This post was originally published on here
by Aidan Kraft
2025 was a phenomenal reading year for me and full of tremendous books that could be beneficial to anyone with eyes and English literacy. As entertainment shortens in time and dilutes in meaning, opening a book, much of which was fiction in my case, is a great way to tap into something deeper and more steadfast than being on my phone or computer. A hobby that expands my capacity to express myself in language and deepens my experience as a human through interpreting stories is a powerful contrast to the rather endless, algorithm-curated tedium of media shoved at my eyes every moment of the day. Over the 15 thousand or so pages I turned this year (around 50ish books), not all of them were equal in quality, aesthetic or otherwise, and at the end of each year I like to think of a top five for sake of remembering the books I loved, liked, and loathed.
Here are some parameters for the top five rankings. First, these are strictly books I read in 2025, not books published in 2025. T Second, no re-reads. Nobody wants to hear me rave about “Lolita” for 600 dull words. Third, no books I read for school. Sorry, Dr. Bailey, “Interpreting Your World” was great, but will not count as there seems to be some conflict of interest as I am currently in your class. Fourth, these are my favorite books of the year, not the most technically impressive or most critically acclaimed or otherwise. This list is truly an anecdote which has no weight in literary criticism, as I am not intellectually qualified to delineate between good and bad writing. And last, these are all kind of interchangeable, and follow no real order and constantly switch depending on my mood when thinking about them, it is my list, so I can thwart at will the arbitrary rules I assign.
#5: “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Arthur C. Clarke
Taking place across thousands of years, this book is absolutely magical and prophetic to the advancement of technology. The book also had an epic plot that concludes in a thought-provoking ending that leaves one deeply moved. Furthermore, in the age of A.I., this book is becoming even more impactful and important. Don’t let the fact the book was written with the movie fool you, the writing is superb and kept me, a non-sci-fi fella, on the edge of my seat.
#4: “American Pastoral” by Phillip Roth
Look, I don’t need to tell you that a Pulitzer Prize winning book is good, but I think about this book at least once a week. If you want a compelling story about legacy, family, and finding meaning in the seemingly meaningless moments of life, how loss impacts life, read this book. I have never been so compelled by glove manufacturing.
#3: “The Nicomachean Ethics” by Aristotle
Before you yell at me for recommending a book that is a text for some sections of CORE 200, this is a book that everyone needs to read and digest. This book has made me grow intellectually more than any of the other books on this list.
#2: “Augustus” by John Williams
Choosing between this book, “I Claudius,” and “Claudius the God” was challenging, but this does everything those two do in one book. This is my favorite epistolary novel I’ve ever read, and that structure is perfectly done in this book. Not only are you met with interesting characters, but also an amazing drama with elements of true events sprinkled in. Yes, I think about Rome every day.2
#1: “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino
A conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, with maybe my second favorite opening sentence of all time. This year opened my eyes to Calvino, and this book is full of beauty, creativity, and intricacy that demands thought and digestion. The worst part of this book is the fact that I will never read it for the first time again.
