And that is a wrap! 2025 is in the books. Thank you, 2025, for all the memories and the lessons you’ve taught me. We’ve successfully completed a 365-day revolution around the sun. But as the old adage goes, with every end comes a new beginning. 2025’s conclusion comes with the opening of a new door. We are provided with 12 new chapters, each accompanied by 365 blank canvases, upon which to paint new memories. I hope that we will paint these pages with memories that we will cherish for a lifetime, may it be with the people we love or all by ourselves.
As has been the tradition in the past few years, I will be kicking off the new year by looking back to the previous year, its hits, and of course, its mishits. It is also an opportunity to take a glimpse of how the coming year is going to shape up. This book wrap-up is a part of a mini-series that will feature the following:
- 2025 Top 20 Favorite Books
- 2025 Book Wrap Up
- 2025 Reading Journey by the Numbers
- 2025 Most Memorable Book Quotes (Part I)
- 2025 Most Memorable Book Quotes (Part II)
- 2025 New Favorite Authors
- 2025 Beat the Backlist Challenge Wrap-up
- 2026 Books I Look Forward To List
- 2026 Top 26 Reading List
- 2026 Beat the Backlist Challenge
For the fourth year in a row, I was able to complete at least 100 books. It still feels surreal considering how this has been a lifetime dream of mine. After 2022 – the first year I managed to cross the three-digit mark – I thought I would never be able to replicate the feat. Lo and behold, I was able to achieve the same in 2023, 2024, and 2025. I even set a record in 2023 when I read 130 books, my most prolific reading year to date. Never in my imagination did I think that I would ever achieve this goal. In 2025, I completed 119 books, ten books short of my 2024 total. Still, it was a memorable one. I was able to read the works of 115 writers, 58 of which were new to me. Several new-to-me writers left deep impressions, making me want to explore their oeuvre more. In this wrap-up update, I will be featuring writers who gave me some of the most memorable reading experiences I had in 2025. Happy reading!
Author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 to April 11, 2007)
Nationality: American
Books Read This Year: Slaughterhouse-Five
Books I Am Looking Forward To: God Bless You, Mr Rosewater, Breakfast of Champions, Cat’s Cradle
I am kicking off this list with a name I have long been looking forward to. Through must-read lists, I was introduced to Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Had it not been for these said lists, I would have never bothered with his works. Of his works, one came in highly recommended: Slaughterhouse-Five. I acquired a copy of the book pre-pandemic, but like most of my books, it was left to gather dust on my bookshelf. In 2025, I included it on my 2025 Top 25 Reading List. All that waiting was worth it. It has always baffled me why Slaughterhouse-Five was tagged as a work of speculative fiction when the synopsis described a work of war fiction. It then dawned on me why, when I read the book. A homage to the city of Dresden, the novel was, in a way, Vonnegut Jr.’s confrontation of the destruction he personally witnessed. Experimental yet ambitious, Slaughterhouse-Five was a literary treat, a unique experience. Delving into the atrocities of war and the trauma it leaves behind, Slaughterhouse-Five, often referred to as the quintessential anti-war novel, is a literary classic deserving of all the accolades it received. This also makes me look forward to reading Vonnegut Jr.’s other works.
Author: Florwa Nwapa (January 31, 1931-October 16, 1993)
Nationality: Nigerian
Books Read This Year: Idu
Books I Am Looking Forward To: Efuru, One Is Enough
I have been expanding my foray into African literature in the past few years. However, this journey exposed how very little work of female African writers is available for Anglophone readers. Thankfully, through those that I have access to, I was able to come across Flora Nwapa. The Nigerian writer is spoken highly within African literary circles, hence my encounter with her. Thankfully, I was able to acquire a copy of her work, Idu, through an online bookseller. It was a surprise, but I didn’t hesitate to acquire the book, which I included on my 2025 Top 25 Reading List. It was everything I expected and also more. The novel provided deep insights into the role of African women within the highly patriarchal African society. I appreciate how Nwapa captured everything, including the social pressures to be conceive a child, with her unflinching gaze. It did remind me of the works of her countrywoman Buchi Emecheta; it was actually Emecheta who was my gateway to Nwapa. This memorable reading experience makes me look forward to reading more of Nwapa’s works; hopefully, I get to come across some of them.
Author: George Saunders (born December 2, 1958)
Nationality: American
Books Read This Year: Lincoln in the Bardo
Books I Am Looking Forward To: Vigil
Another book I acquired pre-pandemic, and that was left to gather dust on my bookshelf, was George Saunders’s Lincoln in the Bardo. I only heard of the book because of the Booker Prize; back then, I really had no iota of its cultural impact. Still, I was reluctant to read the book, although I can’t remember why. Apparently, Lincoln in the Bardo is Saunders’s first novel; he was an established poet. Over half a decade later, after I acquired the book, I included the book in my 2025 Top 25 Reading List. It was quite an interesting read, to say the least. Experimental, it surely is. We are placed in the Bardo, that place where spirits of the dead stay because they cannot seem to accept their fate, or are at least coming to terms with it. Among those who recently entered the Bardo was Willie, President Abraham Lincoln’s son. He perished from typhoid fever when he was eleven. The novel retells a lore of the President visiting his son’s grave a couple of hours after his death. While the President’s presence was perfunctory, the novel was tender in its exploration of grief and loss, highlighting the difference between our private and public lives. This makes me look forward to Saunders’s sophomore novel, Vigil, which is set to be released this year.
Author: Vasily Grossman (December 12, 1905 to September 14, 1964)
Nationality: Russian
Books Read This Year: Life and Fate
Books I Am Looking Forward To: Stalingrad
Here’s an interesting trivia. Before I started reading Life and Fate, I believed that Vasily Grossman was German. I guess because I acquired the book alongside some works of German writers during the start of the pandemic. But then again, it was left to gather dust on my bookshelf until I decided to lift it up from its slumber, making it part of my 2025 Top 25 Reading List. One of the first things that I noted about the book was its length. At 871 pages long, it is just three pages shorter than my longest read in 2025. Anyway, Life and Fate is often referred to as the modern version of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. I can’t say I can’t see the similarities. Life and Fate takes readers across the vast landscape of the Battle of Stalingrad during the Second World War, with members of the Shaposhnikov family as the guides across this tumultuous landscape. The tumult of the war was at the forefront of the novel, but it also explored the oppressive political climate that often stifled intellectual and scientific progress. With its expansive scope, vivid and immersive historical detail, and complex interweaving narratives, Life and Fate is a challenging but ultimately rewarding read. I hope I do get to read the other books in the Stalingrad trilogy, of which Life and Fate is the last book.
Author: Hilary Mantel (July 6, 1952 to September 22, 2022)
Nationality: British
Books Read This Year: Wolf Hall
Books I Am Looking Forward To: Bring Up the Bodies, The Mirror & the Light
It was when I was a university student that I first encountered British writer Hilary Mantel. Her novel, Wolf Hall, was ubiquitous in bargain bookstores. Without any iota of what the book was about, I simply ignored it. I would encounter it again over a decade later, but it was only when The Mirror & the Light was longlisted for the Booker Prize that I finally took notice of her renowned Thomas Cromwell trilogy, of which Wolf Hall is the first book. Actually, it has become imperative for me to read the books after learning about Mantel’s passing in 2022. With this in mind, I included Wolf Hall in my 2025 Beat the Backlist Challenge. So yes, the novel was inspired by an actual historical character who thrived during King Henry VIII’s court. It is basically a rags-to-riches to gaining extensive influence. The court of King Henry VIII came alive with Mantel’s masterful writing, with the conspiracies, the selfish ambitions, and the unending power struggles that permeate the court. Winner of the Booker Prize, Wolf Hall reminded me why historical fiction remains one of my favorite literary genres. I am now lining up Bring Up the Bodies for this year. If time permits, I just might as well read The Mirror & the Light.
Author: Xiaolu Guo (born November 20, 1973)
Nationality: Chinese
Books Read This Year: Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth
Books I Am Looking Forward To: Call Me Ishmaelle, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
I commenced my 2025 reading journey with the works of East Asian writers. My foray into Chinese literature, unfortunately, is scant at best; this is one of the drivers for this venture into East Asian literature. Among the Chinese writers who recently caught my fancy was Xiaolu Guo, although I had no idea about Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth when I acquired a copy of the book. Still, I was looking forward to what the story had in store. Anyway, the novel charted the fortunes of Fenfang, a young female film extra living in Beijing. When she was seventeen, Fenfang left her parents in the countryside, where they ran a potato farm, with no desire to return. The pursuit of success, however, proved to be an arduous journey, especially as Fenfang was navigating uncharted territories. Success was elusive. Opportunities with substantial pecuniary gains came once in a blue moon, if they even came at all. The failures, however, did not dampen Fenfang’s spirit. Meanwhile, the state’s influences created both an atmospheric and suffocating presence that dictated Fenfang’s every move. Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth is a quick read but nevertheless an engaging coming-of-age story in communist China.
Author: Eileen Chang (September 30, 1920 to September 8, 1995)
Nationality: Chinese
Books Read This Year: Half a Lifelong Romance
Books I Am Looking Forward To: The Rice Sprout Song, Love in a Fallen City
A Chinese writer I have been looking forward to is Eileen Chang. Her name immediately pops up when I research contemporary Chinese writers. In 2025, I was lucky enough to finally be able to read one of her works, Half of a Lifelong Romance, which many literary pundits and readers alike consider her magnum opus. Originally serialized in a Shanghai newspaper Yi Bao (亦報) in 1948, under the title Eighteen Springs (十八春), it was collectively published as a single volume in 1950. At the heart of the story is the trio of Manzhen, Shijun, and Shuhui. Their lives converged in pre-war Shanghai, where they worked to fulfill their dreams. As fate would have it, a romance would blossom between Manzhen and Shijun. The development of their romance was one of the novel’s strongest facets. However, their budding love affair was nipped in the bud. Family duties and traditions rose to the fore. Further, their relationship was undone by selfishness and conceit. The novel also highlights how traditions and the responsibility to adhere to them adversely impact the family members. However, a tender romance makes Half a Lifelong Romance a worthy read.
Author: Elias Khoury (July 12, 1948 to September 15, 2024)
Nationality: Lebanese
Books Read This Year: My Name is Adam
Books I Am Looking Forward To: Gate of the Sun, The Gates of the City
It is quite sad to admit that Arabic literature is a part of the literary world that I have yet to explore further. I have been redressing this in recent years. Acquiring the works of Middle Eastern writers has proven to be a challenge. However, I never miss the opportunity to acquire them when it arises. Among the latest that I have acquired is Elias Khoury’s My Name is Adam, a book that I immediately included in my 2025 reading journey. The titular Adam is Adam Dannoun, a self-exiled man working in a Middle Eastern restaurant in New York City. Through one of Khoury’s students, he was introduced to the writer. However, their friendship was cut short when a film based on Khoury’s book Gate of the Sun was shown. When Adam perished from a fire, some of his notebooks reached Khoury. Through these notebooks, we learn about Adam’s story and his aspiration to be a writer. His notebooks also provide glimpses into the history of the Palestinian cause, starting with the Nakba. The novel reminded me how I know very little about the Nakba. These details are the reasons why I appreciate this book. My Name is Adam, the first volume in Children of the Ghetto, makes me look forward to the rest of the series, and Khoury’s other works.
Author: Eiji Yoshikawa (August 11, 1892 to September 7, 1962)
Nationality: Japanese
Books Read This Year: The Heike Story: A Modern Translation of the Classic Tale of Love and War
Books I Am Looking Forward To: Musashi, Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan
Despite my extensive venture into the works of Japanese literature, I am sure that there are still sections of it I have yet to explore. Surely, 2025 made me realize this. Among the Japanese writers I added to my reading collection was Eiji Yoshikawa. The Heike Story: A Modern Translation of the Classic Tale of Love and War is a book I was not originally planning to read in 2025. But then, life happens, and I took on a different route. The Heike Story is Yoshikawa’s rendering of the timeless Heike Monogatari. At the heart of The Heike Story is the titular Heike clan, a warrior clan that thrived in twelfth-century Kyōtō, the Imperial capital. However, it was a tumultuous period, when the locus of power was unstable. Everyone, including the courtiers, was vying for influence, and caught in between the struggle are the warrior clans. Looming above the story is Heita Kiyomori, the head of the Heike clan. From the quagmires, he was able to rebuild his clan’s lost glory. In between, the novel is riddled with layers of romance, betrayal, forgiveness, and violence. The details of warrior and clan life, juxtaposed with the lack of political will of the emperors, provide glimpses of the Japan of old. It is an epic and compelling historical account.
Author: David Szalay (born January 1974)
Nationality: Hungarian, British, Canadian
Books Read This Year: Flesh
Books I Am Looking Forward To: All That Man Is
I am rounding up the list with the latest Booker Prize winner, David Szalay. Interestingly, it was only at the start of the year that I encountered the Hungarian/Canadian/British writer. His latest novel, Flesh, was one of the books many were recommending as a most anticipated 2025 release. Sure enough, the book made it to my own, and thankfully, I was able to acquire a copy of the book, and even read it before its announcement as the 2025 Booker Prize winner; it was the only book in the shortlist I read, so far. For sure, it was an interesting choice. At the heart of Flesh is István, whom we first meet as a shy and awkward adolescent living in a Hungarian housing project with his mother. His story soon turned sour when he was blamed for the death of the husband of his lover; she was married, and he was a fifteen-year-old. From Hungary, his story took him to Iraq before he finally worked his way up the London social ladder. Still, he was a man dictated by his carnal desires. He rarely speaks, although his psychological profile was painted by his interactions with the people around him. Flesh is the story of a man who it seems to not want to be there, to let life happen to him rather than making it happen. Flesh is minimalistic, and yet there is something haunting about István and his story.
Below are other books written by new-to-me writers who made my 2025 reading journey more meaningful.
Mieko Kanai, Mild Vertigo
Laila Lalami, The Dream Hotel
Heinrich Böll, The Silent Angel
Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding Village
Quan Barry, When I’m Gone, Look For Me in the East
Zülfü Livaneli, Serenade for Nadia
Tash Aw, The South
Can Xue, Love in the New Millennium
How about you, fellow reader, which authors impressed you in 2025? I hope you get to share it in the comment box, as I am more than interested in knowing your answers.
The Pine-Scented Chronicles 