Most of my reading is for Neon Hemlock or Baffling. But here I’ll share/update some of my favorite books and stories published in 2025 to help out future-dave with awards ballots.
Novels
to come
Novellas
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom)
Lyrical, lovely, warm.
Short Stories
“Domestic Disputes” by Naomi Kanakia (Lightspeed)
This story does none of the things you expect it to. Off-kilter and fun.
And some stuff I read this year from pre-2025 that I thought was great:
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
There were lines on practically every other that made me marvel
Rose/House by Arkady Martine
Both tight and expansive in some compelling ways.
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
Transporting and melancholy and lovely
Metal From Heaven by August Clarke
Gnarly and fun and wonderfully gay
The Dove in the Belly by Jim Grimsley
Messy and raw and good
Assassin’s Apprentice and Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
Nostalgic reread.
Spear by Nicola Griffith
Short and sweet and sharp
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
Normal People by Sally Roony
The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Menewood by Nicola Griffith