Dear readers, I’m bowled over by how many of you responded to last week’s letter about the joys of audiobooks. Thanks to all of you who wrote in with suggestions and opinions. You make an excellent constituency of recommenders. Why I hadn’t thought of listening to “The Goldfinch,” I’ll never know. (Thank you, Sylvia and Karen, for suggesting it!) Odds are good it will be the final novel I listen to in 2025, as hard as it may be to believe that we are nearing the end of the year. Last January feels like a distant memory, as much as I enjoyed reading “Playworld” soon after its release. Luckily, this report about the year in publishing trends helped restore some of my memory, and this roundup of five breakout novels inspired me to become the last woman with a library card to read “The Correspondent.” A quick and highly unscientific poll of what my colleagues would like to see more of (and less of) in books next year: “Fewer memoirs-as-therapy.” “Love interests in romantasy that go beyond dragons.” “Less perimenopause, and an end to pandemic fiction.” Personally, I’d like to see less prose that reads as if it’s been extruded through the same M.F.A. curriculum. More truly wacky, idiosyncratic novels (hello, “Trip”!) would delight me, and several colleagues say they are yearning for more froth. Feel free to drop me a line with your own literary hopes and dreams for 2026; you can reach me by emailing books@nytimes.com. If you’re ready to close the door on 2025, take a spin through our list of books to watch for next month. Finally, if you’re looking for what to read next, consider our January Book Club pick: “The Hounding,” by Xenobe Purvis. It’s a clever, haunting riff on a vampire story set in 1700s England, and a standout novel of 2025. We’ll discuss the book on the podcast that airs on Jan. 30, and you can share your observations about the book in the comments section. I’ll see you in the new year. Thanks, as always, for reading with us this year. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Love this email? Forward to a friend. Want this email? Sign-up here. Have a suggestion for this email? Then send us a note at books@nytimes.com.
|
