I've been working on my Best Books I Read in 2025 list. I read close to 200 books last year, many of which were memorable, so it was very hard to narrow it down to ten. I felt bad about some of my Runners-Up (books have feelings, as do their authors) which were very deserving, but here goes:
Miss Pettigrew Lives for the Day by Winifred Watson (1938). Why did I wait so long to read this delightful book? It starts out with the stark reality that an unemployed governess needs employment urgently or she will have to go to the poorhouse. However, when Miss Pettigrew arrives at the home of Miss Delysia LaFosse, a glamorous nightclub singer, it is the beginning of an incredible day of adventure and unexpected friendship. I later watched the movie which was cute but not nearly as good as the book; a miniseries would have done it better. My review.
Detective Sergeant Nicola Bridge grew up in Fleetcombe, a small village on the English coast, and has moved back there with her family for a new start. When a man is murdered and left on a road in the middle of the night, tied to a chair with a stag’s antlers affixed to his head, even experienced Nicola is puzzled.
