The 2025 Book Awards
- Kendall Carroll
- Jan 2
- 20 min read
Welcome to the 2025 Book Awards! I'm your host, Kendall, and I'll be bringing you through all of my favorite books and story elements of the year.
If you've been around, you'll know that this is tradition I started many years ago, but it's my second time posting (see 2024 here). This year, I read a whole lot more books (we'll get to that later), so compiling them all into one awards show was more difficult than I expected. At the end of the day, though, I'm just blessed by success, because having that many books with stories, characters, and writing that I loved this much is not a bad thing. Hopefully you can get some recommendations here for your own reading this year.
Heads up: I try not to spoil anything outright, but if you want to go in completely blind, my linked reviews will be safe.
The Rules
Books only get a spot in one category when possible (Remember, this is a recap. I want to try to include as many books as possible, not just That One Book. Of course, this isn't a perfect system, and these rules are self-imposed, so some things may show up a couple times.)
Awarded books are new books, not rereads, unless otherwise specified (If I only included my favorite books of all time, there'd be no point to this, because the same books/characters would win every year. If I'm using repeating characters, the author has to have released a new book with them.)
I will link my full reviews to books when applicable
(I don't post a review of every single book I read, although I did for a lot of them. If a review is available, you'll be able to click the title to see it.)
Table of Contents
Book of the Year:
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
This award is based on my Book of the Year Bracket (you know, like March Madness brackets). I have a confession, though: I've known the winner for the entire year. This book captivated me from the first pages, so it's no surprise that it won, even up against such a tough bracket.
Best of the Best:
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
...And Honorable Mentions:
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The Wedding People by Alison Espoch
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
(Look, I know that's kind of cheating, but I had a lot of 5 star books this year. This isn't even all of them. As I said — blessed by success.)
Best Book Club Pick:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
I mean, of course. It feels silly to call it a fun read when it was actually emtionally devastating, but I really enjoy when Collins brings us back to this universe. Also, Haymitch offered us a lot of interesting and timely commentary. Just an excellent book.
Best Re-Read:
The King of Infinite Space
by Lyndsay Faye
Forever and always. I love this book, I love the characters, I love the writing, I love that it's a retelling of Hamlet, I love everything about it. If I could read this book monthly I would. It would be hard to dethrone this one.
Best Series Pick:
by Richard Osman
We had a rocky start with this one, although I suspect that was more on me than the book, but I really enjoyed this series. The sense of humor is excellent, the characters are very engaging, and the mysteries are interesting and well done.
Best Goodreads Giveaway Pick:
by Delphine Seddon
I'm usually not a fan of books I receive as Giveaways, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's certainly not perfect, and I had some problems with the ending, but overall it did a good job of standing on its own. Even if it did arrive basically uncut.
Best Translated Book:
Anxious People
by Fredrik Backman
The title of this book makes me very qualified to enjoy it, and I really did. Seeing all the random people be brought together through chaos and heartache was really meaningful. Also, I love Backman's writing style.
Best Short Story:
Abscond
by Stuart Turton
This book got to me in a way that really shocked me. The friendship between the main boys was incredibly touching, and I liked the way it explored human connections. It's a very short read, but very impactful.
...recommend to others
Project Hail Mary (by Andy Weir)
Just because I love a book doesn't mean I want to recommend it to everyone, but I really see why Project Hail Mary is so universally beloved. There's a lot to fall in love with in this book (and most of it is the characters). It has science if that's what you're into, but it's not overpowering. It's funny, it's clever, and it's full of heart. I think most people could find something they enjoy in it.
...re-read immediately once acceptable
If We Were Villains (by M.L. Rio)
This was one of my earliest reads this year, and I've thought about it almost daily since then. I devoured it back in January, and I'm really eager to revisit it. Also, I think the story will be interesting to see once you're already familiar with the twists.
...make you cry
A Man Called Ove (by Fredrik Backman)
There are a lot of emotions in this book. Obviously, because it's all about death, grief, and acceptance. But the thing that got me with this book was the relationships between the characters. Watching them warm up to one another, despite everything, was incredibly touching.
...read in one sitting
Not Quite Dead Yet (by Holly Jackson)
I didn't want to put this one down once I started it. Jet is on a time crunch that pulls you through the story. I had to know what happened and what WOULD happen. The high stakes and tension make this a very easy book to burn straight through.
...be a good movie/TV show
The Wedding People (by Alison Espoch)
The location of this book (a rich and fancy hotel right next to the beach) would be really cinematic, especially when you can frame it next to Regular Life. Also, I think the drama and excitement of it all would translate really well to the screen. In fact, somebody get on that for 2026.
...be thrown across the room
Yellowface (by R.F. Kuang)
I tend to find Kuang's writing a bit heavy handed, and while Yellowface is not a complete exemption, I did find June to be an incredibly effective character. I mean, she's awful. Every time you think she's done her worst, she does something else. This book is rage-enducing, as intended, and Kuang executed it perfectly.
Most Unique Book
To Be or Not To Be
by Ryan North
Who reads Hamlet and thinks that it would be a good choose-your-own-adventure? A genius, apparently. This is hilarious, and it's a surprisingly genuine interpretation of the play. And you don't see too many chooseable-path adventures these days, which I think is a missed opportunity.
Most Engaging Message
by Steven L. Peck
I love stories about defiant, slightly-pessimistic hope, so I really loved this book. It's short and sweet but packed with things to think about. The characterization of hell and the characters was deeply impactful.
Most Memorable
by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Sorry, I know, I'm breaking my repeating rule, but I cannot express to you how successful this book was at burrowing itself in my brain. It's a fascinating concept with characters that draw you in and captivate you.
Most Quotable
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
Babel was not my favorite book ever, and I think it had a lot of flaws with its storytelling, but you'll never catch me doubting Kuang's ability to write beautiful prose. Some of my favorite passages of the whole year came from this book, to the point where it almost made up for every plot issue.
Breakout Star
Voice Like a Hyacinth (by Mallory Pearson)
This is the second book I read this year, and it was an Amazon First Read (which are not always great). I can see the ways in which it's derivative of other stories, but I really enjoyed it. I liked the tragedy and drama, and the atmosphere was really engaging. I was shocked by how much of an impact it left on me.
Hidden Gem
Tartufo (by Kira Jane Buxton)
I know part of the reason this isn't super popular is because it's very new, but I can't believe I've not heard anyone talk about this one. Someone must love it, because the library had a special Lucky Day copy of it, but it should have more fans. Centered on a truffle and the chaos it brings, this story is so unique and funny.
Best 2025 Release
Sunrise on the Reaping (by Suzanne Collins)
I had a lot of beloved series release a new book this year, but it's hard to compete with the Hunger Games. If Collins writes it, I will read it and love it. That's just the reality of things.
Best Hamlet Retelling
Smile and Be a Villain (by Yves Donlon)
I read 15 different versions of Hamlet this year (that includes the original), and I was really impressed with how this one breathed new life into the story. It found a good balance of respecting and loving the original while also finding its own legs to stand on.
Best Main Character
Joyce (from The Thursday Murder Club)
Maybe it's a little cheating to pick someone from an ensemble cast, but I found Joyce really endearing. Unlike many funny characters, she was able to be both human and humurous. Her approach to life, murder, and friendship made her a very engaging character for this series.
Best Supporting Character
Mosscap (from A Psalm for the Wild-Built)
I love this robot. It carried the duology for me. I loved how it offered a unique perspective for both Sibling Dex and me, the reader. It was personified without being too humanized, as well as being very funny to read.
Best Love Interest
James (from If We Were Villains)
Okay, I'm cheating again, and I get it, but it's my Awards Show. Is James really a love interest? No, but the love that Oliver has for him is critical to the plot. Plus, I believe the best love stories are hidden in tragedy. James' big heart and everything he'll do protect it carries the book.
Best Antagonist
The Prophet (from Station Eleven)
I loved the position that the prophet held in this book as both mythical and man. He's a fascinating character with a lot to unpack. He's a timeless villain that can be perfectly understood even after so much time has passed since his publication.
Best Overall Plot
Project Hail Mary
The stakes have literally never been higher than they are in this book, and it's handled so well. A world-altering conflict — a galaxy-altering conflict, really — is made to feel both untouchably intimidating and deeply personal. Plus, watching the characters develop together and unpack the truth about life is both touching and heartbreaking.
Best Plot Twist
A good plot twist should be shocking and understandable, and it should be able to recontextualize the book as your originally saw it. While this book's plot twist is maybe not what you'd expect, it is an example of great writing. But I really can't say much about it here, because you should read it for yourself.
Best Murder
Jet (from Not Quite Dead Yet)
I'm no scientist, so I don't know how accurate this book would be, but what a phenomenal murder! Not for Jet, of course, but for the rest of us it was great. Being killed on a delay, allowing you to investigate your own murder, is fascinating and horrifying and made for a really good story.
Best Detective Solving
Piranesi (from Piranesi)
Piranesi is not a typical detective, but I found it very powerful to watch him face such a daunting unknown and still chase it to its conclusion. While he's not investigating in the expected sense, he plays the role very well.
Best Rivalry
Jazz and Rudy (from Artemis)
Honestly, I write these categories without any books in mind, and I ended up not having many true rivalries. But these two were funny. I liked how their dynamic allowed for trust when it was necessary while still maintaining that inherent rival attitude.
Best Character Development
Less (from Less)
Less goes on quite the journey, but literally and figuratively. While it's not the flashiest character development of the year, I really enjoyed watching him grow to accept himself as he is. It's a very well-written arc where you can't help but root for this awkward little guy.
Best Sense of Humor
Wyrd Sisters
Terry Pratchett is a masterful writer and should be the blueprint for humorous writing. This book was full of humor and wit, which is what made the world as compelling as it was. The dialogue was funny without making characters feel like caricatures. The effectiveness of the sense of humor is also what made the more serious moments hit as hard as they do.
Best Atmosphere
Hot Wax
I felt like I was right in the middle of the grunge of this book. I could practically smell of sweat and smoke and alcohol and heat, and I could feel the chaotic crowds and gross strangers. This book wasn't perfect, but the vibe was absolutely captured and perfectly conveyed.
Best Romance
Red and Blue (from This is How You Lose the Time War)
Have I yet impressed upon you how much I adore this book? This is the best love story of the year for me, because they loved so hard and fully that their love was able to basically bend space and time. I adore the way they adore each other.
Best Friendship
Tova and Marcellus (from Remarkably Bright Creatures)
It's one thing to make a new friend, but it's another thing to cross a species divide to learn to trust not only one another but also other people. Their relationship, while unusual, is built on a mutual respect that many humans would probably lack, and it's really remarkable (haha) to watch them grow together.
Best Prose
This book is a masterclass in literature. Agnes' grief was palpable, and that will be the thing that stands out to you first, but everything about this book was beautifully written. There were multiple times while reading that I had to stop and be stunned with how amazing the writing actually was.
Best Use of Page Count
Had this story been any shorter or longer, it wouldn't have been as good. El-Mohtar knew the story she was trying to tell and did with an expert attention to fine detail. Knowing what to say, the best way to say it, and what to leave out can be difficult for authors, but El-Mohtar makes it look easy.
Disclaimer: This is the hater section. I'm going to be a little mean here. If you don't want to see me being mean about books that were badly written, maybe don't read this section. If authors don't want bad reviews they should write better books.
Least Favorite Book:
Hamlet's Father by Orson Scott Card
Every time I think about this book, I get angry again. In at least the last two years, it is my own 1/10 (yes, that's half a star). It's a stain on the legacy of Orson Scott Card and is embarrassing to be associated with Hamlet. The only thing that makes this book slightly better is knowing that nobody else is reading it.
Least Favorite Book Runner-Ups:
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
Everyone is Lying To You by Jo Piazza
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Worst Protagonist:
Rosaline (A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd)
I hated everything about this girl. I tend to have very little trust in romance protagonists anyway, and maybe that's not fair, but Rosaline (and all the others) somehow underperformed at even my lowest expectations.
Worst Antagonist/Villain:
Falling by TJ Newman
I don't remember any actual details about these characters, but I do remember that they're just blatant stereotypes of Scary Middle-Easterners. Authors who rely on low-hanging fruit (in this case, the fear of Muslims post-9/11) are just being lazy, and there's no grace to be given there. Even if you do try to give them a half-baked sense of nuance.
Most Unnecessary Romance:
Ophelia and Horatio (Ophelia by Lisa Klein)
There will never be a good reason to pair these two characters together. Not like this. They both love Hamlet too much. But more importantly, it was a poor choice thematically. Ophelia manages to escape the oppression of men in her life only to be brought right back into it. Let her be independent if this is how you're trying to tell the story.
Most Disappointing Book:
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards
I was looking forward to this book for months only to be brought down so hard. This book was directionless with a messy and chaotic conclusion that felt undeserved and easy. All of the mysteries you're invited to "play along" with are nonsense, and the main plot isn't much better.
Most Forgettable:
Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea
I remember having read this book and disliking it, but I couldn't tell you why. This book was so bland and uninteresting that out of the many book I've read this year, it's the only one where I genuinely struggle to tell you anything about the plot or characters.
Most Boring Plot:
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
Hamlet the play, while well-loved for its drama and action, can also be known as a yap-fest. You have all the characters, but particularly Hamlet and Polonius, interrupting the action with their longwinded contemplations or monologues. So why, if you're adapting the story of Hamlet, would you take out all the interesting stuff and leave us with just Hamlet who will not shut up about random, unrelated nonsense?
Worst Ending:
Follow Me by Elizabeth Rose Quinn
The ending of this book might as well be an entirely different story. Having an abrupt switch between uneasy thriller and goofy slasher would be jarring even if it were executed well. Alas, Follow Me was not.
For those of you who are nosy, like me, and like the numbers and to listen to me yap: this part is for you. There's no specific books here, but if you're curious how my year wrapped up, feel free to check it out.
Total Books Read:
This year, I read 150 books, which comes out to 43,281 pages. My goal for this year, and for every year, was 52 books. I learned a long time ago that trying too hard to read a specific amount of books takes all the fun out of it; I’m not reading because I enjoy literature, I’m reading to reach a goal. I’m rushing through books, I’m cramming in short stories that I don’t care about, and I’m just not giving enough appreciation to the art of literature.
But this year, everything changed. I got a library card.
My reading went up rapidly because I suddenly had so many more books at my disposal that I actually wanted to read. And while I wasn’t finding a ton of 5 star reads, I was also able to pick up so many books that I was genuinely excited to read instead of riffling through my shelves for whatever can pass as entertaining. I read so many books because I was excited about reading.
Until December. At the end of November, it became clear to me that I could very sensibly reach 150 books by reading just 19 more, and I was going to do it. I did, and I’m very proud of the fact that I was able to accomplish it. But I didn’t enjoy reading that month. I felt rushed. I was more focused on effectiveness than joy. I actively waited on some books because I knew that if I read them in January, I’d like them more. And that’s just not in the spirit of things.
If I get close to 150 again, I will be very proud of myself. But I stand by the fact that reading goals are fake and, for many people, detrimental to the actual goal: enjoying books.
More Totals:
Out of the 150 books I read this year, only 7 of them were re-reads. Normally this number is much higher, but I had so many other options available to me that I didn’t even feel like I had the time. I definitely enjoyed reading more new books, but I want to be better about allowing myself to revisit more favorites.
I also read 12 books with my friend Izzy and 5 audiobooks.
I was surprised to learn that I only read 18 short stories (for my purposes, “short story” is anything under 100 pages and “novel” is anything longer). That means 88% of the books I read this year were full novels. Sure, some of them were shorter, but I really felt like there would end up being more short stories than there actually were.
I read 78 library books, which is a little more than half, and that makes no sense to me. My math says I only paid for 19 books. Where did I get the others? I literally don’t know.
My most read genre was mysteries with 38 books. In second place was literary fiction with 19, and in third was thriller/horror with 17. None of this is particularly surprising to me. I did manage to read at least one book in each category that I have. Other than mystery, it’s not that bad of a distribution. I have clear favorites, but I’m happy with the amount of variety that I have.
The rest of the statistics that I usually track looked very different than I expected them to when I started. I read far more books digitally than physically because my library card is only a digital one, but I also find it easier to read at night with a tablet, and that’s when I’m usually reading. I also read mostly adult books (as opposed to YA or the occasional Middle Grade) because I was able to pick from the full range of the Austin Public Library. I was previously reading a lot of YA because that’s what I had available to me on my bookshelves that I curated when I was a teen.
Page Count Totals:
As I said earlier, I read a total of 43,281 pages. That is about double the amount of pages I read last year, which works out since I read about double the amount of books.
On average, the books I was reading were 288.54 pages. If you take out short stories (under 100 pages), then the average goes up to 319.9 pages. Short stories have an average of 49.3. I have conflicting feelings about this. I don’t feel stuck reading pages around 300-400 pages. In most cases, I’d argue that’s the right amount of pages. But I did have the “150 book” sword hanging over me all year, so it begs the question: was I avoiding books that were shorter in order to make my reading goal? I don’t think so, but I don’t like the idea of it.
The month where I read the most pages was in March, with 4,621 pages. However, the highest average was May at 385.5. This is because of one outlier in particular (also my longest book of the year), and, interestingly, this is also my lowest rated month, but I’ll get more into that later.
My longest book was, somehow, The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera. I didn’t even like it, but it was 707 pages. And yes, it was too long.
The shortest book I read is complicated. Obviously, the shortest book I read will be a short story, and this year it was The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee — it was only 20 pages and actually very good. But, to be fair, we should be looking at the shortest “full” book that I read, which is, technically, Floriography by Jessica Roux. It is a guide to Victorian flower meanings, it barely counts as a book, and it’s 102 pages. So besides both of those, the shortest real long book I read was A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck at 104 pages.
Total Ratings:
For the sake of this graph, each point is half a star. So, a 10/10 book is 5 stars, 9/10 is 4.5, and so on.
My average rating this year was 6.6/10 (a little over 3 stars), which continues my trend of ratings getting lower. I was actually really surprised by this, because I read a lot of great books this year. I suppose I also just read a lot of bad books.
I had a lot more books rated 7/10 and 3/10, and that is not surprising to me at all. Those are both my defaults. If I liked a book a little more than average but it’s not a favorite, it’s 3.5 stars. If I disliked a book but it wasn’t technically the worst thing ever, it’s 1.5 stars. This year, though, I was a lot more generous with my 3s compared to my 2s. Despite the increase in books, I had more 2/10 books last year.
I think what happened was that my tastes neutralized. Normally, when I’m reading less books, I feel very strongly about each one that I read. Now, a lot of them are just fine. I had more examples of books that were both exceptionally great and awful, which made most books just kind of fine or bad.
When I started planning my wrap-up, I really wanted to find the rating averages for all the different kinds of books I read (library, Amazon First Reads/Giveaways, paid, etc), but the math for that is daunting. What I will say is that I got pickier throughout the year. I stopped reading random free books and prioritized books I actually wanted to read. It’s not a perfect system, but, moving forward, I’m keeping the strategy.
My highest rated month was July with a 7.5/10. I don’t think there’s any real reason for that other than I got lucky. Similarly, my lowest rated month was May with 5.2/10, and I don’t think there’s a reason for that other than bad luck.
Other Interesting Facts:
This year, I was interested in seeing how my ratings broke down roughly by publication year. With the increase of AI and the decrease in general quality, I wanted to see how I actually felt about books now compared to books in the past. These are the totals for each section of years and the average ratings:
2020s: 103 books // 6.5
2010s: 26 books // 6.8
2000s: 9 books // 6.2
1900s: 7 books // 7.4
1800s or before: 5 books // 7.6
So I learned a lot of things from this. First, I read a lot of books released in the last five years. I’m baffled by that. I would’ve sworn to you that I was at least more in the 2000s-2010s. I don’t know if this is a thing that matters to me (ultimately, as long as I like the books, who cares when it comes out), but it is interesting to learn.
Also, apparently my ratings do go up for books further in the past, but not by enough to see a notable difference. Especially when you account for the fact that four of the five books from the 1800s or before were already rated 7, and the other one was Hamlet, which is a 10. Of course that’s going to have a higher rating. And that’s going to be pretty consistent, because what am I going to do? Read The Odyssey and tell you it’s bad? It’s fine, it’s The Odyssey.
The other big change this year is that I actually did DNF (did not finish) some books. I don’t like doing it, but since I had so many books available to me, I figured it was okay to do. I didn’t track it at all, though, which I’m going to do next year.
I’ve said it many times at this point, but I don’t like doing numbers goals for reading. Most adults in America barely read, so I believe that any reading is important. I always give myself the goal of 52 books, because it’s very easy for me to read one book every week, and any more than that is a happy bonus. I always read more than that anyway, but it was a surprise to go from 74 to 150. But, as I’ve said, I really don’t want to do that again. I want to give all the books that I read the attention they deserve. Sure, I’ll still read most things very quickly, but I’m not going to be worried about “taking too long.” I bought Pride and Prejudice months ago and never read it because I was worried it would delay my reading of other books too long, and that’s crazy! Officially, my goal is back to 52, but I wouldn’t mind hitting 100 again.
On that note, I’m also going to plan intentionally to read more books that are longer. Arbitrarily, let’s say over 500 pages.
I also still want to read more foundational literature. I mentioned Pride and Prejudice, but I’m woefully uneducated in other books like that. Although, to give myself credit, I did do some of that this year, with such hits as The Odyssey, King Lear, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The problem is, my desire to read books I know I’ll love is sort of at odds with this goal. Balance is important, I suppose.
The library has really changed the game. This year, I’m not picking up every stray book that I can and forcing myself to read it. I’m getting most of my books for free, so I don’t have to settle. In 2026, I’m going to be very intentional with the books I read, and there’s no room for nonsense Amazon First Reads on there.
One of the other things I’ve done this year is hunt down as many Hamlet retellings as I can. I still have some on a list, but ultimately I read 15 different versions of this play. While they’re not all good, I did really enjoy it. I’m going to keep chasing Hamlet, but I’m going to look at all other retellings. There’s something fun about seeing how other people interpret these stories.
As much as I can and will complain about how things got away from me at the end of the year, I actually had a really great time reading this year. I’ve read so many books that I never would have, and I’ve found some all-time favorites. I mean, 14% of the books I read were 5 stars. That’s crazy! In 2026, my main goal is to have that kind of success again. Just … better.
Happy New Year, and Happy reading my friends!
From yours truly,
Kendall
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