Powell’s and Book Riot have handpicked their favorite fiction and nonfiction titles of 2025 so far. From romantasy to world history, they’ve read it all and gathered the year’s must-reads just for you. Compare your 2025 favorites! Find our top recommendations below, or stop by to see our in-store displays at any Powell's location. Listen to the podcast episode here.

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Is a River Alive? - "Robert Macfarlane’s urgent new book is luminous work that questions everything about the Western idea of the natural world and our place in it. Big ideas and small observations alike are rendered in gloriously poetic prose. Engrossing and enlivening."

Tilt - "Emma Pattee’s debut novel is a deeply-researched thought experiment about what will happen when the big one inevitably hits. A transfixing tale that will leave readers as shook as its characters; Tilt is a book that I think everyone – especially every Portlander – should read."

Montgomery Bonbon - "It turns out that the greatest living gentleman detective is a ten-year-old girl in a trench coat and fake moustache. This stunningly clever and quotable book is great for kids, and it’s at least as good for adults. This is the most fun reading experience I’ve had all year."

Flashlight - "Susan Choi’s masterful novel shines a piercing light on a family, each member of which is lost in a different way. While the characters may be adrift, readers never are, as Choi’s gripping prose is simply as good as it gets."

Spent - "The smartest mix of whimsy and satire that I’ve encountered in a long time. In Spent, Alison Bechdel has managed to a create a book that is a complete delight to get lost in, while also being a work of anti-escapism. In dark times, a book this clear-eyed and joyous is most welcome."

Audition -"A beguiling, sharp, and surprising book that will have you scratching your head in the very best way. Clean, cutting observations and slippery characters combine in this gem for literary fiction lovers."

This American Woman - "The funniest memoir since Trevor Noah’s Born A Crime. Comedian Zarg chronicles her journey from India to Internet and Hollywood fame with stops on the street, in the Midwest, and the legal profession along the way. Ebullient and enchanting. "

White Light - "You should care about phosphorus. And if you don’t White Light will get you interested in it. A globe-trotting, century-spanning account of how this mineral has shaped the world (and most likely most of what you ate today). Short and approachable, it’s a gem for curious readers."

Poets Square - "When the author finds her new home in Tuscon to be the nexus of a feral cat colony, she didn’t think it would change her life. And you won’t expect this memoir of how exactly her life changed to be so thoughtful and poignant."

Pronoun Trouble - "A feast for the word-curious and the language obsessed. McWhorter walks through the development and strangeness of pronouns. Why is “Aren’t I?” grammatically correct and so is “Am I Not?” You will be sure to annoy your friends and family with what you learn."

Exit Zero - "Weird — and weirdly funny — for a collection of short stories about loss, difficult relationships, and the feeling that something is missing. Zany and surreal, inviting and insightful. Here, unicorns are real, but the mundane moments of life are the real magic."

Searches - "What does it mean to be a person in a moment when technology is increasingly good at performing humanity? This is the book about AI and creativity I’ve been waiting for."

We Do Not Part - "Literary fiction of the highest order from a Nobel Prize-winning novelist. Not much happens in this quiet, dream-like novel that asks rich questions about history, memory, connection, and pain."

Life in Three Dimensions - "What makes a good life? Historically, researchers and philosophers have pointed to 1) happiness and 2) meaning. Oishi proposes a third component — psychological richness — that explains why curiosity, novelty, and challenge are important for personal growth."

Stone Yard Devotional - "A quiet and meditative exploration of, well, quiet, meditative life. Why would a woman who doesn’t believe in God leave her family and career to live with a monastic community? Does it even matter when the writing is this gorgeous?"

So Many Stars - "Queer elders of color share stories of self-discovery, activism, resistance, and survival. This love letter to queer history is a gorgeous reminder to treasure the wisdom of those who’ve witnessed history, helped shape it, and allowed us to imagine brighter futures."

Harlem Rhapsody - "Jessie Redmon Fauest ignited the Harlem Renaissance’s literary element, so why isn’t she a household name? This immersive story drops you into Jazz Age Harlem and imagines her story, from her 1919 arrival in New York to her (messy!) affair with W.E.B. Du Bois."

Everything is Poison - "A brilliant YA novel in verse fictionalizing the life of Giulia Tofana, an alleged poisoner of 600+ men in 17th century Rome. Was she a cold-blooded serial killer, or a protector of women? Joy McCullough is so good at these historical 'what ifs.'"

Happy Land - "A woman discovering family ties to an American kingdom sounds like a fairy tale, but The Kingdom of the Happy Land was a real place, a self-governed community founded by formerly enslaved people in Reconstruction North Carolina. This book and bit of history are remarkable."

Malinalli - "Malinalli AKA La Malinche was Hernán Cortés' translator in his conquest of the Aztecs. Though enslaved and a victim herself, she’s one of the most maligned women in history. Her story is reimagined here with a lot more nuance and a little bit of magic."