2025 Reading Roundup
Happy New Year, fellow readers. I have been busy and MIA since August, but I wouldn’t miss this year’s Reading Roundup. If you’re new to this blog (Welcome!), the Reading Roundup is where I scour Best-of-2025 reading lists this year’s features (Guardian, NYT, The New Yorker, Atlantic, Lit Hub, Vulture, Book Riot, and Book Marks) to present to you the books that have showed up the most on these lists, and the ones I am adding to my TBR. This is also a post where I reflect on my favorite books of last year. While I feel 2025 hasn’t been the strongest of years for new books, there were a few that I really, really enjoyed. I hope you can find a few from this list to add to your TBR and help set you up to achieve those 2026 reading goals.
Wishing you a new year filled with love, relaxation, reading, and whatever else fills your cup. Let’s make 2026 another great year of exploring new books together.
P.S. If any of these books tickle your fancy and you’re looking to buy them, simply click the title to purchase them through Bookshop, where you can support a much needed local bookstore and also support this blog. You can now buy the ebook versions (at usually the same price, if not cheaper than Amazon). I appreciate your continued support!
2026 Fiction Reading List:
Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon
Shadow Ticket sounds like a blast. It’s set in Wisconsin, involves rescuing a cheese heiress, dodging mobsters, and has appeared on several best-of lists. Several reviews have also stated that it’s a wild, fun ride. I couldn’t resist and had to purchase it. Seems like a fun January read.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
I had major FOMO with this one because it is everywhere, showing up on almost every best-of list and front and center in every bookstore window display. Now, I have been tricked by overhyped books in the past (looking at you, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow), so I am going into this cautiously optimistic. I know nothing about it and am excited to go into it with eyes shut. This is also on my January TBR list.
So, this book is very divisive in the literary community. You either love it or hate it. Makes me want to read it even more. If you’ve read it, I would love to hear what end of the argument you’re on.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this one, about its beautiful prose and story. It’s sitting on my bookshelf, staring, begging to be read. This was longlisted for the Booker (but Audition (the divisive book from above) was shortlisted and Flesh *boo sound* was the winner, so I don’t know what to believe anymore.).
The premise of this one sounds so very interesting. A group of soldiers during WWI finds a fallen angel on the battlefield who may just be able to end the war if they can all work together. But will greed and jealousy keep this from happening? The NYT listed this as one of their top 10 favorite books of the year. I’m intrigued to say the least.
This is another one that has shown up on a lot of best-of lists and was even on Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert Book Club Pick (Wait, why does Stephen Colbert have a book club?). It’s a historical fiction novel about a famous Austrian director who is forced to flee to Hollywood during the Nazi occupation. There, he suddenly finds himself no longer the most famous director.
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
Another wildly popular book showing up on all but two of the best-of lists that I combed through. I am going in blind, but I love the cover. The 3.9 rating on Goodreads tells me it’ll be a good read.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
This also made an appearance on my best of 2025 so far list. Although it hasn’t reached my hand yet, I hope it does in 2026.
2026 Nonfiction Reading List:
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
This is a memoir about Mary Roy’s (the famous women’s rights activist) daughter about her upbringing and her grief, processing her mother’s death. While this isn’t typically something I’d reach for, it has appeared on so, so many lists and was even named the nonfiction book of the year at Foyle’s. I had to buy a hard copy of this one because I’m sure I will love it.
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed, Murder, and the Abolition of Slavery by Siddharth Kara
Another ship story? Count me in. This one is about a 1781 ship voyage with 130 slaves on board that were all about to be thrown overboard and to be claimed as “cargo” lost at sea to collect the insurance money. This event sparked the beginnings of the abolition of slavery. I snagged a signed copy for 50% off this weekend. Cannot wait to dive in.
Life on the Little-Known Planet: Dispatched from a Changing World by Elizabeth Kolbert
Picked this one up at a delightful New England bookstore last month and cannot wait to read it. Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction is still to this day one of my favorite books of all time. Life on the Little-Known Planet is a book of Kolbert’s essays regarding climate change and the natural world. As far as depressing climate change books go, Kolbert is my queen. Nothing like a little panic attack about the climate emergency to kick off the new year!
A book about how archaeologists used to reenact ancient life using all five senses through cooking, building, and even undergoing ancient surgical methods to better understand how people lived in ancient times? What’s not to love?
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams
I’ve had this book on hold at the library for months, and the wait doesn’t seem to be getting shorter. I guess others are just as interested in how the global elite live their life.
Under China’s one-child rule, a woman was forced to give up one of her twins, which was later kidnapped and brought to the United States. That twin tells their story.
My Top Favorite Fiction Books for 2025 (No Specific Order):
I attended a book talk with Lily King and was blown away by her kindness. After the talk, she graciously volunteered (against the wishes of the A Cappella Book’s owner, Frank) to stay a while longer, meet everyone, and personalize the books. Since her London book talk was cancelled, I jumped at the chance to meet her in Atlanta and have her sign my mom’s copy, since it’s her favorite author and she couldn’t be kinder. This book was chock-full of emotion. My mom, husband, and I all read it and discussed it over Thanksgiving, all giving it 5 stars.
House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
This year was a big Olga year for me. It’s no secret that she’s one of my favorite authors. Her writing is beautiful, and her observations about the world around her are poetic. Her writing is unique and not for everyone, but it’s definitely for me. I could read stories set in her dreary Polish villages forever. Her stories are often scattered and told from multiple POVs, incorporating living and dead villagers. They are often hard to sum up in a sentence or two, but instead take the reader on a wild (sometimes chaotic) journey.
On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle
Cannot wait to read the other volumes. Read my review here.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
My favorite book this year. I will shove it in anyone’s hand. If you’ve read Ocean Vuong before, you know his writing is spectral and poignant. His story is rich. His characters are profound. It’s a book that you will have to force yourself to put down because you don’t want it to end. And when it does, you’ll think about it for days. There’s so much to unpack and discuss. It’s a book I will think about forever. Read my full review here.
The Gentleman from Peru by André Aciman
As I previously said, I read this on a weekend getaway in Bath with my family (we all passed around our copies so we could each talk about it), and it was the perfect vacation read. Would I have liked it the same under different circumstances? I’m not sure. But a good book can transport you back to the feelings you felt and the place you were while reading it. It transports me back to that weekend perfectly, and for that, it deserves its rightful spot on this list.
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
This book was great! I couldn’t recommend it more. Read my full review here.
Bury of Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy is certainly not my genre. It’s hard for me to get lost in it, and I’m just not a fan. But this one blew me away. I am a big fan of V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and this one was just as good. I attended a book talk with her while she was on tour for this one, and she was such a kind, intelligent person, on top of being a talented author. Count me in for anything else she writes.
Sarah Moss is probably the most uniquely talented author that I’ve read. This book changed the way I think about books. Before, I used to believe that books either had strong character development or a strong storyline. In rare, wonderful cases, they had both. And if the book lacks both, then well, it’s a dud. Moss introduced “place” to this list of book must-haves. She can write a story where the place and setting are so developed and well detailed (without too much detail) that the reader actually feels like they are there alongside the characters. I was fortunate enough to attend a writers workshop with her, and she’s an absolute delight of a human being. If you’re looking for a short, engrossing story, pick up Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss (reach out to me so we can talk about the ending!). You won’t be disappointed.
This was a popular one in my book club (everyone really liked it, and we had a great discussion). It’s funny at the most perfect times, cutting through the tension and dark moments. The characters are likable or likable-ish. It’s one that I will always recommend to anyone who asks for a book recommendation. Read my full review here.
My Top Favorite Non-Fiction Books for 2025 (No Specific Order):
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Wow, oh wow, this is the best nonfiction book I’ve read this year. It should be required reading. It’s one that I think will always sit with me. I underlined sentence after sentence. Coming in at a short 208 pages, it’s a book that asks you to take your time and reflect. It asks you to reflect on how you view your fellow humans, the ones in your neighborhood and the ones that are being tortured in Gaza. Beware, it is a bit heavy, but necessary nonetheless.
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
This was a great, thought-provoking read. Another short one that really packs a punch. Check out my more in-depth review here.
Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success by Jeff Hiller
Like a warm hug. A pat on the back saying, “You got this.” A reminder that everyone is on their own journey in life. A reminder to laugh at yourself and not take life so seriously. A truly joyful read. Read my full review here.
Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II by Abbott Kahler
Wow, oh wow, was this a wild ride. Many times throughout the book, I forgot that this really happened. It’s nuts! It’s like it was made for the big screen, begging for it. Well, Ron Howard agreed and made it into a movie called Eden with a stacked cast like Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Jude Law. Never heard of it? Apparently, it wasn’t too great because it didn’t gain the traction it needed. It’s bizarre. Anyway, a good read that I couldn’t recommend more. Especially if you like the thrill of a survival story and the drama of backstabbing housewives.
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst
Apparently, survival stories were popular with me this year. This is also another wild ride. And again, a true story that reads very much like a fictional tale. As I noted in my review of this book, there’s no way I would ever fight this hard to stay alive (sorry, Matt) if I were trapped in this couple’s shoes. But it’s a remarkable story, and I highly recommend it.
Consent: A Memoir by Jill Ciment
This is a fabulous, devastating read. The writing is beautiful, and the story is heartbreaking. I cried and cried at the end, which I don’t think I’ve ever done for a memoir. If you read one memoir this year let it be this one (I am about to sink my teeth into Margaret Atwood’s memoir, so maybe I will retract this statement). I didn’t know much about Ciment before reading this, but I added her other books to my TBR after Consent.
I hesitate to put this on my holiday roundup list because I’m not sure anyone else is as fascinated with astronauts as I am, but if you are the random person who is, well, get your hands on this book. While it doesn’t shed light on too much more than you probably already know (if you’ve consumed a lot of these types of books in your day, as I have), it’s still an excellent read. The writing is good, and the interviews with the astronauts' wives were fascinating. Read my full review here.
Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity by Nicklas Brendborg
There’s so much to take away from this one. Read my full review here.
I read this one back in January, and it was my favorite nonfiction book I had read this year until One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. This was frightening and should be required reading. I give props to any parents out there raising kids in this social media climate. Read my full review here.
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
I couldn’t recommend this one to anyone in good faith, simply because it’s terrifying. If you want to live in the naivety of not knowing what would happen if an atomic bomb went off, or if you chose to believe you could survive on the canned food and water you’ve been hoarding, well, stay far away from this one then. If you’re like me and love to think of worst-case scenarios as you’re falling asleep at night, sending you spiraling, and would love to add another doomsday scenario to your list, then pick this one up. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Read my full review here.
Until next time, happy reading!
“No two persons ever read the same book.” -Edmund Wilson
