Best of 2025... so far!Like this list

7 items

• The Dream Hotel

  Lalami, Laila, 1968-

  Add The Dream Hotel to your for later shelf

  In a story that feels particularly topical, Laila Lalami explores a world where people are held indefinitely in "retention centres" without having committed any crime, because an algorithm - based on a myriad of vague data including dreams - has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Used to Live Here

  Kliewer, Marcus

  Add We Used to Live Here to your for later shelf

  I love a horror novel that is so vivid I can imagine it as a movie. This one does a fantastic job of building up a true sense of dread, and puts enough twists and cryptic clues in there to keep you on your toes throughout. It's an excellent…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Abarat

  Barker, Clive, 1952-

  Add Abarat to your for later shelf

  Clive Barker is well known for his terrifying horror novels for adults, but this first book in his young adult fantasy series is vastly different in tone. It follows Candy, a teenager who stumbles upon the mysterious world of Abarat and is soon…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Almond

  a Novel

  Son, Wŏn-p'yŏng, 1979-

  Add Almond to your for later shelf

  The almond-shaped part of your brain responsible for emotional processing is called the amygdala (almond in Greek). In this novella, the protagonist's amygdala is underdeveloped and so he goes through his youth and all its tragedies unable to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rejection

  Fiction

  Tulathimutte, Tony, 1983-

  Add Rejection to your for later shelf

  I was hesitant to even put this book on the list because it's unhinged and gross and features potentially the most explicit scene I've ever read in my entire life. But I love nuanced, witty commentaries on modern culture, and this one gets super…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Uzumaki

  Spiral Into Horror

  Itō, Junji, 1963-

  Add Uzumaki to your for later shelf

  Reread. This is possibly my favourite work of horror of all time. It taps into a number of things that really terrify me, including body horror, inescapable or doomed situations, fanatacism, madness, and death. Junji Ito's brilliant storytelling and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Big Little Lies

  Moriarty, Liane, 1966-

  Add Big Little Lies to your for later shelf

  Lianne Moriarty books are the perfect beach reads. I indeed read this one on the beach during summer and enjoyed every second. There's plenty of humour and in-fighting amongst the petty parents of schoolchildren, but this novel also deals with some…Read moreRead more of this annotation