I only read 13 books in 2025 — embarrassing! But I had a much better hit rate than normal. Here’s what I liked (and didn’t).
Exceptional
Heart Lamp, by Banu Mushtaq
Without doubt my favourite book of the year. An astonishing collection of short stories that truly immerse you in the world of Muslim women’s life in rural India. It’s beautifully written and translated, cleverly choosing not to translate every word. The result is a collection that feels truly foreign, and is all the better for it.
Hurricane Season, by Fernanda Melchor
Much like Heart Lamp, a distinctly foreign work — and an equally devastating read. A meditation on masculinity and violence in Mexico, it’s a politically interesting work that also has a gripping narrative full of surprises.
Perfection, by Vincenzo Latronico
A painfully accurate portrayal — and dismantling of – millennial malaise. It’s impressively spot-on with the details; describing people and places you definitely know without ever straying into pastiche. A novel that forces you to really feel the emptiness of modernity.
The Last Samurai, by Helen DeWitt
The only DeWitt I’d read before this was The English Understand Wool , so I was really struck by the formal inventiveness of this. A fascinating book; I feel like reading it is the closest I’ll ever come to experiencing how awful and wonderful it must be to be a genius.
Snow Business, by Philippa Snow
I saw this in an art gallery bookshop and was smitten with how tiny a book it was. Turns out it’s also an excellent work! In a series of essays, Snow dissects both high- and low-culture, with fantastic pieces about David Lynch and Vanderpump Rules in particular. She reminds me of David Foster Wallace, in all the best ways: someone applying a critical lens to truly “popular” culture.
James, by Percival Everett
Both hilarious and devastating, this retelling of Huckleberry Finn was a real delight (even though I haven’t read Finn since I was very young). Highly recommend the audiobook, which adds an extra layer of comedy on top of an already very funny work.
Other books I’d recommend
La Belle Sauvage, So Late in the Day, The Anti-Catastrophe League, On the Calculation of Volume: Book I, The Invention of Morel, The Optimist, Empire of AI, The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, David Lynch: Room to Dream
And books that were fine but skippable
The Secret Commonwealth, The Rose Field, Katabasis, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
Essayant 