5 of Jen's Favorite Reads of 2025 So Far

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)

Every year, when it comes time to write about my favorite books of the year so far, I agonize . . . I've read SO many amazing books that I want to highlight. But, of course, this process is about curation. Given all of those books, which standouts do I want to pass along to you, the reader?

Some context: so far this year, as of today (June 12), I've read 171 books; among those, I rated 37 of those books as five-star reads. I have read some truly exceptional books this year. As I looked back at my list, remembering my reading experiences, I had some big emotional reactions, and it hurts to leave out some of those books (so I may offer some honorable mentions at the end!).

Make sure you check out Ashley's list, too!

Jonathan Blitzer's Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Jonathan Blitzer's Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis is an incredible work of nonfiction. I listened to the audiobook, read by André Santana, and learned so much about the history of this crisis. (I did, at times, regret not having read the print because there were so many passages I wanted to mark.) It is beyond relevant right now—there have been so many news stories this year (and earlier) that connected directly to the phenomena Blitzer describes.

While the book offers a zoomed-out portrait, it's the way Blitzer uses individuals' stories to drive home the real human toll. These stories are told with compassion, acknowledging the complex stories behind the news. I can't recommend it enough.

Sierra Greer's Annie Bot (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

I read this book in January, and I regret not reading it the day it released. What an amazing work of science fiction, with humanity and compassion at its center. Greer's novel, a story told by a robot girlfriend named Annie, reminded me a bit of Klara and the Sun, another favorite.

What begins as an interesting intellectual exercise in perception, as we learn about Annie's world through the limits of her experience, soon becomes an emotionally devastating story of agency and identity as Annie starts to recognize the truth behind her relationship with her owner, Doug. I listened to this book, read by Jennifer Jill Araya, and highly recommend the audiobook.

Stephen Graham Jones's The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Jones is an auto-read author for me, and I think The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is my new favorite. (His novel The Only Good Indians was a favorite in 2020.) The book shifts between several layered narratives—a contemporary story about a professor seeking tenure who finds a distant ancestor's diary; the story that ancestor, a Lutheran pastor, details in that diary; and the first-hand account told by a Blackfeet named Good Stab. (The narration, by Shane Ghostkeeper, Marin Ireland, and Owen Teale, is phenomenal.)

This is a vampire story, a novel about justice through violence, a consideration of history and the way it's told. It has moments of horror, but the speculative elements are never as horrifying as the history in which those elements are rooted. What a masterwork. And don't miss the author's note!

Zoulfa Katouh's As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

This YA novel was one of our Unabridged Podcast Buddy Read picks this year, and I was so grateful to have read it with the group. It tells the story of Salama Kassab, a teenager living in Syria during the Revolution. She's lost her family to death and imprisonment and is now living only with her sister-in-law, Layla, and Khawf, the fear that accompanies her through every moment of her day.

I appreciated the ways that Salama fights to embrace the freedom whose quest is at the center of the Revolution and the way she wrestles with the choice between staying in the country that she loves and fleeing for the safety of her loved ones and herself. The novel is compelling on both the plot and character level, challenging simple notions of the right way to live in the midst of turmoil and trauma.

Ben Shattuck's The History of Sound: Stories (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

First, I'll just say: you should listen to the audio for this one. While I have firm plans to re-read in print, the audio is an incredible experience, narrated by Ben Shattuck, Zachary Chastain, Paul Mescal, Dion Graham, Ellen Adair, Steven Jay Cohen, Jim Seybert, Dawn Harvey, Chris Cooper, Rebecca Lowman, Jenny Slate, Ed Helms, and Nick Offerman. I know!

On to the stories. These are linked short stories that cover centuries in a particular spot in the Maine woods. History is ever-present here, weaving through darkness and light, tragedy and hope, moments of cruelty and of kindness. The writing is gorgeous—I know I'll need a whole tin of book darts for the print—and I would have read a full novel about every one of the characters. I read this one for the Tournament of Books, and I was hard-pressed to choose between this collection and Percival Everett's James . . . which is saying something for anyone who knows how much I loved James!

Honorable Mentions (I can't resist!)

Laila Lalami's The Dream Hotel (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Abi Maxwell's One Day I'll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman: A Mother's Story (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Sarah Wynn-Williams's Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

#bookishfaves #unabridgedfavorites #unabridgedawards

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Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

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