Every year, to close out the year, I have identified the best books that I read throughout the year. And, turns out, these posts get the most traffic.
So, I am back at it again.
By the end of the year, I will have read 70 books during 2025.
I want to share the top books I have read across three genres and the value I have gained from reading them:
- Fiction (12/16)
- Non-Fiction (12/23)
- Business/Leadership/Self-Help (12/30)
And, in a shameless self-plug, let me recommend the book that I wrote that came out in 2025: Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation.
The Four Best Fiction Books I Read in 2025
#4: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
This was one of the first books I read in 2025, and it was recommended by a friend.
It’s set in Depression-era Kentucky and follows Alice Wright, a young Englishwoman who marries an American and moves to a small town—only to find herself boxed in by her marriage and by the expectations of the community.
As a way to break out of her box, Alice joins the packhorse library program (inspired by a real initiative), where a small group of women ride into the rugged hills delivering books to remote families. What made this book was the depth Moyes gives Alice—you really come to know her, and you can’t help but root for her as she faces an overall challenging situation and starts to find her own strength. The story blends adventure, friendship, and quiet rebellion in a way that’s both gripping and genuinely moving.
It is rated 4.29 on Goodreads.
#3: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
West with Giraffes is a fun, fast-moving road-trip novel built around a fictionalized version of a real event: two giraffes traveling from a New York port to the San Diego Zoo in 1938. The journey is packed with adventure and small-town encounters, and Rutledge does a great job keeping the pacing brisk while still letting the characters deepen along the way. Beyond the novelty of transporting giraffes across the country, the story has a lot of heart—touching on resilience, found-family dynamics, and the way a long road can change people.
It is rated 4.32 on Goodreads.
But, if I am being honest with you, comparable books that I like better than this one are Lawrence Anthony’s books (although these are non-fiction).
#2: The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
This book is the latest in the Robert Langdon series (think The DiVinci Code). Dan Brown does such a great job of telling smart suspense stories, generally weaving in interesting history or interesting cutting-edge science (which he did in this one). While I found this book really entertaining, this may be my least favorite in the series, partly because he didn’t lean on Langdon’s symbology expertise to gather clues and pull together an interesting story. I don’t think you can go wrong with this book, but I would read the other books in the series before I picked this one up.
It is rated 3.97 on Goodreads.
#1: He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon
This book came recommended as a fun road-trip book for the family, which is how we listened to it. The book starts with the main character finding himself essentially in a video game of a fantasy world, and it is about him engaging in tasks to build up his power to be a better and better adventurer. What makes this book is the fun characters and their character development. I fell in love with many of the main characters, the adventurous storyline, and the humor brought in throughout. My whole family was laughing at multiple points, and we still quote some one-liners from the book.
Because the author is having to create a new world for the reader, there are times when this feels a bit slow, but I feel it is worth it in the end, and I am told that the next couple of books really knock it out of the park.
It is rated 4.38 on Goodreads.
Best Books from Prior Years
- The Four Best Fiction Books I Read in 2024
- The Five Best Non-Fiction Books I Read in 2024
- The Five Best Business and Leadership Books I Read in 2024
- The Five Best Self-Help Books I Read in 2024
- The Five Best Non-Fiction Books I Read in 2023
- The Five Best Fiction Books I Read in 2023
- The Five Best Business/Leadership Books I Read in 2023
- The Five Best Fiction Books I Read in 2022
- The Five Best Non-Fiction Books I Read in 2022
- The Five Best Business/Leadership Books I Read in 2022
- The Five Best Non-Fiction Business/Self-Help Books I Read in 2021
- The Five Best Fiction Books I Read in 2021
- The Five Best Non-Fiction (Other) Books I Read in 2021
