Here are the best books of the 59 books I've read (so far) in 2025!
44 (75%) of these were audiobooks. (I listen to audiobooks while walking, crafting, driving, and cleaning. Whereas, nowadays, I’m only sitting down to read before bed, while sitting in waiting rooms, or while traveling.)
I started but chose not to finish another 2 books.
To read my full review of any books listed below, click on the title.
MY FAVORITE NOVEL OF 2025 (also MY FAVORITE AUDIOBOOK OF 2025!)
The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (5 hearts!): I read this novel, the only one in 2025 to which I gave 5 hearts, back in January. It grabbed me and never let go. I hadn't previously known much about the electricity war (aka the War of the Currents) in the 1880s when electric light was being invented and there were no public power commissions yet to manage the distribution of power to individual homes. You might think this would be boring subject material but I was riveted thanks to Moore's writing. He took real people and creatively filled in the gaps of public knowledge to make them extremely engaging characters. This novel read like a thriller! The main struggle between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison was told from the viewpoint of Westinghouse's young, inexperienced lawyer. Also, I absolutely adored Nicola Tesla the way he was described by Moore. Both informative and entertaining, I loved this book!!! The audiobook narrator, Johnathan McClain, was fabulous with a wonderful vocal repertoire and accents as well as perfect voice acting! A+!
BEST FICTION -- A TIE!
So Far Gone by Jess Walter (4.5 hearts): Rhys was driven to reclusiveness to escape his disappointment with America. He'd experienced some personal losses and the final straw was his son-in-law's conspiracy theories and extremism. Many years later, Rhys' self-imposed exile came to an end when his adult daughter disappeared. The central theme of extremism was handled masterfully. Of course, being a hermit in a cabin in the woods was another sort of extremism. The book title was perfect. People on both edges of the political and religious spectrums were described as "so far gone". But there is also plenty of normalcy and humor in these pages. It was a story about finding a way to live in this ever-changing world by facing realities, being flexible, having empathy, and surviving. I thought it was great and very relevant! The audiobook was also terrific!
BEST HISTORICAL FICTION (besides The Last Days of Night)
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (4.5 hearts): Jane was raised by her father in a 700 square foot cabin in the middle of the Montana woods during the 1980s and 90s, without most common household luxuries. Her father was brilliant but anti-government, paranoid, and reclusive. But she didn't realize this was an unusual life until age 17 when she began to want more exposure to the world and more control over her own existence. On the day she planned to escape, her father's shocking actions completely changed her plans. This book was engrossing and topical. Even though it takes place a few decades in the past, the technology concerns in the novel still resonate and make even more sense today. The story was relatable, suspenseful, and parts will break your heart. The audiobook was also great.
BEST WOMEN'S FICTION
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (4 hearts): This novel follows four retired female assassins who find out that they are now the targets of their former employer for whom they worked together for forty years. They must now employ all the skills they acquired during their storied careers in an effort to save themselves. The audiobook is good too.
BEST MEMOIR
Solito by Javier Zamora (4 hearts): Zamora describes his 7-week 1999 immigration journey, as a 9-year old, from El Salvador to the United States. His parents had previously immigrated separately, fleeing civil war and violence, but Zamora, too young for those journeys, had remained behind with his grandparents and aunt. When deemed old enough, he set off with a hired "coyote" smuggler on a treacherous journey with a group of five other people who had also paid the man to guide them to the U.S. The author himself narrated the audiobook which made it very authentic.
BEST ROMANCE
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (4 hearts): Written by a very talented real-life audiobook narrator about a very talented audiobook narrator, Sewanee had to change careers from acting to narrating when she suffered a disfiguring accident seven years earlier. Sewanee's life isn't easy but she's been getting through it the best she can. Things improve for her when she meets a mystery man who doesn't appear put off by her eye patch and, soon thereafter, she gets awarded a significant and high-paying audiobook job. This romance also covers deeper issues like disabilities, parent care, AI threatening to take over the arts, and the casting industry. It even had me in tears at one point. It's about second chances and acceptance. Of course, the audiobook is read by the author and is fantastic!
BEST YOUNG ADULT
The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (4 heart average across 4 novels): This is one of the best series I've read in a long time! In the first novel, high schooler, Avery, is living in her car when she is whisked away from her dreary life to find out that an eccentric billionaire she's never met has left his unimaginable wealth to her instead of his own family. Things move quickly from there as Avery gets to know the family, especially the four Hawthorne brothers. Together they attempt to unravel why the patriarch left his fortune to Avery. And Avery has to learn how to exist in this new world of extravagance and complicated relationships. The next three novels follow Avery's life going forward. The pacing is amazing. Things are ALWAYS happening. The characters are wonderful! And there are bountiful puzzles to solve along the way.
BEST FANTASY
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (4 hearts): A man betrays his twin sister. Then a young scholar performs the necessary evil of writing out the twin sister's exile papers in order to skyrocket her own future opportunities. Years later, the results of these actions play out in the country's competition for identifying the new emperor. The story had fabulous characters, unique political intrigue and an engaging plot with multiple moving parts and constant activity. This one was also a fabulous A+ audiobook narrated by Daphne Kouma!
ADDITIONAL SHOUT-OUTS TO A+ NARRATOR PERFORMANCES
In past years, my BEST AUDIOBOOK category has been awarded to the best narrator performance whether or not I loved the book they were narrating. But our blog readers really want recommendations for the best books with the best narrations. So, this year, I've made my best overall audiobook selection above, which also happens to be the best novel I read this year, and I will give shout-outs to all narrators who received A+ performance ratings from me because fantastic narrators are rock stars and deserve recognition.
- Johnathan McClain reading The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (novel rated 5 hearts), historical fiction
- Daphne Kouma reading The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (novel rated 4 hearts), young adult fantasy
- Joan Walker reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (novel rated 4 hearts), fiction
- Saskia Maarleveld reading First Lie Wins by Ashley Easton (novel rated 3 hearts), mystery
If you're hungry for more recommendations, here are my favorites of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Also, don't miss Lynnie's Favorites of 2025! We both have The Inheritance Games series on our lists so those novels are extra-highly recommended! 😀
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