As in previous years, reading books has given me enormous pleasure. Let’s be honest, I’ve been a voracious reader since I was five. This year, I published a new thriller, Double Stakes, the sequel to Double Identity and Double Pursuit plus participated in a number of events and sat down to draft the next Roma Nova book.
Enough of me, the writer; here I’m writing here as a reader.
This is not a beauty contest nor a selection. I chose the books in the image totally at random. The list below contains books I’ve read this year and enjoyed. Some made me catch my breath, others made me weep with joy or sorrow and others appalled me. But I loved the experience of reading them all.
I’m not mentioning those I didn’t enjoy or part-read – that’s not fair to the authors concerned as I’m probably not their ideal reader.
I’m a fussy reader. I use Amazon’s ‘Send a free sample’ service mercilessly, especially if it’s an author new to me. But I have discovered some real gems that way. But if I haven’t continued to download the full book, I haven’t included it in this list.
Oh, and I’ve read a few non-fiction for research, ‘professional development’ and for fun…
Fiction
There are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak
Sweet Caress: The Many Lives of Amory Clay, William Boyd
The Saint-Fiacre Affair, Georges Simenon
The Bride Stone, Sally Gardner
Santa Grint, Jodi Taylor
About Time, Jodi Taylor
Saving Time, Jodi Taylor
Hard Time, Jodi Taylor
What Remains, Erryn Lee
The Death and Life of Iphigenia, J. Susanne Wilson
The Forgotten Palace, Alexandra Walsh
A Bachelor Establishment, Jodi Taylor
The Kremlin’s Vote, Andrew Turpin
There Will Be Bodies, Lindsey Davis
The Book of Secrets, Anna Mazzola
Death at the Village Christmas Fair, Debbie Young
Notes of Change, Susan Grossey
Sizar, Susan Grossey
The Watchman, Adrian Magson
The Shadow Wing, Sarah Painter
The Copper Heart, Sarah Painte
The Pearl King, Sarah Painter
The Fox’s Curse, Sarah Painter
Tobacco Republic, R A Moss
A Comedy of Terrors, Lindsey Davis
The Silver Mark, Sarah Painter
The Night Raven, Sarah Painter
Lord Frederick’s Return, Catherine Kullman
A Mischief of Murder, Helen Hollick
The Wartime Librarian’s Secret, Molly Green
Caesar’s Avenger, Alex Gough
The Star of Ceylon, Clare Flynn
Bess – Tudor Gentlewomen, Tony Riches
The Conqueror, Georgette Heyer (re-read!)
A Pair of Blue Eyes, JJ Marsh
Shadows in the Spring
The Bookseller of Inverness, S G MacLean
Desperate Undertaking, Lindsey Davis
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
The Truth, Terry Pratchett
Hunting the Sun, Jean Gill
The Order, Daniel Silva
Death at the Village Chess Club, Debbie Young
The Elgin Conspiracy, Julia Golding
The Persephone Code, Julia Golding
One Morning in Provence, Laura Fergusson
The Secret Hours, Mick Herron
The Rembrandt Affair, Daniel Silva
Sacrilege, S J Parris
The Fallen Angel, Daniel Silva
Non-fiction
Defying Hitler – A Memoir, Sebastian Haffner
Fake History: 101 Things that Never Happened, Jo Teeuwisse
The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans and the Battle for Europe, Andrew Wheatcroft
The Battle of Vienna 1693, Charles Rivers Editors
Meditations for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman
Careless People, Sarah Wynn-Williams
F*ck Being Humble: Why Self-Promotion Isn’t a Dirty Word, Stefanie Sword-Williams
What was your favourite read of 2025?
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO and RETALIO, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. Double Identity, a contemporary conspiracy, starts a new series of thrillers. JULIA PRIMA, Roma Nova story set in the late 4th century, starts the Foundation stories. The sequel, EXSILIUM, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines and taste world the latest contemporary thriller Double Identity… Download ‘Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email update. As a result, you’ll be among the first to know about news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
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