First Book 2025

It’s time for First Book of 2025! It’s the 12th Annual and my 10th year of sharing my First Book of the Year. Sheila at Book Journey hosts this annual feature and hundreds of other readers around the world share their first books as well.

What is First Book? Well, it is just like it says, it is the First Book you choose to read in the new year. It can be a book that you’ve wanted to read, maybe a classic, or one you received as a gift this Christmas. Perhaps it is something you’ve been meaning to read as part of your own self-improvement. It can be any book you’d like! It is YOUR FIRST BOOK.

I love seeing which book is the most popular choice and the wide variety of books chosen by other readers all across the world. I usually add a few books to my own reading list!

I always have a difficult time deciding what to read this year. I am picky, typically choosing a physical book and one that I’ve been wanting to read but haven’t been able to bump it to the top of my to-read stack. If you struggle with what to read next, check out my Book Jar and how I choose a random read when I need to change up my reading routine (see what that’s about, HERE).

Before I share this year’s book, here are the books I’ve chosen from my previous years. You can see all my previous First Book posts, HERE.

Previous First Books

2016 – A Manual for Cleaning Women – I didn’t even finish it. Not for me.

2017 – The Two-Family House – Loved this historical fiction story of two families in NYC.

2018 – Just Between Us – Four suburban girlfriends join together to hide a murder.

2019 – I’d Rather Be Reading – A non-fiction all about the joys of reading.

2020 – The Only Plane in the Sky – A chronicle of the events that happened on 9/11. A must-read.

2021 – Atomic Habits – This wildly popular book is all about creating habits and routines.

2022 – Waiting for Tom Hanks – This rom-com is perfect for fans of Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movies.

2023 – Beyond the Point – Three women at West Point find forever friendship amid turmoil & heartbreak.

2024 – Tom Lake – I loved this story of a family gathering at their cranberry farm during the Pandemic while the daughters learn how their parents met.

And now my 2025 Book…

LIGHTHOUSE
The St. Simons Trilogy 1
By: Eugenia Price
Published: 1971
Publisher: Turner Publishing
Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback

This novel has been on my to-read list since at least 1999! My husband and I traveled to St. Simons Island for our honeymoon back in 1999. We stayed in my cousin’s home and this series of books is set on the island there. My cousin has encouraged me to read this series for years. I traveled to St. Simons Island again last March with my mom and sister and bought a copy of LIGHTHOUSE then and my cousin loaned me her copy of the 3rd book in the series. So, I decided that was the push I needed to bump these up my list.

This novel has a mix of historical fiction, adventure, and romance and I can’t wait to start reading it.

In this enthralling first novel of the St. Simons Trilogy, Eugenia Price shares the compelling story of James Gould, a young man with a passionate dream. Raised in post-Revolution Granville, Massachusetts, Gould could only imagine the beauty and warmth of lands to the south. It was there that he longed to build bridges and lighthouses from his very own design and plans. The gripping story unfolds as Gould follows his dream to the raw settlement of Bangor on the Penobscot River, to St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia, to lawless Spanish East Florida, and back—at last and finally—to St. Simons. Along the way, he encounters hardship, peril, failure, and success, but it is the unwavering love of Janie Harris, an especially beautiful and strong-willed young woman, that fulfills his deep need for someone who can share the dream and the life he has chosen.

Sheila will be posting collages of all the great FIRST BOOKS readers are sharing. Click HERE to see them all. Maybe you’ll be inspired to choose your FIRST BOOK!

If you choose a First Book, be sure to let me know in the comments or on my social media channels.

Happy Reading!

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