Some of My Favorite Books for the First Quarter of 2025

2025 has been such an interesting year for books so far. There have been a number of  good books coming out, but also more books than usual that have not resonated with me. As in previous years, I am keeping a running list of my favorites so that at the end of the year, it is easier to compile my “best of” list. 

Each quarter, one of my favorite bookstagrammers Kelly Hooker of @kellyhook.readsbooks joins me on my podcast for a discussion about our full list of top reads for that quarter. This episode will run next week so be on the lookout for that.  You can find interviews with the authors on several of these books on my website.

Here are 5 of my favorites for the first quarter of 2025:

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (mystery/thriller) – As one of the first employees at Airbnb, Jakob Kerr intimately familiar with the world of start-ups and Silicon Valley, and his experiences inform this twisty, funny, and clever thriller. The controversial CEO of tech’s hottest startup Journy has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will. Mackenzie Clyde, a fixer for the venture capital company that invested heavily in Journy, is brought in to consult and help solve the murder, but her help is not welcomed by the FBI. This intelligently constructed mystery into the wild and surreal world of the tech industry and startups where nothing is as it seems will keep readers on the edge of their seats; this debut is a clear standout in the genre. Dead Money will appeal to those who like smart thrillers that keep the reader guessing.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (fiction) – Good Dirt is a novel rich in lore and history, weaving together the stories of the Freeman family ancestors and a stoneware jar that has been with the family for centuries with the current day narrative of Ebony "Ebby" Freeman, the main character. The Freemans are a prominent black family whose young son Baz was murdered, a crime that is still not solved years later. While the book jumps around in time a fair amount, I found it easy to follow and loved that each perspective contributed to explaining the significance of the jar as well as who killed Baz. This beautiful book will appeal to those who enjoy complex family dramas as well as character-driven tales focusing on family, trauma, loss, legacies, and love. Learning about the stoneware jars made by slaves is an added bonus.

Head Cases by John McMahon (mystery/thriller) – The Patterns and Recognition team (“PAR”) at the FBI, derogatorily referred to as the Head Cases by other FBI agents, is hunting a killer who is slowly murdering other serial killers and leaving clues and riddles for the PAR team to decipher. Their leader, Gardner Camden, is neurodivergent and his intellect often inhibits his ability to effectively interact with others. The unit is composed of outcast agents who are all misfits who have been assigned there because something they worked on previously went sideways, but each individual is also incredibly bright. The quirky characters are well crafted, the mystery is a puzzler, and the twists and turns are so engaging. And while the focus is on finding the killer, McMahon does a wonderful job weaving in details about the characters’ personal lives and what makes them tick. This is the start to a new series, and I am already excited for book two. Head Cases is a good fit for people who like intelligent mysteries with unique protagonists.

Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell (fiction) – When Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision to grab a few clothes and her two young daughters and flee, she knows that leaving is the right thing to do, but she finds that staying away is much harder than the leaving was. With no job and little support, she struggles to find a home for her girls and herself as her emotionally abusive husband Ryan launches an unrelenting campaign for her to return home. Navigating the broken Irish housing system and constantly second-guessing herself, Ciara bravely fights the odds in this compelling tale of survival and the effects of enduring the long-term consequences of emotional abuse. O’Donnell’s vivid prose brings to life the unsettling brutality of gaslighting and coercive partner control where the bruises are not physical and keeps the suspense taut and gripping. This beautiful book will appeal to those who enjoy character-driven tales focusing on making your own way, trauma, loss, and love. 

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton (memoir) – During the Covid lockdown in the English countryside, Dalton stumbles across a leveret (a baby hare) and brings it home. As she learns to feed it and take care of it with little guidance because raising a hare is quite rare, what results is an unlikely relationship between her and the hare, a development that completely changes the way Dalton views the world. This book contains so many beautiful passages that I stopped to absorb and reflect on and helped me evaluate how I move about in the world. I loved Raising Hare from beginning to end. This book is good for readers who enjoy a strong sense of place as well as for fans of stories about nature, animals, and making connections.

I would love to hear your favorites so far of 2025. Feel free to drop them in the comments below.

For more book recommendations and bookish thoughts, see Cindy’s monthly Buzz Reads column, her Thoughts from a Page Podcast or follow @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram.