10 Books You Need to Read in 2025

This has been great with all the amazing books I have come across and read. And I will be sharing 10 books you need to read in 2025 so keep reading to find out what they are!

The best way to continue reading a lot of books or to get back into reading is by having a bunch of amazing books liked up. I’ve read 42 books in the first four months and that’s because I always have books I want to read even before I start the book I am currently reading.

And after reading so many amazing books, I will be sharing some of the favorites that I think you will love. From modern classics to books that I can’t stop thinking about even years later, these amazing books have kept me motivated to read more book in 2025. You can see the full list below!

10 Books You Need to Read in 2025

• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
• The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
• The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
• The Women by Kristin Hannah
• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch (Translator)
• First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby
• Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

The Fifth Season

I love fantasy books and I am always searching for new fantasy novels and series. Even after reading so many fantasy novels, I would place The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin in my top ten, maybe even in my top five list of fantasy books that I read.

The story-telling and world building make this novel and series an epic adventure novel and a tragic tale. There is a lot of pain and Jemisin makes you feel all of it with her brilliant writing. This original novel will satisfy all your reading needs and make you devour this trilogy.

You know you are in for a treat when you learn that all three books in The Fifth Season trilogy won the Hugo Award for the best Novel for all three novels, becoming the only book to ever do so. Novels like these make me happy about where sci-fi and fantasy novels are at the moment.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

If you prefer reading fiction novels or historical fiction novels, then The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride should be your next read. McBride is one of the most talented writers and storytellers alive and this novel highlights all of his amazing qualities.

This was one of the best novels of 2023 and one I was happy I picked it up and gave it a chance. You will laugh and cry, and your hope in humanity will increase after this book. McBride sees the good in people and that community is important and will take care of their own.

The Wager

If you like to read nonfiction books, I applaud you because it is a genre I don’t visit often. I prefer fiction novels but I do pickup nonfiction books here and there and came across an amazing book in the process.

In The Wager, David Grann researches a shipwreck that occurred centuries ago. Using dairies and information he could find, Grann retells the tragic story of the wager and its occupants.

You may recognize Grann’s name because he wrote Killers of the Flower Moon which was adapted into a movie by Martin Scorsese. Somehow, Grann is still pushing the envelope and telling stories that everyone except for him seems to have forgotten. This is a book that will make you sit and read it in one sitting, wanting to know the fate of the crew of the Wager and what happens to them afterwards.

The Women

The Women by Kristin Hannah was everywhere in 2024 and if that didn’t get you to read it, then hopefully this will get you to. The novel tells the overlooked story of women severing in Vietnam and returning only to hear everyone say that Women didn’t serve in Vietnam.

The trauma and PTSD lead the protagonist on a journey that uproots her life and having to come home to a country that is ashamed of her service. This moving novel is very powerful and I can’t wait until the movie comes out. Hannah highlights a moment in history that has barely been covered and gives women that served in Vietnam a voice after decades of going unheard.

Wandering Stars

When I saw the book cover for Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange, I knew I had to read it. This is a beautiful book cover and and the book is even better somehow.

Orange tells a harrowing tale of racism and trauma that haunts a family for generations. The book tells the story of Native Americans suffering for over a century and the importance of identity and home.

The plight of Native Americans is forgotten or neglected in this country. Their identity is constantly under attack and their history has been buried deep. But Tommy Orange’s novel brings it back into the spotlight and tells their story, while also writing one of the best novels of 2024.

A Man Called Ove

A Man called Ove by Fredrik Backman was one of the most heart-wrenching novels I read was. After most chapters, I had to take a break and let the writing sink in. That should tell you just how powerful this novel is. Trying to summarize this novel without spoiling it in not easy.

Ove is a cranky old man who has lived a full life with his wife and now plans to end his life in an orderly fashion. But before he can do that, he is interrupted by a young couple and their two daughters that have moved next to Ove. They constantly need his help and an unlikely friendship forms that changes the course of Ove’s life.

if you want to cry or take a beautiful message away from a novel, then you should read this amazing novel and see why this novel become an international phenomenon.

First Lie Wins

If you love a good thriller with a lot of plot twists, then First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston is the novel you have to read. Protagonist Evie Porter is living the perfect life but there is only problem: Evie Porter isn’t real.

She is an identity for the ongoing mission, one that Evie needs to figure out or she will be replaced. Evie’s previous mission didn’t go well and this mission and when Evie meets someone who is using her Evie’s real name, it lets her know that her time may be running out if she doesn’t deliver what her boss wants. 

I loved every second of this novel and ended up reading it in one day. There are so many plot twists and Elston does a wonderful job of not overloading the information, instead slowly letting the reader put together the pieces and realize what is going on. Good luck trying to put this novel off after reading the first page. 

The Silent Patient

I read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides a couple of years ago after seeing it on many best thriller lists. And after reading this amazing novel, I understood why everyone thinks highly of this novel.

The protagonist Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist and he finds himself interested in Alicia Berenson’s case. She shot her husband five times in the face and never has said another word again. Theo wants to make her speak again and solve the mystery of why she shot her husband but this mystery may upend his life as well.

Michaelides is an amazing storyteller and I loved everything about this thriller. There are clues throughout the novel that will only make sense once you reach the climax. And if you want to see just how talented Michaelides is, then reread the novel and you’ll be reading another book. 

All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

When I picked up All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby, I didn’t expect a fantastic thriller and mystery at hand. Throughout the novel, you are playing detective and trying to figure out what is going on as you see the world through Titus Crown’s lenses, Virginia’s first black sheriff, and many people aren’t happy that he is the new sheriff.

When a former student kills a beloved schoolteacher in broad daylight, it is up to Crown to solve the mystery and ease the resident’s concerns. But when Crown learns that the schoolteacher was hiding a darker side, he has to solve the mystery at hand that will turn the town upside down if they knew the truth.

This novel tackles heavy subjects and isn’t for everyone. But the writing by Crosby and tackling these subjects made this novel a must read and one that will stay with

Knife

2024 was a great year for books because every book on this list so far was released in 2024. Unlike the previous books, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie is a memoir about an attack that took place a few years ago.

Salman Rushdie was attacked while on stage on August 12, 2022 while preparing to give a speech on about keeping writers safe from harm. A man in all black rushed the stage and started stabbing Rushdie with a knife as he tried to protect himself with only his hands.

In this book, Rushdie shares his horrific experience and his recovery and the trauma he lives with every day as a result. He knows he is lucky to be alive and opens up with the audience, showcasing the power of writing and reaffirming the saying that the pen is mightier than the sword. 

Conclusion

These are the ten books that you need to read in 2025. No matter what genre you prefer, this list has something for you. If you want to get back into reading or keep your reading streak alive, then these novels will keep you going.

My goal for 2025 is to read over a hundred books and I am well ahead of that pace. Books like these are why and I can’t wait to discover new books and share the ones I really enjoyed. Happy reading!