The year in books

Thistles and Kiwis

As the year draws to an end, it is time to reflect on various things – my favourite books, the best food we ate, our top trip and so on. I’m starting with books, as last week our work book club had the end of year meet up, where we discussed our favourite books of the year. As usual I have several categories, and as usual, it was very difficult to decide on my favourite. Here goes…all books have featured in previous what’s on my bookshelf posts.

Favourite novel

This was of course impossible as there were so many to chose from. Three however stuck out: Florence Knapp’s brilliantly crafted The Names, Louise Erdrich’s The Mighty Red (one review here) and Australian author Michelle de Kretser’s Theory and Practice. All were excellent, all are recommended but the top one comes at the end of the post.

Favourite book by a New Zealand author

This was an easy pick. I really enjoyed Catherine Chidgey’s latest book The Book of Guilt, but the prize goes to Damien Wilkins Delirious, which also won this year’s Ockham prize for fiction. Not only is it set on the Kapiti Coast, not far from Wellington, but the story of a retired couple and their lives is brilliant. Highly recommended.

Favourite Japanese book

Again this year I found myself reading a lot of short Japanese books, often featuring cats, often featuring detailed descriptions of food, usually featuring books somewhere. I decided on Michiko Aoyama’s What you are looking for is in the library as the favourite, with its tale of a mysterious woman who helps people find what they are looking for in life. A close second is the fantasy The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa.

Favourite detective novel

As usual I read a fair bit of detective fiction including new to me the Amsterdam set detective series by Anja de Jager and the author Charity Norman, introduced to me by a friend at work. Ann Cleeves never fails to disappoint, and gets a special mention in this category – always a great read and always a good antidote if you have read something you haven’t enjoyed or lose your reading mojo. The Hawke’s Bay based couple Gareth and Louise Ward’s second book, The Bookshop Detectives Tea and Cake and Death was good fun, and I also enjoyed The Examiner by Janice Hallett which had be laughing out loud at points. The new Richard Osman The Impossible Fortune and latest Jane Harper Last One Out also rose to the top of this category. In the end, I think the new Jane Harper wins this category, with her cold crime in a semi-abandoned Australian town.

Favourite surprise read

A new category this year is the surprise read – books I wouldn’t have picked up but which I thoroughly enjoyed. Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo was recommended by our book club host at Marsden Books. However, the winner is Buckeye by Patrick Ryan which landed in my post box thanks to subscription service Bookety Book Books.

Favourite food book/recipe book

I thourougly enjoyed cook and business woman Ina Garten’s memoirs, and also Nigel Slater’s A Thousand Feasts. I have yet to make something from Tilly Pamment’s Handful of Sunshine, or the beautiful local fabulous baker Maxine Scheckter’s Pâtisserie Made Simple, but award this year’s prize to Maxine, and will give at least one thing a go over the holidays.

Confession – I could not make up my mind between the Louise Erdrich and the Michelle de Kretser, and last week favoured the first, but this evening I return to my very first choice and that is Theory and Practice by Michelle de Kretser. This is a wonderful book and a real work of art.

What were your favourite books of 2025?

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis.

Unknown's avatar

Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

68 Comments

  2. I’m hoping for great things from The Names, I have picked this for our a January book club. I’m waiting for Jane Harpers latest to be released for kindle in Amazon uk.
    I’ve read so many books this year, hard to pick a favourite.
    I’ll mention a few. The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn
    The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
    The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
    Lastly River is Waiting by Wally Lamb ..harrowing by brilliantly written.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  3. I haven’t read a single one of those, though I’ve read Ann Cleeves in the past. I don’t have a good memory for books I’ve read and don’t write reviews, but I read Anne Perry ‘Angels in the Gloom’ recently and it touched the heart strings. I also enjoyed ‘The garden of evening mists’, set in Malaya, by Tan Twan Eng. Happy reading, Barbara xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. I really must watch out for those two Japanese books – cats, Japan and books is a winning combination. Interesting that you chose the Richard Osman; Mrs P reads a lot of crime fiction, but can’t get on with his novels.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  6. I have been slowly pulling together my list of favorite books too; I have read 150 books this year so there is a lot to cull through.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. I already have The Names on my list, possibly because you recommended it before. So far this year I have read 59 books (soon to be 60) which is more than usual for me. To be fair, some of them were light and quick at times when I needed instant distraction. Also, looking back at the list I seem to have gone for a lot of safe choices, ie authors I already knew I liked. I’ll go for one of them as favourite, The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain. Ask me tomorrow and it might be something else!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. I’ve neither counted nor finished my 52 book club reads but I think my favourite for the year is by Wab Kinew “The Reason You Walk”. It’s by a child of a residential school survivor and so is very educational from a reconciliation aspect. It’s definitely heavy but worth reading it. I can’t say I realized Japanese books had their own genre.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. That does sound an interesting read. The Japanese book category is one I made up as I have read quite a few. I was going to have a ‘most disappointing ending to a book’ category this year 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  12. I find richard osman a bit blah… tho i have read a couple of his. I love nigel slater, and i have that book. I have tried to read some of those popular Japanese books but it just doesn’t seem to gel with me… Happy festives to you.

    sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/

    Like

    Reply

  13. Great reviews, Barbara. I also enjoyed Buckeye and the Japanese short novels and I’d read anything from Nigel Slater. I’ve had my eye on the Michelle de Krester novel, so thanks for the high praise. I’m about to start Arundhati Roy’s Mother Mary Comes to Me. Happy summer reading.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  14. I have the latest Richard Osman book on my list and Glen bought himself a copy of Jane Harper’s new book last week so I’ll be reading it when he’s done. This year, I’ve been making my way through Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Series and have two to go. His words are so gentle and uplifting, but humorous as well. So many people have recommended Ann Cleeves, so I must do some research. Is it neccessary to read them in order of publication or are they stand alone?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I do love the Scotland Street series – funny and just a little undercurrent of sadness. Ann Cleeves has written a lot of books – the Shetland series, the Vera series, the one featured is one of her early books and there is a new series too, and ones about a couple too that I haven’t read. Maybe start with the first of the Shetland ones?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  16. So many good books! I’ve read a great book these past few days. I finished it last night. It is a little different compared to most books I usually read. Every now and then I like to read a book about finance and this time I read a new book by Nick Maggiulli, The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life. It was interesting and provided a useful framework.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  17. These are all new to me! I enjoy seeing books I’ve not heard of before. I’m currently reading an older novel for my Banned Books book club, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Somehow I didn’t read that when it came out years ago.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  18. I’ll do my annual round-up after Christmas, but am already dreading narrowing down the list. As an aside, on my foodie resolution list next year is to learn to pipe properly so that patisserie book could be the thing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. What a great list Barbara! I like the way you’ve grouped the books. I am keen to read The Names as I’ve heard good things. I’m also looking forward to the Jane Harper as I got it for my birthday and always enjoy Richard Osman’s books. Some new to me names so I’ve taken note!! Thanks for joining us regulalrly with your reviews.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  21. As a NZer who has lived out of NZ longer than I lived there, and who is very familiar with the Kapiti Coast, your book reflections have resulted in my ordering delirious. Thank you for the recommendation.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  26. Pingback: What’s on your bookshelf: December – Thistles and Kiwis

  28. Great collection of books. We only read Ann Cleeves, Richard Osman and Natsukawa from your list. We liked all three books. You can read our list on our blog from tomorrow onwards.
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  29. Favorites out of 201 books so far: Three books by Tom Cox: 21st Century Yokel, Ring the Hill and Everything Will Swallow You, and One Garden Against the World by Kate Bradbury, All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, Summers in Squid Tickle by Robert Finch, All That She Carried by Tyra Miles, Solito by Javier Zamora were my top books of 2025. I also read with fascination 10 out of 12 of the Diaries of James Lees-Milne (waiting for the next two to arrive through inter library loan) even though in some ways he is so annoying. Learned of them in a good novel by Lisa’s Evans, Small Bomb at Dimperley. Also The Correspondent is a novel that moved me.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  30. Great book selection. I find myself reading less and less books every year. Must be because of the smartphones.

    In 2025 I only managed to finish 12, and none of them gets a 5-star rating from me. Both books that gets 4-star rating are books written by Indonesian written in the local language: Filsafat Kebahagiaan (Philosophy of Happiness from Greek/Sufi/Javanese perspective) and Museum Teman Baik (Museum of Good Friends, compilation of heartwarming short stories about friendship).

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  31. It’s an impressive list, Barbara, and beautifully presented. Thank you for introducing Michelle de Kretser to me. I have Theory and Practice on my list for the next visit to our bookshop.
    One of my favourite reads from 2025 is There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, a gorgeous time-lapse novel.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Readers’ reading lists never end. When I strike 1 book off my list, I realise, I have already added 20 more.. However, I am surely going to read The Bookshop Detectives… And yeah, It’s an awesome list..

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.