Author name: Kelly

My reading choices have been a little chaotic this year, and they certainly don’t line up with any of the best-of lists out there (although I’m glad to see Holli and I have one book in common on our 2025 roundups!). Not all of my favorite reads in 2025 were published this year (or this century — hello, Parable of the Sower), but the year produced some gems. Here are my top five books of 2025, in no particular order.

	Sunrise on the Reaping I’m used to the Hunger Games books being dark, but wow. Suzanne Collins really turned up the trauma for this one. It wasn’t an easy read — reading about the slow, painful beginnings of rebellion against a brutal fascist government feels a little on the nose just now — but it was captivating. I couldn’t put it down.
	A Drop of Corruption This is book 2 of the Shadow of the Leviathan series. The worldbuilding in these is so inventive and immersive — it is visceral, viscous, fleshy. (I don’t really want to visit that world. Too many things to infect/infest you.) Din and Ana are an off-kilter Watson and Sherlock, and book 2 exposes new aspects of their world, along with a few secrets about our two main characters that they would rather not share.
	The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam This is book 3 of — what is this series called? The Tanria series? I’m not sure. But oh my stars I love all of them, and the Rosie and Adam romance is heartwarming/heartbreaking, funny, beautiful, satisfying. I’m devastated by the notion that Megan Bannen plans to be done with the series after this book. I’M NOT DONE WITH IT, MEGAN. Where’s our Duckers book??
	Isles of the Emberdark Dragons! A dark and brooding hunter! A scrappy crew making it work against the odds! Magical birds! I’m such a sucker for B-Sand’s secret project books. The hardbacks are so lush and lovely to hold. And the stories are so good! This one is no exception. First of the Dusk and Starling are our main characters, struggling against an overwhelming enemy that threatens the entire Cosmere. (New to B-Sand’s Cosmere? You could start with this book. Or you could back up and read the 40-some books, novellas, and short stories that come before it. Your call.)
	When the Moon Hits Your Eye I love the absurd, and when John Scalzi feels like writing absurd, he goes all out. This book is straight-up weird and I’m here for it. I love astronomy. I love cheese. I love seeing asshole billionaires get what’s coming to them. Check, check, check.