Hooray! It’s time for our favorite reads of the year!
We love putting these posts together, so grab a hot beverage of your choice, find a comfy couch or chair or nook to settle into, and be ready to explode your TBR with all these scrumptious personal recommendations. These are the best books we read this year (but not necessarily published this year) and we need to tell everyone how brilliant they were.
Happy reading!
Jouke
The Secret Life of Writers – Guillaume Musso
On the secluded, storm-battered island of Beaumont, a reclusive author and the curious young journalist who seeks him out become entangled in secrets far darker than either expected.
-A twisty, French thriller that keeps pulling the rug out from under you. Think Gone Girl meets Shutter Island with a punchy reveal.
You – Caroline Kepnes
An obsessive bookseller turns the seduction of an aspiring writer into surveillance and a game of control, where every boundary he crosses drags them both closer to disaster.
-A dark, addictive psychological dive with an eerie first-person narrative, that will leave you questioning your own instincts and pulls you so close you almost forget you’re rooting for a predator…
The Tainted Cup – Robert Jackson Bennett
An eccentric investigator and her assistant are drawn into a murder case where a tree erupts from a victim’s body, leading them into a larger conspiracy woven through leviathan lore, and the fragile politics of a vast empire.
-A gorgeously weird mystery in a lush, bio-engineered world—think Sherlock Holmes dropped into a Pan’s Labyrinth–meets–Annihilation universe.
Howling Dark and Demon in White – Christopher Ruocchio
The protagonist’s doomed quest to end an interstellar war drives him into the clutches of a hidden planet’s ancient ruler—a godlike manipulator whose secrets threaten to shatter everything he believes about the empire, the war, and himself.
-Books 2 and 3 in the 7-part Sun Eater series, that rare kind of space-epic that feels frighteningly alive and mythic and monstrous, impossible to shake once you enter its orbit.
Other People’s Clothes – Calla Henkel
Two American art students in Berlin begin to suspect their enigmatic landlady — an established crime novelist — is secretly using their lives as plot material, sparking a dangerous game of performance, identity, and voyeurism.
-A slow-burn, atmospheric thriller that tightens around you like a spotlight you can’t escape.
Marble Hall Murders – Anthony Horowitz
A book editor uncovers clues buried in a manuscript that point to the suspicious death of the author’s grandmother — and a dangerous truth that refuses to stay on the pages…
-A layered whodunit that pulls you into a web of secrets and mounting tension—all delivered with Horowitz’s signature twisty style.
Melissa
The End of Mr. Y – Scarlett Thomas
When you find this very rare book at a small second-hand bookstore which happens to be cursed (everyone who wrote, owned, or read it is dead) would you read it?
Ariel Manto does and starts to visit a world called the Troposphere. She ends up in an adventure of science, philosophy, consciousness, death, space, time and deadly secret agents.
I found this book really hard to put down 😊
Lanny – Max Porter
We meet Lanny through the thoughts of his mom and dad. Lanny is special, a bit weird. He thoroughly loves drawing with his friend Pete, an older artist who lives close by in the same village.
Then one day Lanny is gone. Where did he go? Did he get lost? Did Pete take him? Or has Dead Papa Toothwort, who has woken from his slumber in the woods, something to do with his disappearance?
Beautiful and very creative storytelling.
Foster – Claire Keegan
An Irish girl is temporarily sent off to live with relatives she hardly knows so her mom can give birth to another sibling and her parents have one kid less to worry about.
At the Kinsellas’ farm she finds a warmth not known to her.
A small book in volume about how small gestures can actually be huge.
The Witch in the Tower – Júlia Sardà
(The Three Sisters series, vol.2)
Being the middle child can be hard. Your older sister stops playing with you and your little sister is, well… your little sister.
Carmella feels so sad and angry that she walks until she can’t walk anymore and ends up meeting a very nice witch.
The witch shows Carmela a whole new world of wonders & magic and with it Carmela discovers a power within herself and finds her own place in the world.
The back of the book says it best: ‘A story for the outcasts and the lonely. A tale about daring to be different, about chosen family.’
Really nice story with wonderful illustrations that keep you discovering new details every time.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls – Grady Hendrix
It’s 1970 and fifteen-year old Neva (Fern) is sent to a home for pregnant girls.
There she gets a new name and is not allowed to talk about her family, home or past. This so she can have her baby, give it up for adoption and move on as nothing ever happened.
For the girls there are no other options, they have no control over their own lives.
Then the librarian gifts Neva an occult book about witchcraft and things are about to change but gifts like these never come free…
What I really enjoyed about this book is the true story of how in the past pregnant girls were treated and had literally no rights combined with a rich sauce of occultism.
Dark and humorous at the same time.
(Note: small paperback edition coming in January 2026.)
Klaartje
What We Can Know – Ian McEwan
I love the way he writes a story. He can give you a nostalgic feeling for the time we are living in today. And the plot is great.
The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets – Thomas R. Cech
This is what everybody should havea read during the Covid-19 pandemic.
11.23.63 – Stephen King
What if J.F. Kennedy did not get murded?
DirkJan #31 – Mark Retera
Every year I read the latest DirkJan comic book.
(Note: No English translations are available at the moment.)
Prisoners of Geography – Tim Marshall
This is about history, not geography! Geography shapes not only our history, but where we’re headed… You can read one chapter at a time, before you go to sleep. So this book will take you ten days to finish.
Isabelle
Small Worlds – Caleb Azumah Nelson
This book was absolutely exquisite! Azumah’s writing is so lyrical and rhythmic, I’ve never read anything like it. This book is a love letter to music and the role it plays in our lives, particularly our memories. We follow Stephen as he embarks into young adulthood and grapples with his identity, his relationship with his parents, career prospects, love, intimacy and grief. All set against the backdrop of the wonderful summer time. Such a delight!
Letters to a Young Poet – Rainer Maria Rilke
Might as well have highlighted the entire book! Short, incredibly lyrical and although published nearly a century ago still highly relevant. A must-read for aspiring creatives feeling a little lost and in need of some inspiring and encouraging words.
Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo
Such a magnificent book! Evaristo delves into the complexity of culture, identity, race and sexuality with incredible nuance. She tells us the stories of 12 richly diverse black British women, ranging from ages 19 to 93! Very impressed by the amount of depth Evaristo was able to create for each character. Although it’s written in an unconventional structure I found it worked very well. Profound, compassionate and moving. An excellent example of what fiction can do at it best: provoke thought and spark empathy!
The House in the Cerulean Sea – TJ Klune
(So technically I haven’t finished this one yet, but as I’m writing this I’m almost done!)
I’m a sucker for a good “finding your chosen family” story. This book is charming, witty and oh so cozy. Such endearing characters, a whimsical setting and plenty of heartwarming moments. As the dark and cold evenings of winter are arriving this book warmed me right back up! I’ve been enjoying this tremendously.
Tiemen
Dungeon Crawler Carl – Matt Dinniman
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series has become somewhat of an obsession for me this year. I have an unwritten rule that when it comes to series, I must read a different book from a different author before I start reading the next part. That rule was utterly broken when I finished Dungeon Crawler Carl and immediately had to read the next part…and then the next part in the series…and the next after that (this was repeated three more times). Think The Hunger Games meets Dungeons & Dragons meets The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with a sassy talking cat named Princess Donut.
It is an utterly addictive read. So addictive that I started reading the books to my wife because I couldn’t shut up about it (we are currently at book 5).
(Note: a paperback edition is coming out in December/January.)
The Vanished Birds – Simon Jimenez
This is an okay book. No, actually I’m just saying that because it pisses off my colleague Else, who recommended/forced me to read it when I said I was a bit in a reading slump. This Sci-Fi novel about the passing of time, a motley crew on a space cargo ship, and one very special lost kid, is pretty much brilliance poured into beautiful brilliant prose. It is hard to believe that The Vanished Birds is a debut novel as it nearly rivals the masterworks of Ursula K. Le Guin or Ian M. Banks. But don’t tell Else I said that.
Katabasis – R.F. Kuang
There is still an ongoing discussion at the bookshop about what the correct pronunciation of Katabasis is. Regardless of the proper utterance, Katabasis is a rather fun and gripping read. Especially considering that the story revolves around two students descending literally into hell to find their deceased PhD advisor, and around academic burnout, which seems to be a constant theme in Kuang’s novels.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt – Edmund Morris
The life of Theodore Roosevelt before he became one of the youngest Presidents of the United States is pretty darn interesting. Roosevelt was a man of many talents and pursuits. Morris tells in an engaging way about Roosevelt the politician, Roosevelt the cowboy, Roosevelt the writer, Roosevelt the soldier, Roosevelt the voracious reader, Roosevelt the ornithologist, Roosevelt the assistant secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt the police commissioner of New York and Roosevelt the vice-president. There is so much to tell that the books stops at 1901, just before Roosevelt became president. I can’t wait to read the next part which is about the time there wasn’t an idiot in the White House.
Work Like A Monk – Shoukei Matsumoto
This book delves into the question what makes work worth doing – and also life in general. A wide-ranging discussion presented as an imaginary conversation between a businessperson and a temple priest, it offers a timely reminder to literally take a breath now and then.
Want more of our favorite reads of 2025? Click here!
