I’m in the process of leaving GoodReads and creating my own reading list here. I like to track my reads through the year and my reviews might be long or they might be brief. I’ll use the 5-star rating as well.
June-December 2025:
Orbital, by Samantha Harvey ***** 5 stars!
I loved this book. It’s short, some say plotless, but I think the plot is internal to the reader, or it was for me. My experience as I read was feeling the distance and weightlessness and omniscience of being above the Earth, watching it go by again and again as the characters circled it.
The Wave In The Mind, by Ursula K. Le Guin **** 4 stars
I skimmed the essays not as interesting to me and the ones that I loved were amazing. I recommend the ones on writing highly, especially for new writers. One thing I loved was her idea that when we’re not writing it might not be a block but more a clearing. This feels very true to me in my years of writing and noticing the creative process.
Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje ***** 5 stars
Beautiful book that I’ve hoarded for 7 years. When I needed it, it was here to read and savor. The beauty of the writing and certain elements of tone are reminiscent of The English Patient, one of my favorite novels of all time, so this was a treat and I highly recommend.
Autumn, by Ali Smith **** 4 stars
Really enjoyed this read and on to her next in the quartet of seasons.
Winter, by Ali Smith **** 4 stars
This second in Ali Smith’s quartet was also very good.
The Salt Stones, by Helen Whybrow ***** 5 stars
Oh, this is a beautiful memoir about a woman who becomes a shepherdess and lives a life on the land with her sheep, her family, and finds the ways that work on the land, managing animals she loves, feeds her soul. Highly recommended.
Mother Mary Comes To Me, by Arundhati Roy ***** 5 stars
I loved Roy’s novel The God of Small Things years back and this memoir tells the story of her childhood on through adult years. I didn’t know she was a filmmaker before she was an author. The relationship with her mother is deeply explored in the memoir and is revealing of how much impact our parents can have on our lives. Great read.
Spring, by Ali Smith **** 4 stars
This one is very good, and soon I’ll be moving to the final novel in this seasonal quartet.
Through A Window, by Jane Goodall ***** 5 stars
Jane’s memoir of her observations of the Gombe chimpanzees is spectacular. I wanted to be Jane Goodall when I was young and I love reading about her life and work.
Wintering, by Katherine May ***** 5 stars
This was a re-read and a wonderful season and year to revisit this book. It talks about the winter season but also about the idea of wintering hard times. It’s very relevant in our current political environment and offers a lot of thoughts about how to slow down and care for ourselves during “winter.”
2026:
Guided, by Laura Lynne Jackson ***** 5 stars
An infinitely readable book that brings history, science, and personal experiences together in a way that illuminates the possibility that we are connected with those who have passed before us. Jackson brings all explanations to the table: religion, quantum physics, synchronicity. I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever seen, or questioned seeing, “a sign.”
The Spiritual Child, by Lisa Miller **** 4 stars
Interesting book on the science of spirituality in child and adolescent development. There was a slight bias toward religion as spirituality but also included other kinds of spirituality such as nature, etc. I especially liked the view of developmental depression in adolescence. If you’re a parent or a grandparent, a good read.
The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill *** 3 stars
A graphic novel that is beautiful in its illustrations but not quite what I expected it to be story-wise. Also, graphic novels not my usual fare so take that into consideration!
The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans ***** 5 stars
I LOVED this book. It has humor, mystery, suspense, and is so beautifully written. An epistolary novel that does things you wouldn’t expect with the form. My highest recommendation.
Light Years, by James Salter (re-read) ***** 5 stars
A gorgeous novel, beautiful writing, compelling characters and story.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan *** 3 stars
I expected more.
The Sound of a Small Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey ***** 5 stars
This is a gorgeous story of the author’s journey with a terrible viral infection that resulted in her being bedridden for many months, and how a small snail in a terrarium kept her company while it kept her going.
Time of the Child by Niall Williams **** 4.5 stars
I’m intrigued by this novel because it drops the hint early on, and in the title itself, that there is a child coming, but that doesn’t happen until midway the book. The early pages are slow and not uninteresting, but there is, or was for me, a mild agitation that the thing I’m expecting to happen is not happening. It really was like climbing a mountain to get to the peak, and once you get there, the view is spectacular. The last quarter of this book is compelling and finely drawn and I believe it is that in part because of the journey the reader takes to get there. It took awhile to read, which I don’t mind because I believe in slow reading even as I long for the book that makes me put it down to save the thrill of wanting to race through it. Other readers may feel differently about how this book builds to its peak. I would give it a try. It is worth it in my opinion.
Crossing To Safety by Wallace Stegner ***** 5 stars
This is a re-read that I loved when I first read it years ago and loved again now. The ending is perfection.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver ***** 5 stars
Another re-read I’m just starting. The opening has blown me away yet again. Great book. As amazing as it was the first time I read it.
Unsayable by Michael Cunningham ***** 5 stars
An ARC read, and wonderful. A memoir in vignettes, readable, beautiful, hopeful.
My Little Donkey and other essays by Martha Cooley **** 4 stars
I thought this was going to be all about donkeys! It wasn’t, and even the essay about donkeys wasn’t really what I’d expected. That said, there are several beautiful essays here and the writing is good, so I’m giving this 4 stars.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. ***** 5 stars
I loved this book; it tells the story of two siblings and a house, and their family. Engaging and of course beautifully written in Ann Patchett’s distinctive voice.
The Heart Folds Early by Jill Christman **** 4 stars
A moving memoir about having multiple miscarriages and losing a baby midterm due to a rare heart defect. Candid and deeply feminist, a beautiful blend of personal and political.
The Grapevine by Alexandra Sokoloff and Craig Robertson **** 4 stars
A fast-paced, well written thriller. Great read.
Children of the Wild by Kevin Powers **** 4 stars
Literary, historical, good read.
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