This year I really reigned myself in and clamped down on book purchases so that finally, FINALLY, I have made some progress on the to read book pile. I’m still embarrassed by the number of books that are on that list, but we’ll get there. Meanwhile, I supplemented those books with digital tomes from the library, and really managed to get through a lot of books this year. However, this is a selection of the best of the best from 2025.

Longitude by Dava Sobel

I can’t remember why I picked this book up, but I’m so glad I did. I’m not hugely scientific but I’m always interested in stories where humans put their mind to something and keep on trying until it all comes together. This is a popular history, not a technical manual, so it was incredibly readable. I didn’t know much about the battle to measure our way round the planet and found it fascinating. The two tribes - one lunar, one watch-based - and our hero Harrison’s hard and detailed work, such a perfectionist. This was brilliantly well written, engaging and well worth a read.

Prima Facie by Suzie Miller

I wanted to see this play with Jodie Comer when it toured but the tickets sold out very quickly. So I have settled for the book (written as an adaptation of the play by the same author) and gone for the audiobook read by Comer anyway. It’s surely the next best thing. It was such a good story, well written, well read, completely engaging, and of course, enraging. I like that the ending is realistic and disappointing but also somewhat hopeful, it’s really well done.

The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer

Oh wow, this is exactly what you would expect from a Bob Mortimer novel, and that is a bit of a nutty story but a real heart to it and a genius undercurrent that shows itself as and when required. It’s random in places, and sometimes you wonder what you’re reading and if it’s ever going to come all together, but I loved it. These characters that think and say random things, it’s not really believable as real life (although I entirely believe it’s how Bob thinks and would conduct conversations!) but it’s hugely entertaining. An absolutely enjoyable ride, and I’m very glad there’s a sequel to get stuck in to as well.

See You at the Finish Line by Zac Hammett

I loved this. I can’t remember where I saw the recommendation but a rom-com set around the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race? Yes please! The romance part of this was pretty standard - a deal to help each other out, studying skills for love skills, but then obviously they fall in love with each other instead. But the twists and turns around the boat race itself, the various team rivalries, and of course the big question of whether to cheat or not - all add up to a really fun sporting read.

How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister

I bought this with a spare Audible credit before my subscription expired, and I pretty much just picked it up because it’s narrated by Nicola Walker who I love. Turns out, it was a great choice! Tense and moving, emotional but thrilling, it crosses lots of genres and keeps you hooked right from the start. At first the flipping between points of view was mildly annoying but then it became crucial to understanding how the story was unfolding. And oof, the ending and the twists and turns, all really well done.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Loved this. Moriarty has such a talent for casting characters and making them so intricate and believable and with all these human touches that even if you don’t relate to them directly, you can completely understand them. And the premise of this book is hugely intriguing - has this woman really predicted the age and cause of death for all these people on the plane? How all the threads go spreading apart and then come back together towards the end is masterful. A really, really great read.

Crypt by Alice Roberts

Rounding out Alice’s trilogy of books focused on what we can find out from the bones and burials of the past, this one brings us even closer to the modern time - but also leans in to topics around illness and disease. There are obvious big topics covered, like the plague, but also very interesting insights into leprosy and sexually transmitted diseases. It’s all just tremendously fascinating, sometimes frustrating because you can only guess at what the findings mean, but also amazing at how far we’ve come in our understanding.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

This was so good, I absolutely inhaled it. I really enjoyed a Man Called Ove so was expecting this would be good and it didn’t disappoint. Considering it’s a world I know very little about - that lonely foster home upbringing on one hand, and the rich superficial art world in the other - it was captivating. The characters were great, the way the stories were sort of drip fed really kept you engaged, and there were twists but they weren’t signalled or highlighted, they were genuine surprises. I loved it.

I’m Glad My mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

I listened to the audiobook of this, read by the author, and it is so engaging, I couldn’t stop listening to it. It’s an open and honest story about a difficult upbringing, an overbearing and potentially abusive mother, and the impact that has on a family and the lingering effects after the events. It’s brutal but completely captivating, and so well written and read. I’ve not watched any of the kids shows talked about, but I’m aware of them and it’s continually shocking how some of these young people were treated. I’m very interested in the debut novel that Jennette has published next.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

I loved this book, in part because it has a meta feel to it - the story about characters going back to a small town and falling in with the local crowd whilst finding romance is such a trope that everyone within the book is well aware of that and is either leaning in to it or actively trying to avoid it. The characters are great, the situations intriguing, the writing engaging and the drama non-stop. I loved it.

I’ve absolutely loved reading this year, devouring so many books, working through some author back catalogues and ticking off quite a few series that had been pending. There’s still so much more to do though! If everyone could pause on publishing for a few months, that would really help. Meanwhile, I’ll keep plugging away, and let’s see what we can come up with in the year ahead for a new batch of five star reads.