2025 has been a mediocre year for books. I've only read 2 books I would give 5 stars. Lots of 3 & a few 4s with some 2s occasionally. I quit most socials this year so no Bookstagram or BookTok to look into.
I love a good story of the triumph of the human spirit. Andy Weir's The Martian & (omg how I loved) Project Hail Mary. Both 5 stars for me. Some other 5 star books for me include, The Book Thief, Dark Matter, Tomorrow, Tomorrow & Tomorrow, All the Colors of the Dark, Remarkably Bright Creatures, The Women & The Guncle Abroad.
Do we have any 5 stars in common there? Do you have any recommendations not on that list you think I would enjoy. I appreciate any offerings.
Thank you,
by Sp4nkyMacD
8 Comments
Road to Tender Hearts
Vera, or Faith
Hazel Says No
Kitchens of the Great Midwest
Have you tried Red Rising by Pierce Brown?
Those were all 5’s for me too, and I think I have similar taste? You should read more Blake Crouch and Kristin Hannah, and give Fredrik Backman a try!
you should try the nightingale by kristin hannah, maybe you’d enjoy fredrik backman’s books?
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
We must have pretty similar taste! I recently loved The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb, My Friends by Fredrik Bachman, and Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino.
I also really liked What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown, Heartwood by Amity Gage, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne, and Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson.
You might like the *Remembrance of Earth’s Past* (AKA *The Three-Body Problem*) series.
I wouldn’t describe it as a triumph of the human spirit, but the hard sci-fi elements are similar to the ones you listed.
The books you gave 5 stars to are very similar to mine. I highly recommend Three Body Problem (sci-fi) and Flowers for Algernon (drama). If you’re up for a tearjerker, I highly suggest The KIte Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I still think about them to this day.