Best Books I Read in 2025

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Best Books I Read in 2025

In 2025, I read 200 books and loved so many of them. Here are the top 10% of the books I read last year. Every single book on this list is a book I cannot wait to read again someday.  

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

    -  As soon as I read Jane Eyre in July, I had a feeling that it was going to my favorite book of the year and it was. I cannot stop thinking about this book and I'm so happy I finally read it. 

2. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

    -  I adore Tress's story and love that it is narrated by one of my favorite characters of all-time Hoid. It was a book I knew I had to read when I first heard Brandon's description for it. Have wanted to reread this book ever since I read it in February. 

3. Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick

    - One of the best books Brian Selznick has ever written and illustrated. It is one of my favorite romances I have ever read and that is not an exaggeration. I don't think that I will ever not enjoy a Brian Selznick book. My favorite was always The Marvels. This one is tied with it. I know that Danny and Angelo's romance will stay with me for a very long time. 

4. Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L. M. Montgomery 

    - I have owned Anne of Green Gables for about 20 years and I'm glad I finally picked it up in 2025. It had came in a boxset with some of my other favorite childhood favorites The Secret Garden and A Little Princess both by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This book was an absolute joy and one of the best coming of age stories I have ever read. Anne was utterly charming and I could not get enough of her. I will be continuing on with the series this year and I look forward to seeing what happens next with Anne. 

5. Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

    - I read my first T. Kingfisher book in 2024 and I fell in love with her writing. She is now my second favorite author right below Terry Pratchett. This was my favorite out of the books I read of hers last year. T. Kingfisher's wit always draws me into her writing from the very first line. I love when a book literally has me hooked from an opening page and she does it every single time. Her female protagonists are some of the best I've read in literature and Anja was another top one for me. Anja's sardonic sense of humor had me laughing so hard. 

    - The mirror world and the mystery surrounding it were so intriguing. I enjoyed how this was a mix of the "Snow White" and "Snow White & Rose Red" fairy tales. This had so many interesting twists. I cannot wait to read even more of T. Kingfisher's books this year. 

6. Octopus Moon by Bobbie Pyron 

    - The best middle grade book I read in 2025! It is a book I didn't know I needed in my life, but I'm so glad I found it. It is about a young girl named Pearl who is dealing with many changes in her life as she starts fifth grade. She is having a difficult time finding the energy and the willpower to do what she needs and wants to do. The story is written from her perspective in verse as she navigates her life and deals with depression.

    - I related to this book on so many levels. Never thought I'd see myself so much in this ten year old girl's story. It is such a beautiful and heartwarming story that touched my heart. I adore the writing and know I will pick up more of Bobbie Pyron's books in the future. 

7. Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2) by Brandon Sanderson 

   - My favorite of The Stormlight Archive so far (I've only read the first 3 so far). I love how each of the books has focused on the main plot but then has the flashbacks of different character's pasts. This book has a major focus on Shallan's past. I could not believe the direction her story went and I loved it. 

8. Holy Terrors (Little Thieves, #3) by Margaret Owen

   - I'm so happy to say that this was the perfect ending to this wonderful trilogy which I have adored for years now. If you have yet to pick it up, do yourself a favor and do so now. It is absolute perfection. This book just like the previous entries has humorous, heartwarming, silly, and emotional scenes. It had me laughing out loud and crying many times. 

    - Vanja's journey to accepting and learning to love herself is the most important aspect in these books. She has done terrible things in her past and watching her grow has been a joy. 

    - I cannot recommend this series enough. It would get six stars out of five from me. Perfect in every single way. Including Margaret's beautiful illustrations and the wonderful narration from Saskia Maarleveld. She has done a wonderful job narrating Vanya's world and her voice.

9. The Lives of Christopher Chant (Chrestomanci, #2) by Diana Wynne Jones

   - In 2025, I read five of the Chrestomanci books and the short story collection. If I had to pick a favorite out of the series, it would probably be this one because of seeing Christopher's story from the beginning. I love Christopher as a character so much. He is one of my favorite characters I read this year or ever. 

10. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett

   - Truthfully, every single book in the Emily Wilde trilogy could be on this list. I adore Emily and Wendell’s banter throughout the entire series. My goodness the amount of times this had me chuckling and grinning from ear to ear. Also, I loved reading from Emily’s perspective in her journal entries. I would love companion books to this series with the books that Emily is writing that include commentary from Wendell. Definitely, would pick them up in a heartbeat.  

11. Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles #1) by Anne Rice

   - I have known the story of Interview with the Vampire for a very long time, because of the movie. It has been one of my favorite movies for a long time and I have been wanting to read the book ever since. I had the time of my life reading this book. Anne Rice's writing is phenomenal and utterly devastating at times. The story behind this book and the grief she was dealing with while writing it is so heartbreaking. 

12. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

   - This is one of the books I have talked about the most throughout 2025 because I absolutely adored it. I've been a fan of Star Wars for my entire life and have been looking for really great books dealing with these stories. Lost Stars is set before the start of the Rebellion and continues to a year after the Battle of Endor. It is a star-crossed lovers story dealing with two characters that fall in love on opposite sides of the galactic war. 

13. The Enchanted Greenhouse (Spellshop #2) by Sarah Beth Durst

   - I loved The Spellshop when I read it in 2024 and the world that Sarah Beth Durst created. The Enchanted Greenhouse was even better. What I wouldn't give to be able to travel to this world and see Yarrow's greenhouses in person. I'm looking forward to the third book in this series and seeing more of these characters. 

14. Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1) by Nikita Gill

   - Nikita Gill is my favorite poet and I love Greek Mythology.  I was ecstatic when I heard that she was going to have a series of novels in verse dealing with the Greek Goddesses of the Underworld. This is a beautiful book inside and out. Hekate is one of my favorite goddesses, since she is the Goddess of Witches among many other things. Her backstory was not one I knew much about before she became the formidable Goddess I have come to love in stories. Nikita's beautiful lines of verse give life to Hekate's story. 

15. Swordheart (Swordheart #1) by T. Kingfisher

   - One of my favorite tropes in fantasy is an inanimate object coming to life, especially a sword. I loved seeing how T. Kingfisher twisted this in a way I have come to love in her books. Instead of being the sword itself, Sarkis is an immortal man trapped in the sword who comes out when the sword is unsheathed. It was so interesting to learn about how this worked throughout the book.

    -  T. Kingfisher's humor is some of my favorite to read. I was hooked in this story from the very first line until the very end. I adore how much she can make me laugh out loud from the inner thoughts of the characters, the dialogue, and the banter. The protagonist, Halla is absolutely hilarious. I love how how cleverly she uses her questions to get people to think she is naive. It was great to see her get everyone out of trouble because others underestimate women like her. She's so damn clever.

    - The romance between Sarkis and Halla worked so well. I loved their dynamic and reading about them falling in love. It was beautiful. My favorite element of the book though was the found family aspects with the entire crew. This was the fantasy road trip of my dreams with Halla, Sarkis, Zale, and Brindle. I loved the world-building and seeing more of the cultures and religions in this society. This year, I plan on reading the second book in this series and also reading the companion series: The Saint of Steel, which is also set in this world. The paladins from those books made an appearance in this book. 

16. The First Dragon (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, #7) James A. Owen

   - The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series became a favorite of mine over the years. I was happy to finally finish it last year, though James A. Owen has said he is going to expand the world more in the future. One of my favorite things in a series is when later books add elements that make you see past books in a new way. This is a series I would love to reread after learning what we do in the final books. I loved watching these characters grow and this was the perfect ending to their story. Absolutely beautiful! 

17. Truth and Transformation (Taking Wonderland #2) by Martin Baynton

   - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass retellings are some of my absolute favorite stories. I love seeing how authors twist these classic tales, characters, and world. The Taking Wonderland series by Martin Baynton is one of my favorite takes. This book was even better than the first and I cannot wait to see how the trilogy ends this year. 

18. The Halcyon Fairy Book by T. Kingfisher

   - T. Kingfisher had to be on this list three times. Truthfully, it was almost four. I absolutely love how she has such a distinct writing style that shines through in all that she writes. This book is divided into two sections. The first is a collection of fairy tales from various countries with T. Kingfisher’s commentary. Her commentary is absolutely hilarious. I could not stop laughing every time I read a new story. 

    - The second section is T. Kingfisher’s own collection of fairy tale short stories and poetry, which was previously published under the name Toad Words. There are so many great stories and poems here. My favorites were “Bluebeard’s Wife,” “Boar and Apples,” and “The Wolf and the Woodsman.”

19. Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

   - Katabases (descents into the Underworld) are many of the stories I have always been drawn to over the years. R. F. Kuang's Katabasis has one of the most interesting takes on this type of story and Hell/the Underworld that I have ever read. I remember when I first heard that this book was going to come out and how I knew then that it was going to be a favorite. It was.

20. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

   - I picked this up in December and knew it was going to be on this list. One of the best books I have read in a long time. Oona Out of Order shows the importance of living every moment of your life, even when your life is out of order. Oona's story is full of heart, magic, family, and love. It surprised me so much and touched my heart in many ways. The premise is intriguing and instantly hooked me in, but Oona's character kept me wanting to find out what would happen next. She makes mistakes along the way and sometimes I wanted to tell her to stop. 

    - It was so enjoyable to wonder what time she was going to go to next and see what is going on in her life at that point. Man, did this book surprise me many times. I could never imagine living my life in such a way and how hard it would be. Life is complicated enough without involuntarily time hopping through your life.