Best Books 2025
Publishers Weekly got the ball rolling on the year’s best books lists back in late October. This is the landing page, from which you can connect with focused links of works in a myriad of categories.
BEST OF 2025: Holiday Gift Guide
BookBub offers a list to help you “find the perfect gift for every reader on your list.”
The Best Books of the Year (So Far)
From The New York Times. Originally published on May 7, 2025; updated on October 1, 2025.
100 Notable Books of 2025
“Here is the standout fiction and nonfiction of the year, selected by the staff of The New York Times Book Review.”
The 10 Best Books of 2025
“The staff of The New York Times Book Review choose the year’s top fiction and nonfiction.”
This seems to be the final, definitive word on things from The New York Times.
Readers’ Favorite Books of 2025
From Goodreads. I always find this list the most interesting to ponder because the choices are made by readers.
Maureen Corrigan’s 10 favorite books of 2025 — with plenty for nonfiction lovers
From NPR’s Maureen Corrigan.
The Best Books of 2025
From The New Yorker: “we’ve chosen a dozen essential reads in nonfiction and a dozen, too, in fiction and poetry.”
THE ATLANTIC 10
From The Atlantic: “The Books That Made Us Think the Most This Year”
The Best Books of 2025
This is the landing page for the Barnes & Noble lists, including links to all the categories.
The 100 Must-Read Books of 2025
This is the landing page for Time magazine’s list of “books that moved and delighted us, sparked conversations, and opened our minds.” The list comprises fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
The Best Books of 2025: Crime Fiction, Mysteries, and Thrillers
“20 novels that defined the year for mystery readers. Plus, our picks for 2025’s most notable books.”
From CrimeReads.
The 173 Best Book Covers of 2025
“According to 52 Book Cover Designers”
From Literary Hub.
Best of the Year 2025
Audible, part of the Amazon behemoth, names the best audiobooks of the year.
Google Play’s best apps, books and games of 2025
You’ll have to scroll way down the page, because the books list, of course, comes after the apps and games.
Best Books of 2025
From BookRiot:
Picking the best books of the year was no easy task, but we sure had a lot of fun doing it. This year brought us romances that left us swooning, horror that made us sleep with the lights on, and magical stories that swept us away. It gave us memoirs that moved us, nonfiction that expanded our worldview, poetry to ground us when we needed it most, and so much more.
Electric Lit’s Best Novels of 2025
Electric Lit’s Best Nonfiction of 2025
The 10 best books of 2025
“The year’s best fiction and nonfiction, as selected by the staff of The Washington Post’s Book World.”
The 17 Best Books of 2025 You Need to Read
For Vanity Fair, Natasha O’Neill writes, “If you’re searching for a book recommendation, don’t rely on the algorithm, rely on us humans.”
These are the Most Read Books on Goodreads in 2025
This isn’t exactly a “best books” list, but it does provide insight into reading trends of 2025.
Lit Hub’s 43 Favorite Books of 2025
“Here are the Literary Hub staff’s favorite (new) books of 2025.”
Best Movies of 2025
Because, believe it or not, there’s more to life than just books. The article contains two separate top-10 lists by two critics.
The 10 Best TV Shows of 2025
See entry above. From Time magazine.
© 2025 by Mary Daniels Brown
