Reading is the perfect way to immerse yourself in different worlds without leaving your sofa if you’d prefer not to.
I’m the sort of person who’ll whack out my book at any given opportunity, hence why I’ve managed to steam through so many books. Waiting at the nail salon? I’m not going to scroll pointlessly – my book will be in my hand. Waiting for a bus? Book. On the train platform? Book. You get the picture…
And because I’ve read so much, I have many recommendations to give you. Whether your New Year’s Resolution is to read more, or you want to try new genres this year, make it your mission to read at least one of these in 2025…
1. You Like It Darker by Stephen King
Anybody who knows me will know that Stephen King books almost always get an instant five-star rating from me, and this was no different – despite the fact that short stories often are not my favourite.
Of course, there were some that were better than others, in my opinion, but everyone will have different thoughts. I was thrilled to get a really enjoyable sequel to Cujo, a book I read a couple of years ago, and ‘The Answer Man’ is a short story that will literally stay with me forever. Someone even took to Reddit to say: “The Answer Man is low-key the best thing King has ever written…”
They wrote: “The Answer Man is an entry into what I am going to call the existential grief saga that exists in a lot of King’s work, particularly Pet Sematary and Revival.”
Here’s the blurb: ‘Two Talented Bastids’ explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In ‘Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream’, a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In ‘Rattlesnakes’, a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance – with major strings attached. In ‘The Dreamers’, a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. ‘The Answer Man’ asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
2. Clickbait by L.C North
This is a twisty thriller mystery written in mixed media (a massive thumbs up from me!) that truly kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. It’s not often I pick up a thriller, but when I do, I need them to grip me in the way this one did. This book contains emails, interviews, podcast-style narratives, and fan comments, and it will keep you up at night until you’ve finished it.
Here’s the blurb: For over a decade, the Lancasters were celebrity royalty, with millions tuning in every week to watch their reality show, Living with the Lancasters.
But then an old video emerges of one of their legendary parties. Suddenly, they’re in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: witnesses swore they’d seen missing teenager Bradley Wilcox leaving the Lancaster family home on the night of the party, but the video tells a different story.
Now, true crime investigator and YouTuber Tom Isaac is on the case. He’s determined to find out what really happened to Bradley – he just needs to read between the Lancasters’ lies…
Because when the cameras are always rolling, it won’t be long until someone cracks.
3. Prima Facie by Suzie Miller
I’ve never seen the play, nor have I been to the cinema to watch the recording of the play (much to my dismay), so I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I picked this book up. But I was floored by this one. It’s clever, quick, and heavy, and the themes running throughout will be poignant to many.
Truthfully, it left me in tears at the end out of frustration and shock at the injustice that can be done daily – and we don’t even question it.
Here’s the blurb: Tessa Ensler is a brilliant barrister who’s forged her career in criminal defence through sheer determination. Since her days at Cambridge, she’s carefully disguised her working-class roots in a male-dominated world where who you know is just as important as what you know. Driven by her belief in the right to a fair trial and a taste for victory, there’s nothing Tessa loves more than the thrill of getting her clients acquitted.
It seems like Tessa has it made when she is approached for a new job and nominated for the most prestigious award in her field. But when a date with a charismatic colleague goes horribly wrong, Tessa finds that the rules she’s always played by might not protect her, forcing her to question everything she’s ever believed in…
4. The Path to Self-Love by Ruby Dhal
As far as self-love and self-help books go, this is possibly the best I’ve ever read. I can’t lie; I’m a big fan of any book that claims to help me love myself more. I thankfully don’t struggle much with self-confidence, but we can all do with a little boost from time to time to make us strut around a little more sassily.
This book perfectly toed the line between the author’s personal experiences and how this can relate to your individual journey.
Here’s the blurb: Whether you’re hoping to overcome loss or heartbreak, set healthy boundaries or find resilience when things don’t go as planned, Ruby Dhal’s gentle and open-hearted voice will help you cultivate self-love to transform all aspects of your life.
Using a mixture of nurturing prose poetry, personal stories and hard-won insight, exercises and journaling, The Path to Self-Love will empower you to access your inner strength, trust in yourself and build the life you deserve.
5. The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
This book has received seriously mixed reviews, but as long as you go into it and do not expect it to change your life, I feel like you’ll really enjoy it. I absolutely adore the fact that these cosy, easy-to-read books have gained massive popularity thanks to the likes of TikTok. I mean, just one look at the cover told me that I needed to read this sequel to The Pumpkin Spiced Cafe – which I also loved.
It probably won’t be winning any awards for its literary prowess, but sometimes, you just need something easy, fluffy, and fun, and this ticked all the boxes for me. And I’m constantly talking about it, so it’s obviously a must-read!
Here’s the blurb: When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can’t understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just needs someone to help her out.
Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better, the cute bookseller he’s been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!
Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells…
6. Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn
Perfume and Pain is a genre I can’t really describe other than ‘strange but interesting woman having often drug-fuelled existential crises,’ but I couldn’t get enough of it. It’s another book that I devoured, and I’d love to devour every single one of Anna Dorn’s novels. I found myself putting the book down often to laugh to myself about the things that were written, and how clever it was.
Here’s the blurb: Having recently moved both herself and her formidable perfume bottle collection into a tiny bungalow in Los Angeles, mid-list author Astrid Dahl finds herself back in the Zoom writer’s group she cofounded, Sapphic Scribes, after an incident that leaves her and her career lightly cancelled. But she temporarily forgets all that by throwing herself into a few sexy distractions—like Ivy, a grad student researching 1950s lesbian pulp who smells like metallic orchids, or her new neighbour, Penelope, who smells like patchouli.
Penelope, a painter living off Urban Outfitters settlement money, immediately ingratiates herself in Astrid’s life, bonding with her best friends and family, just as Astrid and Ivy begin to date in person. Astrid feels judged and threatened by Penelope, a responsible older vegan, but also finds her irresistibly sexy.
When Astrid receives an unexpected call from her agent with the news that actress and influencer Kat Gold wants to adapt her previous novel for TV, Astrid finally has a chance to resurrect her waning career. But the pressure causes Astrid’s worst vice to rear its head—the Patricia Highsmith, a blend of Adderall, alcohol, and cigarettes—and results in blackouts and a disturbing series of events.
Unapologetically feminine yet ribald, steamy yet hilarious, Anna Dorn has crafted an exquisite homage to the lesbian pulp of yore, reclaiming it for our internet and celebrity-obsessed world. With notes of Southern California citrus and sultry smokiness, Perfume and Pain is a satirical romp through Hollywood and lesbian melodrama.
7. Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
Bull Moon Rising was a book I literally judged by its cover. My partner told me when we were in Bucharest that I could have a bookish treat of my choosing, and after spending so much time browsing, all the books started to merge. That is until I spotted this colourful offering with sprayed edges.
Let me tell you – before reading this, I did not think that Minotaur x human romance was my thing, but it turns out that maybe it is. This was exhilarating and fun, with not too much emphasis on the romance, but enough to lure you in if you want a spicy book. But the storyline was 10/10, and I absolutely adored it.
Here’s the blurb: As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts…which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.
It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.
Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with. It’s time to dig deep. Literally.
8. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Rather aptly, I read some of this when I was on the way to Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania. If you’re looking for a horror vampire story with a twist, this is definitely a book you should read. Genuinely scary and harrowing in parts, this is a book that you’ll want to read with all the lights in the house firmly on. Stephen King’s son truly made a name for himself with this book, and you could almost convince yourself that SK had a hand in it.
Here’s the blurb: Summer. Massachusetts.
An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business.
Anyone could be next.
We’re going to Christmasland…
NOS4R2 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense. Claustrophobic, gripping and terrifying, this is a story that will have you on the edge of the seat while you read, and leaving the lights on while you sleep. With the horrific tale of Charles Manx and his Silver Wraith, Joe Hill has established himself as the premiere horror and supernatural thriller writer of his generation.
9. Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
This was the cosiest, cutest, most heartening book I read this year. I didn’t realise I could like books about witches so much! I actually listened to it on audiobook while I was doing jobs around the house each day, and it made me look forward to doing them. You know when you’re excited to clean the bathroom that your book is good.
The storyline was absolutely chefs kiss, the main character was likeable, and apparently, there’s going to be a second book coming out this year! Plus, I can’t resist a book where the main character has a cat, and they’re mentioned often.
Here’s the blurb: Belladonna Blackthorn hasn’t lost her magical spark, but she hasn’t seen it in a while, either. Balancing work at her beloved London bookshop, Lunar Books, with handling her toxic boss and concealing her witchcraft from those around her – Belle is burnt out. Perfecting the potential of her magic is the last thing on her mind.
But, when her thirtieth birthday brings a summons from her coven and a trial that tests her worthiness as a witch, Belle risks losing her magic forever. With the month of October to fix things and signs that dark forces may be working against her, Belle will need all the help she can get – from the women in her life, from an unlikely mentor figure and even from an (infuriating) coven watchman who’s sworn to protect her…
10. Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley
As somebody who desperately wants to visit Japan, I found this to be the perfect book in which to immerse myself. The storyline is a little complicated in parts, and admittedly I did have to go back and read a couple of pages again just to clarify stuff, but it’s well worth a read. It’s hard to explain the way this book made me feel. Uplifted, emotional at times, and just cosy. It’s a love letter to Japanese culture, and it is poignant and beautiful.
Here’s the blurb: Flo is sick of Tokyo. Suffering from a crisis in confidence, she is stuck in a rut, her translation work has dried up and she’s in a relationship that’s run its course. That’s until she stumbles upon a mysterious book left by a fellow passenger on the Tokyo Subway. From the very first page, Flo is transformed and immediately feels compelled to translate this forgotten novel, a decision which sets her on a path that will change her life…
It is a story about Ayako, a fierce and strict old woman who runs a coffee shop in the small town of Onomichi, where she has just taken guardianship of her grandson, Kyo. Haunted by long-buried family tragedy, both have suffered extreme loss and feel unable to open up to each other. As Flo follows the characters across a year in rural Japan, through the ups and downs of the pair’s burgeoning relationship, she quickly realises that she needs to venture outside the pages of the book to track down its elusive author. And, as her two protagonists reveal that they have more in common with her life than first meets the eye, the lines between text and translator converge. The journey is just beginning.
