The best books of 2025

This list is part of the best books of 2025.

Join 1,340 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

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My favorite read in 2025

The Peacock and the Sparrow

By I S Berry ,

Book cover of The Peacock and the Sparrow

Wolf Bahren ❤️ loved this book because...

The plot of this spy novel kept me guessing with just the right mix of raw surprise and dread about the inevitable. The critical themes and streamlined list of characters echoed Graham Green's espionage fiction. Berry is also very talented in painting word pictures. Her turns of phrase stab you in the heart.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Originality 🥈 Writing

  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it

  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down
The Peacock and the Sparrow

By I S Berry ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Peacock and the Sparrow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE WEEK

During the Arab Spring, an American spy’s final mission goes dangerously awry in this explosive and “remarkable debut” (Joseph Kanon, New York Times bestselling author) from a former CIA officer that is perfect for fans of John le Carré, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Alan Furst.

Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy, is ready to come in from the cold. Stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour, he’s anxious to dispense with his mission—uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. But then he meets Almaisa,…

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My 2nd favorite read in 2025

My Sister, the Serial Killer

By Oyinkan Braithwaite ,

Book cover of My Sister, the Serial Killer

Wolf Bahren ❤️ loved this book because...

Murder mysteries are not usually my thing, but I had a chance to see this author, Oyinkan Braithwaite, speak at an event, and really enjoyed her talk, so I decided to dive in. The book is a little gory, but overall, I found it both fun and funny. The absurd plot about the serial killer behavior proved a great way to explore love and obligation among family, particularly sisters.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Originality 🥈 Emotions

  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it

  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down
My Sister, the Serial Killer

By Oyinkan Braithwaite ,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked My Sister, the Serial Killer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sunday Times bestseller and The Times #1 bestseller

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019
Winner of the 2019 LA Times Award for Best Crime Thriller
Capital Crime Debut Author of the Year 2019
__________

'A literary sensation'
Guardian

'A bombshell of a book... Sharp, explosive, hilarious'
New York Times

'Glittering and funny... A stiletto slipped between the ribs and through the left ventricle of the heart' Financial Times
__________

When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber…

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My 3rd favorite read in 2025

The Spy Coast

By Tess Gerritsen ,

Book cover of The Spy Coast: A Thriller

Wolf Bahren ❤️ loved this book because...

This plot about aging CIA folks attempting to live a normal retirement but getting sucked into a mystery in their quiet Maine town seemed plausible to me. The premise also provided a nice way to lighten up what could otherwise have been a very heavy story, as it seemed to me the absolute worst couldn't happen in the end. I enjoyed the flashbacks to the old spy's former life in Europe.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Story/Plot

  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it

  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace
The Spy Coast

By Tess Gerritsen ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Spy Coast as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A retired CIA operative in small-town Maine tackles the ghosts of her past in this fresh take on the spy thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen.

Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her…

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Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Source of Deceit

By Wolf Bahren ,

Book cover of Source of Deceit

What is my book about?

Anna Jones, correspondent for the New York Daily Journal, is covering the apparent suicide of World Bank Executive Director Nou Channarong, when a key source on the story also turns up dead. Pursuing the truth—and a scoop—Anna follows a lead to Miami, where the trail points to Thailand. Meanwhile, the two deaths throw Nou's associates at the Bank into chaos, as covert operatives in Bangkok and rebels in Chiang Mai and Myanmar also scramble to adjust to the new realities. Despite threats to her life and livelihood, Anna is determined to get to the bottom of the story. Only by facing her nemesis Raven Garcia and confronting her long-distance boyfriend Viktor Simonson can she decipher the lies and the spin.

Book cover of The Peacock and the Sparrow
Book cover of My Sister, the Serial Killer
Book cover of The Spy Coast: A Thriller

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