Hey all! Happy New Year! If you are wondering where the First Book post is… here it is 😀 I have had a quiet morning of reflection and COFFEE… gone are the days of my staying up past midnight to have this post in your in boxes by 6 am…
I’m as devoted as ever… just not as insane about it lol.
I usually make you search for my book choice within the pics… oh I am in there, but I thought this year starting this post off with not only my book choice – but also my word of the year choice : JOY
Again – I hope to review more… get back into a rhythm here which also means writing more…. and learning how to find that balance.
With no further ado… below you will find the First Books of 2025. What a fun selection! Among these book selections, you will also find some authors – keep your eyes out for:
Cary Griffith
Kaira Rouda
Joshilyn Jackson
Heather Gudenkauf
Lorna Landvik
Fun Facts – very few duplications this year! That actually excites me! While in the past years there may have a been a hot tile that several selected – I love the diversity of what you will see below. I love that first book, as well as all books you choose, are a personal preference. Books/genres speak differently to us at different times in our lives. We have everything here from some heavy hitters, comfort reads, education, historical, non fiction, memoirs, fun, heart-wrenching, a little spooky, a little romantic and MORE! We played participants!
AND – below the pics the book titles (if I was able to read them :D) and links to the books so you too can learn about them and maybe select them for future reads this year.
If I missed anyone please let me know and I will post an update tomorrow. There is usually an add-on after I post and with all the ways the pics are sent between texts, emails, and Facebook messages… it is quite possible I missed something.
You Will Be Peter by Jerry Lathan
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam
The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
The Day The World Came To Town: 911 in Gander, Newfoundland
If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
The Brothers Karanazav by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Olive, Mabel, and Me: Life Adventures With Two Very Good Dogs by Andrew Cotter
The Secret History of Audrey James
Who Will Carry The Fire? Darrell J Pedersen
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
Breath: The New Science Of A Lost Art by James Nestor
A Place In The Woods by Helen Hoover
Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands
Family Doctor by J M Dalgliesh
The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore
A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
Wintering – The Power of Rest and Retreat by Katherine May
When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner
CHER The Memoir Part 1 by Cher
Horseman: A Tale Of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry
The French Winemaker’s Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
Tell Me Something Good by Court Stevens
How To Be Online and Also Be Happy by Issy Beach
Dog Songs: Poems by Mary Oliver
The Love Of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
Lula Dean’s Little Libray of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore ( second time selected AND the first repeat title!)
The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman
The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden
Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
The Brothers of Karamazov by Fyoder Dostoevsky (second time selected!)
Somewhere Beyond The Sea by TJ Klune
All The Colors Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker
James by Percival Everett (send time selected!)
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (second time selected!)
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca ThorneL
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin
The Second Mrs Astor by Shana Abe
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson
Every year there are a few people that are head slapping right now going “DOH! I totally forgot to send mine in!” No worries – other years there have been a few that come in later and I add them and repost tomorrow so feel free to send 🙂
Thanks all – this is a project that helps me through the New Year and brings a smile to my face as I see the selections and learn about books that were not on my list to read but now are. (I added quite a few to my TBR this year by putting together this post.
Happiest of New Year and Happy Reading!
Sheila
Book Journey 
I love seeing familiar faces! I hope everyone enjoys his/her First Book of 2025!
Thanks Deb! It took me forever to get this post up today but so much fun 🙂
Thank you Sheila! ❤
Yes. Always fun to put a face to a name.
This is wonderful! Thank you for doing this each year. It’s so much fun looking at the pictures and seeing what everyone is reading. Happy New Year!
I agree! It keeps me connected to all of you who I have come to know throughout the years 🙂
♥️♥️♥️
So fun to see many familiar books that others are starting the year with! Thanks for hosting this again. I love seeing what others will be reading, as well as having accountability for my own first book of the year. 🙂
I like that too – I am introduced to so many books when doing this!
Happy New Year, Sheila! I look forward to this post every year! Thank you for all your hard work in putting it all together for another bookish year!
Thank you , I appreciate that 🙂
Happy New Year, Sheila! I look forward to this post every year! Thank you for all your hard work in putting it all together for another bookish year!
Thank you (again) for hosting, I do love seeing what everyone is reading as a First Book. And, I have your First Book on my TBR shelves. I’ve heard such good things about it.
Happy New Year!
Thank you Helen! Happy New Year!
I LOVE how you set it up this year with the books below the photos, Sheila.
The post looks terrific!! Great Job!! THANKS!!
JOY is a wonderful word of the year!!
Loved The Winemaker’s Daughter, Heather Gudenkauf. 😀 Hope you love it too.
Loved The Day The World Came To Town also.
Thank you! I liked that too!
Yes….so helpful with the links to the book!!
BRAVO to you – always look forward to this. I am sure it took FOREVER to put together. Thanks again.
I love this event. I wish the photos had the names of the participants, or a link to their blog. That might be a step too far, though. Thanks for sharing them all.
Hi Laurel! Thank you! Its so much fun!
Many of the people in the photos are not bloggers – they are friends, past book reviewers who do not do it any more, Authors, Publishers, as well as book reviewers 🙂 The post as it is now took me almost 5 hours to set the pics, look up the books and link them. I think that is as good as it is going to get 🙂
Wow that’s a HUGE effort – thanks again Sheila – this is such a lovely way to touch base with a whole stack of bloggers and I enjoy trying to pick out the ones I have got to know over the years.
Perhaps to help out those who don’t know me though, I am Brona and I am rereading Sense & Sensibility in the fifth collage 🙂
Of course! You already do so much to bring this event to us. Enjoy the New Year.
Too funny. I saw the second Brothers Karamazov and I was like, oh I have a reading buddy. Nope BOTH me. LOL.
Oh my gosh that is funny! I thought it was two people as well and I was like dang… what am I missing 😀
Happy New Year Sheila!
I can attest to how efficiently Sheila slots in latecomers to this meme. I only remembered on NY day Australian time and quickly sent off my pic…and it’s already in!!
Thanks heaps and happy reading everyone 🙂
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Great group again Sheila and thanks for all the work making it. I see books I want to read!
Cool! I didn’t realize you were still doing it. so writing myself a note for next year!
Happy year of reading to you!
Thanks for posting and keeping this going. Happy New Year!
Thanks for the fun, Sheila! Here’s to another great year of reading!
Always such a fun event. Thank you.
I am nearing the end of my first book, The Brothers Karamazov. At 998 pages this is huge and is tying me up a bit with my other reading. Also reading Lucy by the Sea by Strout and Three Days in June by Tyler.