Of the 64 books I read in 2025, here are the ones I would recommend along with my top favorites
Sections
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Top 10 Favorites
Would recommend
Top 10 Favorites
5-star reads
Part memoir, part meditation on flat pieces of land. Beautiful prose, so underrated.
A Flat Place - Noreen Masud
Fast-paced novella with gripping prose about a mother leaving her child and finding her own way. I finished it in one sitting.
The White Hot: A Novel by Quiara Alegria Hudes
Beautifully written memoir that explores Roy's tumultuous relationship with her mother, but also her life beyond that. If you're a fan of either of her novels this adds great context.
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
We follow the life and death of Garza's sister in an intimate and journalistic way. Loved it.
Liliana's Invincible Summer (Pulitzer Prize winner): A Sister's Search for ...
Did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did
Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas
This was a re-read for me almost 10 years later and I still loved it just as much
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Interconnected short stories - a wild ride at times but so intelligent.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
Follows four main characters and their navigation of friendship, love, identity, grief
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A whirlwind of a book - I couldn't stop thinking about it
Paradais by Fernanda Melchor
This was such a well-executed story: villain origin story, climax, perfect ending.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
Would recommend
4-5 star reads
Important, timely, very eloquent. Must read.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Wildly heartbreaking memoir recounting growing up during the Rwandan genocide
Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga
Incredible story telling, balancing humor and heartbreak
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Clear and informative, very timely read
The New Age of Sexism: How AI and Emerging Technologies…
She's been through so much - what a ride
Down the Drain by Julia Fox
Devoured this
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
Although generally light-hearted, this was more thought-provoking than I expected
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Fast-paced novella on limerance and faith
Washes, Prays - Noor Naga
Navigates two distinct choices around becoming a mother
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel
A group of women have been imprisoned underground with no memory of life beforehand or why they are there
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
A woman is trapped in her apartment with her father, a bird and a baby - made me deeply uncomfortable in the best way
The Rooftop by Fernanda Trías
Interesting exploration of AI robots for non-platonic partnerships, very cleverly done
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Motherhood is a rollercoaster
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
After her son dies, a grieving mother nurses a piece of her son's lung back to life
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Can tourism be ethical?
A Small Place - Jamaica Kincaid
Woman falls in love with a merman - bizarre, unhinged, loved it
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
Great retelling of Huckleberry Finn from a different perspective
James by Percival Everett
Loved a few stories, others didn't resonate as much, but very glad I read it.
Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (Winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize)
A sinking boat of migrants seeks help but isn't rescued - who takes accountability?
Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix
What does it mean to live a good life vs an authentic life?
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
Slice-of-life, reflective novel following an expat couple in an unnamed city navigating friendships, belonging, rituals and homesickness. If you liked Perfection I think you'd like this.
The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas
Friendship, technology, jealousy, ownership.
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
Media as a distraction
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
Explores gender roles, hurt people hurting people, and the line between art and exploitation.
Boy Parts: A Novel by Eliza Clark
An obsession with youth and skincare shields grief and childhood trauma. Dark and fairy-take like, I've never read anything like it.
Rouge by Mona Awad
After discovering they've been getting drugged and abused by several men, a group of Mennonite women discuss whether to stay in their community, fight back or leave permanently. If you like a plot-driven story it may not be for you, as almost the ent...
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
Memoir in essays about trauma, healing, masculinity, race, queerness
