I’ve kept a record of all the fiction books I read this year, and there are a few that really stood out that I’d happily recommend to a friend. My 2024 Top Ten Book Recommendations blog post went down well last year, so here we are with 10 more suggestions, shortlisted from the 45 novels I read in 2025!

• The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai – consisting of intertwining stories set across the 1980s Chicago AIDS epidemic and 30 years later in Paris, this is a powerful tale of friendship in the face of adversity. It’s my favourite book of Rebecca Makkai’s that I’ve read so far.
• The Women, Kristin Hannah – an enlightening insight into the experiences of women serving as nurses in the Vietnam war, both during and after the war. This story really stuck with me after I’d finished reading.
• The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt – this had been on my reading list for a long time (I was probably a little daunted by its 771 pages!) and I’m so glad I finally got round to reading it. It’s an epic tale spanning many years, centred around a boy who steals a small but valuable painting, propelling him into the art underworld.  

One of many 2025 library hauls

• Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors – a compelling read following three estranged sisters as they grapple with the death of their fourth sister and their own life challenges. Coco Mellors’ other novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein was also very good but Blue Sisters really stood out to me.
• Shy Creatures, Clare Chambers – a very readable story, centred around an art therapist working in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s, as she tries to draw out a recluse. This is Clare Chambers’ most recent novel, published in 2024, and having now read all her adult novels I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.
• The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah – another excellent book by Kristin Hannah, involving a family’s move to the Alaskan wilderness in the 1970s, as a young girl and her mother contend with the volatile behaviour of her father’s PTSD from Vietnam and the harsh realities of survival in rural Alaska.

Daunt Books, Marylebone, London

• Four Seasons in Japan, Nick Bradley – a heartwarming story-within-a-story set between Tokyo and the small town of Onomichi. I also enjoyed Nick Bradley’s other novel, The Cat and The City.
• One Good Turn, Kate Atkinson – the second book in the Jackson Brodie detective series, set during the Edinburgh Fringe festival, this is an often-humorous story of how the bystanders of a road rage attack find their lives impacted. It feels more light-hearted than Case Histories, the first in the series, and you could easily read it as a standalone story.
• Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, Hwang Bo-reum – a gentle, slow-placed book centred around a woman leaving her corporate career and opening a bookshop in a small neighbourhood outside of Seoul, Korea.
• Ordinary Thunderstorms, William Boyd – an author recommendation from my mum, this was a gripping thriller set in London’s underworld. I’m looking forward to reading more of his novels in 2026.

Bookshelves at home

I’ve certainly continued to read historical fiction and novels that span across multiple generations and time periods, along with well written books with relatable characters that have depth. I’ve also ventured a little into the crime/detective genre this year and have found myself enjoying it.

I’d love to know if you’ve read any of the books I’ve recommended, or if you have a suggestion for me to read?

Alexa

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this post, why not take a look back at my 2024 Top Ten Book Recommendations, Trying New Creative Techniques and 30 Countries Before 30.

Header photo: Daunt Books, Marylebone, London