Our Favorite Reads of 2025 So Far
Plus, ways to support your indie this Indie Bookstore Day
What makes for an excellent book? Obviously the definition is subjective, based on personal tastes, cravings, interests, and more. What we consider a good book right now might not hold the same a year later. Aside from alllll the biases that go into the defining of a “good book” (tap into this post for more on that), I’ve always felt that an excellent book is defined by a feeling we can’t articulate. They are the books we need to speak immediately with someone, anyone, about, but have a hard time expressing our infatuation with beyond a “you have to read it.” (This is one of many reasons why I’ve never felt as interested in sharing book reviews on social media; to explain how wonderful a book is, others must simply read it themselves.) So I hesitate even to consider doing roundups or spotlights such as this one.
Spring and fall tend to be the two “biggest” seasons for new releases. Publishers are looking ahead to two large reading seasons—summer trips and holiday gifting—and hoping to avoid the purchasing slumps that come in summer and winter when folks are traveling, busy, etc.* My favorite books of the year almost always end up releasing between February and May. Anyone who knows me understands that asking about my current reads during this time period can be dangerous—my expectations are high, meaning my disappointment is often dramatic.
But this year, I feel as if I’m on a streak. (Even writing that seems to tempt fate.) The books I’ve been most eager to read have, overwhelmingly, been ones I can’t stop recommending. And during a year that has felt both somehow incredibly long and short all at once, as we call into question the future of the publishing industry and wider society, these stories have given me larger frameworks to reflect on and understand what’s happening, as well as even enjoy the good—and active hope—that persists.
So what are the best books I’ve read so far this year? There have been a number I’ve enjoyed, many that I’ll recommend to others, but three stand out distinctly, filling me with that urgency to hand everyone I know a copy, simply so I have more people to speak about them with. In no particular order, they are:
Woodworking by Emily St. James
From the publisher: Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.
Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High's resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It's a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty--and loneliness--that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn't the only one struggling to shed the weight of others' expectations.
As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women—and those closest to them--are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork?
Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
From the publisher: On October 25, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet has been viewed more than 10 million times.
As an immigrant who came to the West, El Akkad believed that it promised freedom. A place of justice for all. But in the past twenty years, reporting on the War on Terror, Ferguson, climate change, Black Lives Matter protests, and more, and watching the unmitigated slaughter in Gaza, El Akkad has come to the conclusion that much of what the West promises is a lie. That there will always be entire groups of human beings it has never intended to treat as fully human—not just Arabs or Muslims or immigrants, but whoever falls outside the boundaries of privilege. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is a chronicle of that painful realization, a moral grappling with what it means, as a citizen of the U.S., as a father, to carve out some sense of possibility in a time of carnage.
This is El Akkad’s nonfiction debut, his most raw and vulnerable work to date, a heartsick breakup letter with the West. It is a brilliant articulation of the same breakup we are watching all over the United States, in family rooms, on college campuses, on city streets; the consequences of this rupture are just beginning. This book is for all the people who want something better than what the West has served up. This is the book for our time.
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
From the publisher: Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA when she decided to write about being undocumented for the first time using her own name. It was right after the election of 2016, the day she realized the story she’d tried to steer clear of was the only one she wanted to tell. So she wrote her immigration lawyer’s phone number on her hand in Sharpie and embarked on a trip across the country to tell the stories of her fellow undocumented immigrants—and to find the hidden key to her own.
Looking beyond the flashpoints of the border or the activism of the DREAMers, Cornejo Villavicencio explores the lives of the undocumented—and the mysteries of her own life. She finds the singular, effervescent characters across the nation often reduced in the media to political pawns or nameless laborers. The stories she tells are not deferential or naively inspirational but show the love, magic, heartbreak, insanity, and vulgarity that infuse the day-to-day lives of her subjects.
In New York, we meet the undocumented workers who were recruited into the federally funded Ground Zero cleanup after 9/11. In Miami, we enter the ubiquitous botanicas, which offer medicinal herbs and potions to those whose status blocks them from any other healthcare options. In Flint, Michigan, we learn of demands for state ID in order to receive life-saving clean water. In Connecticut, Cornejo Villavicencio, childless by choice, finds family in two teenage girls whose father is in sanctuary. And through it all we see the author grappling with the biggest questions of love, duty, family, and survival.
In her incandescent, relentlessly probing voice, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio combines sensitive reporting and powerful personal narratives to bring to light remarkable stories of resilience, madness, and death. Through these stories we come to understand what it truly means to be a stray. An expendable. A hero. An American.
Other favorites this year have included Big Familia, Liquid, and Stag Dance.
*Of course, such a release schedule begs the question as to whether or not books released outside of spring and fall receive the same amount of marketing, publicity, and sales support (and advance promises). What patterns do we see in whose books are released when?
Other books we are reading (or hope to read) this month:
✅Liberating Abortion by Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone
✅Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
✅The Hollow Half by Sarah Aziza
✅The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova, translated by Ann Goldstein
✅🎧What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
🗓️Zeal by Morgan Jerkins
🗓️Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Note: For books we have completed, we’ll only include here ones we recommend.
Books new to our TBR:
The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity by Sarah Schulman
Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue
The 2025 ad astra Readership Challenge: “Show support for the independent bookstore(s) you love.”
We’ve written at length before about the importance of supporting independent bookshops and how readers can do so—no matter our budgets. And as large corporations, such as Amazon and Target, continue to make clear their priorities, investing in small businesses that align with our values is always important.
Saturday, April 26 is Independent Bookstore Day, a day that aims to champion and uplift indie bookstores and all they do to cultivate community. Community is essential in our ongoing efforts to fight against not just the current administration’s ideologies and orders, but longstanding and deeply rooted societal inequities.
Here are some ways we can support indie bookstores on April 26 and beyond:
Shop in person: Especially with the unknown future of tariffs, indie bookstores and other small businesses are going to be hit incredibly hard. While books continue to be exempt from tariffs on China—where most books are printed—many of the other products stores sell, their packaging, etc. will be impacted. And because of a likely rise in shipping costs, we will probably see an increase in book prices. That being said, these stores are not the enemy and many are already fearing closure. Keep supporting them financially when we can, and keep letting the administration know that they’re hurting small businesses.
If they don’t have what you want in store, you can request it from them, or order it online directly from their website.
If your indie doesn’t have an online store, you can order books from them via Bookshop.org—but definitely try to order directly from the store first, as they keep a larger portion of the sale. You can also now support your indie with ebooks via Bookshop.org.
Attend their events: Whether in person or virtual, your attendance helps boost sales and shows publishers that they should schedule events there again in the future.
Follow and engage with them on social media: Like, share, and comment on their posts, tag them in pictures of your bookstore visits, and share their profile with others.
Support them with audiobooks: Libro.fm allows you to purchase audiobooks through your indie bookshop. You can start a monthly membership, purchase audiobook credit bundles, or buy audiobooks à la carte—a portion always goes to the indie of your choice.
Subscribe to their email newsletter: You will likely hear about events, new releases, bookseller recs, and more.
Purchase non-bookish gifts from them: Many bookstores sell candles, notebooks, art, journals, calendars, puzzles, cards, and more. Think of them whenever you have a gift to purchase, not just for book lovers!
Grab gift cards: Whether gifting these to others, giving them away on social media, or getting for yourself to use, gift cards are a great way to help a bookstore get an upfront purchase.
Spread the word: Tell your friends, family, and coworkers about moving away from Amazon and supporting indies.
Divest from Amazon and large corporations in other areas of your life. Whether choosing a different e-reader service, limiting how much you order from them online, changing your One Medical subscription, etc., diminishing Amazon’s power helps all small businesses—including indie bookstores.
About the challenge -
Folks who complete all the prompts by EOY will be entered to win a $100 gift card to their indie bookstore of choice. Those who finish at least six of the prompts will receive an exclusive ad astra sticker. In December, we'll share a submission link to complete as proof of participation. (Our downloadable tracker will be helpful for this!)
Want to participate? Join our Broadcast Channel on Instagram, follow our newsletter, and get your friends to join!
Other publishing updates:
National Library Week took place earlier this month. Libraries, librarians, and library workers need our support more than ever. Here’s why and how.
Inkitt plans to expand into generative AI…which is concerning for a number of reasons.
HarperCollins was the only Big Five publisher to not call on Congress to restore funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Let them know your thoughts.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share with friends, and consider subscribing if you have not yet already. Also, in case you missed it, we have launched prints! Learn more and place an order here.
We’ll be back in a few weeks with the latest publishing updates.
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