Aysha’s Favorite Books from 2025
Two of the reasons I love being a librarian is because it gives me the access to read so many different types of books and it allows me to talk about books and promote them. In 2025, I read about 60 books, mostly fiction. From historical fiction to cozy mysteries to literary fiction, these are the books that stayed with me long after I turned the last page.
Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan
Formats Available: Hardcover
Summary: A sixteen-year-old Sri Lankan woman, Sashi, is hoping to become a doctor but instead watches her four beloved brothers get caught up in violent political ideologies that result in a devastating civil war.
Why I liked it: I didn’t know anything about Sri Lanka or it’s civil war of the 1980s. Ganeshanthan’s book explained the conflict and the various factions without feeling like a political history. At its heart, it’s a book about a young woman who wants to be help her community and her family getting caught up in history’s violence.
For fans of: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali and The Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
Formats Available: Hardcover and eAudiobook
Summary: Pony, a rebellious horse determined to reunite with his long-lost owner Penny, escapes and embarks on a cross-country journey to clear her name after she is wrongfully accused of murder, using his keen understanding of human nature to seek out the true killer.
Why I liked it: I checked out Pony Confidential because I kept seeing it everywhere and I’m so glad I did. It’s about a pony that helps to solve a murder. While telling that story, the book is also about so much more: how animals communicate with each other, relate to humans and even criminal justice. And it’s funny!
For fans of: Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero and Toto by A. J. Hackwith
So Far Gone by Jess Walter
Formats Available: Hardcover, Large Print, Playaway, eBook and eAudiobook
Summary: Rhys Kinnick has gone off the grid. At Thanksgiving a few years back, a fed-up Rhys punched his conspiracy-theorist son-in-law in the mouth, chucked his smartphone out a car window and fled for a cabin in the woods, with no one around except a pack of hungry raccoons. Now Kinnick’s old life is about to land right back on his crumbling doorstep. With the help of his caustic ex-girlfriend, a bipolar retired detective, and his only friend (who happens to be furious with him), Kinnick heads off to find his missing grandchildren through cultural lunacy and the rubble of a life he thought he’d left behind.
Why I liked it: I’ve enjoyed several of Walter’s previous books and this one is filled with funny, quirky characters. I hadn’t read anything like this story before and even though the characters have different political backgrounds, Walter is careful to respect disparate views.
For fans of: Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson and A Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
Formats Available: Hardcover, eBook and eAudiobook
Summary: When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit.
Why I liked it: Kausar Khan is helping her daughter who’s been accused of murder, but she’s also dealing with the grief of losing a teenage son and more recently, her husband. The story involves familial drama and Kausar’s wide community of friends who cheer her on. The cast of secondary characters really makes the book for me; they add humor and support Kausar as she finds her second act.
For fans of: The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Brandy Schillace and A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
Formats Available: Hardcover, eBook and eAudiobook
Summary: In a near-future Kolkata, India, which has been ravaged by climate change and food scarcity, two families seeking to protect their children must battle each other.
Why I liked it: This book is so beautifully written and delves into questions of morality in a time of environment disaster. Who is the guardian and who is the thief? It was hard to put the book down even as I was afraid it wasn’t going to end well for the characters.
For fans of: A Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and Hum by Helen Phillips
