As 2024 comes to a close, Wickson Library’s no obligation book club, Books for Lunch, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 12:30-2:00pm, came together with a special agenda in mind. This month, participants shared one book they did not finish (DNF), one to be read (TBR) book for the upcoming year, and one book that was so incredible they wish they could forget it entirely just to read it again with fresh eyes. Here are the best and worst titles of 2024, and a few of the most-anticipated reads of 2025, as told by Books for Lunch members.
This year, Beth’s DNF was In Pieces by Sally Field. Her TBR for 2025 is Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, the third book in the Empyrean Series. Beth has been loving this series so much that she wishes she could forget the first book in the series, Fourth Wing, so that she could read it all over again for the very first time.
Kim’s DNF was The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks, and the book she’s most looking forward to in 2025 is Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. The book Kim wishes she could forget in order to read anew is The Garden of the Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng.
Susan didn’t have any DNF’s this year as she usually finishes what she starts. In 2025, she is looking forward to reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Lastly, the book she wishes she could forget in order to read again is Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.
Roz is most looking forward to reading Clown Town by Mick Heron in the upcoming year. She didn’t have a book she wished she could forget in order to read again.
Bill’s DNF of 2024 was There Must Be a Better Way by Al Thieme. His TBR for 2025 is Death Sentence: The Inside Story of John List Murders by Joe Sharkey, and the book he wants to forget in order to read again with new eyes is Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton.
Mary did not finish The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story by James McBride. Her TBR for the upcoming year is The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny, and the book she wishes she could forget in order to read again is Poppy and Mary Ellen All Fed Up by Roz Weedman and Susan Todd.
Like Susan, Sharon did not have any DNF’s this year since she typically finishes what she starts. Her TBR for the new year is The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, and the book she wishes she could forget in order to read again is Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson.
Another member of the group who always finishes what she reads is Judy. The book Judy wants to forget in order to read again is The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan.
I’d like to close with a quote from Judy’s favorite book of the year, The Underground Library: “Libraries aren’t only about books; they’re about people. They’re about human life, how books can mend hearts, comfort wounds, and inspire us. But most of all, books can bring people together. Their ideas and thoughts make us realize that we are not alone, that we are all connected.”
No matter what you’ve read in 2024 or plan on reading in 2025, the very book you hold connects you with former and future readers. It opens invisible lines of connection and paves the way for conversation with fellow friends and community members. Every book is an opportunity to come together and relate in new ways. We are not alone. We are all connected, and that connection begins at your local library. Happy reading!
