It’s time to share the books I enjoyed the most in 2025. I don’t call it a Top Ten or Best Books of 2025 because I only read a relative handful of the mountain of books that were published last year. I read a lot of books from independent publishers because I like to help readers find books that are flying below the radar, so I often don’t get around to reading a lot of the buzz books.

Only six of my favorite reads were published in 2025. Three were published in 2024, and one is from 2023 (The Rachel Incident). So here are my favorites from the 50-something books I read last year (the lowest number in a long time, thanks to working more and all the distractions out there in the real world).

I try to read widely in the geographic sense because I like learning about other countries, cultures, history, and people. My favorites are set in places as diverse as the UK, Ireland, Bosnia, Ukraine, Israel, India, and Australia. Only three books and half of two others are set in the U.S.

I hope you’ll investigate the books that are unfamiliar to you. They deserve a wider audience. In particular, The Anatomy of Exile, A Complete Fiction, and The Book of Guilt were issued by small, indie publishers (Delphinium Books, Ig Publishing, and Cardinal Publishing, respectively), who rely in large part on word of mouth and reviews to reach readers.

Read my reviews here: The Anatomy of Exile, Your Presence is Mandatory, Black Butterflies, and A Complete Fiction. I just read The Book of Guilt and A Guardian and a Thief and haven’t written reviews yet.

I hope you had a good reading year. What were your favorite books? See any here that you’re going to add to your 2025 TBR list? What 2025 books should I absolutely read?