I’ve consumed (read and/or listened to) a lot of books (for me) this year, and I’m still reading some newer releases, but I think I’ve read enough to come up with my at-the-moment year-end list. So, here goes.
Disclaimer: this is not a “best-of” list. I’m not smart enough to declare what is best for anyone but myself. So here you’ll see favorites and least favorites.
1. Favorite novels published in 2025
My Documents, by Kevin Nguyen. Who doesn’t love a good dystopian novel? Especially when the “it can’t happen here” vibe is ripped away and you realize the story line is only a few degrees separated by our current reality in the USA. My Documents is the story of four Vietnamese American siblings and cousins who become caught up in a political movement to detain Viets in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks. The story echoes the World War II internment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but within the contemporary of American politics and surveillance society. My Documents is Nguyen’s second novel. He also is features editor of The Verge.
Other favorites published in 2025:
- The Antidote, by Karen Russell.
- Vera, or Faith, by Gary Shteyngart.
- Dream Count, by Chamananda Ngozi Adichie.
- All Our Tomorrows, by Amy DeBellis.
2. Favorite nonfiction published in 2025
Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock, by Jonathan Gould. A thorough and engaging history of one of my favorite bands, written by a music historian and former pro musician who knows his stuff. The book begins with Talking Heads’ 1975 debut performance at the legendary New York City club CBGB but rewinds to the formative years of the band’s four members before taking us on a fascinating journey of their career, along with deep dives into the personalities and conflicts, especially between front man David Byrne and husband-wife drummer and bassist Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth. The only drawback, in my opinion, is that Gould was unable to interview any of the band members. But he makes up for that with meticulous and well-sourced research.
Other nonfiction favorites published in 2025:
- Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow.
- More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI, by John Warner.
- Our Lives in Pieces, by Tracie Adams.
3. Favorite short-story collections published in 2025
Beyond the usual anthologies, I only read two short-story collections that were published in 2025, and I loved them both. So consider this a two-way tie between Night Watch, by Mathew Goldberg, and All and Then None of You, by Melissa Flores Anderson. Both of these books are debut collections, and both authors’ voices shine through their work as original and refreshing.
Goldberg’s Night Watch is a collection of haunting and lyrical stories that address alienation, disconnection, and longing in a range of settings, from suburbia to corporate America. The collection, which won the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction, also “weaves together lives on the edge of transformation, where moments of quiet observation erupt into revelations,” as the promotional copy puts it, not wrongly.
All and Then None of You is a road trip book through the rural areas of Flores Anderson’s native state of California, with a few detours here and there, including one study-abroad trip to Dublin. Each story also includes a QR code to an accompanying soundtrack, which is a cool feature.
4. Favorite novels published before 2025
Most of these were written in the past few years, but I hadn’t gotten around to reading them.
- There Are Rivers in the Sky, by Elif Shafak.
- The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles.
- Night Watch, by Jayne Ann Phillips.
- The Ask, by Sam Lipsyte.
- The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen.
5. Guiltiest pleasure of 2025
Circle of Days, by Ken Follett. I’ve been a sucker for much of Follett’s writing since The Pillars of the Earth came out. Unlike Pillars and most of his other historical fiction, however, Circle of Days is pre-historical. It’s the story of how Stonehenge came to be, but it’s far more than that, of course, with rivalries among tribes and within families and all the stuff Follett is known for. I don’t really feel too guilty about reading Follett, but in this case I feel guilty about falling victim to the marketing, because this book was not as good as his previous works. But kudos to him for taking a risk and imagining a world before recorded history.
Image via Pexels.
Andy writes! 