It’s that time of year where “Best of” reading lists sprout like mushrooms on social media and we dig in to see what we missed on our 2025 reading journey. Now, while the yearly lists are great for what’s new, it’s also an opportunity to talk about ANY good read we had, whether it’s an old classic or that book a friend keeps recommending or that book we bought a decade ago that’s been languishing our shelves (and whose spine has been staring directly at us in an increasingly accusatory manner).
There are a million ways to find new books using TADL. You can look through the New Book section on our website, flip through Book Pages Magazine (available at our self check-out stations), check out the New York Times Best Seller list (you get NYT for free w/TADL!), explore NoveList (a fantastic resource for our patrons), create a Goodreads account to manage and motivate your reading (yearly challenge!), or come to any department desk and ask for suggestions - the lists are infinite!
This year my best reads took a nonfiction turn, something outside my usual yearly favorites (fiction and poetry) and includes two graphic novels that I keep thinking about. But we asked ALL of our staff at TADL to share some of their best reads of 2025 to help inspire your 2026 reading adventures!
TADL Staff Top Reads for 2025
Fiction
Chantel - The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
These well developed characters felt like people I knew, and they lived on in my brain well after I finished the book.
Patrick - We Do Not Part by Han Kang
“Tells the story of a friendship between two women while powerfully reckoning with a hidden chapter in Korean history.” - Bookshop.org
Lyra - All the Lovers in The Night by Mieko Kawakami
“When Fuyuko stops one day on a Tokyo street and notices her reflection in a storefront window, what she sees is a drab, awkward, and spiritless woman who has lacked the strength to change her life and decides to do something about it.” - Goodreads
Mike - Dreamers by Knut Hamsun
A little novella with a rough-around-the-edges, scoundrel protagonist in a small fishing village in Norway around 1900 by the winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Mike - The Stronghold by Dino Buzzati
The ending still gives me chills. “A glory-starved soldier spends his life awaiting an absent, long-expected enemy in this influential Italian classic of existentialism.” - Goodreads
Romance
Kim - Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao
This is a fun romance novel with realistic characters dealing with relatable stressors in a cathartic way.
Betsy - Seven Rings by Nora Roberts
“Nora Roberts concludes her compelling Lost Bride trilogy as two women--one dead, one alive--prepare for a terrifying final showdown…” - Goodreads
Shannon - Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid.
Beautiful queer romance novel. It's a quick read but every moment feels important. I can't get the main characters out of my head. They were lovingly crafted. 10/10 I've been telling everyone about it.
Eliza - One of my favorites this year was The Rose Field by Philip Pullman
This is the final book in an amazing trilogy featuring characters from His Dark Materials (which I loved even more reading a second time).
Kelly H. - Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
“A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.” - Goodreads
Kelly H. - You Should be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
“An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season.” - Goodreads
Horror
Chantel - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Fieto
I was feeling down and told myself I needed to break my usual habits and read something lighter; I did not listen to myself and ended up reading this wild gothic horror novel that was somehow exactly the hilarious distraction my brain was craving. It turned out I needed a scorned, murderous governess main character.
Kim - The Spite House by Johnny Compton
Yes, the sister is the plot twist, but the dad went into that house, and unfortunately some of him left too.
Kelly H. - My most surprising read this year has been The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. Why? Because I am not a horror reader, but this book blew me away with how good it was. I did not even think of it as a horror read. The language and the way Jones inserted historical events into his work was sheer brilliance.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Amy - What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher
The third book in the Sworn Soldier series was a standout read for me in 2025. Kingfisher excels at blending cozy weirdness with creeping horror. This installment drops sworn soldier Alex Easton into the coal mines of 1890s West Virginia. Summoned by an old friend to confront something bizarre and nightmarish on a grand scale, Easton meets the mystery with hard-earned courage, sharp instincts, and dry humor. Cosmic horror paired with sharp, understated jokes is a winning combination for me.
Mathew - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
This was a thrilling plot, and it was difficult to put down. I think I had three different times when I was shocked by an unexpected plot twist. (I'm really glad I finished it before I saw the movie trailer!)
Kim - The Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed
I like a story asking questions like who started the war? Whose side are you on? Why are there sides?!
Kim - The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia
“I loved this gorgeous book about blood magic, chosen family and refugees in a hostile city. Naseem Jamnia has created a rich, complex world.” - Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky
Betsy - King Sorrow by Joe Hill
“A chilling tale of modern-world dangers, dark academia, and the unexpected consequences of revenge as six friends dabble in the occult and are tragically, horrifyingly successful... calling forth an evil entity that demands regular human sacrifice.” - Bookshop
Jasmine - I loved Annihilation (and the following books in the series) by Jeff VanderMeer to the point where I've already reread it! Scifi is always fascinating to me, but the added atmosphere of Area X makes the book impossible to put down. It's haunting and disturbing yet you can't look away.
Michele H. - Hands down my favorite book of 2025 was Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I don't typically read science fiction, but I fell in love with this book and am so glad I tried a different genre! It was written in 2021 but is being released as a movie in 2026. I can't wait to see it on the big screen, even though I'm pretty sure what I imagined was better than what Hollywood will produce!
Linda - Early in the year I read The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers.
I love anything written by Becky Chambers. This is the fourth (and final?) book in the Wayfarers series. I really like how the Wayfarers series is focused on character growth through relationships of various kinds, from found families to supportive strangers. Chambers' books are humorous and heartwarming; they make me yearn to live in a universe with various species to meet and learn about.
Amber St. - Hard choice but probably The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. Engaging plotline with fascinating characters and a creative world.
Josh - And Go Like This by John Crowley
A wonderful short story collection by the author of Little, Big and The Solitudes.
Josh - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
This fairy-tale novella is beautifully illustrated.
Lyra - Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
“Parable of the Sower” is the Butlerian odyssey of one woman who is twice as feeling in a world that has become doubly dehumanized.” - Goodreads
Kelly H. - Quicksilver by Callie Hart
This #1 New York Times bestseller is a highly addicting enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance. - Goodreads
Kelly H. - All Systems Red by Martha Wells
“A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red , a tense science fiction adventure…that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence.” - Goodreads
Kelly H. - Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
“Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak, but now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth. That truth could change her life-and her future-forever..” - Bookshop.org
Nonfiction
Allison - Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
Want to learn about the authors who inspired Jane Austen? Follow rare book dealer, Rebecca Romney, as she tracks down and reads some of the books Jane Austen read. Get a modern perspective and the highlighted books and see if you would want to read them.
Mike - Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yōko Tawada
I’m a huge fan of this fascinating writer. A Japanese expat German National who writes in both languages, Tawada pulls the loose threads of language and the differences that define them, taking them apart and creating new patterns while asking questions on the quality of the fabric. This rare collection of essays (Tawada typically works in fiction) gets at the heart of her own experience “existing outside of one's mother tongue” in these wonderfully formed ruminations.
Dale - Lightning Striking by Lenny Kaye
“In Lightning Striking, Lenny Kaye has illuminated ten facets of the jewel called rock and roll from a uniquely personal and knowledgeable perspective." - Patti Smith
Michelle R. - Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green.
History and human interest and so much information about tuberculosis!
Rayna - Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement, edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. I would recommend this collection of essays for anyone interested in community safety.
Mike - This Is Not Miami by Fernanda Melchor
This award winning Mexican fiction writer takes on the town she grew up in, Veracruz, Mexico, in this reckoning with the people and environment that formed her. I love the rawness and complete head dive she takes as she braves this dark underbelly with a powerfully burning torch in these well crafted essays.
Chantel - Lifeform by Jenny Slate
These essays felt like friends making me laugh and cry while sharing the vulnerabilities of being human.
Patrick - Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller
“This epic account of the decades-long battle to control one of the world's most critical resources--microchip technology--with the United States and China increasingly in fierce competition is "pulse quickening...a nonfiction thriller" - New York Times
Chris - Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
“On assignment for Outside magazine to report on the growing commercialization of the mountain, Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed journalist and author of the bestseller Into the Wild.” - Goodreads
Josh - Living Mountain by Nan Sheperd
A fantastic nonfiction piece on the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland.
Josh - Conquest of the Useless by Werner Herzog
Herzog's fever-dream reconstruction of his trials and travails during the filming of Fitzcarraldo.
Lynnae - Dessert Course : Lessons in the whys and hows of baking by Benjamin Delwiche
An index of recipes and experimentation, specifying, not only what to do, but why we do it. This book includes easy to read flow charts and photos that display and inform. A very good technical and easy to follow work book, including recipes and many tips that will make any bakers day. I watched this fella on Youtube shorts and was very happy to see he had made a book.
Lynnae - How Baking Works by Paula Figioni
Another one that is always on my list just because it's just so informative on the science behind baking, it takes a bit to get used to just because it is an entire textbook, but the info in there is solid gold.
Kelly H. - Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King by Dan Jones
“Henry V is a historical titan whose legacy has become a complicated one. Jones first examines Henry’s years of apprenticeship…Upon his accession in 1413, he had already been politically and militarily active for years, and his extraordinary achievements as king would come shortly after, earning him an unparalleled historical reputation. Writing with his characteristic wit and style, Jones delivers a thrilling and unmissable life of England’s greatest king.” - Goodreads
Graphic Novels
Mike - Ginseng Roots: A Memoir by Craig Thompson
This graphic novel memoir not only has beautiful, detailed drawings, it is has a fantastic sprawling narrative that encapsulates midwestern roots, lost youth, class and cultural divide, Wisconsin, Chinese, and Korean ginseng cultivation, Hmong culture, acupuncture, sibling rivalry, parent/child reconciliation, with a lesson in how using oral history/interviews as a narrative device makes for a compelling story. Oh, and, yes, the artwork makes you linger on each page. As a bonus, the author was born in Traverse City!
Mike - Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home by Nora Krug
“Were my family Nazis?” This is a question Nora Krug explores in this beautifully wrought graphic novel that follows German identity post WW2 and the secrecy surrounding the stories buried in a family's past while asking how she can shake this shadow looming over her. In this extraordinary quest, "Krug erases the boundaries between comics, scrapbooking, and collage as she endeavors to make sense of 20th-century history, the Holocaust, her German heritage, and her family's place in it all" ( The Boston Globe ). Well handled with patient insight.
Matthew - The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
The art is beautiful, the use of color to organize the narrative was very clever, and the characters and plot were wonderful. The ending made me cry, which was a little inconvenient because I was on a lunch break at work.
Kim - Delicious in Dungeon (series) by Kyoko Rui
“When a young adventurer and his company are attacked by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions...and a member! They're eager to save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're sure to starve on the way! But they come up with a brilliant idea: "Let's eat the monsters!" Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons...none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!” - Goodreads
Young Adult/Youth
Stephanie - Vincent and Theo: the Van Gogh brothers by Deborah Heiligman
I enjoyed this even more than I expected! - “Meticulously researched, drawing on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, Deborah Heiligman weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the extraordinary love of the Van Gogh brothers.” - Goodreads
Nerissa - The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting by Natalie Parker!
It had a fun power system with developed characters (including an adorable kiddo) and a good balance of quirky shenanigans and thrills.
Lyra - We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
“An achingly beautiful novel about grief, the enduring power of friendship, and the healing effects of kindness.” - Goodreads
Lynnae - The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren
This is a whole series of manga and it follows a young boy who's best friend has mysteriously been replaced by... something. If you enjoy Japanese Folklore and mysteries this is for you.
Hannah - Bull by David Elliott
“Bull turns a classic on its head in form and approach, updating the timeless story of Theseus and the Minotaur for a new generation. A rough, rowdy, and darkly comedic young adult retelling in verse, Bull will have readers reevaluating one of mythology's most infamous monsters.”
- Goodreads
Kim - Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
“Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.” - Bookshop
Kim - The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow
“A hilariously honest book about surviving middle school while navigating a chronic illness.” - Bookshop
Poetry
Mike - Winter Recipes from the Collective by Louise Glück
This is a collection that shakes you both in fear and joy, as if you’d found an ancient text that gives you all the answers you ever asked. But the answers will haunt you. Only a poet with Glück’s power and experience could have written this and only in her twilight when the last light flashes just before darkness.
Mike - Mojave Ghost by Forrest Gander
Gander isn’t an easy poet to access. There was something that happened in this reading where it suddenly clicked for me: I locked on to what he was painting, his movements between landscape, memory, and people.
Mike - Waves of Blood by Ariana Reines
As always with Reines, raw, vulnerable, with brave, sharp personal insight that excorises both her demons and yours. Her writing has always helped me find the right words to describe the messiness emotions are inherently built with.
Audiobook
Patrick - The Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave
Hearing him narrate his own novel adds a whole new layer, and I’m looking forward to the UK TV adaptation someday.
Mike in Reference