L to R Martina Cantwell (Aunt), Paddy Cantwell (Grandfather), Ella Cantwell, Kate Cantwell (Sister), Pat Cantwell (Father).
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17 Dec 2025
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17 Dec 2025
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We take a look back at the reads our reviewers have enjoyed the most this year…
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Piatkus)
The third instalment of The Empyrean series sees dragon rider Violet Sorrengail embark on her next adventure.
Our verdict: “Full of action, suspense and intrigue, Onyx Storm is the ride you’ve been waiting for.”
What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory by Brian Eno and Bette A (Faber & Faber)
In this masterful coffee table book, sideburns, football chants, waterslides, love letters and poodle grooming all count as art.
Our verdict: “A timely reminder that art is not something that can be defined by its auction or social media value.”
The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer (Bantam)
Set against the wild cliffs of the North Yorkshire coast, this thrilling mystery of greed and obsession explores a time when birds’ eggs were compulsively, jealously collected.
Our verdict: “Full of intrigue, humour, joy and sadness, this book is a unique and beautiful thing.”
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (Chatto & Windus)
Pulitzer Prize-winning Tyler does it again, examining fractious family relationships over a tumultuous wedding weekend.
Our verdict: “Tyler’s acerbic humour, irony and depictions of tangled personalities will leave the reader smiling and wincing in equal measure.”
Greater Sins by Gabrielle Griffiths (Doubleday)
An atmospheric debut, steeped in secrets and folklore, Greater Sins sees two apparent strangers pull a perfectly preserved body from a peat bog in 1915.
Our verdict: “Fear, suspicion, anger and love all weave through the story’s dual narratives, creating a compelling and powerful read.”
A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran, translated by Chi-Young Kim (Doubleday)
In 2035, robots are everywhere, including teen Yoenjae’s robot-jockey called Coli, who once rode a racehorse named Today.
Our verdict: “This thoughtfully translated book has an unexpected narrator and beautifully tracks the sacrifices made to save Today.”
Idle Grounds by Krystelle Bamford (Hutchinson Heinemann)
During a surreal family gathering, one of a group of cousins goes missing, and not a single adult seems interested or concerned.
Our verdict: “This strangely beautiful but dread-laden story is an incredibly vivid and fascinating debut.”
Mere by Danielle Giles (Mantle)
In an isolated community in 990AD, a boy vanishes en route to a remote convent, triggering a series of fearful events.
Our verdict: “Mere very quickly pulls you, unflinchingly, into the captivating and claustrophobic world of the crumbling convent in which it’s set.”
Come What May by Lucy Easthope (Hodder Press)
Learn how to react and thrive in the trickiest of situations, thanks to this expert survival guide from an emergency planner.
Our verdict: “Easthope shares valuable insight, advice and guidance for making it through life’s toughest challenges.”
The Big Book of Useless Science Knowledge (Neon Squid)
School won’t teach you everything, and that’s where The Big Book of Useless Science Knowledge comes in, explaining why white sand can actually be parrotfish poo and how scientists are trying to develop the ideal nappy.
Our verdict: “There are lots of scientific fact books for kids, but none are quite like this.”
The Bombshell by Darrow Farr (Atlantic Books)
When the 17-year-old daughter of an ambitious politician is kidnapped, she must grapple with some major decisions.
Our verdict: “Cinematic in scope, electrifying in its telling, The Bombshell contains a dazzling array of ideas and announces Farr as a writer to watch.”
Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski (Virago)
When first loves Emily and Gen reconnect as adults in New York, they both bring with them a lot of baggage. Can they overcome it?
Our verdict: “Ordinary Love manages to be both incredibly sexy and saturated with a sense of deep foreboding.”
The Compound by Aisling Rawle (The Borough Press)
A group of women in a luxury house await the arrival of a group of men travelling across a desert in a war-torn world to get to them in this gruesome take on Love Island.
Our verdict: “A darkly humorous warning about the perils of materialism, you will be hooked right up to the final blood-soaked banishment.”
The Fathers by John Niven (Canongate Books)
Set in Glasgow, two new dads find their worlds colliding in difficult ways.
Our verdict: “Niven crafts a powerful and emotionally charged story that delves into powerful themes: masculinity, mental health, infertility, parenting, and the inescapable cycle of poverty.”
Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper (Apollo)
Ignored and unnamed by Roman chroniclers, Harper gives voice to warrior queen Boudicca’s eldest daughter.
Our verdict: “Full of complex characters and relationships, it explores love, shame, and the pursuit of power and revenge.”
Bloody Awful in Different Ways by Andrev Walden, translated by Ian Giles (Fig Tree)
Swedish journalist Walden remembers an adolescence in which he had seven fathers at various points.
Our verdict: “Walden’s story is rich with dark humour and tender coming-of-age moments that make this a brilliant and beguiling page-turner.”
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape)
In 2119, a professor becomes obsessed with a poem that was read aloud once in 2014, and then mislaid before ever being published.
Our verdict: “The thoughts McEwan raises around loss, as a result of Alzheimer’s, infidelity, heedlessness, death and the sheer passing of time, rumble spectacularly throughout.”
The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet (Hutchinson Heinemann)
The BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet gives an account of Afghanistan, centred around the country’s first luxury hotel.
Our verdict: “Well worth a read for a compassionate understanding of modern Afghanistan and its people, through the lens of the daily interactions at a hotel still standing today.”
Heart the Lover by Lily King (Canongate Books)
A love triangle in which a young woman finds herself torn between two friends at university, and how those relationships affect the rest of their lives.
Our verdict: “King distills all the turmoil, doubts and incandescent headiness of young love, and what happens when it comes up against reality.”
Virgin by Hollie McNish (Fleet)
Poet Hollie McNish tackles purity culture, shame and coercion in this new collection.
Our verdict: “Glorious, life affirming, silly at times, incredibly profound at others -– put it on the school curriculum.”
There is no Antimemetics Division by qntm (Del Rey)
A slightly mind-bending sci-fi horror in which the staff of an organisation trying to save the world must repeatedly erase their memories.
Our verdict: “A tantalising story that hinges on the terrifying ability of humans to forget anything and learn nothing from even the most catastrophic moments in history.”
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Canongate Books)
When a woman washes up half drowned on a remote island, the four remaining inhabitants must decide whether or not to trust her.
Our verdict: “A powerful, wrenching read that truly grapples with the rawness of parenting.”
Everyone Wants to Rule the World by Ace Atkins (Corsair)
Our verdict: “All of the drama is served up with a generous amount of humour, combining to create a thoroughly enjoyable adventure.”
Terrible Traitors (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary, illustrated by Martin Brown (Scholastic)
Find out all about the worst traitors to have betrayed people throughout history.
Our verdict: “Fans of Horrible Histories – and even those who have never dipped their toe in before – will find much to delight in this latest romp through the history books.”
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING DEC 13
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. The Artist by Lucy Steeds
2. The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
3. Exit Strategy:Jack Reacher by Lee Child and Andrew Child
4. The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer
5. Flesh by David Szalay
6. The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three by Philip Pullman
7. The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
8. The Christmas Clue by Nicola Upson
9. Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson
10. The Names by Florence Knapp
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Private Eye Annual 2025 by Hislop, Ian
2. Always Remember:The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy
3. Mary 90:My Very Best Recipes by Mary Berry
4. Padella by Tim Siadatan
5. Guinness World Records 2026
6. Diddly Squat: The Farmer’s Dog by Jeremy Clarkson
7. Eat Yourself Healthy by Jamie Oliver
8. Seven Tenths Of A Second by Zak Brown
9. This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong (and Why it Matters) by Map Men
10. Protein in 15 by The Body Coach, Joe Wicks
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
2. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
3. The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer
4. A Mind of My Own by Kathy Burke
5. The Names by Florence Knapp
6. The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
7. Alchemised by SenLinYu
8. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
9. Ashes of the Imperium by Chris Wraight
10. Brimstone by Callie Hart
(Compiled by Audible)
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