. Read this with earphones handy so you can listen to the mentioned songs.

Walking the Tideline: Loss and Renewal on the Oregon Coast Trail by Caroline Kurtz. After her husband dies, Kurtz comes to terms with her grief while hiking the Oregon coast.

For some reason, I didn’t read as many mysteries and psychological thrillers as I usually do, so I don’t have a long list. I’ll have to remedy that next year, as many amazing-sounding thrillers are coming out in 2026.

Crime Fiction

Look Closer by David Ellis. I dare you to figure out the twisty twists and who the lying liars are in this psychological thriller.

Girl from Devil’s Lake by J. A. Jance. Another excellent Joanna Brady mystery, although the murders are a little more disturbing than usual.

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn. The 60-something kick-ass women assassins are back in this worthy sequel to Killers of a Certain Age.

Audiobooks

The More the Terrier. And To All a Good Bite. Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt. I listened to three more Andy Carpenter thrillers (featuring various dogs) and loved them all. 

Murderbot Diaries (7 titles) by Martha Wells. Science fiction isn’t usually my jam, but I plowed through all seven of these wildly entertaining novels featuring a cyborg who hacks his governor module and hates anything “human.” Best if you can find them in GraphicAudio. 

Now or Never by Janet Evanovich. In her 31^st mystery, Stephanie Plum finally chooses between Ranger and Joe. These have gotten a little repetitive, but they are so much fun in audio. 

Here is a list of my favorite novels I read in 2025. I’ll post the lists for crime fiction, nonfiction, and audiobooks over the next few days.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown. Set in the 1990s, this is a coming-of-age character study tinged with intrigue. 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. A lovely epistolary novel of a 70-ish widow who writes letters to friends, family, authors, and a mysterious recipient. Have a tissue handy.

The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay. Set in the 1920s, two young women become waitresses at Harvey Houses at Santa Fe Railway stations, eventually ending up at the Grand Canyon’s El Tovar. This was interesting and compelling. Watch for Dana Stabenow’s historical mystery, The Harvey Girl. 

Broken County by Clare Leslie Hall. The tragic fallout when a past love reappears. 

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough. A troubled couple moves to an English manor where bizarre goings-on ensue with an imaginative twist at the end.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. Set in a small midwestern town at the close of WWII, two families become entwined by various circumstances and spend the next 40 years trying to overcome their mistakes.

The Guncle by Steven Rowley. A funny and touching “feel-good” story about a gay man taking in his niece and nephew (hence, “Guncle”) for the summer and finding a family. This is great in audio.

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith. At their famous sister’s request, four estranged siblings gather for a weekend of revelations. Have a Costco-sized box of tissues by your side.

The Sun Sister, The Missing Sister, and Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt rounded out my epic journey with the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. It was a great reading experience. 

After watching the documentary The Automat (with Mel Brooks and cameos by others), I had to get this book. It’s difficult to find, but my local library was able to get it via an Interlibrary Loan, and it was worth it.

While the documentary covered about half of what was in the book, the text expanded on some of the inner workings of the operation, including staff duties (at one point, 100 women were employed solely to crack eggs) and back-room procedures. It also included many recipes of featured foods, including mashed turnips, rice pudding, chicken pot pie, and their famous baked beans.

For a fun look back at a restaurant chain that continues to fascinate Americans, get this book. For another nostalgic look back, try Karen Plunkett-Powell’s Remembering Woolworth’s, and The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks, which is a hoot.

If I remember to keep it up, I’m doing a new feature each week called What I’m Reading Wednesday. I don’t always report on everything I read, especially if I don’t finish it, so it would be fun (maybe) and informative (hopefully) for friends to see what I’m currently reading. I’d also like to hear what you are reading! So here is the first edition:

Print: I have been a fan of Cameron Crowe since I read Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and have followed his career since. His experience traveling with bands was featured in the movie Almost Famous. So far, I am loving his memoir, The Uncool, as it’s a candid and fun read.

Ebook: When I’m reading a print book, I also have an e-book going for reading before bed or when I’m out and about. Because the gorgeous book jacket intrigued me, I started The Irish Goodbye, a family drama by Heather Aimee O’Neill, and so far, I am enjoying it.

Audio: For my current listen, I am bout 1/4 into Parents Weekend, but the narrator is annoying me a bit, so I am going to something else but will get the print book so I can find out what happens.

Please comment and let me know what you’re reading.

This book has been on my radar for quite some time, and I decided it was time to read it since I was in the mood for a good thriller. It did not disappoint. It’s the twistiest twisted thriller I’ve read in a long time, and I couldn’t put it down. It covers all the thrilling plot devices of a compelling read, such as unreliable narrators, whiplash-inducing turns galore, and “lying liars.” I’m loath to say anymore about the plot lest I ruin it for readers, but the title says it all, “Look Closer,” and that means over, under, inside, and even from afar.

I recommend the audio format, which has multiple narrators. It is perfect for readers who like Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, and books that incorporate the “lying liars” trope, such as Ashley Elston’s The First Lie Wins and Julie Clark’s The Lies I Tell.

A few months ago, Ann Patchett raved about this book, calling it a huge bestseller. Well, she was right—it was a fabulous book—and while it made a brief appearance on the NYT bestseller list, it deserves to be more widely read.

Set in a small midwestern town, this story of two families who become entwined by various circumstances is a quiet tale of flawed people trying to overcome their mistakes — there were many. Starting after the close of WWII and continuing over the next 40 years, it was an absorbing story, though the last 1/4 was a little rushed.

This is an excellent book for readers of Ann Patchett, Richard Russo, Elizabeth Strout, and Anne Tyler. Also perfect for novels about marriages, including Sue Miller’s Monogamy and Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety.

A bit of a trigger warning. This book has a couple of gut punches that required a few tissues. Since this is the fourth “weep-worthy” book I’ve read this past year (others were The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E Smith, and Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall), I think I need to read happier books for a while.

I have always been obsessed with real-life hauntings, whether the spirits reside in manors, castles, hospitals, or mental asylums, so I veer towards any book about “true” ghosts and spooks. However, if I were ever to be confronted by a spirit, I would most likely be traumatized for life, but that doesn’t stop me from loving books about them.

Richard Estep is a respected paranormal investigator who writes books about real (and presumed) hauntings, making them a fast and fun read for anyone wanting to get their spook on. In this book, Estep covers many known and lesser-known hauntings, providing a bit of history and sometimes including his own discoveries with fact-based findings (sometimes the experiences of others don’t always live up to being proven), with photos. This is a great book to have handy for reading spurts.

Other books I enjoyed by this author are Asylum 49, which is based on an infamous haunted nursing home/hospital in Utah, and Spirits of the Cage, which is based on a medieval prison.

Perfect for fans of TV “reality” shows such as Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters, and the podcast, “Spooked.”

But wait! There’s more! Additional recommendations for haunted house novels for wimps coming soon.