The Book Review

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What Did 2025 Mean for Books?

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Dec 19, 2025

Joining the discussion are Alexandra Alter, a New York Times books reporter known for her insights on publishing trends; Tina Jordan, the Deputy Editor with a keen understanding of the industry; and John Marr, the new book news editor focused on the latest developments. They delve into 2025's most compelling stories, from the rise of romantasy and grassroots hits to the challenges facing nonfiction. The trio also explores how fan culture reshaped literary success and the financial strains on small presses. Expect lively debates and delightful surprises!

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INSIGHT

A Year Without One Unifying Book

2025 felt like a "lost year" because big critical hits and mass-market hits rarely overlapped.
The panel noted many strong books but no single, monocultural "book of the year" dominating all conversations.

insights

INSIGHT

Grassroots Hits Are Scarcer But Powerful

Word-of-mouth grassroots hits still happen but are rarer and often emerge from indie and bookseller enthusiasm.
The Correspondent became a surprise debut phenomenon after indie champions and Ann Patchett backed it.

insights

INSIGHT

Audience Trumps Traditional Discovery

Breaking out midlist or debut authors is getting harder as attention concentrates on established platforms and celebrity authors.
Authors who built audiences outside traditional publishing (social media, fanfic) have clearer pipelines into big sales.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Setting the Yearly Question

00:38 • 53sec

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Vibe Check: Energy of 2025

01:31 • 4min

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Was 2025 a 'Lost Year'?

05:20 • 2min

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Grassroots Hits and The Correspondent

06:54 • 3min

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Fan Culture and Fan-Fiction Origins

09:47 • 2min

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Publishing Economics and Small Press Roles

12:05 • 7min

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Philanthropy and Industry Responses

Romantasy and Dark Romance Rise

26:00 • 3min

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Nonfiction's Shifting Market

29:01 • 8min

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Big Publishing Stories of 2025

36:53 • 4min

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Books Media Under Pressure

41:20 • 3min

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Innovations in Book Coverage

43:57 • 53sec

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Things That Delight Us

• Mentioned in 16 episodes

What We Can Know

Ian McEwan

#4864

• Mentioned in 9 episodes

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead

CRUZ RODRIGUEZ JUIZ

The book follows Cora, a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia, who embarks on a harrowing journey to freedom using a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Along with Caesar, a fellow slave, Cora faces numerous challenges and dangers, including the relentless slave catcher Ridgeway. The narrative blends historical reality with fantasy, offering a powerful meditation on the history of American slavery and its ongoing impact on society.

#17775

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

The Vanishing Half

Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half is a multi-generational family saga that follows the lives of identical twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes. Raised in the fictional town of Mallard, Louisiana, where residents are exclusively people with light skin, the twins experience a formative moment when they witness the lynching of their father and later decide to run away to New Orleans at the age of 16. Stella begins to pass as white, securing a job as a secretary and eventually marrying a wealthy white man, while Desiree marries a dark-skinned man and faces an abusive marriage. The novel spans from the 1940s to the 1990s, exploring the complex lives of the twins and their daughters, Jude and Kennedy, delving into themes of race, gender, class, and the consequences of identity choices.

#805

• Mentioned in 38 episodes

Hamnet

Lolita Chakrabarti

Maggie O’Farrell

The novel is set in Warwickshire in the late 16th century and revolves around the life of Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, and their children. It fictionalizes the events surrounding the death of their son Hamnet, who died of the plague in 1596 at the age of eleven. The story delves into the grief and emotional turmoil faced by the family, especially Agnes, and how this tragedy influenced Shakespeare's writing, including his play 'Hamlet'. The narrative alternates between different timelines, exploring Agnes's early life, her marriage, and the years following Hamnet's death. The book is a poignant study of motherhood, childhood, and the depths of grief, offering a vivid portrayal of family life during the Tudor period.

#6228

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

Tommy Orange's novel follows twelve characters from Native communities as they travel to the Big Oakland Powwow. The story is a powerful exploration of violence, recovery, hope, loss, identity, power, dislocation, and communion, reflecting the complex and often fraught experiences of Native American life.

#7038

• Mentioned in 6 episodes

Katabasis

R. F. Kuang

No description available.

#125

• Mentioned in 136 episodes

The Let Them Theory

A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About

• Mentioned in 29 episodes

Trust

The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity

Francis Fukuyama

In this book, Francis Fukuyama argues that the level of trust within a society is a crucial factor in its economic success. He contends that societies with high levels of trust, such as Germany, Japan, and the United States, are more likely to create flexible and large-scale business organizations necessary for competing in the global economy. Fukuyama examines various national cultures to identify the underlying principles that foster social and economic prosperity, emphasizing the importance of social capital and the interconnectedness of economic and cultural life. He challenges both neoclassical and state-centered economic theories by highlighting the role of trust and social virtues in economic development.

#4494

• Mentioned in 9 episodes

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Kiran Desai

#12067

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The samurai

Julia Kristeva

#1137

• Mentioned in 30 episodes

Demon Copperhead

Barbara Kingsolver

Demon Copperhead is a powerful and emotionally engaging novel that tells the story of Damon Fields, a boy born to a teenage single mother in a trailer home in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. The novel, inspired by Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield', follows Demon's journey through the challenges of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, and disastrous loves. Kingsolver vividly portrays the opioid epidemic's impact on rural communities and explores themes of love, survival, and the transformative power of storytelling. The narrative is delivered through Demon's unsparing and authentic voice, which brings to life the harsh realities and the resilience of the people in Appalachia.

#403

• Mentioned in 63 episodes

107 Days

a memoir about her 107-day presidential campaign

Kamala Harris

#8526

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

• Mentioned in 25 episodes

The Thursday Murder Club

Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club follows four friends—Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron—living in the Coopers Chase retirement village. They meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes. When a local developer, Ian Ventham, is found dead, the club becomes involved in their first live case. As more bodies are discovered, the group works with the police, particularly PC Donna de Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson, to solve the murders. The novel blends humor, wit, and suspense, highlighting the unique skills and backgrounds of the elderly sleuths, including Joyce's nursing experience, Elizabeth's mysterious past, Ibrahim's psychiatric expertise, and Ron's trade union leadership. The story is told through a mix of Joyce's diary entries and third-person narratives, reflecting Osman's television production style.

#90

• Mentioned in 161 episodes

James

Percival Everett

Percival Everett's "James" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that reimagines the classic tale of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim. Everett's writing is both sharp and witty, blending humor and pathos to create a compelling narrative. The novel explores themes of race, freedom, and identity in a way that is both timely and timeless. Everett's unique voice and perspective offer a fresh take on a familiar story, challenging readers to reconsider their assumptions about race and American history. The novel's unexpected twists and turns keep readers engaged until the very end, leaving a lasting impression long after the final page is turned.

From political tell-alls to the continued triumph of romantasy novels, it’s been an eventful year in the publishing world. On this week’s episode, host MJ Franklin talks with his Book Review colleagues Alexandra Alter, Tina Jordan and John Maher about the biggest book stories and most significant reading trends of 2025.

Correction: An earlier version of this podcast referred incorrectly to an arts grant from the Mellon Foundation. The $50 million initiative, launched by Mellon, is a collaborative effort with six other foundations and is intended to support nonprofit literary organizations across a range of genres and forms; it is not solely intended to support poetry.

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