From novels featuring gay clowns to 1,238 page special editions, Literary Arts staff read a lot of books in 2025. Here are just a few that made an impact.
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett
There’s something so special about a gay clown book. I’m a sucker for Arnett’s writing generally, she’s witty and sentimental and perfectly captures messy, found community around queer folks in such a masterful way. Each character is strong, and the Floridian setting is a character all on its own. There’s tons of magic here (in a few different ways!)
— Elena, Operations Coordinator
Wildness Before Something Sublime by Leila Chatti
I’ve been a stan of this incredible poet since her first full length collection Deluge. Again and again, I return to Chatti’s work for my own writing and for when I teach students. Powerhouse poet and thinker.
— Paige, Youth Programs Associate
This book concludes the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven saga—a magic-filled, witchy, queer contemporary fantasy series about intergenerational coven conflicts and a young witch navigating her identity and place in the world, all while battling Lucifer’s attempt to tear everything apart.
I loved the queer representation, specifically the solidarity that many of the older characters had toward the trans witch as she became one of the most powerful witches in the coven.
—Jaycie, Associate Director of Annual Giving
DILF: Did I Leave Feminism by Jude Doyle
I didn’t know how long I’d been waiting for this book until I read it. A thoughtful and timely discussion of the schism between inclusive feminism and TERF ideology, this book helped me reconcile my own feminist hang-ups as a trans/non-binary person and gave me hope for a more inclusive future.
Did we leave feminism? Spoiler: nope. It’s been here the whole time.
—Alex, Lead Bookseller
My Brilliant Friend, Deluxe Edition by Elena Ferrante
Biggest book I read all year (a whopping 1,238 pages), and I would absolutely read it again. Stories that dig deep into female friendship, neighborhood lore, and what it means (or could mean) to be a writer will always rank pretty high for me. Ferrante does not disappoint here. And c’mon the sprayed edges? Iconic.
— Paige, Youth Programs Associate
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
With her second novel, Ling Ling Huang has cemented herself as one of my most favorite authors of all time. In Immaculate Conception, she takes on friendship—but it’s less warm and cozy and more envious and cruel. Infused with conversations about art and generative AI, the dangerous extremes of invasive technology, and the ways capitalism warps our morality, Huang manages an immaculately (!) paced novel that gripped me all the way to the bitter end.
— Adesina, Bookseller
Heart The Lover is on so many end of 2025 lists but hey, now it’s on mine as well. This book did a real number on me this year (yes, I cried reading it at 1am). There’s something so comfortable and immensely readable about Lily King’s writing — I know I’m in good hands with her from page one. The depth of feeling here, the close ties with another favorite from her (2020’s Writers & Lovers), the perspective on love and time and change… just stunning.
— Sarah, Assistant Bookstore Manager
Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde
Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, and this cover is as gorgeous as its contents. Decadent, life-affirming, and ever-unfolding, Osunde threads a diverse cast of characters together as they balance love—in all its forms—and life—in all its beautiful, messy complexities. It’s less plot and more character, and it’s more joy than pain. I’m jealous of anyone who gets to read this for the first time.
— Adesina, Bookseller
Night People: How to be a DJ in ’90s New York City by Mark Ronson
Spend a tight 200 pages in a time before smartphones at the club! Just like any good DJ, this book delightfully toggles between hyper technical descriptions of vintage turntables (for the Old Heads) and crowd-pleasing tea about the 90s club scene and its major players (to keep the party going!). Sub-plots include: Ronson’s star studded nepo-baby childhood and Giuliani’s tactics against the NY clubs of the time. Much like the iconic parties it describes, this book is such a blast and over too soon— I want to dance, I mean read it, until the sun comes up!
— Chloe , Development Coordinator
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
For fans of The God of Small Things this memoir helps fill in some contextual gaps and explores the writing process of that novel, juxtaposing her wild and impoverished childhood with her sudden literary super stardom. However, even if you have not read that work, this memoir stands alone for its view into the life and work of one of our greatest living authors, and the universal experience of a daughter’s complex relationship to a formidable mother, and the navigation of grief after they pass.
— Jyoti, Director of Marketing & Communications
Buzzing by Samual Sattin & Rye Hickman
A graphic novel that illustrates life with OCD and anxiety, while underlining the power of storytelling, community, and imagination. Read with the big kid in your life who loves D&D / high fantasy!
— Jennifer, Senior Data Manager
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