We can hardly believe another year has flown by! Once again, we’ve been completely wowed by the incredible books that have landed on our shelves in 2025. From gripping fiction to thought-provoking nonfiction, this year’s releases have been nothing short of spectacular — and, as always, narrowing our favourites down to just a few has been the hardest (and most delightful) challenge of all.
Emma
Fiction
Mending Bodies by Hon Lai Chu
Translated by Jacqueline Leung
Two Lines Press | 9781949641769 | PB | £15.99 | 29th April 2025
If you enjoy body horror and speculative fiction, you should check out Mending Bodies. This translated Chinese novel is set in a world where the ‘conjoinment’ of two bodies is encouraged and is considered the only answer for generating more jobs in the economy and sustaining a better life. It will 100% disturb you and yet keep you hooked as you delve deeper into the protagonist’s insomnia and her increasing lack of her own awareness and thoughts. A compelling political allegory and must-read.
Non-Fiction
Of Floating Isles by Kawika Guillermo
Arsenal Pulp Press | 9781834050065 | PB | £20.99 | 20th November 2025
I have dabbled in my fair share of games and their intricate worlds, so when I saw the premise for Of Floating Isles, I was immediately drawn to the book. A memoir told through the author’s love of video games and their importance in his life; each chapter explores the concepts of gender, sexuality, homelessness, immigration, neurodivergence and grief, as well as why video games are just as important as books when it comes to methods of storytelling and understanding how to navigate life’s hardest moments.
Graphic Novel
Buff Soul by Moa Romanova
Fantagraphics | 9798875000683 | HB | £27.99 | 19th August 2025
The return of Moa Romanova has been celebrated far and wide, with reviews from KIRKUS and Publishers Weekly, to being mentioned as one of the Best Graphic Novels of 2025 by The Washington Post. Once you have finished reading Buff Soul, you are left wanting more hilarious stories of the Eisner Award winner. Following her best friends/Swedish punk band ShitKid on their U.S. tour, the usual shenanigans take place, making Buff Soul incredibly comical but still able to explore deeper themes such as grief, trauma, and substance abuse.
Julia
Fiction
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
VERVE Books | 9780857309204 | PB | £10.99 | 30 June 2025
This is a treat for readers who enjoy light-hearted murder mysteries like me! In a world full of AI bots, dodgy anonymous people on dating apps and corporate corruption, Jane Pek’s addictive debut strikes at all the nightmares of modern living in her own twist of the detective novel, whilst injecting family drama, dry humour and sapphic yearning. It centres on Claudia Lin, a die-hard mystery reader, and her job at Veracity, a covert dating detective agency that ‘verifies’ to clients that their dating app matches are who they say they are. When a client goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Claudia finds herself following interlinking threads of mystery that lead to a much bigger deception. You’ll become as fixated on this case (and her crush on co-worker Becks) as Claudia, and with an ending that leaves you craving for more! But luckily the second book The Rivals is already out, with the third coming in 2026.
Non-Fiction
DILF: Did I Leave Feminism by Jude Ellison S. Doyle
Melville House Publishing | 9781685892159 | PB | £12.99 | 21st October 2025
The word ‘feminism’, though its meaning is simple, carries a weight with it depending on how it is used and who it is used by. In this increasingly unstable political climate, with prominent and influential figures using this term to fuel exclusion and hatred, the gendered body is heavily examined and picked apart with patriarchal, misogynistic and transphobic scrutiny. In Jude Doyle’s fierce and timely manifesto DILF: Did I Leave Feminism, he turns this examination back onto the patriarchy. With the backlash against trans rights becoming louder, Doyle provides a crucial transmasculine perspective, weaving together feminist theory with queer and trans politics to reveal a single underlying struggle: the fight for bodily autonomy. DILF demonstrates that feminism is an essential lens for understanding the politics of the body, regardless of who you are.
Graphic Novel
Ultimate Oz Universe
Vol. 1: The Lost Lands
By Cullen Bunn and Larry King
Illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr.
Upshot | 9781953165992 | PB | £17.99 | 11th November 2025
Like the rest of the world, I have also been swept up with the Wicked buzz in all its visually spectacular glory! There is no better way to truly come up close and marvel at Oz’s finery than through a graphic novel. Join Tip on a journey of self-discovery, encountering enchanting creatures, uncharted places, and the secrets of his own extraordinary origins. With breathtaking art and imaginative storytelling from a top-tier creative team, this adventure breathes new life into a beloved fantasy universe.
Jack
Fiction
A/S/L by Jeanne Thornton
Dead Ink | 9781915368768 | PB | £11.99 | 10th April 2025
I love a big juicy transgender novel, which means I love this novel. Three trans women meet online as teenagers and make a videogame called Saga of the Sorceress. Eighteen years later, they’ve lost touch and don’t yet realise they’ve all ended up in New York, or the extent to which Saga of the Sorceress has impacted their lives. A novel about survival, connection, and friendship, Jeanne Thornton’s prose is as rich and delicious as her characters. I laughed, I cried, I was sad when it ended.
Non-Fiction
Bad Language by So Mayer
Peninsula Press | 9781913512798 | PB | £12.99 | 13th November 2025
So Mayer is one of the most brilliant, innovative, and playful writers out there; everything they write is phenomenal. Bad Language is a blend of memoir and manifesto that explores the politics of speech and how the language we choose shapes not only ourselves, but the world we live in. Poignant and astute in its examination of language and violence, Mayer leads us back into the pure, infectious joy of words. If you only read one non-fiction title over the Christmas break, make it this one! If only for Mayer’s wild and advanced talent for puns.
Graphic Novel
Lovers and Haters by Gilbert Hernandez
Fantagraphics | 9798875000980 | PB | £18.90 | 11th November 2025
This is the first new collected edition of Gilbert Hernandez’s Palomar saga in 15 years, and as a longtime Love & Rockets fanatic, I was overjoyed to see it. Lovers and Haters follows 50-year-old cult movie actress Fritz as she contends with her alcoholism, a controlling lover, a jealous rival, a sex cult, and a score of imitators, all while being haunted by her glamorous mother from beyond the grave.
Sophie
Fiction
Four By Four by Sara Mesa
Translated by Katie Whittemore
Peirene Press | 9781916806108 | PB | £12.99 | 12th August 2025
After enjoying Sara Mesa’s scorching novel Un Amor over the summer… warmer times… I’ve been cosying up this winter with the new release of Four by Four from Peirene Press. An eerie, immersive read, Four by Four draws you into the exclusive school, Wybrany College, where some students are marked out as ‘Specials’. But when one of them disappears, the school order starts to unravel, and things may not be as they seem. A long-time Sara Mesa fan, this is the perfect dark academia/literary fiction crossover I didn’t realise I needed this Christmas!
Non-Fiction
French Cooking for Two by Michèle Roberts
Les Fugitives | 9781068433832 | PB | £14.99 | 3rd November 2025
I’ve also loved leisurely leafing through French Cooking for Two, the sequel to Michèle Roberts’ widely praised (even by Nigella!) French Cooking for One. This new collection celebrates preparing dinner for friends, something which feels especially important for bringing joy during this festive period. French Cooking for Two is one I will return to again and again for recipe inspiration and its heartwarming charm.
Graphic Novel
Witchcraft by Sole Otero
Fantagraphics | 9798875001277 | PB | £31.99 | 7th October 2025
Finally, a shout-out for female empowerment, Indigenous folklore, and witches in the form of the graphic novel Witchcraft by the brilliant Sole Otero. I loved the absurdist humour and playful illustrations, as the sisterhood in the form of three witches seeks vengeance on men who have wronged women over the centuries. It’s an absorbing, magical read, and full of female rage to keep you warm during these winter nights!
Dylan
Fiction
The Strength Of the Few by James Islington
Text Publishing | 9781911231431 | HB | £20.99 | 11th November 2025
The eagerly awaited follow up to James Islington’s The Will of the Many was my favourite fiction read of the year. It was every bit as epic and complex as its predecessor, whilst taking the series to strange new heights. This book took The Heirarchy’s fantasy elements and dialled them up to eleven, taking big swings and pulling no punches. Bring on book 3!
Non Fiction
The Dissident Club by Taha Siddiqui
Illustrated by Hubert Maury
Translated by David Homel
Arsenal Pulp Press | 9781551529530 | PB | £25.99 | 22nd May 2025
Taha Siddiqui’s graphic memoir is a coming-of-age tale that chronicles a young journalist’s struggle for justice against a backdrop of fundamentalism and corruption. It’s a fascinating tale, beautifully rendered by Hubert Maury’s art. A must read graphic novel in every sense of the word.
Graphic Novel
Helen Of Wyndhorn by Tom King & Bilquis Evely
Dark Horse Comics | 9781506740065 | HB | £26.99 | 4th March 2025
Tom King & Bilquis Evely reunite for the first time since their fan-favourite, Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow (DC Comics) with Helen of Wyndhorn, a historical fantasy tale about a woman who returns to her family’s estate after the death of her novelist father. But she quickly discovers that her father’s novels may have been more than just pulp fiction. I love this creative team, and the way it blends historical fiction and high fantasy really spoke to me! Truly an underrated gem!
