Open Thread: Looking Back on 2025, Looking Forward to 2026
Which is a very long title, I know.
Hello, friends!
It’s the end of 2025, and we are nearing the beginning of 2026. And so, I’d like to do something which I plan to do more next year— open a thread up to everyone to share what they think and have some bookish banter!
Today’s topic is— what are your favourite books of 2025? What are some New Year’s resolutions you’ve made for 2026? And what are some noteworthy moments you’ve had in 2025? Feel free to answer any or all of these questions, or just enjoy some conversation and community!
Let’s see— my top books of 2025 in no particular order are…
The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien (I read it for my first time this year, then reread it)
Diary of a Country Priest by George Bernanos (really, so, so good)
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry/ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (two really enlightening pieces of literature about prejudice and the Black experience)
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
I’ve likely left out some that I loved, so if I think of more I’ll add another comment!
And my resolution for 2026 would be to try and follow the Goldberry Books reading challenge! So far they only have the 2025 one up, but hopefully soon I’ll find the 2026 one here- https://www.goldberrybooks.com/reading-challenge
My top five books of 2025 would be:
Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Last Samurai, by Helen Dewitt
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Memorable moments include visiting the Louvre museum in Paris for the first time . . . and my resolution for 2026? Read Le Comte de Monte Cristo. The whole thing.