Top Five Books of 2025
- List of the Month
- December 2025 (see all)
- Talk
- Top Five Books of 2025
- Description
- The year is coming to an end, and our December List of the Month is dedicated to LibraryThing members' Top Five Books of 2025. Please note that books don't need to have been published in 2025, just read this year. You can see the LT Staff picks on the blog: https://blog.librarything.com/2025/12/top-five-books-of-2025/
1
- 18 Members
- brontella, sogamonk, Opinionated, atozgrl, susanbooks, BLBera, gypsysmom, Msmedea, TerriLenhart, booksbooks63, Yrrol, AnaraGuard, nankan, Fasttravel13, rocketranch, wrenphelpslib, samuelgadea, lnoffke
2
2,703 members
122 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 60.92
Added 2025-12-09, 02:14 PM
- 16 Members
- lauralkeet, mportley, alphaorder, raidergirl3, lsh63, jreeder, Copperskye, Milda-TX, Terry823, corcra, TerriLenhart, Marie-France.Leclerc, Tosta, nankan, judybon, Fasttravel13
3
3,528 members
151 reviews
½ 3.7
Score 45.4
Added 2025-12-09, 02:00 PM
- 13 Members
- Aquila, Stevil2001, kleo, SohoReader, wanderlustlover, Eat_Read_Knit, LDVoorberg, bnk, booknest, vwinsloe, Yrrol, judybon, lnoffke
- Explanations
- Aquila: Really effective approach to time travel as a woman "babysits" a man ripped from another time.
4
924 members
58 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 45.16
Added 2025-12-09, 05:31 PM
- 13 Members
- tardis, craso, Karlstar, jsburbidge, claire.rivers, merrystar, corcra, Sarielle, oceancat, eclbates, TerriLenhart, judybon, Rakketytam
5
7,296 members
258 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 37.94
Added 2025-12-10, 09:33 AM
- 11 Members
- kristenl, DetailMuse, SohoReader, labfs39, sogamonk, kristilabrie, jazabeal, Yrrol, Siobhan17, jessamiller27, lnoffke
6
1,269 members
31 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 37.83
Added 2025-12-11, 11:36 PM
- 11 Members
- Jambyfool, Ciruelo, wanderlustlover, msf59, BLBera, WendyRobyn, supernadja, ihavealife, lnoffke, BadCatBehavior, mcharlier
7
by John Green
2,127 members
75 reviews
4.2
Score 37.58
Added 2025-12-14, 04:39 PM
- 12 Members
- alphaorder, wanderlustlover, kootibkiteer, melissarochelle, gypsysmom, Kyler_Marie, followsound, nankan, ihavealife, BonneVivante, lnoffke, mkcshaw
8
- 9 Members
- Euryale, LDVoorberg, Well-ReadNeck, melissarochelle, TerriLenhart, timetunnel, DAGray08, GHA.Library, ihavealife
9
2,238 members
94 reviews
4.1
Score 29.03
Added 2025-12-09, 12:01 PM
- 9 Members
- lauralkeet, terran, LDVoorberg, njinthesun, winteralli, katemcangus, Tosta, Siobhan17, mcharlier
10
by Daniel Mason
2,521 members
117 reviews
4.2
Score 25.56
Added 2025-12-13, 10:04 AM
- 7 Members
- Milda-TX, booknest, lyzrdpye, melissarochelle, Luisali, ihavealife, BadCatBehavior
11
12
5,385 members
119 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 23.95
Added 2025-12-11, 02:06 PM
- 7 Members
- bookwoman84, Morganadrache, keeneam, melissarochelle, LaNS, ilkjen, StErasmusLibrary
13
3,771 members
111 reviews
4.2
Score 23.81
Added 2025-12-09, 12:07 PM
- 7 Members
- knerd.knitter, Karlstar, nightbyrd7, amanda4242, lyzrdpye, Yrrol, Brandy1411
- Explanations
- knerd.knitter: LitRPG! A genre I didn't realize existed! This book was a lot of fun to read for someone who's played a lot of video games. I also love Princess Donut; she's a riot.amanda4242: I snagged the first three books in the series from NetGalley and blasted through them in a couple of days. I am currently climbing up the walls waiting for book 8 to come out.
14
1,319 members
37 reviews
4
Score 22.67
Added 2025-12-09, 06:23 PM
- 7 Members
- claire.rivers, Yrrol, GHA.Library, darkloriscat, vampire.esquire, mistressofmuses, wrenphelpslib
16
- 6 Members
- wyliem, booknest, booksbooks63, Rakketytam, shimmermarie, merbes00
- Explanations
- shimmermarie: I loved the writing style and depth and I was so drawn in by the academic setting! Truly engrossing!
18
by Ed Yong
2,186 members
71 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 20.91
Added 2025-12-09, 01:06 PM
- 6 Members
- rarm, norabelle414, souloftherose, jazabeal, GHA.Library, BonneVivante
22
2,508 members
95 reviews
4.1
Score 17.56
Added 2025-12-09, 12:01 PM
- 5 Members
- BookDoc16, lyzrdpye, katemcangus, marquis784, booksbooks63
24
- 5 Members
- lyzrdpye, katemcangus, Tosta, GHA.Library, hey_judy
- Explanations
- hey_judy: Women are tough as hell even when their worlds are falling apart. A realistic portrayal of catastrophe and the state of things during one.
25
2,273 members
87 reviews
4.1
Score 16.87
Added 2025-12-13, 08:51 PM
- 5 Members
- mckait, wanderlustlover, N1na, bnk, LaNS
27
by V. E. Schwab
2,972 members
58 reviews
3.9
Score 16.44
Added 2025-12-09, 12:03 PM
- 5 Members
- g33kgrrl, ablachly, Kyler_Marie, tamste3935, frog2312
- Explanations
- ablachly: Toxic lesbian vampires, yes, without a doubt. But also delicious prose to get lost in. Humanity, and losing it. Life and rot.
28
Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend
475 members
22 reviews
4.2
Score 15.96
Added 2025-12-09, 07:25 PM
- 5 Members
- dchaikin, lauralkeet, Boand, hey_judy, BonneVivante
- Explanations
29
by Ada Palmer
282 members
5 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 15.36
Added 2025-12-09, 12:59 PM
- 4 Members
- Euryale, keristars, jsburbidge, Watry
30
9,974 members
435 reviews
4.1
Score 14.43
Added 2025-12-15, 10:45 PM
- 5 Members
- reading_fox, BonnieJune54, booksbooks63, Siobhan17, mkcshaw
- Explanations
- reading_fox: Social comment wrapped up in clever story telling.
31
351 members
19 reviews
4.2
Score 14.41
Added 2025-12-09, 08:02 PM
- 5 Members
- g33kgrrl, Storeetllr, foggidawn, Karlstar, lizzy50usa
33
- 4 Members
- tardis, Karlstar, jsburbidge, msjudy
- Explanations
- Karlstar: Another superbly well written in Kay's semi-historical fantasy series. The characters are wonderful.
35
507 members
30 reviews
4
Score 12.87
Added 2025-12-09, 01:49 PM
- 4 Members
- eo206, bookcookie1920, olegalCA, Marie-France.Leclerc
37
1,362 members
60 reviews
4.1
Score 12.12
Added 2025-12-10, 11:15 AM
- 4 Members
- Copperskye, Sarielle, olegalCA, Marie-France.Leclerc
39
1,089 members
36 reviews
4
Score 11.58
Added 2025-12-09, 02:19 PM
- 4 Members
- saskia17, msjudy, renee.bedard, Charon07
40
- 4 Members
- merrystar, lottpoet, pussreboots, shimmermarie
- Explanations
- shimmermarie: Great fantasy worldbuilding!
42
- 3 Members
- Aquila, annecm, ggnanadesikan
- Explanations
- Aquila: My favourite book of the year, and one I'm going to look forward to rereading.
43
375 members
22 reviews
½ 4.5
Score 11.36
Added 2025-12-09, 01:54 PM
- 3 Members
- CaitZ, bookcookie1920, ghm85
44
51,471 members
573 reviews
4.2
Score 10.83
Added 2025-12-30, 11:58 AM
45
by Delia Owens
20,574 members
747 reviews
4.1
Score 10.83
Added 2025-12-18, 05:38 AM
- 3 Members
- jazabeal, stephanieann1983, Onj
47
by Betty Smith
18,489 members
481 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 10.73
Added 2025-12-09, 02:08 PM
- 3 Members
- BookDoc16, BlancaMolinet, sadiehawkin
49
3,199 members
122 reviews
3.9
Score 10.73
Added 2025-12-17, 02:41 PM
- 3 Members
- Maddz, mistressofmuses, tamste3935
52
53
by Helene Hanff
6,634 members
390 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 10.4
Added 2025-12-13, 09:31 AM
- 3 Members
- multilingualmaid, SohoReader, nx74defiant
55
by Chloe Dalton
765 members
53 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 10.19
Added 2025-12-12, 07:35 PM
- 3 Members
- DetailMuse, Carpe_Librum, PaulCranswick
56
- 3 Members
- sogamonk, kootibkiteer, Charon07
- Explanations
- Charon07: I also read Bring Up the Bodies this year, which would also have made my Top 5 list if space permitted.
58
4,274 members
234 reviews
4.2
Score 10.04
Added 2025-12-10, 09:52 AM
61
- 3 Members
- booksbooks63, auldhouse, emfstreit
- Explanations
- auldhouse: A reread this year for a book club—such a beautiful story.
62
12,844 members
310 reviews
4.2
Score 9.71
Added 2025-12-09, 06:23 PM
- 3 Members
- ManWithAnAgenda, skid0612, wrenphelpslib
63
- 3 Members
- ablachly, Othemts, KeithChaffee
- Explanations
- ablachly: A coming of age story with two trans heroines, a teenager and a high school teacher. It’s wry and sharp and FUNNY and messy and fantastic.
64
9,602 members
330 reviews
4
Score 9.5
Added 2025-12-12, 09:48 PM
- 3 Members
- SohoReader, elorin, emfstreit
65
11,414 members
379 reviews
4.2
Score 8.91
Added 2025-12-11, 11:48 PM
67
- 3 Members
- tardis, pussreboots, hey_judy
- Explanations
- hey_judy: Fun and touching; robots face real world problems that we are all familiar with. Would make a good movie; in the right hands.
71
- 2 Members
- Charon07, LiterallyAdele
- Explanations
- LiterallyAdele: Not a single written word but it still made me cry. Such a beautiful story which highlights the disorientation felt by immigrants in an entirely new culture, with the added complication of a disability. And the artwork is spectacular.
72
73
645 members
28 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 8
Added 2025-12-14, 04:32 PM
75
by Tessa Hulls
207 members
11 reviews
4.2
Score 8
Added 2025-12-12, 02:27 PM
- 2 Members
- rarm, Kyler_Marie
76
78
3,600 members
110 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 7.36
Added 2025-12-16, 02:08 AM
- 2 Members
- SouthernKiwi, supernadja
80
- 2 Members
- oceancat, mistressofmuses
- Explanations
- oceancat: rip my heart out and stomp on it why don't you, martha wells
81
84
85
587 members
22 reviews
½ 3.7
Score 7.04
Added 2025-12-09, 04:45 PM
86
586 members
15 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 7.04
Added 2025-12-09, 02:44 PM
- 2 Members
- waitingtoderail, anglemark
88
89
49,667 members
1,200 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 6.83
Added 2025-12-26, 05:07 PM
95
30,688 members
493 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 6.68
Added 2025-12-30, 08:36 AM
96
11,490 members
211 reviews
4.1
Score 6.68
Added 2025-12-12, 12:42 AM
97
by Stephen King
4,307 members
100 reviews
3.9
Score 6.68
Added 2025-12-12, 12:06 AM
- 2 Members
- stephanieann1983, hey_judy
- Explanations
- hey_judy: King knows how to tell a tale…especially when the premise sounds ridiculous.
100
- 2 Members
- ReluctantTechie, LDVoorberg
- Explanations
- ReluctantTechie: A distinctive setting with an element of urgency that created suspense. Since I have walked small pieces of the Appalachian Trail, I was interested in the setting. I have also felt lost on small trails, so in a small way, I identified with the main character to a degree.