Lizz's Favorite Books of the Year ... so far

Hi friends - somehow in 2025 I've been able to sneak in 53 books. Here are the best ones I've read so far (in order I've read them, these are not ranked in any way). 1. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

If you're looking for something that will make you think, something that will make you ask questions of what it is like to be alive, something that you haven't ready before. I highly recommend this.

2. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

   There is this question about what we value as people, do we work to live or live to work. This was EXCELLENT and I'm still thinking about it months later.

3. Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun

   If you've just read the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop you're going to want more of what Korean's call "healing literature" and this is a series of short stories that intertwine based on a single location.

4. Iron and Embers by Helen Scheuerer

   Sometimes you need a fun, spicy, romantasy read that isn't like every romantasy read you've enjoyed already. This didn't totally reinvent the wheel, but I really loved it.

5. All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

   The world government have all ignored global warming and now the polar ice caps have melted, changing the weather patterns and the way people survive. Told from a child's point of view.

6. Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

   My first five star book of the year. This slow moving story takes place on the edge of the Alaskan wilderness. The secrets aren't hidden and the bad choices are right there on the page. But it is an excellently written, developed, and crafted story.

7. First Time Caller by B. K. Borison

   Romanace based loosely on Meet Me in Seattle. Enough said.

8. Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

   They kill each other in every life, but she has no idea why. This has the vibe of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue while being its own book. It's YA, but I promise you'll love it anyway.

9. Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco

   Spicy, fantasy, quick paced. If you're looking for a great romantasy read, you'll like this. If you want it to be MORE than a romantasy read, you'll be disappointed.

10. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

    Perfect read if you're also loving Adrienne Young's books.

11. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan

    This starts with a trigger warning, but is so well developed and I just love a story based in a bookstore. Also this is literary fiction, but has some "thriller" aspects I didn't expect.

12. The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

    Fantasy readers get excited, this is probably what you've been waiting for. Adults in their 30s, a setting similar to Divergent, but set in a fantasy world. Mysterious gods everyone hopes will stay away. Just a really great read.

13. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

    This was a re-read for me and I loved it so much more this time. He is more than a reluctant hero, he is complacent ... but what happens makes him actually stand up and be present.

14. The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

    We've all read magical school based books, but not ones told from the teacher's POV. Plus the kids' magic attracts demons. Everyone makes mistakes. Bi-sexual representation. Oh, and a copy machine that is possessed (that's why it won't work, makes me wonder if that is a bigger problem then we think).

15. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V E Schwab

    If you love V.E. Schwab this won't make you change your mind.

16. Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

    This was better than Fourth Wing.

17. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

    One day her mom brings home a fax machine and a little girl uses it to communicate her observations with her people on a distant planet. It's so much better than this description makes it sound.

18. The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

    During WWII luxury hotels were used to house German and Japanese citizens to keep them (and Americans) safe. But this hotel has a magical spring that keeps everything running smoothly, a dedicated general manager, and a host of characters who quickly pull you in.

How to Buy:

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