The best books I read in 2025
Here are the most memorable books that I read in 2025. I read more books this year than last year, and that was a huge win for me.
The year's theme seems to be works that are generally "ambient". Lots of books that are light on plot but have dense, real atmospheres.
Columbine (2009) by Dave Cullen. Listed first because I think that everyone should read this book. It's so frustrating to see that Columbine could have been prevented. It's even more frustrating to see that we are making the same mistakes today.
The City and its Uncertain Walls (2023) by Haruki Murakami (t. Philip Gabriel). Another good book from Murakami. I'm still trying to parse this novel, but I do think that it is worth reading.
Small Things Like These (2021) by Claire Keegan. "And then the nights came on and the frosts took hold again, and blades of cold slid under doors and cut the knees off those who still knelt to say the rosary." Jealous of her ability to write this well.
Stone Yard Devotional (2024) by Charlotte Wood. I have always admired those that enter monastic life. A fascinating, fictional look at the depth of a simple spiritual life. Very ambient.
Shuna's Jourey (1983), Hayao Miyazaki. I consider Princess Mononoke to be the best movie ever made, so this early iteration of Miyazaki's naturalist thought is fascinating.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune (2020) and When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (2020) by Nghi Vo. A pair of novellas set in a rich universe. The magic here is deep and difficult. Again, you'll see my love for ambient works and the monastic life. I look forward to reading more in the series.
Shark Heart (2023) by Emily Habeck. A brilliant debut novel. An allegory so rediculous on the face that it removes you from your own experiences of disease. From there it can tear you apart. A deep meditation on care and grief.
The Salt Grows Heavy (2023) by Cassandra Khaw. I love Bloodborne, and this novel captures the darkness and mystery of that universe quite well.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (2025) by Omar El Akkad. Prose so beautiful you really need to slow down to read it and understand it fully. This book will go on to be read as an antiwar masterpiece.
The Employees (2020) by Olga Ravn (t. Martin Aitken) Ambient novel about alienation (and maybe AI) in the workplace of the distant future. It has a very unique form: HR reports.
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon (2010) by Mizuki Tsujimura (t. Yuki Tejima). I liked this book far more than I expected. A chain of really great interleaved narratives. I cried a few times reading this book.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (2013) by Haruki Murakami. A lovely coming of age story.