Cozy season is setting in and the holidays are upon us, so a good read is practically mandatory. (And we highly suggest pairing a bestseller with hot cocoa.)
Fortunately for bookworms, the list of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2025 has just dropped. If you need a good story for your trek home for Thanksgiving or simply want to hibernate in your apartment with an engaging story, look no further.
Whether you’re thinking romance or sci-fi, mystery or lit fic, the list is all inclusive and offers something for everyone.
Bookmark the New York Public Library Best Books of 2025
Ready to get reading? The 2025 fiction picks are as follows:
- Audition by Katie Kitamura
- Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen
- The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien
- The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
- The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson
- The City Changes Its Face by Eimear McBride
- The Confessional by Paige Hender
- The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin
- Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
- The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
- The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from the German by Ross Benjamin
- Drome by Jesse Lonergan
- Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel
- Fair Play by Louise Hegarty
- Fresh, Green Life by Sebastian Castillo
- Heartwood by Amity Gaige
- I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness by Irene Solà, translated from the Catalan by Mara Faye Lethem
- The Jamaica Kollection of the Shante Dream Arkive: being dreamity, algoriddims, chants & riffs by Marcia Douglas
- King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
- The Last Guy on Earth by Sarina Bowen
- The Living and the Rest by José Eduardo Agualusa, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
- Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated from the Italian by Sophie Hughes
- Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
- Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
- Terrestrial History by Joe Mungo Reed
- A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera
- The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths
- Vantage Point by Sara Sligar
- The Wilderness by
And if you’re thinking of going the non-fic and poetry route, here are your options:
- The Appalachian Sea by Steve Scafidi
- Dead Girl Cameo: A Love Song in Poems by m. mick powell
- Groceries by Nora Claire Miller
- I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always by Douglas Kearney
- The Afterlife of Malcolm X: An Outcast Turned Icon’s Enduring Impact on America by Mark Whitaker
- The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland by Michelle Young
- The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers’ Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda by Nathalia Holt
- Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance by Ben Passmore
- Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance by Joe Dunthorne
- The End Is the Beginning: A Personal History of My Mother by Jill Bialosky
- A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children by Haley Cohen Gilliland
- The Forgotten Sense: The New Science of Smell and the Extraordinary Power of the Nose by Jonas Olofsson
- Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat
- Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black Children by Noliwe Rooks
- The Jailhouse Lawyer by Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull
- No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris
- One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
- Precious Rubbish by Kayla E.
- The True Happiness Company: How a Girl Like Me Falls for a Cult Like That by Veena Dinavahi
- Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor
According to the NYPL, a handful of the top reads are available without a wait time! As any literary lover knows, wait times at the library can be intense — especially for a highly anticipated book. According to NYPL, through December 31st, 26 e-book titles will be available for all ages, sans wait times. Get your Libby up and running so that you can start your next read!
Should you have young’uns, be sure to also explore the best book for kids and teens.