Slight delay, but here is a review of all completed books of 2025. Stopping midway through Shogun and a Mitchener brick as well as 4-5 other novels slowed me down a bit. A couple of books in Spanish also took a while.
Most were read in physical form but a fair few were on the Kindle. Shoutout to certain amazing secondhand bookstores, like the ones in Belize City, Newcastle, Mexico City and the op shop near Prahran Market.
Full list below.
Book of The Year
Peter Goldsworthy – Wish
A very difficult decision. Many people would find the whole concept weird and uncomfortable, but the ambition and execution were extremely impressive. Riveting. An amazing insight into deafness and sign language, a language that I now have much more respect for. And gorillas. Aussie writers are sometimes judged harshly by fellow Australians who revere average international authors but don’t read much Australian stuff. This guy is one of our greatest, far superior to most of the famous Aussie names.
Book of The Year 2
Louise Erdrich – The Night Watchman
Sad topic, but always nice to be in the hands of a genius. Great characters, some awesome scenes (I liked the boxing ones) and an interesting insight into native American culture last century.
Book of The Year 3
Don Carpenter – Hard Rain Falling
American nostalgia. Great read.
Book of The Year 4
Emma Williams – Its easier to reach heaven than the end of the street.
Depressing. Very depressing, but a great book if you’d like some insight into the whole Palestine issue. Beautifully written by a pretty neutral observer.
Book of The Year 5
Jay Mcinerney – Bright lights, big city
Debauchery in NYC in the 80s. Belligerent, degenerate main character. If you want something to finish in 2-3 days.
Funniest Book
David Lodge – Changing Places
I am often complaining about the lack of funny modern books out there. Everything seems so serious and self-important. So I had to go back to an old David Lodge book to find something hilarious. Pleasant page-turner.
Funniest Book 2
John Boyne – The Echo Chamber
Long and super readable. Not easy to make fun of all the judgmental nitpickers and internet addicted Twitter folk out there but he did it well. Hilarious main character.
Best Bio
Mark Hoppus – Fahrenheit 182
Love Blink, so this was very entertaining.
Best Bio 2
John Niven – O Brother
Don’t usually go for Memoirs but this was a great one. Scotland always grim but funny.
Best Biographical Bio
Colm Toibin – The Master
All about the life of Henry James.
Best Young Adult Book
Lucy Maud Montgomery – Anne of Avonlea
Not usually my style. Wow. After watching Anne with an E, I downloaded this for $2 (8 books!). Incredible language, a funny, happy story, amazing main character. Worth a read over a century after being published.
Worst Book of the Year 1
Han Kang – We do not part
Book prizes are unreliable at best, but a Nobel Prize for Literature!!! No story, nothing happened for the first half of a long (felt interminable) book and then it was just boring. Sorry. Apologies to the person who had to hear me complain/criticise while suffering.
Worst Book of the Year 2
Taylor Jenkins Reid – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Sorry. I know she is a big deal and lots of people love her. Maybe I didn’t or just don’t get it, but this was a brutal experience with a fair few plot holes. Crap book.
Prizewinner – No idea why
Robbie Arnott – Dusk
Hard work. I like the minimalist style but nothing really happened.
Great writer, average book
William Boyd – The Predicament
Not sure if we needed a sequel to the last one (let alone a trilogy). Boyd is one of my heroes, but I don’t think spy novels are his thing. Especially when compared to Le Carre or Forsyth. This Gabriel Dax guy is a bit painful.
Needed an editor!
David Grann – Killers of the Flower Moon
Too long and boring.
FULL LIST
- John L Parker Jnr – Once a runner
- Tara June Winch – The Yield
- Ian McEwan – The Innocent
- Delia Owens – Where the crawdads sing
- Peter Goldsworthy – Three Dog Night
- John Boyne – The Echo Chamber
- John Boyne – Water
- William Kent Krueger – This Tender Land
- Peter Goldsworthy – Minotaur
- Peter Goldsworthy – Keep it simple stupid
- Han Kang – We do not part
- Claire Keegan – So late in the day
- Colm Toibin – The Master
- William Boyd – Waiting for sunrise.
- Peter Goldsworthy – Wish
- Colm Toibin – The Blackwater Lightship
- Henry James – Washington Square
- John Boyne – Fire
- Don Carpenter – Hard Rain Falling
- William Boyd – The New Confessions
- Pip Williams – The Dictionary of Lost Words
- Richard Ford – The Sportswriter.
- Callan Wink – Beartooth
- Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451
- Carmen Mola – La Novia Gitana (español)
- John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
- David Lodge – Changing Places
- James Patterson – Private Down Under
- John Boyne – Air
- Emma Williams – Its easier to reach heaven than the end of the street.
- Joanna Rakoff – My Salinger Year
- Elmore Leonard – Riding the rap
- Michael Chabon – The Final Solution
- John Boyne – All the broken places
- Javier Castillo – El Cuco de Cristal (español)
- Paul Auster – Man in the dark
- John Niven – O Brother
- Ian McEwan – What we can know
- Louise Erdrich – The Night Watchman
- Robbie Arnott – Dusk
- William Boyd – The Predicament
- Lucy Maud Montgomery – Anne of Avonlea
- Jay Mcinerney – Bright lights, big city
- David Grann – Killers of the Flower Moon
- Taylor Jenkins Reid – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- Daniel Alarcón – At night we walk in circles
- Iain Ryan – The Strip
- Mark Hoppus – Fahrenheit 182
Dark Dirt 
Hahaha, glad to see that Han Kang managed to defend her lead for worst book until the end of the year! 🎉
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thanks for reading mate
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