November 15, 2025
Cover Story
Kirkus’ Best Books coverage kicks off with the 100 best fiction and 100 best nonfiction books of the year, plus interviews with authors of some of our favorite titles.Featured In This Issue
This Issue's Starred Reviews
FICTION
-
THE GREAT WORK
By Sheldon Costa
-
CASANOVA 20
By Davey Davis
-
CRUX
By Gabriel Tallent
-
THE AGE OF CALAMITIES
By Senaa Ahmad
-
CALL ME ISHMAELLE
By Xiaolu Guo
-
BEFORE I FORGET
By Tory Henwood Hoen
-
VIGIL
By George Saunders
-
ALLIGATOR
By David Ryan
-
THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2025
By Celeste Ng Nicole Lamy
-
FIRE MUST BURN
By Allison Montclair
-
YOURS FOR THE SEASON
By Uzma Jalaluddin
-
THE HITCH
By Sara Levine
-
EATING ASHES
By Brenda Navarro Megan McDowell
-
THE REST OF OUR LIVES
By Ben Markovits
NONFICTION
-
WHEN WORLDS QUAKE
By Hrvoje Tkalčić
-
WILD THINGS
By Barbara Wansbrough
-
SWORD BEACH
By Max Hastings
-
EL PASO
By Jazmine Ulloa
-
THE TREE OF LIFE
By Max Telford
-
THIS VAST ENTERPRISE
By Craig Fehrman
-
ATLAS OF BORDERS
By Delphine Papin Bruno Tertrais Xemartin Laborde
TEEN
-
BETH IS DEAD
By Katie Bernet
-
I DON'T WISH YOU WELL
By Jumata Emill
-
BETTER THE DEVIL
By Erik J. Brown
CHILDREN'S
-
THE TRICKSTER SHADOW
By Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley
-
HOW TO HAVE A THOUGHT
By Nicholas Day Hadley Hooper
-
JAYDEN NOTICED
By Carolyn Crimi Shamar Knight-Justice
-
SOCKFLEA
By Laura Dockrill Eva Byrne
-
WRONG FRIEND
By Charise Mericle Harper Rory Lucey
-
ORRIS AND TIMBLE
By Kate DiCamillo Carmen Mok
-
THE MOON WITHOUT STARS
By Chanel Miller
-
COACH
By Jason Reynolds
-
THE CLAIMING
By Jasmine Warga Naomi Franquiz
-
ALICE WITH A WHY
By Anna James Matthew Land
-
THE SWEATER
By Larissa Theule Teagan White
-
A BEAR, A MAN, AND A DONUT VAN
By Daniel Bernstrom Brandon James Scott
-
POEMS FOR EVERY SEASON
By Bette Westera Henriette Boerendans David Colmer
-
TROUBLED WATERS
By Carole Boston Weatherford Bryan Collier
-
FROG
By Isabel Thomas Daniel Egnéus
-
HOW WE LOVE
By Kati Douglas Ashley Jefferson
-
MARY MORLAND IN THE TIME OF DINOSAUR DISCOVERY
By Jane Kurtz Giselle Potter
-
RUMPELSTILTSKIN
By Mac Barnett Carson Ellis
-
BLUES BOY
By Alice Faye Duncan Carl Joe Williams
-
BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US
By Mia Wenjen Violeta Encarnación
INDIE
-
THERE
By Peter Mercurio
-
THE LOST WOMAN
By Karen Mulvahill
-
THE WEDDING
By Gurjinder Basran
-
FIGHTING BULLIES
By William T. Reid, IV
-
ECO REIGN
By L. Galuppo
