Rather Read by Michael Sowa
Most of the books I read this year were either exceptional or at the least very good. Since I carefully select what I read based on numerous recommendations, I rarely read titles that aren’t good. That may be why I’m finding it difficult to choose the best of the best, but realizing that most of you don’t have time to read as much as I do, I’ve narrowed my favorites to make it easier for you to find something that fits your hunger for a great book. You’ll find information about each of them here.
The Best Fiction I Read in 2025:
Orbital by Samantha Harvey (2024 Booker Prize)
The Runners-Up for Best Fiction of 2025:
The Antidote by Karen Russell
The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin
My Friends by Fredrik Bachman
This is Happiness by Niall Williams
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
The Best Historical Fiction (Pigeon Pie) Books of 2025:
The Antidote by Karen Russell
Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin
The Honorable Mention Best Historical Fiction of 2025:
33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
Isola by Allegra Goodman
This is Happiness by Niall Williams
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
The Best Fiction with Humor and Heart of 2025:
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
You Are Here by David Nichols
The Best Food for Your Soul Books of 2025:
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney
Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmer by Jeff Chu
Kate & Frida by Kim Fay
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
The Best Dessert, Romance Books of 2025:
Close Knit by Jenny Colgan
A Forty-Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy
The Best Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller Book of 2025:
The Doorman by Chris Pavone
The Honorable Mention Best Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers of 2025:
The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave (out 1/6/26)
Guide Me Home by Attica Locke
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
The Cash Blackbear Series by Marcie R. Rendon
Murder on the Red River
Girl Gone Missing
Sinister Graves
Broken Fields
The Best “Meringue” Speculative Fiction (fantasy, magical realism, and science fiction) of 2025:
The Antidote by Karen Russell
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
The Best Debut Fiction of 2025:
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin
The Honorable Mention Best Debut Fiction of 2025:
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
The Names by Florence Knapp
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
The Best Book for a Book Discussion EVER:
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristen Kobes Du Mez
The Best Nonfiction of 2025:
One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
The Runners-Ups for Best Nonfiction of 2025:
The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl
Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming (young adult)
Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristen Kobes Du Mez
King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion, and Miscalculation by Scott Anderson
Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life by Helen Whybrow
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Strata: Stories from Deep in Time by Laura Poppick
Whiskey Tender by Deborah Jackson Taffa
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
The Best Road Trip/Audio Books I Listened to on the Treadmill in 2025:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
The Runners-Up for Best Road Trip/Audio Books I Listened to on the Treadmill in 2025
Fiction:
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
You Are Here by David Nichols
Nonfiction:
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life by Helen Whybrow
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abduraquib
Whiskey Tender by Deborah Jackson Taffa
The Best Children’s Books of 2025:
Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz (2025 Caldecott Medal)
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (2025 Newbery Medal)
Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate
The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri (2025 National Book Award)
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