JoeB1934 Listing of Memorable Books found in 2025

I have decided that most members of LibraryThing are primarily interested in learning about books that other members found to be interesting. I myself have always been interested in books read by other members who share at least a faint interest in the books I am interested in.

I assure you that I AM NOT recommending any of these books as ones you should read. That road leads to disappointment.

As of March 16 2025, I have read seven books that were memorable to me. I prefer to list those books as covers because I obtain recall of personal memories from the covers a lot more strongly that a listing of titles and authors. Here are the covers for my YTD finds:

I have spent years searching for books to read. Through this process I now have a method which consistently leads me to books that are very likely to be enjoyable for me. In broad terms I prefer literary fiction books which contain an element of suspense, or mystery. Not every book that meets these targets ends up equally appealing to me.

This analytical approach to searching for books doesn't guarantee success.

I frequently ponder what attributes of a book ring the loudest in my mind. Recently I learned about a viewpoint that appeals to me a lot.

This is a concept by Nancy Pearl, which is called Four Doors to Reading.
Pearl suggests that different books emphasize these elements to varying degrees and understanding which "door" you enjoy most can help you find books you'll love.

These Doors Are: Story, Character, Setting, and Language.

• Story: The sequence of events that keeps readers turning pages to find out what happens next.
  
• Character: The people in the story who feel real and memorable.
  
• Setting: The world or environment where the story takes place, making readers feel like they're there.
  
• Language: The style and quality of the writing that makes readers savor every word.
  

As I think about my most favorite books this concept of Doors meshes well with why those books appealed to me.

With these thoughts in my mind, I went back to my Milestone books list for 2025. It turns out that each of them qualifies as being included in all four of these Doors. I think that my books I listed as the most memorable books of 2023 and 2024 are also four Door qualified.

A book can be outstanding if it is very strong in any one of these Doors. In my experience any book which is strong in Story and Language is sufficient for me to be interested in it. The presence of Character and Setting add to the richness for me.

What I present below are definitely NOT reviews. I simply provide descriptions of each book as obtained within LT. In some cases, I do provide a personal observation about how/why the book appealed to me.

One measure of a book is the average rating as obtained in LT, or in GR where there are many more readers of any book. Generally speaking, I concentrate on books that have such a rating of 3.8, or larger. It isn't that books with a lower rating aren't excellent, I just want to spend time with the best possible book.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Tags: (Four Doors) Stories, Character, Setting, Language, Mystery, Relationships, Family, Historical-Fiction, Historical-Mystery, Romance, Literature

From LibraryThing descriptions

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen--one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie. -

I imagine that most of us have come across a book that you didn't want to read but knew that you had to read because it contained truths that must be acknowledged. This book is one of those uncomfortable books for me. It is important to note for the librarians among us that this book doesn't actually have anything to do with libraries, other than a place to hide

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskins


Tags: Stories, Language, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Historical, War, Adult, Adult Fiction (Which came from GR because too few are on LT)

From LibraryThing Descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. After the murder of her best friend, a librarian's search for answers leads back to her own dark secrets in this sweeping novel about a woman transformed by war, family, vengeance, and love, from award-winning writer Allen Eskens.

Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared.

Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend, the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head.

Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price, leaving her eight-year-old grandson in Hana's care. To protect the child without revealing her secret, Hana must again become the Night Mora and hope she can find the killer before the past comes for them, too.

Why is this a very special book for me?

Like stories about the Holocaust are for my Jewish friends, this story is at the heart of my heritage as a Slovenian with friends who are Serbian. How could those of my heritage participate in such savage slaughter of Bosnians. This wasn't on the scale of the Holocaust, but individual slaughters were as despicable and inhumane.
Alan Eskins is one of my most favorite authors and he describes the actions in this so-called war as detailed and precise a manner as historians have shown. By focusing on almost minute-by-minute events in Hana's life the horror becomes personal and real.

Eskins brings us into Hana's mind throughout the story and reveals the emotional impact on her of specific events she lived through. The reader is as close as possible to understanding her courage and commitment to revenge against individuals that were her own neighbors.

What do I now believe (hope?) about this event?

It is possible for a cult leader to convince a part of a society to believe in racism such that inconceivable behavior can be accomplished by a faction of the local society while the rest of society are afraid to combat the viciousness.

I simply can't believe that the majority of the Serbian population were inherently this evil. But I can believe that fear of their own survival can create a silence.

The parallels with our country are absolutely horrifying to me.

A reviewer on GR had this quote but didn't say where it came from '
“We have both light and dark within us - written on our hearts - and to do what is right, we need only pay heed.”

I asked Copilot to find the source of the quote and it came up with:

The quote you mentioned closely resembles a sentiment expressed by Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He says, "We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on...that's who we really are". This reflects the theme of moral choices and the duality of human nature.

The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King

Tags: Stories, Character, Setting, Language, Mystery, Relationships, Family, FV-Auth, LM-Star, Historical-Fiction, Historical-Mystery, 20th Century, Literature, Literary-Fiction, Suspense, Family Secrets

From LibraryThing descriptions

"Mary Russell is used to dark secrets--her own, and those of her famous partner and husband, Sherlock Holmes. Trust is a thing slowly given, but over the course of a decade together, the two have forged an indissoluble bond. And what of the other person to whom Mary Russell has opened her heart: the couple's longtime housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson? Russell's faith and affection are suddenly shattered when a man arrives on the doorstep claiming to be Mrs. Hudson's son. What Samuel Hudson tells Russell cannot possibly be true, yet she believes him--as surely as she believes the threat of the gun in his hand."--

Praise for The Murder of Mary Russell
Leaping narrative energy has always been a hallmark of this series, and it reaches something of a peak in this latest volume. . . . The lean momentum of the story never falters. . . . It's a stunning prolonged feat of storytelling, and it succeeds in making The Murder of Mary Russell the best installment so far in an excellent series. The Christian Science Monitor

A sharp, inventive and rewarding series. The Seattle Times

Delightful . . . a triumph of plotting . . . Fans, always hungry to know more personal details about King's iteration of Sherlock Holmes and his world, will get a few more delicious tidbits this time around. Booklist (starred review)

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This is a perfect example of a FUN reading for me in my current mood.

Extremely well written and plotting that kept me involved. Very authentic historical picture of the times. All dimensions that I look for in a mystery.

Including a totally unexpected resolution.

One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley

TAGS: (Three Doors) Stories, Setting, Language, Mystery, FV-Auth , Mystery, Historical-Fiction

From LibraryThing descriptions

"A clever, keep-'em-guessing murder mystery, an empathetic yet realistic portrayal of the toll dementia takes, and a meditation on how the brain can bury the most tragic memories...An outstanding must-read." �Booklist, STARRED review

I kept your secret Lucy. I've kept it for more than sixty years...

Now in 2018, Edie is eighty-four and still living in the same small town, when one afternoon she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen. Her family write it off as one of her many mix ups, there's a lot Edie gets confused about these days. But Edie knows she's the key to finding Lucy.

Time is running out and Edie must piece together the clues before Lucy is forgotten forever.

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This book is a 'quiet' page-turner for me. I don't have dementia, but understanding the process as described by Booklist is essential and demonstrates that one must try very hard to consider every statement made by someone with dementia to be given due consideration.

As a 5-star review on GR says "It sounds wrong to say I enjoyed a story that focuses on such a devastating illness but the superb tender characterisation together with the intriguing mystery element just makes for a fantastic read. Beautifully written, this is one to recommend."

The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B Miller

Tags: (Four Doors) Stories, Setting, Language, Mystery, FV-Auth, Mystery, Historical-Fiction, Literature, Art
From LibraryThing descriptions

From the Dagger Award winning author of Norwegian by Night comes a vivid, thrilling, and moving World War II art-heist-adventure tale where enemies become heroes, allies become villains, and a child learns what it means to become an adult for fans of All the Light We Cannot See.
August,1943. Fourteen-year-old Massimo is all alone. Newly orphaned and fleeing from Rome after surviving the American bombing raid that killed his parents, Massimo is attacked by thugs and finds himself bloodied at the base of the Montecassino. It is there in the Benedictine abbey's shadow that a charismatic and cryptic man calling himself Pietro Houdini, the self-proclaimed "Master Artist and confidante of the Vatican," rescues Massimo and brings him up the mountain to serve as his assistant in preserving the treasures that lay within the monastery walls.

But can Massimo believe what Pietro is saying, particularly when Massimo has secrets too? Who is this extraordinary man? When it becomes evident that Montecassino will soon become the front line in the war, Pietro Houdini and Massimo execute a plan to smuggle three priceless Titian paintings to safety down the mountain. They are joined by a nurse concealing a nefarious past, a café owner turned murderer, a wounded but chipper German soldier, and a pair of lovers along with their injured mule, Ferrari. Together they will lie, cheat, steal, fight, kill, and sin their way through battlefields to survive, all while smuggling the Renaissance masterpieces and the bag full of ancient Greek gold they have rescued from the "safe keeping" of the Germans.

Heartfelt, powerfully engaging, and in the tradition of City of Thieves by David Benioff, The Curse of Pietro Houdini is a work of storytelling bravado: a thrilling action-packed adventure heist, an imaginative chronicle of forgotten history, and a philosophical coming-of-age epic where a child navigates one of the most enigmatic and morally complex fronts of World War II and lives to tell the tale.

Book #2 Clear by Carys Davies

TAGS : (Four Doors) Stories, Character, Setting, Language, Relationships Total, Relationships, Historical-Fiction, Literature, Literary, Literary-Fiction, Scotland, Religion

From LibraryThing descriptions

Clear is the story of a minister dispatched to a remote island to "clear" its last remaining inhabitant an unforgettable tale of resilience, change, and hope.
John, an impoverished Scottish minister, has accepted a job evicting the lone remaining occupant of an island north of Scotland Ivar, who has been living alone for decades, with only the animals and the sea for company. Though his wife, Mary, has serious misgivings about the errand, he decides to go anyway, setting in motion a chain of events that neither he nor Mary could have predicted.

Shortly after John reaches the island, he falls down a cliff and is found, unconscious and badly injured, by Ivar who takes him home and tends to his wounds. "Clear chronicles the surprising bond that develops between these two men...packing a great deal of power into a compact tale" (The Wall Street Journal) about connection, home, and hope in which John begins to learn Ivar's language, and Ivar sees himself reflected through the eyes of another person for the first time in decades.

Unfolding during the final stages of the infamous Scottish Clearances a period of the 19th century which saw whole communities of the rural poor driven off the land in a relentless program of forced evictions this singular novel explores what binds us together in the face of insurmountable difference, the way history shapes our deepest convictions, and how the human spirit can endure despite all odds. Moving and unpredictable, "a love letter to the scorching power of language" (The Guardian), Clear is "a jewel of a novel" (The Washington Post) a profound and unforgettable read.

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

Tags: (Four Doors) Stories, Character, Setting, Language, Relationships Total, Family, FV-Auth, LM-Star, Relationships, Historical-Mystery, Literature, Literary, Literary-Fiction, Books-about-Books, Romance, Religion, Suspense, Magical-Realism, Horror, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Espionage, Aging, Racism, Psychological-Mystery

From LibraryThing descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Historical Fiction. In this "miraculous and thrilling" (Diane Setterfield, #1 New York Times bestselling author) mystery for fans of The Essex Serpent and The Book of Speculation, Victorian London comes to life as an intrepid female sleuth wades through a murky world of collectors and criminals to recover a remarkable child.
Bridie Devine, flame-haired, pipe-smoking detective extraordinaire is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors in this age of discovery.

Winding her way through the sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won't rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing secrets about her past that she'd rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot-tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where nothing is quite what it seems.

Blending darkness and light, Things in Jars is a stunning, "richly woven tapestry of fantasy, folklore, and history" (Booklist, starred review) that explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.

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Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy aren't my normal cuppa tea, but this was so intriguing I'll never forget it. Having Diane Setterfield who is one of my very best authors didn't hurt it either. The list of Tags on this book also make it impossible to bypass.

The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox

Tags: Stories, Character, Setting, Language, Mystery, LM-Star, Relationships Total, Family, Historical-Fiction, Historical-Mystery, 20th Century, Literature, Literary-Fiction, Books-about-Books, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Psychological-Mystery

From LibraryThing Descriptions

A cold October night, 1854. In a dark passageway, an innocent man is stabbed to death. So begins the extraordinary story of Edward Glyver, book lover, scholar and murderer. As a young boy, Glyver always believed he was destined for greatness. This seems the stuff of dreams, until a chance discovery convinces Glyver that he was right: greatness does await him, along with immense wealth and influence. And he will stop at nothing to win back a prize that he now knows is rightfully his. Glyver's path leads him from the depths of Victorian London, with its foggy streets, brothels and opium dens, to Evenwood, one of England's most enchanting country houses. His is a story of betrayal and treachery, of death and delusion, of ruthless obsession and ambition. And at every turn, driving Glyver irresistibly onwards, is his deadly rival: the poet-criminal Phoebus Rainsford Daunt. Thirty years in the writing, THE MEANING OF NIGHT is a stunning achievement. Full of drama and passion, it is an enthralling novel that will captivate readers right up to its final thrilling revelation.

A review by @rocketjk that describes this book perfectly

It took me a long time to get through this book, which checks in at 700 pages, but it was worth it. The Meaning of Night is a faux Victorian-era psychological thriller, published in 2006 but written in the style of 19th-century English murder novels. Cox knew what he was writing about, having been a scholar of the period, a biographer of early ghost-story writer M. R. James, and an editor of ghost and murder-story collections for Oxford University Press. Replications of Victorian-era literary practices abound, such as the book's format as a recently discovered manuscript containing this long "confession." The book starts with a murder, committed by the protagonist only as a rehearsal for the real murder he's planning, that of his life-long "enemy." The narrative then goes although back to the narrator's early life, telling a story of identity stolen, misplaced wrath and slow-turning tragedy until it finally reaches again the instant of the story's beginning, then hurtles forward toward its satisfying conclusion. The book begins as sort of a Victorian English Crime and Punishment, but along the way settles into a rhythm and style all its own. The story, as well, starts out slowly but soon gathers steam, and the characters move from seeming caricatures to interesting along the way. For the first 100 pages I wondered whether I was going to get through this, but by page 200 or so I was quite involved. Lots of fun in the long run, and worth the time, at least for me.

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I found this book to be absolutely mesmerizing. The capability of the author to place me in the Victorian -era with characterizations of individuals, daily life and the language were stunning. It was mentioned in the above description that Michael Cox took 30 years to write what I would call a masterpiece. It seems to me that each sentence/paragraph was so critical to the story that I understand why it took that length of time to write. I listened to the audio edition and those speakers conveyed all of the nuance and emotions I could expect.