The What to Read in 2025 list-building has begun for those who promised to read more in the coming year. If you haven’t resolved to read more in 2025—you still can, and there are plenty of existing lists to choose from. This is a stunning year in the book world, promising impressive works from new and established writers. Whether you’re seeking a great fiction read, something informative, or to escape into the language of modern-day poets, there is plenty on the publishing horizon this year.
Fiction
Fiction lovers can anticipate a plethora of great works to choose from in 2025. Kirkus Reviews has released a list of books upcoming in the first quarter of the year. Topping this list—and others—are works like Homeseeking by Karissa Chen; I’ll Come to You by Rebecca Kauffman; Something Rotten by Andrew Lipstein; and Playworld by Adam Ross.
Politics and Current Affairs
If you’re looking for a more serious take on reality, Barnes and Noble has a succinct list of anticipated politics and current affairs. This includes reads like The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource by Chris Hayes and Who Is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis. Also be on the lookout for Equality: What It Means and Why It Matters, co-written by Thomas Piketty and Michael Sandel.
Non-Fiction
Want a real-life approach that is more topical than political? The coming year is chock-full of exciting non-fiction titles. A few upcoming books of note: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry; I Dream of Joni: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots by Henry Alford; Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart from Nicolas Carr; and Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World by Donan Lynskey. Debut author Colette Shade’s forthcoming Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything is buzzing on lists all over the internet, so this is a must-read for your 2025 non-fiction list.
Debut
Speaking of debut authors, Debutiful has released the Most Anticipated list for 2025 (part one), with a month-by-month breakdown of titles and authors to be featured on Debutiful in the upcoming year. If you’re seeking fresh voices, this is the place to start—with the bonus of supporting new artists breaking into the industry. Debutiful has included books like Good Girl by Aria Aber; Mazeltov by Eli Zuzovsky; and Cosmic Tantrum by Sarah Lyn Rogers.
Poetry
Aside from Cosmic Tantrum, a lot of highly-anticipated poetry is coming down the pipe to add to your growing list of what to read in 2025. Publishers Weekly has a huge poetry section on their 2025 release list, highlighting collections such as Heaven Looks Like Us: Palestinian Poetry; new work from Tove Ditlevsen called There Lives a Young Girl in Me Who Will Not Die; Water from Rumi; and Maggie Nelson’s latest, Pathemata Or, The Story of My Mouth.
Can’t choose a genre or plan to read a little bit of everything? LitHub has compiled a list of what to read in 2025 releases in nearly every category. Happy reading!