What We Read (and LOVED) in 2025Like this list

25 items

• The Soul of a Woman

  on Impatient Love, Long Life, and Good Witches

  Allende, Isabel,

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  Allende's inspiring story of how she carved out her space with personal empowerment, plus her research about the subjugation of women in patriarchal societies around the world, is sure to be a meaningful read to start the new year.

• Sleet Kitten

  Tilly, S. J.,

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  Hockey romances are in, and this series starter has just enough sports detail to be fun, humorous — the best friend is the best kind of outrageous — and spicy. (This definitely isn't a fade-to-black or closed-door title!)

• Hammajang Luck

  a Novel

  Yamamoto, Makana,

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  A fun sci-fi heist with some romance! This satisfying read has a super-realistic villain and an entertaining ensemble crew, perfect if you love a ragtag group coming together to take on a shady billionaire.

• Love, Loss, and What We Ate

  Lakshmi, Padma,

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  Lakshmi's memoir dives into the insecurities she felt being a successful model, host and writer; about the mistreatment she faced from men; her journey to overcome these unhealthy patterns; the stigmas of endometriosis; and shares the recipes that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Heart of Winter

  a Novel

  Evison, Jonathan,

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  The story of Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke's 70-year marriage, told in flashback while Ruth battles a medical crisis. Evison takes an opposites-attract love story and turns it into a profound portrait of marriage and life that you won't be able to put…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Everything Is Tuberculosis

  the History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

  Green, John, 1977-

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  A fascinating and well-researched book exploring tuberculosis, which continues to kill millions annually despite treatment and cures being well-known and available (but in the wrong places). Despite the topic, this book is hopeful and, oddly,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lion Women of Tehran

  Kamali, Marjan,

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  An achingly beautiful story of friendship, danger and sacrifice in Iran as the stage for the revolution is set in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The result is motherhood redefined.

• The Look

  Obama, Michelle, 1964-

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  All of Obama's classic fashions in one compilation, and the story behind her choices, from how she used her platform as the first lady to give visibility to lesser-known designers and to how each outfit represents her identity, voice and heritage.

• Braiding Sweetgrass

  Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

  Kimmerer, Robin Wall,

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  This 2013 nonfiction book, filled with Indigenous wisdom, natural abundance and reciprocity, is finding new audiences with the release of the young adult version and "The Serviceberry," a short book about abundance in nature.

• How the Word Is Passed

  a Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America

  Smith, Clint,

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  How does America teach about slavery and the enslaved? That question is explored in this powerful book, taking the reader on a journey from Monticello to Angola Prison, Galveston and New York in hopes of better understanding.

• The Bright Years

  a Novel

  Damoff, Sarah,

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  A family's trauma through substance abuse affects descending generations in this beautifully written, soulful exploration of love, boundaries and forgiveness.

• The Message

  Coates, Ta-Nehisi,

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  A searing, powerful nonfiction reflection in three essays on the cultural repetition of racism and marginalization, tinged with the hope of people finding their way back.

• Cloud Cuckoo Land

  a Novel

  Doerr, Anthony, 1973-

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  This outstanding and sweeping story starts in 15th-century Turkey, moves to present-day Idaho, and then takes off to the stars in the near future, connecting five people unexpectedly while delivering a love letter to libraries and the power of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Names

  Knapp, Florence,

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  Beautifully written debut novel — dealing with domestic violence and its impact — of how lives might change simply because of the name a child is given.

• The Correspondent

  a Novel

  Evans, Virginia, 1986-

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  A woman's life, loss, triumphs and friendships unfurl in this delightful story comprised entirely of the letters she writes and receives.

• My Friends

  a Novel

  Backman, Fredrik, 1981-

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  A beautifully written tale of four childhood friends who lift each other up during their darkest days and encourage dreams of safety, love and discovery, and then find ways to extend that care to a different generation.

• The Berry Pickers

  a Novel

  Peters, Amanda,

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  The disappearance of a 4-year-old Indigenous girl in rural Maine has a reverberating impact on her family in this beautifully written book exploring identity, trust and relationships.

• Strong Ground

  the Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit

  Brown, Brené,

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  Another deep and witty exploration of daring leadership, insightful perspectives and accessible tools from this master sociologist. As with her other books, Brown narrates the audiobook.

• What We Can Know

  a Novel

  McEwan, Ian,

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  Set a hundred years from now in postapocalyptic England, a scholar studies the journals and other writings of a literary couple hoping to find a lost poem from 2014. An unusual and highly effective lens for viewing the constants in life: love and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Junie

  a Novel

  Eckstine, Erin Crosby,

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  The brutal lived experiences of enslaved people in the pre-Civil War South are on full display, complete with love, loss, anguish and ambitions. Also, a ghost!