2025 – A Year in Novels

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

1. John L Parker Jnr – Once a runner 
2. Tara June Winch – The Yield
3. Ian McEwan – The Innocent
4. Delia Owens – Where the crawdads sing
5. Peter Goldsworthy – Three Dog Night
6. John Boyne – The Echo Chamber
7. John Boyne – Water 
8. William Kent Krueger – This Tender Land
9. Peter Goldsworthy – Minotaur
10. Peter Goldsworthy – Keep it simple stupid
11. Han Kang – We do not part
12. Claire Keegan – So late in the day
13. Colm Toibin – The Master 
14. William Boyd – Waiting for sunrise. 
15. Peter Goldsworthy – Wish 
16. Colm Toibin – The Blackwater Lightship
17. Henry James – Washington Square
18. John Boyne – Fire
19. Don Carpenter – Hard Rain Falling
20. William Boyd – The New Confessions
21. Pip Williams – The Dictionary of Lost Words
22. Richard Ford – The Sportswriter. 
23. Callan Wink – Beartooth
24. Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451
25. Carmen Mola – La Novia Gitana (español)
26. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
27. David Lodge – Changing Places
28. James Patterson – Private Down Under
29. John Boyne – Air
30. Emma Williams – Its easier to reach heaven than the end of the street. 
31. Joanna Rakoff – My Salinger Year
32. Elmore Leonard – Riding the rap
33. Michael Chabon – The Final Solution 
34. John Boyne – All the broken places
35. Javier Castillo – El Cuco de Cristal (español)
36. Paul Auster – Man in the dark
37. John Niven – O Brother
38. Ian McEwan – What we can know 
39. Louise Erdrich – The Night Watchman
40. Robbie Arnott – Dusk
41. William Boyd – The Predicament 
42. Lucy Maud Montgomery – Anne of Avonlea
43. Jay Mcinerney – Bright lights, big city 
44. David Grann – Killers of the Flower Moon
45. Taylor Jenkins Reid – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
46. Daniel Alarcón – At night we walk in circles 
47. Iain Ryan – The Strip
48. Mark Hoppus – Fahrenheit 182