My Top Five Reads of 2025
I feel like I did not read enough books in 2025, so I am going to have to up the ante in 2026. Before I do that, though, here are my top five books of 2025:
…Playground by Richard Powers
After reading Richard Powers’ dense novel, The Overstory, Playground is definitely a much easier read, but there are many different thematic threads woven through Playground that I found myself feeling disoriented about what the novel is supposed to be about, and then the end hit me with a sledgehammer and left me feeling devastated.
…Bunny by Mona Awad
Mona Awad’s Bunny was first published in 2019 and in the years since has become a BookTok darling, but it is a divisive novel. You are either going to love this book or think it is one of the most unhinged things you have ever read. I’m in the latter camp. I don’t hate it, but I am wondering what the fuck did I just read?
…Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
As I said, I am continuing to read Kristin Hannah’s novels (at least the ones that sound interesting to me). I like Winter Garden better than The Four Winds, but like The Four Winds, Winter Garden can’t hold a candle to The Nightingale.
…The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Seventh Veil of Salome is Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s last book published before The Bewitching and somehow I only just learned about its existence. I really like Moreno-Garcia’s novels, so of course I had to read it. It is historical fiction like her other novels, but it is missing the supernatural elements that I enjoy about her storytelling.
…Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore has been chosen as Indigo’s #1 Best Book of 2025, and it is an interesting choice, not because I think it is a bad novel (it’s actually pretty good), but because there are certain elements of the story that feel contrived and uninspired.
…The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
I have been waiting over a year to read Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods because the hardcover version was expensive, and I was not able to find it on sale. The paperback version finally came out at the end of October, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait to read this book.
…Entitlement by Rumaan Alam
I decided to read Rumaan Alam’s Entitlement because I thought Leave the World Behind was an interesting enough story, so perhaps this story would be too. But no, Entitlement is just as dumb as its protagonist.
…Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
Seven Fallen Feathers is Tanya Talaga’s first book, published back in 2017, and was recommended to me. It is about the systemic racism against Indigenous people in Canada and has managed to upset me more than The Knowing did.
…The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Four Winds is the second novel that I have read that is written by Kristin Hannah. It is a good novel, but I did not feel the same emotional connection to it as I did with The Nightingale (ie. I did not bawl my eyes out at the end).
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