Once again, I am sharing my reading group’s top picks for the year, because I think, like me, many of you enjoy hearing about other reading groups.
I’ll start by sharing what we read in the order we read them (with links on titles to my reviews):
- Andrew O’Hagan, Caledonian Road: novel, Scottish author
- Andra Putnis, Stories my grandmothers didn’t tell me (with author present): biography/memoir, Australian author
- Paddy O’Reilly, Other houses: novel, Australian author
- Jane Austen, Mansfield Park: novel, English author
- Percival Everett, James: novel, American author
- Elizabeth Strout,Olive Kitteridge: novel, American author
- Winnie Dunn, Dirt poor islanders: novel, Australian author
- Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice: novel, Australian author
- Louise Erdrich, The night watchman: novel, First Nations American author
- Brian Castro, Chinese postman: novel, Australian author
- Colum McCann, Twist: novel, Irish author
Last year, I wrote that our schedule had been less diverse than it had been for a while, with eight of our eleven authors being Australian, seven of whom were Australian women. I’m always happy to support Australian women writers as you know, but diversity in a reading group is good. This year we did mix it up more. Only five of our eleven authors were Australian, four of whom were women. Of the other six, three were by American writers, and three by writers from Great Britain and Ireland. This could sound a little white-anglo focused but there was some diversity in our writers’ backgrounds, with an African American, First Nations American, and three Australians coming from migrant backgrounds (including Winnie Dunn, the first published Tongan Australian novelist). We read four male writers this year, versus two last year, but only one nonfiction work versus three last year. We didn’t read any novels in translation, which I’d love to rectify, and for the first time in a while we read no First Nations Australian work.
The top picks …
Like last year all eleven of our regularly attending members voted, meaning the maximum a book could get was 11 votes, and that there were 33 votes all up. The rules were the same. We had to name our three favourite works, and all were given equal weighting. Last year, the top three positions were closely fought with just a vote between each of the place-getters, but this year we had a runaway winner, and second place was ahead of the pack too, with two then tying for third place. (A bit more like 2023’s Top Picks).
2025’s top three places were:
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (9 votes)
- Stories my grandmothers didn’t tell me by Andra Putnis (7 votes)
- Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan and The night watchman by Louise Erdrich (4 votes each )
We didn’t name any highly commendeds because the rest of the votes were evenly spread across the rest of the books, with four receiving two votes, one receiving one, and two receiving no votes (not because, as we discussed at our Christmas do, they were disliked so much as they just didn’t jump out at people when it came to choosing three.) Some of the biggest Austen fans in the group didn’t vote for Mansfield Park (which received two votes) because, first, it was a multiple re-read for most of us and we decided to choose from new reads, and second, because it is in a league of its own.
As for my three picks, it was very tough (as always). I got something out of every book I read, and many will stay with me for a long time. There were five that I really wanted to nominate. Unlike last year, the group’s top pick was in my top three, but like last year, and like most years, my three books were all fiction. They were, in alphabetical order, Louise Erdrich’s The night watchman, Percival Everett’s James, and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. I chose these because Strout took a flawed middle-aged woman and her community and described them with great humanity; because Erdrich captured an important story in First Nations American history and told it through characters who felt whole and real; and because Everett, with clever wit, used language in a way that shows the fundamental role it plays the power dynamic.
Selected comments
Not everyone included comments with their picks, and not all books received comments, but here’s a flavour of what was said:
- Olive Kitteridge: Commenters talked about the humour and characterisation that made us come to like and understand a flawed protagonist; one described it beautifully saying “original voice, earthy characters, and quirky stories”.
- Stories my grandmothers didn’t tell me: Commenters focused on its impact on their feelings, and its meaningful portrayal of the experiences of migration; one described it as “deeply personal [but] also universal”.
- Caledonian Road: Four votes but only one comment which, however, summed it up perfectly, “loved the depth, breadth, Dickensian layers of multiple characters, and stories of modern London”.
- The night watchman: The two commenters talked of its evocation of place and characters, and its depiction of a community coming together to oppose unfair laws that threaten to dispossess them more than they already were.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, particularly if you were in a reading group this year. What did your group read and love?
Whispering Gums 
I do like this.
I like that it gives me a good idea of reading group modus operandi, as it were. I’ve never been in one, and yours – which has lasted for an awful long time ! – seems to set some kind of standard.
Could be that it gets reportage like no other, of course … 🙂
It could be that, MR though we were over 20 years when I started blogging and it was several years into blogging I think before I started mentioning it frequently. I think all the members deserve commendation for our achievements as a group!
They do, and I compliment them all !
It must be a wee bit tricky attending a group get-together knowing that one among you will be writing it up.
It would make me very careful of opening my mouth !! [grin]
Good point MR but fortunately these are a confident bunch of women. It would take more than that to put them off! At least, if they are put off I’d love to know what they would say otherwise. Haha! Seriously though, it’s all anonymous so I think that’s protective enough.
Ah, ST – I’m sorry me auld darlint !
I was monstering you.
You were … and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Keeps me on me toes!!
Delighted that Olive is still getting the love after all these years 🙂
I guess that makes her a classic – or heading to classic status – do you think, Brona?
I enjoy hearing about this process; it’s hard to find ways to speak in superlatives and still remain inclusive, but it’s a good exercise! That description of deeply personal but also universal strikes a chord with me, just generally. And I agree that it’s important to put “American” choices into context,as you have done, because even though we should all know by now what a diverse population that is, it bears repeating. Particularly while a certain president is investing so much in the idea that America equates with white and upper-class and everyone else in UNAmerican. I hope you have another stellar year of choices in 2026 to make your next decision even harder than this one.
Thanks Marcie. I particularly appreciate your comment re diversity within American writing because it was a point needing to be made.,
This year is looking good. We’ve chosen our first six.
I haven’t been in a reading group in ages but I love hearing about yours! And I love that you all spend time assessing the year’s reading and picking a favorite.
Thanks Stefanie. We’ve been doing it about ten years now and it’s become something we all enjoy. Some particularly love going back to our reports to refresh themselves, while others look at the lost and think about those that have stayed with them, and they aren’t necessarily the most recent.
Ten years? Wow! Y’all need to choose your favorite book of the favorite book for the last 10 years 😉
Why did this go into Spam!! Anyhow, thanks Stefanie. That would be a challenge! I’ll think upon’t.
I do love hearing about what book groups have enjoyed.
Agree that Olive is a terrific book on so many levels – I’m curious though, had your book group members not read it before this year??
Thanks Kate. Interestingly, for some reason most of us hadn’t. I’m not sure why that is. I know why I hadn’t … too many books on the TBR. I was thrilled when it was suggested. Some just hadn’t really heard of it which surprised me but you can be a keen reader without being immersed in the book world like bloggers tend to be I think.
I was in two groups this year: Spooky Book Club (which I missed for four months due to the internship, but I did join a horror book club in St. Louis while I was there) and Rotating Reads, which I joined mid-year and enjoyed for the variety. The group never talks about which books were their favorites of the year; however, I do have a post coming up in which I list three books that led to memorable book club discussions, even if folks didn’t finish or like the book.
I look forward to that post, Melanie. That’s a good idea. I think our most memorable ones from my POV included Olive Kitteridge (because one really didn’t like it and because while it was popular she was such an interesting character); Twist (because fewer liked it than I expected but we had an interesting discussion); and Mansfield Park (because it’s a tough Austen but people really engaged with it). The loveliest discussion was Stories my grandmother didn’t tell me (because the author was present) and the book that challenged us the most was probably Theory and practice.
I love that when we’re in a book club and one person is a total outlier. That always makes my day.
Haha Melanie! It’s good for discussion though not all outliers like being the only one I think.
I’m usually the outlier 🤣
Why am I not surprised! You are an original thinker!
I’m surprised James wasn;t higher but I’ve not read 2 out of 3 of your top 3. I would have chosen Olive easily. I love that book so much. I also loved the series that streamed. Very close to the book. France McDormand brilliant.
Thanks Pam, having now read the book I’d love to see the series, with McDormand. I can see her in that role. I am a bit surprised about James, but I know a couple had it in their top 4 or 5. We read, I think, good books, making it hard to choose.
Yes that’s what I thought. If you can find Olive streaming somewhere, well worth the watch.
I will look … we don’t have paid streaming services besides Apple TV because it’s bundled with an Apple suite we have. Fingers crossed I’ll find it!
I always find it interesting which books land with reading groups – Olive Kitteridge doesn’t surprise me. My book group has not had a great year this year, but some past favourites have been Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko and Lisa Ko’s The Leavers. Interestingly, we also read The Night Watchman a while back and most found it a worthwhile read but didn’t really get on with it – length was a problem.
Oh that’s a shame Laura – I mean not having a good year. Why do you think that was?
Pachinko was our top pick back in 2017 when we read it. It’s a memorable read isn’t it? We haven’t read Lisa Ko. I will check her out. I understand about The night watchman. We don’t usually schedule a book that long (except for the first book of the year over our summer time, which this wasn’t). We didn’t realised how long it was until we’d scheduled it, but it was universally liked, though some took a little while to get into it, so no-one complained.
I don’t think we picked very good books!
I wondered if that was it. Choosing the books is a challenge, isn’t it. We have a consensus approach and it’s rare for us to wish we hadn’t chosen a book even where more don’t like it than do.
What a great list of books for the year. I have only read one Elizabeth Strout book but I have two of them, so I really should make amends in 2026 and do some reading! Merry Christmas to you and all your book club. I have loved hearing about them and how you operate!
Thanks Rach … I have enjoyed our discussions, about books and our groups. I hope we have more!
It’s great to see Olive Kitteridge coming out as a favourite here. She’s such an interesting and complex character – even when we think we have the measure of her, she manages to surprise us!
She sure does Jacqui which nearly all of us loved about her.