The Best Books I Read in 2025: Favorite Book Reads and Listens For Your Review

It was a very good year for books in 2025, featuring an eclectic mix of genres. As I saw my Goodreads reading goal was within reach, and about half-way through my 50 book total, I realized I was opening up to a more diverse reading list than staying in my usual lanes. It was altogether liberating. I also learned I’m a bibliolater*! (If you know, you know)

If you’re like me and love the art of literature so much that you not only crave reading but are also addicted to podcasts and interviews and magazines where the talk is all about book reviews, publishing, authors, and the art of writing. I confess that I know the voices of Gilbert Cruz and MJ Franklin’s before they even introduce themselves! 😆

I am usually reading at least three different books at a time. There’s my morning read on Kindle or iPhone, my audio book on my wellness walks, and the traditional hardcover book I reach for on my nightstand ~ if I’m not viewing my author Master Class/Maestro on my iPad, that is, in order to learn more about writing from the icons.  

In 2025, I discovered I was turning to more of the Classics. I sought out titles I hadn’t been assigned in school, including Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Mrs. Dalloway, Paradise Lost, to ~ what time may deem are future classics: The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories (Salmam Rushdie), The Patron Saint of Liars, Creation Lake, Lazarus Man, or The Emperor of Gladness, Veronica, Flashlight,(shortlisted for the Booker Prize), Dream Count, Prodigal Summer ~ by the master, Barbara Kingsolver, and of course, James. The Pulitzer Prize Winner, National Book Award Winner, and #1 New York Times Bestseller from author, Percival Everett.  

I sought out other Best Sellers when I could get them from the library’s Libby app. Increasingly, I find there’s a looonnng Hold/waiting time…  But that’s another story about libraries and budgets 😡

I also found myself reaching for more comedy and romance, two genres I traditionally hadn’t pursued because I was reading more “important” works, literature to enrich and educate my mind. Nowadays perhaps with the world getting ever more forbidding and dreary and well, yes, dystopian, I found I was seeking a refuge, a diversion that was more satisfying to the psyche.

Not so inadvertently, I also found myself attracted to more of the fantasy novels or alternative histories; magical realms and the magical realism of novels and series.  Why? See earlier notation about the collapsing of the world order, maybe?  Seriously, I not only find these books written by such award-winning authors as Susanna Clarke so transporting and immersive, but because the novel I’m writing is historical fiction with its own elements of fantasy and magic, albeit the magic is the “real” kind because Nature is a kind of protagonist in my book.

I recommend Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell if you have a hankering to seek this kind of magical, fantastical history. It’s a sprawling book of historical fiction, brilliantly researched; with sophisticated humor set in the time of the Napoleonic wars, 1806 to be precise, with two working magicians battling one another with their grand displays of magic and dark arts in order to revive the art of magic in England after it had fallen into disuse. In the author’s England, there is too much realism, so the magic and its secrets, “its power must be restored to dreary England.  Like Harry Potter, the author brings the reader a world that is more enchanting and magical.” The main characters, Norrell and his pupil, Jonathan Strange are authentic and interesting.   And the writing has been described as that of an Austin and Dickens style, relevant to the age of the story too.  There are fairies, A Raven King, and astounding fantastical “tricks” that balance out the novel’s historical details.

Another terrific historical fantasy, this one set in Madrid in the Spanish Golden Age, is Leigh Bardugo’s, The Familiar. The heroine uses her magic, her “little miracles” and love, to navigate the contentious, dangerous world of the Inquisition while hiding her Jewish heritage.  Romance, intrigue, and magic!  

Then there is the “magic” of the dystopian Brother Brontë where the mayor in a poor Texas town bans reading and forces women into labor.  Wait. Didn’t I say this was fiction?? Ha. I assure you, the potent mix of surrealism, adventure, strong and powerful women fighting to save literature,  will have you turning the pages with anticipation. 

To lighten things up, you can’t do better than romance.  My favorite is Atmosphere by the terrific (and prolific) Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & the Six, Carrie Soto is Back, and one of my Goodreads giveaways I received 👍Malibu Rising (which I also loved). Atmosphere provides the best of two genres: historical fiction and romance. The story centers on the 1980’s NASA space program, and a secret romance. Despite all the hype, I didn’t know what the novel was really about other than space, but when I received the book, I was all in for the excitement and thrills. Of the rigors of training for space travel, and for the love story. The ending will leave you breathless. 

I read the highly acclaimed novel, Florenzer, also knowing little about its plot. While one of my heroes, Leonardo da Vinci, is a key character, he is not depicted as the iconic painter, engineer, and inventor we think we know.  Rather this is a rich, innovative look at three men: a painter, da Vinci; a banker, a Medici; and a priest, Salviati. The three lives come together in Renaissance Italy ~ in Florence specifically, and charts in luscious detail, the art, the rivalries, the lovers.  It is beautifully written and a rather unexpected, rewarding read. 

Other sweet love stories included, (in no particular order) The Restoration Garden, Drop Dead Sisters, Friends to Lovers, The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris, The One That Got Away, American Housewife, Not Quite by the Book, Glamorous Notions (previously reviewed via NetGalley) and Cherry Baby, that was sent to me as an ARC.

I always love Emma Straub and her All Adults Here is so charming, as is Elizabeth Strout’s Anything is Possible. These two reads are like warm, soothing tea on a cool afternoon with a throw to warm you.

Some thrillers and mysteries worth noting are: Last Night (starts off with a blizzard blanketing the eastern seaboard. Sound familiar?!), Poison Wood, another ARC review, The Bombshell, and What the Light Touches. And my first review of the year, sent to me by the publisher, was Presumed Guilty, by Scott Turow

I wear my heart on my sleeve so you know I adore Isabel Allende and her novels.  I am also loving her BBC Maestro, by the way.  This year I was fortunate to be able to (re) read The Japanese Lover. This historical fiction novel is a beautiful, immersive, character-driven love story that spans decades, sweeping us from just before WWII in Europe to San Francisco and a forbidden love whose passion won't be extinguished by society, marriages, or war. Their affair is enduring.

Daughter of Fortune is Allende’s precursor to her classic, House of Spirits. This is where the trilogy begins.  (Spoiler: This year I will read House of Spirits and Paula, the book about the death of Allende’s daughter. I just learned of this memoir from my Maestro class. It is written as a love letter to Paula after she fell into a coma and subsequently, dies. I’m already crying about the love, loss, and how Allende deals with such profound grief.  

Daughter of Fortune is again an historical fiction novel with a bit of magical realism ~ Allende hails from South America, after all.  The book is about a young Chilean girl who is orphaned and finds a way to get to San Francisco to look for her lover in time for the Gold Rush. I enjoyed reading about the romance, adventure and more so about the strong women at that time and what they had to overcome to succeed. 

There were a few head-scratchers for me. Perfume tops this category. With my passion for all things perfume and fragrance, I figured this was going to be a winner.  I shoulda’ read the sub title: The Story of a Murderer followed the title, Perfume. I was too eager. Especially so soon after my French perfume classes to soak up everything I could relating to perfume and the art of the scent.   This Perfume is the story of a man who possesses an innate, superhuman ability to smell.  His obsession with young women leads him to ~ you guessed it ~ murders. It’s a dark historical fantasy so if you’re into that kind of thing, you’ll like this. I did not. I gave it some decent stars in my review because of the writing; not the plot.  Perfume: The Story of a Murderer takes the psychological thriller to the big screen, starring Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, and Dustin Hoffman. 🫣

The other strange, er quirky, as it has been described, was The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher It’s a New York Times bestseller and the reviews, while mixed, rave about the author and the writing. I agree that the writing is incredible. But the collection of ten stories takes as much as it gives…

On a positive note, I did Very much enjoy Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection.  Unlike Perfume, I did read the title in its entirety. It still didn’t really appeal to me. Too Covid-adjacent perhaps?!  But I heard the author, John Green, being interviewed and it intrigued me.  You should be too. It’s a #1 New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today bestseller.  Green brings us TB as a kind of frustrating adventure story; he details the tragedy of this curable, infectious disease that remains so frustratingly deadly. He chronicles the fascinating history of TB, the missteps, the tantalizing hope. He tells the story with personal memoir, medical knowledge, and a kind of eyes-wide-open, incredulous humor and gut-wrenching angst.  You will breeze through this informative and engaging book, becoming wiser and yes, more frustrated with a fractured healthcare system ~ if that’s even possible! 

I truly hope you’ve enjoyed my 2025 book review and suggestions. 

You can always follow me and my book reviews here, on Duchess Reads, and you can also follow me on Goodreads for timely updates throughout the year. 

I get most of my books at the Library via Libby.  Three cheers for our libraries and our revered librarians!!!  May they continue to be free of censorship, open to all, and serve as portals to other worlds…

I also am a First Reads recipient with  Amazon Prime ~ where you get first dibs on free books.  You might want to look into this monthly Amazon offering.

I also receive some books directly from the publisher in exchange for my honest reviews.

Sometimes I’m lucky and I win a Goodreads book. 

And I’m a NetGalley reviewer.

I also purchase many books from the authors directly at in-person events, where I can gleefully ask the author to sign their books for me and my soon-to-be giftees.  I say with great pride that most of the books in my home library are signed by the writers. 

Reading is personal, it’s true. But a love of literature is also what brings us together and unites us as few art forms can do.  In a world that is so meme-oriented, where algorithms are trained to capture our fragile attentions in five-seconds or less (or we move on), it’s the books that we turn to in order to slow down. To engage in ideas and cultural enrichment.  Whether turning the page or listening to an audiobook, books allow us to indulge in the details and nuance of stories ~ about history, people, love, fantasy. Books are transporting and magical.

I wish you a novelous~marvelous year ahead. Have you set your Goodreads  goal?

Please feel free to write and share what you’re looking forward to reading this year.

Cheers to a glamorous, glorious Bibliolatry 2026. 

What’s that, you ask? You’ve been wondering what’s a bibliolater since my lead paragraph, right? It’s a word I learned recently. I want to use it more. A Bibliolater is a noun that describes a book lover! That’s us 📚🥰🤓