In a hard year—and when, recently, have we had one we’d consider easy?—books can be a lifeline and a balm, a place to retreat and regain our grounding. Among the many entertaining, delightful, poignant, and treasured new works of fiction and nonfiction that were published this year, the very best offered fresh perspective and a strong voice to cut through the noise. S.A. Cosby and R.F. Kuang took us on high-octane journeys that blended genre thrills with literary impact. Miriam Toews and Yiyun Li probed grave personal losses, offering insights from the edge of grief. Katie Kitamura and Lily King put relationships under a microscope, examining how, and how thoroughly, the bonds we create can shape us. Taken together, the books on this list show narrators real and imagined grappling with some of life’s greatest challenges, and nevertheless surviving—as timely and valuable a message as readers can ask for. Here, the 10 best books of 2025. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] 10. A Truce That Is Not Peace, Miriam Toews Miriam Toews’ first book of nonfiction in more than 20 years begins with a fictionalized premise: she is asked, in advance of a literary festival in Mexico, to consider the question, “Why do you write?” And she finds it so impossible to conjure an answer that will satisfy the event’s director that her appearance is canceled. This momentary obstacle, an amalgamation of real experiences, becomes a rich, long-term project. In A Truce That Is Not Peace, the acclaimed Canadian author meanders through her…
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
