As 2025 winds to a close, there’s no better time to refresh your reading list—or find the perfect gift—than December. Whether you’re looking for brand-new releases or the most talked-about titles of the year, this curated list of the 15 best fiction and nonfiction books to buy in December 2025 offers something for everyone. Featuring powerful memoirs, thrilling mysteries, visionary literary works, and deeply researched nonfiction, these selections reflect what’s trending now across genres and platforms. This inclusive, bias-free list blends just-released books with viral reads that have captured the internet and bookshelves alike.
1. House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
A masterwork from Nobel laureate Tokarczuk, this newly translated novel is a web of interconnected stories set in a Polish border village. With mythological undertones and magical realism, it explores local folklore, memory, and belonging. The writing is deeply poetic, turning ordinary lives into extraordinary legends. It’s a quiet yet profound reminder that every place holds boundless stories.
2. The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Rushdie returns with five powerful short stories shaped by his experience of survival and reflection. These imaginative tales meditate on death, aging, and the stories we tell ourselves to endure. With wit and subtlety, Rushdie merges realism and the surreal in prose that’s both elegant and emotionally resonant.
3. Flat Earth by Anika Jade Levy
In this darkly funny debut, a Gen Z academic struggling with burnout joins her influencer friend on a bizarre road trip to a flat-earth convention. It’s a sharp satire on modern anxiety, social media, and the hunger for meaning in a chaotic world. Levy’s voice is fresh and cutting, offering a unique critique of art and ambition.
4. Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton
Equal parts horror and humor, this thriller starts with a chilling message from a friend—who’s been dead for a year. As a group of estranged roommates reconnect to solve the mystery, secrets unravel fast. Witty, satirical, and thrilling, this novel offers a darkly comic take on friendship, trauma, and tech-era paranoia.
5. Winter Stories by Ingvild Rishøi
This Norwegian collection of three stories follows ordinary people on the brink—runaways, single mothers, ex-convicts—who show resilience in the face of hardship. Rishøi’s writing is intimate and tender, painting emotional landscapes with minimal prose. A quiet triumph in literary storytelling.
6. The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life by Amy Bowers Cordalis
Yurok lawyer and activist Amy Bowers Cordalis tells the multigenerational story of her family’s fight to protect the Klamath River and its salmon. Weaving personal memoir with tribal history and environmental justice, she recounts how cultural survival is bound to the river’s fate. This powerful narrative centers Indigenous knowledge and sovereignty in the face of ecological crisis. It’s a compelling and deeply human look at environmental activism from the inside out.
7. Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams
Adams delivers an inspiring and important history of Black-owned bookstores and their role in American political life. From abolitionist-era shops to Black Lives Matter-era hubs, she traces how these bookstores have been centers of resistance, culture, and education. With rich storytelling and historical insight, Black-Owned shows how these vital community spaces shaped—and continue to shape—Black identity and collective action.
8. 1929: The Year the Stock Market Crashed by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Sorkin vividly retells the human drama of the 1929 stock market crash through the lives of the people who lived it. More than just economic history, it’s a gripping narrative about greed, risk, and the collapse of confidence. Drawing parallels to today’s financial landscape, this is a timely and essential read.
9. Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith
This essay collection brings together over 30 pieces from Smith on topics ranging from literature to aging to digital life. With her signature blend of clarity, wit, and insight, she reflects on the meaning of art, authorship, and the passage of time. It’s both intellectual and personal, offering fresh takes on culture and change.
10. Jump and Find Joy by Hoda Kotb
Kotb shares uplifting lessons for finding joy during life’s challenges. With personal stories and practical takeaways, she encourages readers to embrace change, growth, and gratitude. Warm, wise, and hopeful, this book is the perfect guide for ending the year on a positive note.
11. The Look by Michelle Obama
In this visual memoir, the former First Lady reflects on the meaning behind her fashion choices across her public and private life. Featuring hundreds of photographs and thoughtful essays, Obama shares how clothing has empowered her and expressed her values. It’s a stunning mix of style and substance.
12. Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday
Holiday closes out his bestselling Stoic Virtues series with a focus on wisdom as life’s most essential virtue. Through philosophy, biography, and practical advice, he makes the case for lifelong learning and clarity in an increasingly noisy world. A guidebook for thoughtful, ethical living.
13. The Waterbearers by Sasha Bonét
Bonét’s debut collection explores Black womanhood, identity, motherhood, and healing through poignant essays. Her voice is intimate and lyrical, grounded in both cultural critique and personal narrative. It’s a heartfelt and powerful reflection on what it means to nurture, resist, and reclaim joy.
14. Daring to Be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World by Sudhir Hazareesingh
This groundbreaking global history reframes the abolition of slavery through the lens of the enslaved themselves. Hazareesingh documents uprisings, escapes, and everyday resistance from West Africa to the Caribbean, emphasizing the agency and courage of those who fought for freedom. With a focus on women and lesser-known figures, this is a vital corrective to traditional abolition narratives. A powerful, well-researched account of liberation from below.
15. Who Is Government? edited by Michael Lewis
This anthology of essays by top writers like Dave Eggers and Geraldine Brooks profiles everyday U.S. government workers who quietly keep the nation running. From safety inspectors to IRS agents, these stories reveal the humanity and dedication behind public service. A timely and surprisingly moving reminder of the value of civil institutions.
This updated list of the 15 best books to read or gift in December 2025 brings together fiction and nonfiction that challenge, entertain, and enlighten. From historical reckonings and environmental memoirs to thrillers and essays, each title was chosen for its originality, depth, and popularity across literary and search platforms.
Whether you’re looking to dive into trending nonfiction books, grab a must-read novel, or simply find a meaningful gift, these selections are a perfect way to end the year. Let this guide lead you to your next unforgettable read—or several!