My assessment of the year in books 2025 is this: There were many very, very good books. But there was not a single great one. But that's okay. It's not every year a book like, say, James in 2024, comes along.
A definite plus for 2025, though, was that several writers I've read and admired for a long time put out their best book yet. Karen Russell, Jonathan Evison, and Ron Currie, for example. There were some other personal highlights, as well, including:
- I finally read Lonesome Dove
- I finally reread Infinite Jest (and loved it just as much -- if not more -- the second time)
- I've published here 45 times, which is the most since 2013!
- I'll either break my record or come in second this year for pages read in a year (north of 27,000)
But so, onward! In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite books of 2025:
The Antidote, by Karen Russell -- I don't know if you classify this as magical realism, sci-fi, historical speculative fiction, or something else, and that's okay. This is the one book this year that surprised me most for how much I liked it. I've read everything Russell's written, and I love her short stories, and very much did not love her first novel, Swamplandia! But this book, I think, is the best thing she's written -- a wholly original story that constantly had me thinking, "How the hell did she conceive of this?"
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne, by Ron Currie -- A literary thriller with the eponymous feisty old broad who bears more than a passing resemblance to Tony Soprano in thoughts and deeds, this was Currie's first novel in nearly a decade. And it's his best one yet, in my opinion. And even better news: He has a prequel or companion, We Will See You Bleed, coming out next summer!
Paper Girl, by Beth Macy -- The only nonfiction entry on my list, this book is the most clear-eyed and insightful thing I've read about how small-town American has turned into the Cult of MAGA, how opportunities that existed for low-income people in the 1980s no longer do, and some of the dreadful impacts of people being brainwashed to vote against their own interests has had on their own communities. Authentic and real. Everything Hillybilly Elegy is not.
Deep Cuts, by Holly Brickley -- This story about collaboration, creativity, inspiration and young love is just an absolute delight. But the strength of this debut is how astutely Brickley writes about music -- she is able to completely deconstruct a song and make us understand why it works (or doesn't). The novel is also of such a specific time (the early 2000s) that the nostalgia is fierce!
Pan, by Michael Clune -- This novel is a delectable splatter pattern of descriptions of images and light and color literally unlike anything I've ever read. Language in Clune's writing is malleable, formable, turn-able, twistable, and the result is writing so unexpectedly fresh and original, it was hard for me to put this book down. Not because the plot was riveting, but just because I couldn't wait to see what new joys the next sentence would bring
The Heart of Winter, by Jonathan Evison -- The third entry in this year's "best book by I writer I've been reading for years" list, this is a heartwarming tale of a 70-year marriage. Back in early January, I got to interview Evison for the Chicago Review of Books about this book, its inspiration, and fancy hats. Evison, as always, is charming and funny. Have you checked out his podcast, A Fresh Face in Hell? I'm not a podcast person, but I listen to this one as much as I can.
Home of the American Circus, by Allison Larkin -- If you have not yet read Allison Larkin, what are you waiting for?! Her novel The People We Keep was an absolute revelation, and this, her latest is just as good. I love stories about returning home when you're at the end of your rope, and I just love the warmth and humor Larkin writes with.
So Far Gone, by Jess Walter -- Yes, of course the new Jess Walter would make the list. A novel very much of our times, it's about an old guy who has just had enough and goes and lives by himself in the woods for seven years. But then he is drawn back into the current political hellscape to take care of his grandkids. My favorite podcast episode of the year, by the way, is Jonathan Evison talking with Jess Walter on A Fresh Face in Hell.
The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong -- This was my first time reading literary darling Vuong, and I went in a little skeptical. But this novel surprised me for its range. Yes, it's a mostly sad story of a young man and an old woman forming an unlikely symbiotic relationship. But there is beauty in the sorrow here.
Heart the Lover, by Lily King -- I guess if really pressed to pick my favorite of the year, this would be it. Slim in size but immense in emotion and wisdom, I really tried to not speed through and instead slow down and savor this book. But King doesn't make that easy. Such an incredible writer. Such an incredible novel about how choices we make when we're young ripple through our whole lives.
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