PotsandPlots

The year is hurtling to a close, and it’s time for the traditional “What did I like?” posts.

This is a bit of an odd post for me, as I’ve only reviewed about 5 books on PotsandPlots, with the bulk of my reviewing happening over on GeekDad. Nevertheless, here are my favourite books of 2025.

I like to break these posts into 3 broad categories that represent the type of books I read: Fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.

Non-Fiction Book of 2025

By far, my favourite non-fiction book was Exploring the Universe by Isabel Thomas and Sarah Gillingham. The book felt like it had been created with me in mind. A wonderful meld of word and image to create an informative and arresting chart of the Solar System and beyond.

This book was so good, I immediately put Thomas and Gillingham’s previous book, Exploring the Periodic Table, on my Christmas List. I am pleased to confirm that it is every bit as good.

If you have any interest (or have children who have an interest) in Space and what it is made of, then I wholeheartedly recommend Exploring the Universe. It’s the best reference book of its type that I have seen in years.

Best Children’s Books of 2025

Some honourable mentions include Katherine Rundell’s second Impossible Creatures novel, The Poisoned King. I enjoyed this one significantly more than book 1. Perhaps my expectations were too high for the very hyped first volume, and damped down for this second instalment, meaning I enjoyed it more. The Poisoned King was a thrilling read, and I’m now fully on board for this series. 

The Disappearance of Imogen Good was extremely close to being my best Children’s book of 2025, beaten only by one of the finest children’s books I’ve ever read. Imogen Good is a children’s noir centred around a creepy fairy tale and an even creepier house and garden. Some enticing and mysterious goings-on, great character growth and interactions, make this a first-class novel.

Beating Imogen Good into a narrow second place was Under a Fire-Red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean, a novel set in the Blitz. It has a wonderful cast of characters, who, for a variety of reasons, don’t evacuate London when the rest of the children leave. A tale of heroism and lost innocence, this one had me enthralled throughout. It’s hard to predict what will become a classic, but Under a Fire-Red Sky deserves to be read for generations to come.

Another honourable mention here for Jenny Pearson’s Shrapnel Boys, a book very much in the same vein (and almost exactly the same locations). Another great wartime story about friendship and the menace of Nazi sympathisers hiding in the shadows of Britain’s capital. I love Pearson’s lighter books, but this one shows she can write more serious high-stakes novels, too.

Best Fiction Books of 2025

Two of my standout reads of the year feature old folklore and the stories upon which the UK is built. The Great When by Alan Moore is a superlative journey into London’s legends, taking place just after the Second World War.

I was worried I might become lost in the depth of Moore’s world-building or that perhaps his prose would be too esoteric for my reading tastes. (I had a similar experience with Jacek Dukaj’s Ice. A book I wanted to enjoy but found impenetrable.) I need not have worried. The Great When is weird but wonderful to immerse yourself in. I can’t wait for book 2, I Hear a New World, which is out next year.

The last book I finished in 2025 (so recently I haven’t found time to do a full review yet) was probably my favourite read of the entire year.)

Perilous Realm by Thomas D. Lee brings Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table back to life in a near-future Britain. This novel was published a couple of years ago, and it feels even more relevant now. It’s essentially a story of how the rich manipulate the poor and repeatedly escape the consequences of their actions. Perilous Realm is funny, poignant and bang on the money on just about every page. I loved it.

The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre was an addictive meta-fictional crime caper, which essentially teams up Miss Marple with Harry Bosch. An excellent crime novel that ought not to work but wholeheartedly does.

I did read a couple of Booker shortlist books this year (including the winner). James by Percival Everett and Orbital by Samantha Harvey (so good I read it twice) didn’t really need reviewing by me, so I didn’t get around to it, but they were both excellent reads.

My final choice was a book that had been languishing on my to-be-read pile for quite some time, Boris Gospidonov’s Time Shelter.

A meandering tale that bears repeat reading (though I have yet to do so). I almost certainly missed its subtleties, but it’s a book suffused with humour. It is also a warning. A parable about the perils of looking backwards, of believing that the past is brighter than the future. In that it has a lot in common with Perlious Realm.

Considering my favourite series at the moment, Justin Lee Anderson’s Eidyn Saga also explores similar themes, perhaps I just want to read books that tell me that things can get better if we start looking forward and try to shape our own destiny, without hankering for a time that didn’t exist. Perhaps we can all have a better life if we can stop tyrants from eating all the pie.

So those were my favourite 2025 reads. If you feel like leaving a comment, do let me know your best books of the year.