As the final days of the year slip by, many readers find themselves reflecting on the books they loved, and the ones they still want to read. While 2025 brought its share of blockbuster titles, some of the best reads were those that didn’t make headlines. If you’re looking to close out the year or enter the new one with something great, these under-the-radar gems deserve a spot on your nightstand.
One such standout is The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, a genre-blending debut that’s equal parts speculative fiction, historical romance, and bureaucratic satire. The story follows a British civil servant assigned to monitor a 19th-century Arctic explorer who has been transported to the present through a government time-travel experiment. What begins as a professional arrangement slowly evolves into a deeply human connection, raising questions about identity, belonging, and the emotional cost of displacement. Bradley’s sharp wit and emotional nuance make this a truly memorable read.
In a more surreal and cerebral vein, The Book of Elsewhere, a collaboration between actor Keanu Reeves and speculative fiction heavyweight China Miéville, offers a bold take on science fiction. Set in a fractured reality where memory and identity are manipulated by unseen forces, the novel follows a reluctant hero drawn into a conflict that spans dimensions. Though it didn’t receive the fanfare of other celebrity-authored books, this ambitious work challenges readers to think deeply about the nature of consciousness, power, and free will.
For those drawn to speculative fiction with a human heart, Natasha Pulley’s The Mars House is a triumph. Set in a future shaped by climate migration and Martian colonization, it follows a refugee from Earth who must navigate the rigid social codes and class divisions of the new world on Mars. Pulley’s gift for world-building is on full display. Still, it’s the themes of exile, adaptation, and quiet resistance, that makes this novel so resonant.
And for readers craving suspense, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore delivers a haunting literary thriller. Set in the Adirondacks, the novel centers on the disappearance of a teenage girl at an elite summer camp owned by her wealthy family. Moore masterfully weaves together timelines and perspectives, peeling back layers of family secrets, privilege, and grief. The result is a richly atmospheric mystery that’s as emotionally layered as it is gripping.
These books may not have topped bestseller lists, but they each offer something worthwhile: originality, depth, and the kind of storytelling that stays with you. As you prepare your 2026 reading list, consider making room for a few of these overlooked treasures; you might discover a new favorite.
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