My 19 Favorite Books of 2025

There’s something magical about looking back at a year through the books that filled it. These 19 favorite books of 2025 kept me company all year long- some made me laugh, others made me think, and a few I couldn’t put down. Several brought tears to my eyes. Whether you’re looking for your next great read or just curious what landed on my nightstand this year, I’m excited to share the stories that made 2025 feel a little richer.

I read a fair number of books in 2025, but these 19 books? These are the ones I’m still thinking about. The ones I recommended to friends or stayed up way too late finishing. If you’re building your 2026 reading list, consider this your shortcut to some truly great books.

Every December, I love looking back at the books that shaped my year. Reading is my favorite way to unwind, learn something new, or just escape for a while – and 2025 brought some incredible reads into my life. From page-turners I devoured in a weekend to thoughtful stories I’m still mulling over, these 19 books are the ones I’ve grabbed off my shelf to share with you.

I’ve been an avid reader all my life. Several years ago, I started keeping a list of all the books I read. I started by writing down every book in our home library. Then I made a spreadsheet and added my handwritten list to keep track. When I finish a new book, I add it to the list. I currently have 908 books on my book reading list. I know I’ve read more than that – from school days that I’ve forgotten to add.

Just yesterday, I added five books to the list – all from high school or college days. DId you read Far from the Madding Crowd, Ivanhoe, or David Copperfield in high school? I added those to my list.

The list gives me a sense of accomplishment as well as keeping track of when I read a particular book and who the author is. I’ve also discovered a few times that I’d already read a book I was either thinking of checking out or buying.

I can also search by author, type of book, or year – that’s how I know I read 29 books this year.

Yesterday, on Facebook, I saw a question in a book-reading group about how many books people read in a year. The questioner asked how someone could read 100 – 200 books a year. Thats 2 -4 books a week! I tend to read between 35 and 40 a year. It’s not the number read, but the quality and the enjoyment you experience.

New Reading Resources in 2025

In October 2024, I joined our church’s book club, which introduced me to books I probably would not have read. Several of those books read in 2025 made it to this list.

Last summer, I discovered two more resources:

• Her Literary Society (formerly The Enchanted Book Club) – founded and run by Hayley Solana, this online book club focuses on the classics, which is evident from some of my book titles. Online author interviews and literary tours are two of the best features. I hope to go on a tour next year (2027).

• I also discovered the Friends and Fiction Podcast – founded by four NY Times best-selling authors (whose names you would recognize). Their author interviews span a wide range of genres. It’s so fun to hear an author’s voice in real life and the backstory of the novels.

I already have a stack of books on my nightstand for 2026. I started my first 2026 book on New Year’s Day. It’s for my January Book Club.

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2025 Favorite Books: 19 Best Books to Love and Treasure

I intended to share my 10 favorite books of 2025. Then I found five more I couldn’t bear to leave out. Then a few more called to me. So, here we are with nineteen.

I couldn’t put these 19 books in order of favorites, so they are in order by author’s last name – just like in a library.

In this recommended list of my 19 favorite books of the year, you’ll see patterns:

• I love historical fiction.
• I discovered I love reading anything by or about Jane Austen.
• A few authors made the list for multiple books.
• I enjoy a good mystery.
• Women play a major role in most of these favorite books.
• I like reading books from different centuries.

What makes a good, if not great, book in my opinion? Is it the plot? Not necessarily. Important, but not number one. For me, the two most important aspects of a great book are its characters and depth of writing.

Each of these 19 books has an interesting plot, educates in some way, and contains some suspense. But what pulls me in and keeps me turning the pages are the characters. Can I visualize them, hear their voices or read their thoughts? Do I care about them?

Is the book well written? Does the language flow and make sense? Does it reflect the time and place in which it takes place? Are the places, action, and characters well described? Can I see the world in which the story takes place?

BTW, I only read real books – the feel of touching the paper that you hold in your hands. I love the smell of paper, the anticipation of opening a book for the first time, and the physical action of turning the pages.

So, without further ado, here is my list of 19 favorite books for 2025. I’ve edited some of Amazon’s descriptions and added my own thoughts in the reviews below.

CLICK on the blue bolded book title to get the book now.

Happy Reading!

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma – What can I say about Emma – the book? Is it long? Yes. Is the 18th-century English challenging? Sometimes. Keep Google by your side to look up a word’s meaning.

It took me a long time to read a book, but it was well worth it. Emma is one of the most well-known characters in literary history. Besides, this is one of the most beautiful book covers ever. The illustrations throughout are gorgeous.

Emma, like Austen’s other works, is a comedy of manners – early 18th-century British manners. Granted, Austen’s sense of humor escapes our modern language and customs. That is our challenge because Austen knows precisely what she is doing. 

Just as our language can have two meanings and sarcasm can only be understood by the tone of voice, Austen is a master at revealing those things, even when we cannot hear the characters (or the author) speak.

The variety of characters inhabiting Emma’s world creates contrasts and misunderstandings. They have their good points and their not-so-good points. The good news is that all ends well: three couples fall in love and marry. I don’t think I’m giving anything away by telling you that – this is a Jane Austen novel, after all. 

Part of me is happy to have finished the book,  and part of me will be sad to say goodbye to Emma and her band of characters. BTW, when I entered the book on my reading list, I realized I had read Emma in 2018. I knew there was a reason it all sounded so familiar.

After I finished the novel, I rewatched the version with Gwenyth Paltrow – and loved Emma all over again. I’m going to read more Austen in 2026.

Courage, My Love by Kristin Beck

Courage, My Love – I love WWII stories about brave women who fight the odds for family and freedom. This one takes place in Italy as two very different women are pulled deeper into the struggle against the Nazi occupation. Lucia and Francesca join the resistance alongside the partisans to drive the Germans from Rome. At the same time, they have to protect their families and friends.

In the darkest days, Francesca and Lucia face their pasts, find the courage to love, and hold on to hope for a future that is finally free.

Great story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Winter Orphans by Kristen Beck

The Winter Orphans – I enjoyed Courage, My Love, so much that I read a second Kristin Beck book. The Winter Orphans is also set in WWII, but in an entirely different location with an entirely different group of people to protect – a group of Jewish orphans.

Set in the Southern French countryside in an old chateau, not far from the Swiss border,
 Swiss volunteers Rösli Näf and Anne-Marie Piguet uphold a common mission: to protect children in peril. Rösli, a stubborn and resourceful nurse, directs the colony of Château de la Hille, and has created a thriving community against all odds. Anne-Marie, raised by Swiss foresters, becomes both caretaker and friend to the children, and she vows to do whatever is necessary to keep them safe.
 
Rösli and Anne-Marie realize that the only way to protect the eldest of their charges, before the Nazis send them off to labor camps or the army, is to smuggle them out of France. Relying on Rösli’s fierce will and Anne-Marie’s knowledge of secret mountain paths, they plot escape routes through vast Nazi-occupied territory to the distant border.

Full of suspense, danger, and a little romance, this story of bravery by even the youngest of children will capture your heart. It did mine.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

First Lie Wins – It’s a mystery, a thriller, a who’s who. Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

Basically, “Evie” is a con artist. She works for a mysterious Mr. Smith, whom she has never met. She never lives in one place longer than it takes to set up and execute the scam, and get out of town. Only problem? This time, she’s fallen for the object of the scam. The other problem? She’s not sure if the boyfriend is scamming her back.

Evie must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. In some ways, this page-turner reminded me of Gone Girl of The Girl on the Train – you just don’t know who is telling the truth.

If you love a good mystery, grab First Lie Wins. It’s a great way take a trip to la-la-land.

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

The Jane Austin Book Club – I bought this novel last February at our church library’s annual book sale. The title is a little misleading. It is about a book club that reads all Jane Austen books, but the book is really about the people in the book club – their relationships with each other and their own individual lives. Fowler is a new author for me.

Set in California’s central valley, five women (including a mother and daughter and two life-long best friends) and one man join to discuss Jane Austen’s novels. Over the six months they get together, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. 

A review describes the book: “With her eye for the frailties of human behavior and her ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Karen Joy Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.”

I completely agree. If you are a fan of Austen, you will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel. Like most readers, including myself, will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry – I watched two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry on Netflix before my neighbor Julie told me it was based on a book. I immediately ordered the book and stopped watching it on streaming.

Elizabeth Zott and I have nothing in common – except that we are women and both have a daughter. I hated chemistry in high school; she loved it. I believe in marriage; she did not, although she desperately loves the man in her life. But I fell in love with this remarkable woman, “a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention.”

We did have another thing in common: we both taught cooking lessons. I, however, was never on T.V.

Born a couple of decades before me, Elizabeth faced career and societal challenges that I never faced, much less dreamed of. She is brave, doesn’t suffer fools lightly, and fiercely believes in what she believes in – which is herself and her abilities.

I laughed and cried throughout this book. It’s funny, sad, magical, and inspiring. I hated for Elizabeth’s story to end. I wish I knew what she was up to now.

As soon as I finished the book, I started rewatching the show on streaming. (Brie Larson is perfectly cast and does a great job portraying Elizabeth.) I loved it, too. There are some differences, but nothing that detracts from the book. As always, read the book first. It is a huge winner in my mind.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

The Forest of Vanishing Stars – This story, by one of my favorite authors (and member of the Friends and Fiction podcast), is so unique and imaginative. It’s an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis – until a secret from her past threatens everything.

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents as a baby and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, this now-grown woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she teaches the group all she can about surviving in the forest, and, in turn, they teach her to open her heart after years of isolation. A visit to a German-occupied village reveals a secret that could change her life forever.

You’ll see hints of Where the Crawdads Sing. Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching, suspenseful novel that will leave you wondering whether such things could really happen. A big winner!

The Women of Arlington Hall by Jane Healey

The Women of Arlington Hall – If you have read books or watched movies about code-breakers during WWII, you know the importance these people played in winning the war. In this novel, a female codebreaker puts her future and her heart on the line in a stirring novel about love, loyalty, betrayal, and Cold War spy games. Another new author for me.

The war is over, but another one has begun – The Cold War. Adventurous Radcliffe graduate Catherine “Cat” Killeen cancels her wedding and upends a future that no longer suits her. At her professor’s urging and hungry for a challenge, Cat arrives in Virginia to work on a confidential military project. A student in cryptoanalysis, Cat is ready to help root out Soviet spies who have infiltrated the US.

Joining the “government girls” of Arlington Hall, Cat gains the respect of her superiors and the friendship of her peers. Then, on a night out in DC, Cat meets an arrogant and privileged Harvard rival who is a new FBI agent. What they share is a competitive drive and an attraction that may undermine their patriotic duties. Together, they’re dive deep into the shadows of espionage.

Amid dangerous intrigue and grave secrecy, this story reveals the Cold War’s secrets and the role women played in it. Another great code-breaker story about a different era in American history. I loved Cat and her team, as I learned about another secret in our history.

The Door-to-Door Bookstore

The Door-to-Door Bookstore – Another book club choice. This whimsical story has an almost mystical feel to it. Small-town German bookseller Carl Kollhoff delivers his books to special customers in the evening hours after closing time, walking through the picturesque alleys of the city. These people are almost like friends to him, and he is their most important connection to the world. They will become like friends to you, too.

When Kollhoff unexpectedly loses his job, it takes the power of books and a nine-year-old girl to make them all find the courage to rebuild their bonds with each other. All the characters are very interesting and have a sense of mystery to them.

The Secret Life of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

The Secret Life of Flora Lea – (the second book I’ve read by Patti Callahan Henry) When a young woman discovers a rare book with connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed. This isn’t a novel about World War II. It’s a beautiful story of a sister’s love for her long-lost sister. It’s a mystery with the feeling of a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.

I loved this tale. You will be inspired by Hazel, who never forgets her little sister and never gives up believing she will find her. There are tears at the end.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

The Library of Lost Dollhouses – Another book I loved for its heroines of different centuries. This story begins when young librarian Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, discovers hidden historic dollhouses in her library. She embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

I was introduced to this book through Her Litarary Society. An interview with Elise Hooper, whose mother and grandmother collected old dollhouses, led me to read this story, which is somewhat based on history.

After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the dollhouses’ secret history. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only an inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing familial revelation.

I loved Tildy and the talented dollhouse maker from the past that she uncovers in this warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that illuminates women whose talents have been overlooked.

The following three books are by the same author, Natalie Jenner, another author I was introduced to through Her Literary Society. I read The Jane Austen Society first and loved the story and the characters. I highly recommend these books. May be my top three of the year.

Not only are the stories amazing, but the book covers are beautiful. I would read all three.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

The Jane Austen Society – Just after the World War II, in the small English village of Chawton, the final home of Jane Austen, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.

With the last bit of Austen’s legacy threatened, a group of disparate people – a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others – come together to preserve both Jane Austen’s home and her legacy. These characters make the story one you will love. They could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen.

As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society.

This is a powerful and moving novel that explores the tragedies and triumphs of life, and the universal humanity in us all. I didn’t want this story to end.

The Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

The Bloomsbury Girls – is a compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world.

Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare book store that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager’s unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans. A few characters from The Jane Austen Society appear in this novel, one in a major role.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time – Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Peggy Guggenheim, and others – these three women with their complex web of relationships, goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

Again, Jenner creates characters of depth and variety. Another winner.

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner

Austen at Sea – Although there is a connection to Jane Austen, this. novel takes place in a previous century. Two pairs of American siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Austen, Jane’s last surviving brother and keeper of a long-suppressed, secret legacy.

Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice (who is part of a book club of justices reading Austen) start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen who invites them to visit him in England.

At the same time, the Nelson brothers – bachelors and veterans of the recent Civil War – are also in correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, who lures them, too, to England, with the promise of a never-before-seen, rare Austen artifact to be evaluated.

On the ship the sisters and brothers encounter writer Louisa May Alcott and, a would-be last-minute chaperone to the Stevenson sisters, Justice Thomas Nash.

The voyage is a trip that dramatically changes all their lives in ways that are unforeseen, with the transformative spirit of the love of literature and that of Jane Austen herself.

I loved this story, too. The characters are so interesting and the plot twists echo the romance and surprises of Emma.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club – another book recommended by a Her Literary Society author interview. Martha Hall Kelly’s mother grew up on Martha’s Vineyard and she took inspiration from stories she heard as a girl.

The story begins in 2016, when 34-year-old Mari Starwood, still grieving after her mother’s death, travels to Martha’s Vineyard, with nothing but a name on a piece of paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, a famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters. As the tale unfolds, Mari is shocked to learn that her relationship to this island runs deeper than she ever thought possible.

The two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women.  When the U.S. Army arrives on Martha’s Vineyard and German U-boats lurk off the island’s shores, the pace of the story picks up with romance, espionage, and mystery. Could this little book club change the course of the war before it’s too late?

The book is definitely a page-turner. It’s serious and playful, suspenseful and nostaglic at the same time. Great read for a beach vacation.

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

The Librarian Spy – I love a good WWII novel focusing on the role women played. In this novel based on real events, the heroines are Ava, a librarian at the Library of Congress who is offered a job with the US military in Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine connect through coded messages, finding hope amid the war.

The story is suspenseful and frightening as the two women, who never meet, try to use their skills to support the war effort. If you like WWII historical fiction, this is a reallyl good one.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables – When Her Literary Society mentioned the subject of a trip to vist Prince Edward Island and the sites where this classic story took place, I so wanted to go (unfortunately, not good timing), even though I had never read the books – which shocked me. I immediately ordered a beautiful boxed set of all the Lucy Maud Montgomery books.

I was delighted with the story of this impetuous and curious little girl who only wants to find a family to love her. The characters of Anne, Marilla and Matthew, Diane, and, of course, Gilbert captivated me. This story made me laugh and cry at the daily foibles of Anne’s attempts to make those around her see the world with the same sense of wonder and optimism.

After reading the book, I watched the Netflix series Anne with an “E”. I enjoyed it (the actors were spot on), but there were too many deviations from the original that I thought were unnecessary.

If you’ve never read this classic, I hope you will get a copy and jump into Anne’s world.

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

When the Cranes Fly South – I came to read this story via Sweet Shark. A friend of his at the Y, who has a book club, gave it to him. He really enjoyed it and encouraged me to read it. I was so glad I did. It was written in 2025 in Swedish, translated into multiple languages and became an international bestseller.

It’s a profoundly moving debut novel that follows an elderly man’s attempts to mend his relationship with his son before it’s too late. It is an emotional story of love, friendship, fatherhood, dogs, and atonement that is already an international sensation.

Bo, who tells the story, is in his 80s, living alone after his wife was sent to an assisted living facility. His only companion is his elkhouse Sixten and his health care workers. His son Hans, with whom Bo has had a rocky relationship, insists upon taking the dog away, claiming that Bo has grown too old to properly care for him. The threat of losing Sixten stirs up a whirlwind of emotion, leading Bo to take stock of his life, his relationships, and the imperfect way he’s expressed his love over the years.

Is this story sad? Yes, even depressing at times. But it is a testament to the resilence of life told from a person at the end of his. Beautifully written with compassion and understanding, the novel will pull at your heartstrings. Also, if you have someone in your life like Bo, you will gain a great deal of perspective and compassion for the elderly.

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

West with Giraffes – This is another book I picked up at my church’s annual library book sale. It was love at first page. It is told from the point of view of Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, who feels his life ebbing away. When he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave – one that happened when he was a teenager during the Great Depression.

Through a series of serendipitous circumstances, Woodrow finds himself driving a pair of giraffes, who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic, across the country in a custom truck to deliver the animals to the San Diego Zoo. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.

Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.

This is one of those stories that stays with you long after you’ve read the last page. Again, the characters are the driving force – and that includes the giraffes. The author tells the story as if she had been sitting by Woodrow’s side, crossing America in 1938.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading my top 19 books of 2025. I have loved sharing this list with you. I hope that you will save this post and read your favorites. Share it with all your friends who also love to read. Pin it to a Pinterest Board. I just created a new Pinterest Board called Great Books.

What a wonderful way to begin a new year – with a great list of fabulous stories to read.