The Best Books Of 2025 (So Far), According To Local Booksellers & Bookish Types

Lovers of literature consult their shelves for the stories that have stuck with them so far this year.

Consulting library catalogues or bookstore stock for a new read can quickly become overwhelming.

You might find yourself turning to a reliable genre or author, reluctant to sink time into a book that isn’t your cup of tea. But how do you begin to branch out when you’re too nervous to give something new a chance?

In this collection, recommended by booksellers and people who write for a living, you’ll find a diverse range of new releases. From family drama to operatic poetry and moving memoir, you can trust their encyclopedic knowledge to find a story worth reading.

You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrigue

A high-stakes political novel set in 16th-century Mexico – a fictionalised version of events that led to the founding of Mexico City in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. The decisions of the characters mean life or death for themselves and the empires they represent. Despite the detail and consideration of the indigenous cultures contained in each chapter, no part of this is inaccessible, and no page wastes words. For added flair, the whole narrative is coated in the psychoactive drugs consumed by the characters. The best historical fiction released this year. – Caedan Tipler, Unity Books Auckland

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Mad Diva by Cadence Chung

When I need to dematerialise and project myself to some far-off place, I have been turning to the arrangements by poet, musician and mezzo-composer Cadence Chung. Poems in Mad Diva, her third book, soar with drama and deliver intimate, tragic romances. The collection also deliciously blurs realms, with pieces set in Ubers, the aisles of Whitcoulls and under a burning stage spotlight. Chung’s work evokes encompassing operatic feelings. I’m approaching each one gently, steadying myself for the highs and lows as they come. – Madeleine Crutchley, journalist

Rytual by Chloe Elisabeth Wilson

Ultimately, this book caught my attention with the quote on the back – “I support women’s rights, but mostly, I support women’s wrongs”. Literature’s newest take on Mona Awad’s Bunny (but for Mecca Beauty Loopers), Rytual is dark, sensual, and satirical; and just like the modern beauty industry, has horror and shadows lurking underneath a perfect shiny exterior. Young and adrift, Marnie finds herself employed at Rytual, a coveted and esoteric cosmetics brand which takes her under their wing, headed by the enigmatic CEO, Luna. Cue: unexplainable mysteries, dark truths, and a cult-favourite beauty brand which is quite possibly a real cult. I chose this because I cannot in good conscience resist a weird-girl novel. I love when authors are able to make art out of something completely unpalatable, something we would otherwise squirm and wrinkle our noses at. – Maggie Walch, Unity Books Auckland

The Book Of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey

Scary is easy – creepy takes an especially sharp pen. I used to think Chidgey’s superpower was making every new book feel so wildly and brilliantly different to her last. Now, I think what she does is make me believe her written worlds so thoroughly that it’s a shock when I remember I’m actually reading a book. Her latest is propulsive, ominous and as all-encompassing as I’ve come to expect. – Kim Knight, senior journalist

Notorious by Maureen Dowd

For those at political and emotional capacity, this collection of profiles on the most intriguing people in Hollywood, culture, fashion and tech is the ultimate therapy. Maureen Dowd’s New York Times profiles have been humanising these otherworldly creatures since the 90s, and this collection puts her best in one place. You won’t favour Kevin Costner for his gross arrogance, but the tales of Jane Fonda and her uprising, Idris Elba and his unguarded political opinions, Daniel Craig and his insecurities around Bond, and Uma Thurman’s rage around Harvey Weinstein, to name a few memorable profiles, will make you rethink the idea of “celebrity” while being wildly enlightened and entertained. It’s exactly what you need if you’re trying not to fall asleep while reading at night. – Chloe Blades, Unity Books Auckland

Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis

I loved Fundamentally because Nussaibah Younis masterfully blends sharp satire and great comedy with a deeply political subject - Isis brides. While parts of the story reflect very real and serious circumstances, it never feels too heavy. There’s always a laugh around the corner. This is my favourite kind of light read – one that entertains, teaches you something along the way, and leaves you thinking long after you’ve finished. – Mandy Myles, Bookety Book Books

Speak to Me of Home by Jeanine Cummins

Jeanine Cummins’ 2020 novel American Dirt was a global smash hit but also the subject of global controversy, with the author accused of exploiting the migrant experience. Her new release, Speak to Me of Home, is markedly different to American Dirt – and that’s no doubt a deliberate choice. This is not a tightly paced, tense thriller; more a family epic told through the perspectives of three generations of women in a Puerto Rican-American family. Its themes of identity and belonging are likely somewhat based on Cummins’ own experiences – she’s American with Irish and Puerto Rican heritage. Much of the American Dirt criticism was that as a “white” author, she wasn’t qualified to tell the story of Mexican immigrants. Her characters in Speak to Me of Home wrestle with those issues too – not being white enough to be accepted in America, but not being Puerto Rican enough to fit in at “home”. It’s a much gentler read than American Dirt, but engrossing all the same. – Stephanie Holmes, lifestyle editor

No Words for This by Ali Mau

Ali Mau’s memoir is a weighty, surprising and moving tale of strength despite underlying family secrets. In 2018, Mau received a phone call from her sister that changed everything. Childhood memories are unfurled within a tightly written and compelling tale of an Australian upbringing, her journalism career, including hosting the national news, and intensive investigations into Aotearoa’s #metoo movement. Explosive revelations will leave you reeling. I couldn’t put this one down. – Jenna Todd, Time Out Bookstore

1985 by Dominic Hoey

Dominic Hoey’s hotly anticipated new novel 1985 tells the story of a family on the brink of losing it all: their home, their lives, their sanity and their loves. We follow the book’s narrator, 10-year-old Obie who, along with his best friend and loyal sidekick Al, embarks on quests to find treasure and slay digital dragons to keep his family alive. Obie and Al face down dangerous criminals, pimply bullies and the looming threat of gentrification, armed only with their newly-found street smarts and gaming skills. Told with an earnest love for its complicated heroes and their attempts to scrape together the resources to live, 1985 is cinematic storytelling at its finest. – Suri, Time Out Bookstore

A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern

Did I have to read this for work? Yes. Would I recommend it anyway? Absolutely. Reviewers have described parts of this personal memoir as “cloying” and “platitudinous”. I wonder if those are the bits I cried at? Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern dedicates her life story (so far) to the criers, worriers and huggers. I’m happy to be counted among the target audience. For the record, I also laughed out loud and gasped in shock more than once. – Kim Knight, senior journalist

On the Calculation of Volume I & II by Solvej Balle

These two books are just the beginning of a seven-book series that we think is going to take the literary world by storm. A culmination of 20 years of work, On the Calculation of Volume is centred on the life of an antique bookseller who becomes trapped on November 18. Each morning, she wakes to a reset world, alone in the knowledge that time is stuck in a loop. This might sound like a typical sci-fi novel but these books are so much more than that; they are a meditative and starkly beautiful exploration of the small and large details that make up our reality. These small but weighty volumes represent a significant literary achievement and we can’t wait to read the next five. – Jenna and Nate, Time Out Bookstore

High Heels and Gumboots: A city girl and a lot to learn by Rebecca Hayter

This heartfelt memoir about the realities of lifestyle block farming laid bare should be quintessential reading for any city slicker who dreams of living somewhat off the grid. Former North and South columnist Rebecca Hayter expertly tracks the realistic highs and lows of Kiwi country living in the picturesque Golden Bay. Clarkson’s Farm lovers, this is a must for you. – Mitchell Hageman, journalist

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