Favorite reads of 2025

When it comes to ranking my favorite reads, 2025 was the year of Asian authors for me. Five books by three Asian authors made my top ten list. (Cixin Liu and R.F. Kuang each had two books on the list.) Another book by an Asian author (Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland) barely missed the cut. And this doesn't include R.F. Kuang's Katabasis and SenLinYu's Alchemised, both of which I plan to read in 2026. Don't be surprised to see more books by Asian authors on my list of favorite 2026 reads!

Here are my top 10 favorite books read in 2025:

1. Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins 

The Hunger Games series is my favorite YA series of all time, and the first book in the series is one of my all-time favorite books, regardless of genre. Sunrise on the Reaping comes close to recapturing the magic of that first book. What I felt from reading the latest installment in the series took me back to how I felt when I read the first Hunger Games book. I didn't want the book to end, and I yearned for more when I finished reading it. All of the accolades heaped upon this book are well-deserved, and I recommend it to everyone, even if you haven't read the other books in the Hunger Games series.

2. Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again! Atmosphere is exactly what I expected and worthy of all the hype it received. This book gets bonus points for taking us inside the life of astronauts in training and Joan's explanation of the stars, since I was once obsessed with astronomy and the space program too. Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down, and the ending was the most emotionally intense last pages of any book I've read in recent memory. I don't want to give away anything though. You have to read it for yourself, and you definitely should.

3. The Poppy War - R.F. Kuang 

The Poppy War has been on my TBR list for ages, and I'm so glad I finally read it. Based on Chinese history, in particular the Sino-Japanese War, the novel wrapped me up in its world and characters. It started as an outcast-at-school type of story, which I generally like (e.g., Harry Potter), but the second half quickly moved to a different phase of the protagonist's life. The action never slowed; it only gained momentum until the end. I appreciated the way the characters grew. For example, Rin reached a truce with her greatest rival at school, which is not something I've seen in other stories. I may not have agreed with all of Rin's actions, but she was portrayed realistically as a complex and human protagonist. This book gave me Grace of Kings vibes (possibly because both books were written by Chinese authors and based on Chinese history), which is a high compliment, given how much I love the Dandelion Dynasty series.

4. Wind and Truth - Brandon Sanderson 

What a satisfying conclusion to the first arc of the Stormlight Archive. Before reading Wind and Truth, I wondered how Brandon Sanderson would balance resolving major plot lines from the first four books while leaving enough open for the second arc. I needn't have worried. Sanderson is a genius. And he wrote a 1,300-page book that didn't bore me at all. In fact, I found myself more excited and engaged as the story went on. The only downside to finishing Wind and Truth is that I will need to wait years for Book 6.

5. The Dark Forest - Cixin Liu 

I read the Remembrance of Earth's Past series this year (a.k.a., The Three Body Problem series). Even if it wasn't my goal in 2025 to finish more series books, I'd probably have read all of the books anyway because The Dark Forest and Death's End were so good. This series has some of the most imaginative science fiction concepts I've ever read. Cixin Liu makes bold predictions about the future that are both plausible yet fantastic. In addition, the story, spanning centuries, chugs along at a good pace that kept me interested throughout.

6. Death's End - Cixin Liu 

I found the second and third books in the Remembrance of Earth's Past series to be equally good, so their places in this ranking can easily be reversed. Like The Dark Forest, the gripping story in Death's End spans centuries, and the science fiction was imaginative. Looking back on the series, as impressed as I am with the creative science, I'm also impressed with Cixin Liu's understanding of human behavior and how we are likely to act in times of crisis. I recommend this series to all science fiction fans.

7. My Salty Mary - Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows 

Every book by the Lady Janies (Lady Marys?) has been great, and My Salty Mary was no exception. I love the brand of humor that is a hallmark of the Lady Janies books, and this one had me laughing out loud while I was reading it. I breezed through this book quickly and when it ended, I wished that it hadn't. If you haven't read any of the Jane and/or Mary books, I highly recommend them. I can't wait until the next one!

8. When the Moon Hits Your Eye - John Scalzi 

The moon has turned into cheese. Once I got past the absurd premise, I was hooked by this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the ways that such a phenomenon could affect different people. Some of the stories were funny, some were touching, and some made me contemplate the current state of our non-cheese-moon world. The result is a highly entertaining book that I'd want to read again.

9. The Burning God - R.F. Kuang 

After reading this last book in the Poppy War series, I was sad that I reached the end. I wanted it to continue. In fact, the reason why this book wasn't ranked higher is because I felt like R.F. Kuang left me hanging with more left in the story. Maybe it's because I like my stories to have a happy and tidy ending. Aside from the final pages, the rest of the book was great, and I highly recommend the Poppy War series.

10. Blood Over Bright Haven - M.L. Wang 

I started hearing buzz about this book in late 2024, with some people saying it was the best book they read all year. I can see why. The themes of sexism, racism, and privilege really resonated with me, and even if they hadn't, the writing and world building and characterization would have been enough to win me over. It's been a while since I've read a novel where such flawed characters still elicited strong sympathy in me, a testament to M.L. Wang's writing skills. The main reason I didn't rank this book higher was the ending, and I won't say more for fear of spoiling it.