The Guardian's critics pick the must-read titles in 2025 - Photo: The Guardian
This year's list is considered rich and clearly reflects the world literary picture in 2025, when the works not only impress in terms of art but also touch on many contemporary cultural and social issues.
2025 with a variety of book genres
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count was selected by The Guardian as one of the most readable novels of the year. The work follows four women with different identities, values and burdens from journalist, lawyer to housewife to sketch out the journey of finding self, freedom and personal voice.
Dream Count is praised for its humanistic depth and subtle psychological portrayal - Photo: Barnes & Noble
Meanwhile, Thomas Pynchon's Shadow Ticket marks a notable return. The novel weaves mystery, history and modern obsessions, spanning from the Prohibition era to contemporary issues. The Guardian calls this work both informative and incisive about society and power - Photo: Alta Journal
David Szalay's Flesh , the Booker 2025 winner, also made the list. The book follows a Hungarian man from his impoverished youth to finding his place in London. Written in a cool, matter-of-fact style, without sugarcoating ambition or failure, Flesh has been praised as "a gritty slice of life."
David Szalay's Flesh wins the 2025 Booker Prize - Photo: The Guardian
In addition to the above works, The Guardian also mentioned Audition (Katie Kitamura), the story of an actress confronting a man who claims to be her son, and Seascraper (Benjamin Wood), about Thomas Flett, a young man living in a poor seaside town, who dreams of becoming a folk singer amid a difficult life. These novels contributed to a "bumper" year for literary fiction.
Not only novels, non-fiction and biography & memoir are also particularly prominent.
The Guardian has dedicated a section to celebrating works of life, including Margaret Atwood's Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts .
The book is considered a "life profile" of the female writer, recording her career journey, thoughts on age, creativity, literature and even world changes through a personal perspective - Photo: X
Helen Garner's How to End a Story, a diary that spans more than 20 years, is also on the list. Garner chronicles the ups and downs of life: love, work, loneliness, growing up, and how people rewrite their own lives. The work is highly appreciated for its delicate, slow but sharp writing style - Photo: Baillie Gifford Prize
In general, this year's non-fiction section expanded its range: from memoirs and biographies to politics , history, and society, satisfying readers seeking depth of knowledge and reflection.
The detective and thriller genre continues to prove its appeal with Strange Pictures by anonymous author Uketsu.
Strange Pictures is described as dark, mysterious, and full of psychological and crime influences, placing readers in difficult-to-explain mysteries about memories and crimes - Photo: The Japan News
In the science fiction and speculative literature category, the standout is Alex Foster’s Circular Motion , one of The Guardian’s most highly rated science fiction novels. The book opens up a world where hyper-speed travel technology causes the Earth to spin abnormally fast, leading to environmental and social crises.
The work is praised for raising contemporary questions about technology, ethics and the future of the planet - Photo: New Scientist
This year's list of The Guardian does not forget poetry, young adults, graphic novels, translated literature and children's books... - Photo: The Guardian
Many works for children are highly appreciated for their rich imagination and humanistic messages. The poetry section records the appearance of young authors with contemporary sensibilities, while graphic novels and translated literature contribute to expanding the reading experience with new creative styles.
The Guardian’s selection of a wide range of genres and authors, from veteran names to new voices, shows that literature in 2025 does not revolve around a certain taste. Readers are invited to try their hand at many genres: fiction, non-fiction, political commentary, fantasy, poetry, memoir, youth, children’s poetry...
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-cuon-sach-nao-hay-nhat-nam-2025-theo-the-guardian-20251208114621013.htm
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