Today’s 2025 reading roundup highlights the books I read in the last two months of 2025, along with a summary of my reading activity for the year and my progress toward my goal of reading 1000 books.

2025 reading roundup

At the beginning of last year, I set a goal to read 50 books in 2025. I averaged less than 10 books a year for most of my adult life, so it was an ambitious goal.

I’m delighted to report that I exceeded my goal. I read a total of 65 books—45 fiction, 17 non-fiction and 3 biographies. According to my Goodreads Year in Books, that makes me a top 10% reader. I read over 20,000 pages and my top three genres were mystery & thriller, non-fiction, and historical fiction.

Let’s look at what I read in the last two months of the year.

Michelle’s Top Fall Reads

I read 10 books in the last two months of the year. Here are my top picks of the books I read.  

All the Colors of the Dark – Chris Whitaker

LA from Waking Up on the Wrong Side of 50 recommended this book to me and it was fabulous. Amid a string of mysterious disappearances of teenage girls in a small midwest town, an unlikely hero steps in to save the daughter of a wealthy family. His heroic action sets off a chain of events that will haunt everyone involved for the rest of their lives.  

The book was a compelling blend of romance and mystery. It’s a tale of friendship, love, perseverance and hope, written with flawed—yet believable—characters that you can’t help but root for.

State of Terror – Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny

As a new US administration is sworn in, the President surprises everyone by naming political rival Ellen Adams as Secretary of State. Adams soon finds herself in the middle of a terrorist plot where she races against time to prevent nuclear bombs from being detonated on American soil.

I’m a fan of Louise Penny so I was intrigued when I heard she had teamed up with Clinton on this thriller. It was a compelling read. But I admit I found it quite unsettling because it’s a bit too believable in these uncertain political times.

Fall reading update – Fiction

The Cold Cold Ground – Adrian McKinty

Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy is a Catholic policeman in a largely protestant force in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Amid the chaos of riots, hunger strikes and bombs, Duffy sets out to investigate the murder of two homosexual men, and the suspicious suicide of a young woman. Duffy can’t shake the thought that these deaths are all connected. But how does he prove it.

This is the first of McKinty’s books that I’ve read and I enjoyed it. I will definitely look for the rest of the Sean Duffy series.

The Grey Wolf – Louise Penny

The 19^th book in the Armand Gamache series starts out with two identical but seemingly unrelated murders. As Chief Inspector Gamache investigates, he uncovers a terrorist plot that could kill thousands of people. It soon becomes evident that senior government officials are involved and Armand must tread lightly because he doesn’t know who he can trust.

It had been a few years since I had read one of Penny’s books but I decided to read this one after seeing her interviewed on the CBC National News. I liked it so I think I’ll go back and read some of the earlier books in the series.

The Fraud – Zadie Smith

Set in the 1800s and based on real historical events, this is the story of Mrs. Touchet, the Scottish housekeeper of a novelist past his heyday. Mrs. Touchet takes a keen interest in current events, and follows the trial of a man who claims to be Sir Roger Tichborne—heir to the Tichborne estate. Along the way, she meets Mr. Bogle, who is a witness in the trial and grew up as a slave in Jamaica.

The book is really three stories in one. The story of Mrs. Touchet, Mr. Bogle, and the Tichborne trial. I found it very hard to follow and the first 100 pages were slow moving and difficult to read. I persevered and it did get a bit better in the rest of the book, but I wouldn’t recommend this one.  

The Dinner Party – Viola van de Sandt

The story opens with Franca, at the direction of her therapist, starting to write a letter explaining the events of dinner party that ended in an unknown disaster. The letter recounts the events of a dinner party Franca hosted to celebrate the launch of her fiancé Andrew’s latest project. Franca’s account of the evening’s events are interspersed with snippets of her current life and flashbacks to her university days and her close friendship with Harry—a friendship that ended when Harry wanted more. When, to Franca’s surprise, Harry shows up at the dinner party with one of the invited guests, you know an interesting evening is in store.

This wasn’t at all what I expected. It was dark, including themes of sexual assault, animal abuse, and mental distress. At the same time, it was compelling and you couldn’t help but empathize with Franca. None of the the dinner party guests are particularly likeable so you keep reading to find out what the disaster was.

Christmas by the Book – Anne Marie Ryan

I try to read a couple of Christmas themed books every year in December. It provides a nice break from my usual reading material.

Nora and Simon run a local bookstore in a small British town. Their store has fallen on hard times and, as Christmas approaches, they are faced with the reality that they may need to sell the store they have dedicated their lives to. One night, Nora and Simon decide to do a book giveaway to some residents in need of a little Christmas cheer.

This is a delightful feel-good story that follows the stories of those who gave and received the books, and shows how a small act of kindness can provide hope and bring people together.

Royal Holiday – Jasmine Guillory

When Vivian’s daughter Maddie invites her to accompany her on a work trip to England where she’ll be styling a royal family member over Christmas, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. When she arrives at Sandringham, she starts up a whirlwind romance with a handsome gentleman who works as a private secretary to the Queen.

I’m not a big fan of romance novels and reading this one felt like a Hallmark movie. Like most romance novels, it was a little predictable, but was a nice light Christmas read.

Little Women – Louisa May Alcott

This is a classic that I’d never read, so when I found it on the bookshelf in my daughter Laura’s room, I decided to read it over the Christmas holidays.

I prefer novels with a strong story arc, so I found this one tough to get through because it was more character driven than plot driven. I persevered and got through it but didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Fall reading update – Non-fiction

Living Me to We – Craig Kielburger & Marc Kielburger

We found this book when clearing out Colleen’s room before her move. She got it at We Day when she was in elementary school.

Although nothing in the book was new to me, it contained good reminders of ways each of us can make a difference in the world.

The road to 1000 books

So, in this two-month period I read 9 fiction and 1 non-fiction books for a total of 10. Since I started tracking at the beginning of June 2024, I’ve read a total of 90 books—an average pace of just under 5 books a month.

Next on my reading list

Winter is a terrific time to curl up with a good book. Here are some of the books on my winter reading list:

• Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
• 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life by Dick Van Dyke
• Joyspan by Kerry Burnight

And, I’ve increased my reading goal for 2026 to 70 books, including 12 non-fiction, and 5 biographies. If you’re on Goodreads, let’s connect. Here’s a link to my profile: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/179658689

---

What’s on your reading list? Have you read any of the books on my fall reading list? Drop me a comment below to let me know. I’d love to hear your book recommendations.