The Best Books of 2025
The New Yorker’s editors and critics choose this year’s essential reads in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
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Poetry Podcast
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Patricia Lockwood Reads Elizabeth Bishop
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The poet joins Kevin Young to read and discuss “In the Waiting Room,” by Elizabeth Bishop, and her own poem “Love Poem Like We Used to Write It.”
Fiction Podcast
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Miriam Toews Reads Raymond Carver
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The author joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Elephant,” which was published in The New Yorker in 1986.
The Writer’s Voice
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Camille Bordas Reads “Understanding the Science”
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The author reads her story from the December 15, 2025, issue of the magazine.
Takes
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Katy Waldman on Mary McCarthy’s “One Touch of Nature”
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A reader trusts the author’s voice instinctively, charmed by its opaline assessments and zinging aperçus. Still, one can quibble.
This Week in Fiction
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Camille Bordas on Other People’s Beliefs
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The author discusses her story “Understanding the Science.”
Book Currents
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Thelma Golden on the Literature of Harlem
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The director of the Studio Museum chooses some of her most beloved books about the neighborhood—both as a place and as an anchor for Black cultural consciousness.
The Writer’s Voice
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Andrew Martin Reads “Risk, Discipline”
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The author reads his story from the December 22, 2025, issue of the magazine.
The Writer’s Voice
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Joan Silber Reads “Safety”
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The author reads her story from the December 8, 2025, issue of the magazine.
This Week in Fiction
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Andrew Martin on the Post-Lockdown Period
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The author discusses his story “Risk, Discipline.”
The Writer’s Voice
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Nell Zink Reads “The Welfare State”
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The author reads her story from the December 29, 2025 & January 5, 2026, issue of the magazine.
This Week in Fiction
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Joan Silber on Friendship in a Fractured World
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The author discusses her story “Safety.”
Book Currents
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Olga Tokarczuk Recommends Visionary Science Fiction
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The Nobel-winning author, whose newest book is out this week, discusses work by a few of her favorite writers.