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A running ranking of the year's best books


The Strength of the Few
★★★★★ The sequel to The Will of the Many sees the footprint expand from a single world into three, an ambitious choice that is impressively executed.
Greg Barlin
Feb 125 min read


The Bright Years
★★★★★ A moving generational novel that authentically captures a litany of life moments, from the highs of true love to the challenges of addiction.
Greg Barlin
Jan 112 min read


The Correspondent
★★★★★ An innovative character study in which an aging woman's life story is revealed through the letters she writes and receives from a myriad of people.
Greg Barlin
Dec 26, 20254 min read


The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest
★★★★★ A children's book about life's most difficult subject—death—told with compassion, humor and grace at a level on par (or above) any adult literature.
Greg Barlin
Dec 25, 20254 min read


Broken Country
★★★★★ A small town, a love triangle, a murder, and a trial form the foundation of this twisty, emotional novel set in mid-1900s England.
Greg Barlin
Dec 24, 20254 min read


Atmosphere
★★★★★ Filled with tragedy, perseverance, and love, the novel focuses on the fictional first women in the NASA space program in the early 1980s.
Greg Barlin
Dec 23, 20254 min read


Throwback
★★★★★ Goo's sweet time travel tale sees a 17-year-old from 2025 transported back to 1995 to try to help her own mother win homecoming queen.
Greg Barlin
Dec 22, 20254 min read


King of Ashes
★★★★★ Edgy, violent, and dark, Cosby's latest sees a successful money manager sucked into working for a sadistic gang in order to save his brother.
Greg Barlin
Dec 21, 20254 min read


Dead Money
★★★★★ Kerr's mature and tightly-plotted debut follows the murder investigation of the founder of a fictitious tech company in San Francisco.
Greg Barlin
Dec 20, 20253 min read


Wild Dark Shore
★★★★★ When a woman washes ashore on a remote island, the lone family living there nurses her back to health. But both parties have secrets...
Greg Barlin
Dec 19, 20253 min read


The Everlasting
★★★★★ A time-traveling tale that dissects the most famous legend in the land, Harrow once again creates a binge-worthy blend of fantasy and creativity.
Greg Barlin
Dec 18, 20253 min read


Dirtbag Queen
★★★★★ Sparked by a viral obituary, this unlikeliest of memoirs introduces us to the crazy Corren family and their larger-than-life mother.
Greg Barlin
Dec 17, 20254 min read


The Names
★★★★★ A mother debates what to name her son, and her three choices create three parallel timelines in this mature and solidly composed debut.
Greg Barlin
Dec 16, 20252 min read


Heart the Lover
★★★★★ A short read that explores the all-encompassing experience of young love and how it is put in perspective upon reflection later in life.
Greg Barlin
Dec 15, 20252 min read


The Silverblood Promise
★★★★★ A strong start to a new fantasy series that can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel, a roguish young man travels to a distant city to solve the mystery of his father's death.
Greg Barlin
Dec 14, 20252 min read


The Blackfire Blade
★★★★★ A worthy continuation of what started with The Silverblood Promise, Book 2 is filled with heists, mini quests, and more of everything you loved in Book 1.
Greg Barlin
Dec 13, 20253 min read


Onyx Storm
★★★★★ The most anticipated book of 2025 mostly delivers, as author Yarros continues the Empyrean series and Violet Sorrengail's evolution.
Greg Barlin
Dec 12, 20255 min read


The Boys in the Light
★★★★★ The intersecting journeys of the author's father, who survived years in WWII concentration camps, and the American soldiers who found him.
Greg Barlin
Dec 10, 20253 min read


The Death of Us
★★★★★ Nearly twenty-five years after a home invader destroyed their lives, a couple reunites to provide victim personal statements at his trial.
Greg Barlin
Dec 9, 20253 min read


Haven't Killed in Years
★★★★★ The daughter of a convicted serial killer has kept her identity a secret for 20 years, but someone has found out and is determined to expose her.
Greg Barlin
Dec 7, 20253 min read
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