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A running ranking of the year's best books


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
Feb 84 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
Feb 35 min read


A Psalm for the Wild-Built
★★☆☆☆ A non-binary monk leaves on a journey to find themself and in the process encounters a robot who is seeking to learn what humans need.
Greg Barlin
Feb 23 min read


Among the Bros
★★★★☆ An exposé on a fraternity-led Xanax trafficking ring, focused on Greek life and the pervasiveness of benzodiazepine use at colleges.
Greg Barlin
Feb 13 min read


Foster
★★★★★ A quick 50-page read, the story of a young girl who is delivered by her father to stay with a family in a neighboring town in Ireland.
Greg Barlin
Jan 262 min read


The River is Waiting
★★★☆☆ Exploring addiction, incarceration, and the impact of tragedy on a family, the story follows a father serving a 3-year sentence.
Greg Barlin
Jan 193 min read


Deadly Animals
★★★☆☆ Set in 1981, a 14-year-old girl—whose hobbies happen to include studying roadkill—helps police investigate several murders in England.
Greg Barlin
Jan 122 min read


Sandwich
★★☆☆☆ A menopausal mother narrates her family's week at the beach on Cape Cod—their 20th in a row—while musing on the changes life brings.
Greg Barlin
Jan 64 min read
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