In this episode, Kelly Hooker and I discuss our top reads of 2025.

Our Top Shared Reads:

Dead Money by Jacob Kerr

This American Woman by Zarna Garg

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar 

Kelly’s Remaining Selections:  

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

Life & Death & Giants by Ron Rindo

Seeking Shelter by Jeff Hobbs

Cindy’s Remaining Selections:

What Happened to the McCray’s? by Tracey Lange

Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown

The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy

Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

Gemini by Jeffrey Kruger

Purchase our Shelf Ceremony here. We discuss tons more great read from 2025.

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Donate to the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Venmo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Check out⁠⁠ this list of all the great books⁠⁠ I loved in 2025.

Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2026? Check out our fifth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Literary Lookbook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead, and we color-code by genre in this one! 

Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buzz Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ column with five new recommendations each month.

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