Well I haven’t read any of The New York Times Best 10 Books of 2025, created by the staff of The New York Times Book Review. But now I’ve added a few to TBR. Here is the NYT list. All links and descriptions are from Goodreads:

FICTION

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus: “The critically acclaimed author of the ‘crazily enjoyable’ (The New York Times) Whalefall returns with an immersive, cinematic novel about five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel that could hold the key to ending the war.”

The Director by Daniel Kehlmann: “An artist’s life, a pact with the devil, a novel about the dangerous illusions of the silver screen. G.W. Pabst, one of cinema’s greatest directors of the 20th century, was filming in France when the Nazis seized power. To escape the horrors of the new and unrecognizable Germany, he fled to Hollywood. But now, under the blinding California sun, the world-famous director suddenly looks like a nobody. Not even Greta Garbo, the Hollywood actress whom he made famous, can help him.”

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai: The spellbinding story of two young people whose fates will intersect and diverge across continents and years—an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss.

The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri: “Meet the Mikkola sisters: Ina, Evelyn, and Anastasia. Their mother is a Tunisian carpet seller, their father a mysterious Swede who left them when they were young. Ina is tall, serious, a compulsive organizer. Evelyn is dreamy, magnetic, a smooth talker. Anastasia is moody, chaotic, a shape-shifting presence, quick to anger.”

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood: “A deeply moving novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be ‘good’, from the award-winning author of The Natural Way of Things and The Weekend.

NONFICTION

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst: “A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book.” – Patrick Radden Keefe. The electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits.”

Mother Emanuel by Kevin Sack: “A sweeping history of one of the nation’s most important African American churches and a profound story of courage and grace amid the fight for racial justice—from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Kevin Sack”

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy: “A raw and deeply moving memoir from the legendary author of The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness that traces the complex relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, a fierce and formidable force who shaped Arundhati’s life both as a woman and a writer.”

There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone: “Through the unforgettable stories of five Atlanta families, this landmark work of journalism exposes a new and troubling trend—the dramatic rise of the ‘working homeless’ in cities across America”

Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux: “An original and revealing portrait of the misunderstood French Post-Impressionist artist. Paul Gauguin’s legend as a transgressive genius arises as much from his biography as his aesthetically daring Polynesian paintings. Gauguin is chiefly known for his pictures that eschewed convention, to celebrate the beauty of an indigenous people and their culture. In this gorgeously illustrated, myth-busting work, Sue Prideaux reveals that while Gauguin was a complicated man, his scandalous reputation is largely undeserved.”

Does anything look good to you? Of the fiction, I think I would like to read Angel Down, The Director, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, and The Sisters. Of the nonfiction, I’m interested in A Marriage at Sea and Wild Thing.

Looking for more? Check out the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2025.

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