In lieu of an RPL at Home post for December, I wanted to close out the year by sharing the best things I read and watched this year.
I hope you find something that piques your interest here!
The best books I read this year
Reading is my favorite hobby (whenever I’m ready for a new career, it will be professional reader), so I’m sharing the 12 best books I read this year.
Mother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy (2025)
This is one of the most compelling memoirs I’ve ever read. This one is from Indian author Arundhati Roy—whose first novel The God of Small Things won the Booker Prize in 1997—and it centers on her complicated relationship with her larger-than-life mother. Raw, gripping, and brilliantly written.
Read this if you: Admire memoirs that feel both fiercely personal and quietly political. It helps to be familiar with Roy’s work but it’s not necessary.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sonny, Kiran Desai (2025)
I’m a sucker for sprawling family sagas as well as novels that unpack the unrootedness and loneliness of being an immigrant, so I knew I was going to enjoy this one, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much I would enjoy it.
I re-read and highlighted passages and entire chapters simply because I felt them so deeply, because I could envision the characters as people I’ve met before, because it stirred up feelings and experiences I was never able to articulate so eloquently.
Read this if you: Can’t resist a sweeping family novel or immigrant stories that capture the quiet ache of displacement and belonging.
Great Circle, Maggie Shipstead (2021)
My friend lent me this novel, telling me it was “transformative.” I thought she was exaggerating because the subject—a female pilot in the 1930s and 1940s—sounded only mildly interesting to me. I’m proud to report she was right. This is such a creative novel that brings to life a character I’ll remember forever.
Read this if you: Love ambitious, character-driven storytelling with a fearless woman at the center. Also, if you think you’re not into “historical fiction,” this will change your mind.
Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
In this narrative nonfiction, we get to know an extended Puerto Rican-American family in the Bronx between the ‘80s and ‘90s as they navigate love, family, drugs, and incarceration. I found myself utterly absorbed with even the most minute details of these characters’ lives, often wondering what I would have done if I had been in their shoes.
Read this if you: Are drawn to immersive narrative nonfiction that blurs the line between journalism and novel. Or want to understand how structural forces like poverty shape everyday choices.
Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2006)
Before reading this, I had never heard about the Nigerian Civil war, despite its heavy toll (millions of civilians died from starvation). The novel is told by several interconnected characters as they struggle to survive the war. It starts a bit slow but quickly becomes a page-turner (even though I found myself routinely pausing to learn more historical context).
Read this if you: You love to learn history through storytelling, and are willing to sit with a slower beginning in exchange for something deeply moving.
The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen (2015)
Another historical fiction novel, this one follows a North Vietnamese mole in the South Vietnamese Army at the end of the Vietnam War. Sometimes it feels like a spy novel, other times dark comedy, and yet other times, political intrigue. Always thrilling. Like the novel above, you’ll also get the kind of history lesson they rarely teach you in school.
Read this if you: Enjoy spy novels or political satire. Or are interested in the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Martyr, Kaveh Akbar (2024)
I lent this novel to a friend and merely said “I’ve never read anything like this.” A week later, she returned it, and said “I know exactly what you mean.”
The narrator is a young Iranian-American man who is acutely self-aware of his flaws, but he’s impossible not to root for. He deals with universal feelings—grief, addiction, loneliness, the search for meaning—but Akbar writes about them in a very character-specific way that’s never trite.
Read this if you: Appreciate messy, deeply human protagonists. Or Find yourself grappling with the question, “How do I make sense of a world that often feels senseless?”
A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin (2015)
This is definitely one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. It’s a collection of short stories, each of which delves into the intimate lives of working class women with raw candor and dark humor. You can never tell what’s fiction and what’s based on Berlin’s own life as a single mother who worked various odd jobs and battled addiction.
Read this if you: Love short stories with a distinctive voice and emotional honesty. Or are interested in raw, unsentimental portraits of working-class women told with dark humor.
Evicted, Matthew Desmond (2016)
Around 2008, Desmond followed eight poor families in Milwaukee as they each struggled to stay housed and documented their stories. While this is technically nonfiction based on research and fieldwork, it reads like a novel you can’t put down. I think it should be required reading for every American.
Read this if you: Are drawn to immersive narrative nonfiction that reads with the urgency of a page-turning novel.
LaRose, Louise Erdrich (2016)
I’ve been a fan of Erdrich’s since I read her acclaimed novel, The Round House, a decade ago, so when I found LaRose in one of my free public libraries, I knew it was time to revisit her work. Erdrich takes a seemingly simple premise—a tragic accident that kills a child—and turns it into a nuanced, richly layered tale of atonement and justice.
Read this if you: Enjoy quiet novels that leave an emotional echo. Or are interested in nuanced explorations of grief, justice, and forgiveness.
Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward (2011)
This novel takes place in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina in a poor town on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Our main character is a pregnant 15-year old girl, living in a rotting junkyard alongside her three protective brothers and alcoholic father.
Ward herself grew up in rural Mississippi and survived Katrina by sheltering in a car, which makes the novel feel all the more urgent, especially the last 80 pages or so, when the family hunkers down to survive the storm.
Read this if you: Want to read a novel that feels visceral and urgent.
Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver (2009)
I found myself utterly absorbed with the life trajectory of the protagonist, a young man who floats between Mexico and the U.S. as his life is shaped by interactions with artists (Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera), revolutionaries (Leon Trotsky), and political movements (the Red Scare).
The way Kingsolver blends his intimate personal narrative with these big historical moments made me think he was, in fact, a real person in history.
Read this if you: Adore historical fiction, especially if you love when real figures and fictional lives intertwine.
The best TV shows I watched this year
There is SO much to watch on TV these days. The staggering amount of choice can be overwhelming, so if you’d rather someone pick your next show for you, here are six shows I thoroughly enjoyed this year.
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
Spy thrillers are my favorite TV genre, and the British show Slow Horses is close to my favorite spy series (second only to The Americans and the French-language series, Le Bureau).
Season 5, like the previous seasons, strikes a great balance of humor, thrilling intrigue, and realism.
Watch this if you: Love spy shows but want realism and hilariously dysfunctional characters instead of James Bond jumping out of exploding helicopters.
The Lowdown (FX)
Once in a while, we are lucky to witness a show or a movie where it genuinely feels like the role was written for that particular actor. I feel that way about the main character in The Lowdown, who Ethan Hawke plays so brilliantly.
He’s self-centered but generous, he makes terrible decisions but he’s smart, he’s reckless but confident.
Hawke isn’t the only draw though. The storyline—the search for the truth about corruption in Tulsa, Oklahoma—is intriguing and the artistic direction is utterly unique, with each episode featuring something quirky to savor.
Watch this if you: Appreciate actors completely disappearing into a role. And enjoy shows that feel artistically alive.
Pluribus (Apple TV)
In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi series, we follow author Carol, who is one of only 13 people in the world who survives an alien virus that transforms everyone else into a peaceful hive mind.
The two things I love about the show the most: (1) Carol is often cranky and rude but you still root for her; (2) every episode, I pause at least a few times to debate philosophical questions like, “if I were Carol, would I try to save the world, or would I just give in and enjoy the happy-yet-creepy vibes?”
Watch this if you: Prefer your sci-fi to be more “philosophical thought experiment” rather than lasers and space battles. Also, you don’t mind a slow burn.
Eastern Gate (HBO Max)
Another spy thriller, this one Polish and set in 2021, on the brink of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We follow Ewa, a Polish spy who’s tough and captivating, as she stealthily tracks down information about a nuclear bomb program and tries to uncover a leak in Polish intelligence.
Watch this if you: Want a spy drama that feels current, enjoy being on the edge of your seat, and love a strong female lead.
Mo (Netflix)
Loosely based on comedian Mo Amer’s life as a Palestinian refugee who grew up in Houston, Mo is one of the most unique shows on TV. It’s impossible to not fall in love with the quick-talking, joke-spitting, code-switching, entrepreneurial Mo, as well as his family.
The show touches on deep topics and is often heartwrenching, but the humor is always present.
Watch this if you: Appreciate heartfelt stories about immigrant families that aren’t cliche. And want to fall in love with a main character you wish were your friend IRL.
The Beast in Me (Netflix)
In this thriller, Claire Danes plays a once-successful writer who’s been unable to write since her son died and has alienated everyone around her. Mathew Rhys plays her mega-millionaire real estate tycoon neighbor, and their lives begin to intersect in more ways than one.
What I like most about the show is Danes’ ability to convey stress, angst, and emotional distress in such a realistic, visceral way (fans of Homeland will appreciate this).
Watch this if you: Prefer psychological thrillers that are more about emotional tension rather than jump scares (though there are a few of those too).
What were the best things you read and watched in 2025?
I’d be delighted if you left a comment with the best book you read (or best TV show you watched) this year. And let us know why you loved it!
Wishing you all a relaxing and love-filled holiday season!
Thanks for your list from 2025. I decided this coming year I will journal my TV shows and my books. Trying to remember leisure moments needs effort! I did love love love The Diplomat.
The Diplomat is one of my favorite shows. So very interesting. I don’t usually like “political” shows but with the dynamic between Keri Russell as Kate Wyler and her husband Hal, played by Rufus Sewell is just so interesting and fun to watch. Love it!
The Overstory by Richard Powers was my favourite read this year! It starts off following the lives of separate people and eventually their stories intertwine as a common passion brings them together
Thank you for these recommendations. I went to put The Loneliness of Sonia and Sonny on hold at my public library and I am now the 157th person in line. That is how you know it is a good one.
Best book I read this year: My Friends by Fredrik Backman. So tender and moving. Writing is gorgeous and the story stays with you.
Past favorites:
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. I felt a loss when I finished the book because I wanted to just keep going alongside the main character.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. One of my favorites of all time. Sad and funny and beautiful.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Fantastic historical fiction.
Funny Story by Emily Henry. This is a light and hilarious romcom. Quirky, memorable characters and the emotional elements feel authentic.
*Someone else mentioned Shadow of the Wind by Carlos a Ruiz Zafon. I also loved this book!
We love Mo!!! Such a great show!!!
I cannot look at hummus the same way after watching Mo. seriously, such a beautiful and loving storyteller. Love the show too.
So true! Mo is absolutely wonderful 🙂
I’m a recent newsletter subscriber and so happy to be here! Your recommendations are so intriguing to me as a picky (and inconsistent 🥲) reader and fingers crossed that my local library carries some of them 🤞🏻. My favourite read of the year was ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It’s set in 20th century Barcelona blends fantastical elements with the reality of what life was like in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and during Franco’s dictatorship. The story itself is at the centre of it all, but you do get your fix of history, which is right up my alley. And then there’s coming-of-age, distinctive characters, mystery, love, … It’s an international bestseller – and for good reason!
The best book I read was Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green – reads like narrative non fiction and genuinely compelling. Another great one was An American Sickness by Elizabeth Rosenthal. She is a former ER physician turned journalist and gives a sweeping overview of how and why our healthcare system is so broken and expensive. While a bit dated (2017) most of it is still relevant. I’m definitely going to read some of the books you recommended! Can’t wait!
We love “The Diplomat”. Even though his character is quite unlikable sometimes, we always root for Hal (Rufus Sewell) to somehow do the right thing, such a great actor. And paired with Keri Russell, can’t beat it. Have saved your list of books in my OneNote – looking to broaden my reading horizons this year.
The Diplomat is fantastic storytelling. In addition to the lead actors, Rory Kinnear as the PM is spot on, and I would watch Allison Janney in absolutely anything. The writing is clever, and the characters feel real.
Rory Kinnear as the PM is AMAZING, isn’t he? I mostly HATE HATE HATE him, and then I’m torn because he’s really smart and also kind of a little boy, too. Stellar work.
I have read about 70 books this year and here are a few that were absolutely 500 stars: Twice by Mitch Albom (what an amazing story- it’s fantastical, but really a story about the mistakes we make and second chances. I cried). The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (it was funny and sweet and so different. It was really about accepting people for who they are, family and adventure. Loved!)
Thank you for this. A reading list from someone you know as thoughtful, creative and basically brilliant, is invaluable.
Nisha, our reading tastes are freakishly aligned! 🙂 I just finished reading The Lacuna (LOVED it) and I’ve already noted my admiration for The Sympathizer. I have Mother Mary Comes to Me as an audio book and can’t wait to listen to it, because I adore Roy’s writing as well as her voice. I’m looking forward to checking out Evicted and The Loneliness of Sonia and Sonny. I’ll spare you my intense non-fiction favorites of this year and instead share two other recommendations: The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie (a retelling of The Great Gatsby set in post-WWII Los Angeles: fantastic!) and a stellar book of poetry, Archive of Desire by the gifted Robin Coste Lewis (she is SO brilliant!) Happy New Year!