As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the past 12 months and ask ourselves important questions like, ‘What was the best thing I read this year?’ and ‘What books do I want for Christmas?’
Here are five books released this year that are well worth reflecting on, whether you’re looking for gift ideas for others or perhaps just to add to your own wishlist.
Best books of 2025 – quick links
The Revisionists by Michelle Johnston
Set mostly within a fictional village in Dagestan, this morally-complex story explores authorial authenticity through the experiences of an Australian journalist named Christine, who yearns to demythologise history as it unfolds. Her seemingly benign actions are the catalyst for a chain of irreversible consequences, which are revealed gradually through the juxtaposition of interwoven timelines.
This cleverly-constructed structure combines with Johnston’s transformative prose to heighten suspense, underline themes and amplify emotional impact – telling a multi-layered story that will live in your mind forever.
The Revisionists will resonate most with writers who read, readers who write, and anyone who has ever lamented the impossibility of pure objective truth.
Essence by Thuy On
Essence is Thuy On’s third poetry collection. True to its title, it engages with the essence of its multifaceted subject matter, concretising the ephemeral through evocative imagery and metareferential discourse.
The first section engages with art, the second with heart, and the third, titled ‘À La Carte’, offers a figurative smorgasbord of lyrical delicacy. Inwardly reflective but outwardly focused, this collection is both self-aware and observant. From the dreamy idealism of If I were Poet Laureate: a mandate to the hilariously relatable Lost in IKEA, Essence contains something for everyone to enjoy.
Stand-out poems include If rejection slips were honest (so real) as well as Twelve classic texts in Haiku (my favourite) and Coding, which requires a degree of decoding.
Essence is the perfect holiday read for lovers of art, heart and poetry à la carte.
Dirty Politics by Macquarie Dictionary
Dirty Politics is a literal dictionary. Each letter from A to Z begins with a quote from a politician, with pages punctuated by post-it note asides, satirical commentary and tongue-in-cheek nicknames for public figures.
This book provides a cheeky look at how colloquial political language presents a ‘lexicon for scrutiny’ in the words of Executive Editor Victoria Morgan, whose introduction outlines Macquarie Dictionary’s role in recording language as it is used within Australian English.
Some terms like ‘democracy sausage’ and ‘donkey vote’ are probably familiar to most Australians. Others, such as ‘dead cat bounce’ might not be. The definition of ‘fake news’ spans almost two pages and the entry for ‘glass ceiling’ gives a shout-out to Julia Gillard.
Everything from ‘adhocracy’ and ‘bonk bar’ to ‘woketard’ and ‘zombie savings’ is humorously defined in this surprisingly-concise paperback, which is both entertaining and informative.
This book is the perfect Christmas gift for ‘faceless men,’ ‘crumb maidens’ and literate Australians of all political leanings.
Katabasis by RF Kuang
A high-concept premise with philosophical themes, RF Kuang’s Katabasis examines inequality, power dynamics and the link between memory and identity. Drawing parallels between university and hell, this book journeys from one to the other, turning thought experiments into plot beats and conundrums into character growth.
Combining witty escapism with philosophical themes, the story centres on Alice, who is either deeply relatable or borderline unlikeable, depending on the reader. Alice would rather go to hell alone than be saddled with Peter, whose casual competence and consistent helpfulness frustrates Alice to no end.
Alice and Peter are identically-aligned and diametrically-opposed, creating an intense dynamic with heavy plot implications. Don’t let the marketing fool you; this kind-of-but-not-really love story is definitely not a romance, although lines can be drawn between enemies and lovers.
Despite the intellectually-rigorous skeleton of the story, this book is fun, entertaining and (mostly) accessible. Katabasis will resonate most with academics, overthinkers and philosophy aficionados.
Collecting the West
Collecting the West is a comprehensive retelling of Western Australia’s history, unveiling new perspectives on old stories through astute observation and nuanced analysis.
Split into four parts, this full-colour exploration of artefacts, art and academia enables readers to traverse the state’s best collections without ever leaving the couch. Through university collaborations and partnerships with galleries and museums, Collecting the West facilitates a thorough investigation of the past through the overlapping lenses of the social sciences, arts and humanities.
The extensive research and considered reflection transforms the way history is perceived, making this book intellectually engaging and historically important.
This multi-disciplinary examination of West Australian history is beautifully presented, and notable for its emphasis on deconstructing cultural paradigms, correcting misconceptions and unravelling forgotten truths.
Collecting the West is a rare treasure for museum visitors of Australia’s vast west and avid gallery-goers worldwide.
