Best of Book Riot

The Week’s Most Popular Stories

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

S. Zainab Williams

Executive Director, Content

S. Zainab would like to think she bleeds ink but the very idea makes her feel faint. She writes fantasy and horror, and is currently clutching a manuscript while groping in the dark. Find her on Twitter: @szainabwilliams.

Welcome to The Best of Book Riot. Here’s your weekend highlight reel of the week’s most popular stories.

The Most Anticipated Book Club Books of 2025

The book clubs I’m a part of plan things as the months go by, which I like, but I can see the pros of both ways. Planning ahead gives people ample time to order books and read them if they can. You could even plan more robust activities around the books if you want more of an immersive experience. Depending on the book, you could have themed brunches and maybe even book-relevant group museum trips.

On the other hand, planning books as you go helps people pivot as their interests change, and it’s always nice to be flexible. No matter your planning method, the books I’ve gathered below are all especially book club-friendly picks from our Most Anticipated Books of 2025 list. There’s plenty to talk about within these books, which have examinations of family trauma, hellish dark academia, and a zany half-sibling road trip.

The Best New Book Releases Out January 28, 2025

In the realm of fantastical fiction, there’s Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki, a historical romantasy set in Japan; and On the Wings of la Noche by Vanessa L. Torres, a queer YA fantasy in which the titular Noche turns into an owl at night to escort the dead to the afterlife. Sci-fi lovers will appreciate We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine by Deni Ellis Bechard, which explores AI and the meaning of human existence; while people looking for a little chuckle will dig Kira Jane Buxton’s contemporary and Italy-set Tartufo.

As for the featured books below, just about all of them are on someone’s “most anticipated books of 2025” list, and some are even on multiple lists. They have long-held family secrets, off-kilter girl stories, and amorphous blobs.

These Books For Children, Tweens, and Teens Just Won Some Serious Awards

For those passionate about youth literature, the annual Youth Media Awards presented by librarians who are part of the American Library Association are like the Grammys, the Emmys, and the Oscars all at once. Over the course of the last year, librarians have dedicated their time and energy to reading a LOT of books. They engage in lively discussions about the requirements of the award for which they’re reading in order to determine which books deserve to be crowned the best of the best.

This year’s Youth Media Awards were presented on January 27, 2025. Here are the winners in a number of categories. Below the name of the award is a short description of what that award honors.

My Book Club’s Favorite Nonfiction Picks

My in-person book club is made up of an eclectic group of women who come from all walks of life. From an interior designer to a pediatric emergency room nurse, we have a little bit of everything. But as a whole, we all tend to love nonfiction in one way or another. So today, I’m sharing some of the most popular nonfiction books my book club has adored.

2025 Mystery/Thriller Books To Add To Your TBR

I love a list where the writer(s) explain why they chose each book! If you want to add more books to your TBR, check out The Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Books of 2025 from Paste. (And for all genres, including mystery, here is Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025.)