2025 has been a deliciously varied time for me reading-wise. This may have something to do with my new selection process – rather than choosing a book to read based on mood or some kind of structured list, I’ve just been grabbing stuff randomly from the pile of books that don’t fit on my shelves to prevent it from collapsing. A whatever’s-closest-and-doesn’t-upset-the-delicate-equilibrium-of-my-book-tower style tactic.
So without further ado and in no particular order, here are my top five books of the year so far.
The Haar by David Sodergren
I have read a couple of Sodergren books before, but I believe The Haar is his most popular. It’s about a tiny, rural village in Scotland inhabited by a handful of people who are being paid to move away by a billionaire planning to build a golf course. Muriel, one of the few remaining elderly inhabitants, refuses to give up her cottage to this soulless man. Her husband died some time ago and she doesn’t want to move away from her memories of him, but she is frightened and lonely – that is until someone (or something) turns up to not only keep her company, but also help protect her home from being taken. This book is absolutely disgusting in the best way possible. Sodergren really knows how to build tension, create lovable and hateable characters alike, and describe the most depraved body horror I’ve ever read. I had the best time with this and it’s a must for horror fans, but not so much if you’re a bit sensitive to gore.
The Drowners by David A. Anderson
I reviewed this wonderful YA book a few months back and it has had a big impact on me. I think about it a lot and find myself comparing it to other YA fiction, romance and coming of age stories I’ve read in the past (but haven’t enjoyed so much). Rather than the two-dimensional characters and cringey, unsatisfying plot I’ve come across often with modern YA, The Drowners is grounded, funny and heart-warming. That being said, it’s also a gut punch, which is how young love tends to feel. I often think about, Aaron, the main character, and hope he’s doing okay.
How to be Enough: Seven life-changing steps for self-critics, overthinkers and perfectionists by Dr Ellen Hendriksen
I never used to believe I was a perfectionist because I often procrastinate and find it difficult to start or finish projects, but apparently these are classic signs of perfectionism. Dr Ellen Hendriksen is an incredible clinical psychologist and anxiety specialist who wrote How to Be Yourself, a book about social anxiety that I have read god knows how many times. Dr Hendriksen discusses anxiety with self-compassion, humour and most importantly (for me) using her own experiences as examples. If you are very critical of yourself, get irritable or feel defeated when things aren’t ‘right’, and are generally a ‘type A’ person, you will get a lot out of How to Be Enough. I ordered it online at 3am after yet another panic attack fretting about my ‘enoughness’, and I have genuinely slept so much better since reading it. Am I cured? Nope, anxiety is a life-long ailment for me, but Dr Eriksen doesn’t claim to be able to cure you of it, she just wants to make life easier by helping you learn to love that little overthinking goblin inside of you.
Feeding the Monster by Anna Bogutskaya
My new horror bible. In Feeding the Monster, Bogutskaya explores the horror genre and why we love it so much. She lists some incredible films, TV shows and books, and discusses how they reflect society, what exactly is scary about them and the varying trends in horror – predominantly over the last fifteen years or so. She also delves into her own experiences with mental health and how horror can be oddly comforting at times. Bogutskaya has impeccable taste in horror, and I particularly loved her connection between Hannibal (my comfort TV show), cannibalism and queerness. This is a fascinating book that has genuinely tripled my reading and watchlist. A must for both horror afficionados and those new to the genre.
The Devil to Pay by Katie Daysh
This is the second in the Nightingale and Courtney series, which follows a naval ship in the 1800s and the (light) gay romance held between two of the crew. I didn’t think I’d ever be writing about romance books on Dystopic, but to me The Devil to Pay is more of a navy adventure story with intrigue, secrets, battles…and just a teensy bit of lurve. Two of the characters may be secret lovers, but they are very busy with their swashbuckling, so it’s not too cheesy. Daysh knows her stuff when it comes to boats and ships and pirate type things, something I have no clue about, so it was a wonderful experience to be immersed in a world I know so little about. Sometimes things got a little corny, and the beliefs held by some of the main characters were way too modern to be believable, but it was a very fun time.
And there you have it, five great books that I have read in 2025. If you’ve read any great novels so far this year that you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments.
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