TCCDM Dig & Flip: 7 Favorite Books Read In 2025

7 Favorite  Books  I  Read  In  2025

"Every book is a new book if you haven't read it!" 
 And so, let us begin.


Sarum: The Novel Of England
by Edward Rutherfurd
(1987)
Paperback, 1035 pages
     Sarum, England, also known as Salisbury, is home to Stonehenge and the famous Salisbury Cathedral. The novel takes us from the Stone Age to the mid-twentieth century, introducing a variety of characters across many generations.  Sarum is over a thousand pages, but don't let that discourage you. The book reads easily and is a fun and fascinating page-flip. (full review)



Sleeping Beauties
by Stephen King and Owen King 
(2017)
Hardcover, 702 pages
     Sleeping Beauties is not exactly horror.  It doesn't have a significant thrill factor.  However, the novel's idea is interesting.  The story is okay for what it is, but the characters are just not developed enough to separate the wheat from the chaff.  So, how much of the story was Owen King's and how much did Stephen contribute?  Forgetabboutit.  The book is good enough to buy a ticket and ride on, but the bar is set pretty high for this one to climb up in the ranks. (full review)


American Boys
by Steven Phillip Smith
(1975)
Paperback, 435 pages
     Steven Phillip Smith left little doubt about the brutality and monotony of war, and how hard it was to balance the highs with the lows.  Totally a mind-flayer keeping it all in check.  The fighting was more from a helicopter/gunnery perspective, which I found both fascinating and horrific.  As with all aspects of war, each moment can spell your last.  Lucky this; unlucky that.  Smith's writing flows smoothly enough, but no one is remotely likable, and maybe that's the point. (full review)


Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery, Vol. 1
DC Comics (2006)
(first published in 1968-1971)
Graphic softcover, 552 pages
     This is all about the nostalgia.  A whopping 552 pages of reprinted stories from the DC comic The House of Mystery.  The pages are filled with atmospheric stories of people making bad choices.  Each tale has a "gotcha" twist ending that can be seen coming a mile away.  Plenty of groaners, but there are a few good 'uns that have legit payoff.  I mean, the scares are lame, but they were always lame, so just let it go and have fun. (full review)


Shantaram
by Gregory David Roberts
(2003)
Softcover, 935 pages
     This novel is an ambitious adventure loosely based on events that occurred after the author escaped from an Australian prison.  Trying to avoid discovery, he finds himself swallowed up in the exotic atmosphere of Bombay, India.  I could almost feel it, taste it, and smell it.  It's heady stuff.  Dozens of characters pass through the pages, and I never lost track of a single one.  It's beautiful here and dangerous there.  The book is 900-plus pages, and there's magic to be had. (full review)


Gone Tomorrow
by Lee Child
(2009)
Paperback, 543 pages
     No need for book-reading snobbery here.  Lee Child's Jack Reacher creation is fire.  A thriller first and foremost, but the mystery that unravels is a sweet ride as well.  In Gone Tomorrow, there are plenty of ducks, dodges, and louies, and we tag along as he breaks it all down and adds it all up.  It's all about the justice with this guy.  There are no fences to straddle.  Reacher is the good guy, and we like him.  A bit formulaic, perhaps, but it ticks all the boxes. (full review)


You Like It Darker
by Stephen King
(2024)
Hardcover 512 pages
     At least two of the 12 stories in You Like It Darker fall into the novella bucket, which is fine because they both shine.  As for the rest of the tales, they range from good to fantastic. All the stories have subtle degrees of creepy effluvia that keep everything a wee bit unsettling.  Perhaps best of all, Stephen's character development is solid as ever.  For me, this is King's best short story collection since Skeleton Crew and Nightmares & Dreamscapes.  Not as dark, but no shoes are waiting to drop either. (full review)

And that's it 'til next time.
"Remember...every book is a new book if you haven't read it!"
Go out and get yourself one.

"I'm Reading A Book" - Julian Smith (2011)

Good stuff.

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