The Most Inspiring Books of 2025

And what each does well. Plus a beverage and snack that fits the vibe!

Here are my top books of 2025, with quotes. All the books that made this list are beautifully written and emotionally compelling, but I’ve picked one element that each book does especially well.

6. The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das

>Builds up the intrigue of family secrets.

A family steeped in mysterious magic, and a boy growing up as a the threads of a lost culture are gradually revealed.

Finally here is a dragon story that’s not about adventure. There is no quest or no arch nemesis to fight (whew), only a protagonist wrestling with very real emotions. This is a quiet story with gossamer prose that felt more like cosy fantasy as the story unfolded in a rambling family home in Calcutta, where just below the surface of daily life waits magic. The first time Ru and his school friends taste dragonflesh, this is the aftermath:

“She got us foaming glasses of iced 7-Up and milk, which she said would help cool us down. Ranjan and Neil gulped theirs down, while I drank mine slow, letting the storm in me die out naturally, closing my eyes and feeling the flickers of light in the clouds of my eyelids, the rumbles of thunder in my stomach, the cool rain of sweat dripping down my temples, my father’s affectionate hand briefly on the scruff of my neck.The aunts and uncles were talking softly to themselves in our language, the language of our people, and it felt as soothing as tossed pebbles dancing over a stream at that moment. After the meal, we were served the Tea of Forgetfulness in little china bowls.”

For readers who like: real-world settings infused with magic, coming of age stories, nostalgia, family secrets, gentle stories that unfold without rush.

Enjoy with: a cup of masala chai and hot buttered toast smothered with mango chutney.

5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber

>A twisty plot that grabs hold and doesn’t let go

Caraval took me on a wild, thrilling, multicoloured ride through a theme-park brimming with magical artefacts where nothing is quite what it seems. I enjoyed the way Scarlet sees colours connected to emotion. In the images generated from the book I saw online, the colours seemed much darker than the vivid shades that Stephanie Garber conjured in my mind while reading.

“The following row of abandoned shops boasted a series of fantastical things. Fallen stars. Seeds to grow wishes. Odette’s Ocular sold eyeglasses that saw the future. (Available in four colours.) ‘Those would be nice,’ Scarlett muttered.Next to Odette’s a banner claimed its shop proprietor could fix broken imaginations. That message floated above bottles of dreams and nightmares and something called daymares, which Scarlett imagined she was experiencing the moment icicles formed in her dark hair.Beside her Julian cursed. Beyond several more blocks of hatbox-shaped shops, they could almost see where the smoke came from, and now it was twsiting into a sun with a star inside and a teardrop inside of the star—the symbol for Caraval. But the cold had reached into Scarlett’s bones and her teeth; even her eyelids were turning frosty.”

For readers who like being swept away by a fast-paced immersive story, riddles, puzzles and bright settings with a hint of something sinister beneath.

Enjoy with a tray bearing fig bread and cinnamon tea (as Scarlett receives in the book).

4. Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory

>Brings setting to life with vivid details.

Historical fiction from the Age of Exploration with some transcendent moments that seemed to glow off the page. I’ve read so many books about courts and royals but never one from the perspective of a court gardener. Planting gardens for powerful men, new plant specimens straight off the ships, the tulip craze sweeping the Low Countries... I really got a sense of what England and glimpses of Holland was like in those times—a whole different world. John Tradescent is a character who will grow on you slow as a flower opening to the sun—steady, dependable and level-headed when the world tilts around him.

“John Tradescent rode down the kentish lans to his old village of Meopham, where he had been expected every day for the last six years. The hedges were white with hawthorn and may blossoms, the air warm and sweet-scented. The rich green pastureland of Kent glowed lush where cattle were knee-deep in water meadows. These were prosperous times and rich fields. John rode in a daze of pleasure, the lushness of the fields and the greening of the tres and hedges acting on him as strong wine might turn another man’s head. In the hedgerows were the white floss of gypsy lace and the little white stars of meadowsweet. Through gaps in the hedges where trees had been coppiced was a sea of blue where bluebells had sprung up to carpet the floor of the forest. Ahead of him the road was drifted with tiny petals of hawthorn flower like spring snow, and at every verge the lemon-yellow flowers of primroses were stuffed into roots and nooks like nosegays in a belt. When the road wound through meadowlands, John could see the light yellow of cowslips nodding as the breeze ran across the grasses; they put a veil of gold over the green as a woman might toss a shawl of gold net over a green silk gown.…John was not deliberately plant-collecting, but his awareness of every small budding orchid, every flowering nettle, every thick clump of violets in purple, white and even pale blue, was not something that he could ever ignore. By the time he had ridden into Kent, his hat band and his pockets were stuffed with shoots and soft damp trailing roots, and he felt himself wealthier than his own lord because he had riden for days through a treasure chest of colour and freshness and life, and come home with his pockets stuffed with booty.”

For readers who like stories with strong emotions based on the lives of real people, themes of loyalty, family and positive growth.

Enjoy sitting outside, in a garden if possible, drinking lemon verbena tea with a strawberry tart.

3. Circe by Madeline Miller

-Conveys difficult emotions in a way that feels convincing

Madeline Miller weaves magic on the page with vivid, lucid prose, conveying sharp emotions as Circe grows from childhood to girlhood to womanhood. Neither goddess nor mortal, Circe is a lesser nymph misunderstood by both, and this book gives us insights into her character that bring a new sense of empathy for the part she played in Greek myths.

“After all those hours at my father’s feet, I had learned to nose out power where it lay. Some of my uncles had less scent than the chairs they sat on, by my grandfather Oceanos smelled deep as rich river mud, and my father like a searing blaze of just-fed fire. Prometheus’ green moss scent filled the room. I looked down at the empty cup, willing my courage. ‘You aided mortals,’ I said. ‘That is why you are punished.’‘It is.’ ‘Will you tell me, what is a mortal like?’ ...‘Their bodies crumble and pass into earth. Their souls turn to cold smoke and fly to the underworld. There they eat nothing and drink nothing and feel no warmth. Everything they reach for slips from their grasp.’ A chill shivered across my skin. ‘How do they bear it?’‘As best they can.’”

For readers who like stories with strong emotion and being transported to ancient Greece where mortals mingled with gods. Themes of coming of age, motherhood, jealousy, acceptance/exclusion and self-reliance.

Enjoy with a margarita rimmed with chili salt and crackers dipped in a blazing hot sauce.

2. The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by VE Schwab

>Conveying lifelike characters

VE Schwab plunges you straight into Addie’s world in 18th century France as she is driven to a decision that will forever alter her life.

I nearly didn’t read this book because of a dismissive review on Goodreads, but once I began, I was captivated by the vivid settings and strong emotions. I love the writing style, the tension between the characters, surprising turns and the palpable ache that seeps onto the page.

“Every step that she takes is a step away from Villon, away from a life that is no longer hers. You wanted to be free, says a voice in her head, but it is not hers; no, it is deeper, smoother, lined with satin and woodsmoke. She skirt the villages, the farms alone in their fields. There are whole stretches when the world seems to empty around her. As if an artist drew the barest lines of the landscape, the turned, distracted from the task.”

For readers who like epic character-driven stories that go beyond time, themes of freedom vs society, love, creativity and self-expression.

Enjoy with a glass of cabernet sauvignon, a hearty bean stew and a thick slice of buttered brown bread.

And my number one book of 2025 is…

1. The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott

>Featherlight backstory that reveals just enough to intrigue while keeping the tension taut till the end.

This world of intricate hierarchies felt so real to me, and it’s rare to read a protagonist so identified with her work.

The emotions are so delicate in this book. And when, after building an argument for many pages, the characters explode in anger, it’s so well done, the scene stays with you.

Elen speaking to Kem, her nephew:

“‘I can say no all day and night long and not break a sweat.’ She grinned.‘Ugh. Why are you always so cheerful?’‘It’s a passage spell.’‘A passage spell? I’ve never heard of that.’ His tone blended skepticism and curiosity.‘The grumpier you are, the more cheerful I become. I passes your grumpy energy across to me and I transform it into bright flowers and sunny days.’ She laughed at his eye-rolling.

Also this one is great:

“Griffins weren’t this large, and anyway griffins had the semi-hollow bones of flying creatures. In the old tales told by traveling peddlers and itinerant scribes, the sorcerer-kings had conquered the world on the backs of gigantic monsters. Or they themselves had been the giant monsters. The way the fragmentary scraps of old poems were phrased left it a bit unclear.”

And one more quote, with a hint to her character:

“With a shake of her head she set off walking, faster now, needing to get away from the encounter, from the Spires, from the stirring of pain in her heart. From the memory of that fading bell tone that rang like a warning she didn’t understand. Her forearm itched. Her back crawled as if the statue’s gaze watched them go, willing her to return. She determinedly did not look back. She was good at not looking back.”

For readers who appreciate earthly, humble characters and subtle emotions, slow-burn romance and themes of identity, found family and belonging.

Enjoy with a cup of Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar to your taste and a bowl of toasted granola topped with plain yoghurt and slices of apricots.

I hope you will go out and read one or all of these books!

What did you most enjoy reading in 2025? Feel free to share what inspired you.

Keep reading, keep writing, and may your words shine!

Malina Douglas

Iridescent Words