Manual Redeye’s staff members read a lot of books in 2025, but we remember some more than others. Keep reading to learn about our favorite books of the past year. 

Lydia Adams

“Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang (2025)

Released on August 26, 2025, “Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang is a twist on the classic hero’s journey. The story follows Alice Law, a graduate student at Cambridge University, who travels to hell in order to rescue her deceased professor, from whom she can’t graduate. She’s joined by her academic rival, Peter Murdoch, and they face many challenges together on their journey. 

“10 stars. I love this book so much I will never shut up ever,” my Goodreads review of “Katabasis” reads.

 The traditional book rating scale only goes to five stars, and I have not, in fact, shut up about “Katabasis” since I read it in October. 

I’m going to do my best to be more eloquent in this review. That being said, it’s hard to describe exactly why I have been so heavily impacted by this novel. To start, it’s artfully written and the enemies-to-lovers subplot was one of the best I’ve read. 

“When Peter laughed it felt like the entire warmth of the sun was turned on her, because she had done it, she had uttered the words that so surprised and delighted him and he couldn’t even breathe,” Kuang writes. 

The relationship is realistic and beautiful, but it’s not even the strongest aspect of the novel. Kuang’s version of hell is so well thought out and complex; however, I was never once confused or overwhelmed by the magnitude of Law and Murdoch’s mission. Instead, I was fascinated by the world that Kuang had created and was always eager for more. 

In addition, the parts of this book that stuck with me were the subtler ones. I related heavily to Law’s academic drive and obsession and it was cathartic to read about a character in whom I saw so much of myself. Hidden beneath the fantasy aspects of “Katabasis” are themes of love, loss and fate. This book is not short, coming in at around 550 pages. Still, I found myself racing to the end and wishing for more when it was over. Those who still have the opportunity to experience this book for the first time are lucky, and I encourage you to pick it up as soon as you get the chance. 

Sylvia Mason

“Looking for Alaska” by John Green  (2005)

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into when I started this book. I discovered “Looking for Alaska” via a Google search of “Books similar to ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower,’” which should’ve been the first sign that it was going to be an utterly gut-wrenching read. However, fueled by naive optimism, I began to read what I thought would be a light-hearted coming-of-age story.

Boy, was I wrong. 

John Green’s dryly humorous prose and unique characters drew me into the world of Culver Creek Boarding School, with its rigorous coursework, rival social groups and strict cardinal rule: “Don’t be a snitch.” The book begins at “136 days before” and counts down as the central character, socially awkward Myles “Pudge” Halter, makes friends, enemies and reckless decisions he’ll live to regret.

The novel’s narrative of grief is especially well-written. Green truly takes the reader on a journey, side-by-side with Halter, as he suppresses and processes his emotions: guilt, fear, love and desperation. He is unmistakably flawed, but in the raw, realistic sense of a lost teenager navigating the world with no map, only a shattered moral compass giving him any sense of direction.

One of the most influential characters during Myles’ junior year is the enigmatic Alaska Young. Forced to grow up too fast following a childhood tragedy, Young drags Halter along with her into a world of reckless abandon and broken rules. 

Together, along with their eclectic group of friends, Young and Halter learn more about the world, each other and how one decision can irrevocably alter the course of someone’s life. I finished the book with a plethora of emotions, but not a single one was disappointment. 

Sarah Aleissa

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini (2007)

In my freshman year, my English teacher required us all to read “The Kite Runner,” another one of Khaled Hosseini’s books. “The Kite Runner” is one of those books that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. The story of the two friends growing up in Afghanistan and the differences between their lives was so powerful and one of those books I’ll never forget. 

After finishing my third reread of the book, I wanted to read more from Hosseini, and another book of his I decided to give a try was “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” While “The Kite Runner” focused on the friendship and guilt between two male characters growing up in Afghanistan, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” focused on the suffering and sisterhood of women under Taliban oppression in Afghanistan. The novel explores the lives of Mariam and Laila, two women whose lives become twisted together through war, loss and survival. 

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” was truly one of the best books I have read. Hosseini emphasized the importance of women’s voices in an environment that constantly tried to silence them. Through Mariam and Laila, readers can see the emotional and physical toll of war, forced marriage and oppression but the strength that comes with sacrifice, love and chosen family. 

Hosseini wrote about the struggles that Afghan women face constantly, not just in the book but in the present day. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is not an easy read, but it’s one I feel is essential. The book shows how stories like Mariama and Laila’s deserve to be heard, remembered and shared.

Ella Mangeot

“The Familiar” by Leigh Bardugo (2024)

In February 2025, I decided to read Leigh Bardugo’s “The Familiar” as a way to take a break from a long series I was in the middle of reading. What I expected to be a quick, enjoyable historical fantasy ended up becoming a book that left me thinking about it for months afterward and to which I compare any historical fantasy to now. 

“The Familiar” is the story of Luzia Cotado, a servant working in Madrid during the Spanish Inquisition. Cotado has magical powers but has to hide them to avoid drawing the attention of the Inquisition. She also must hide the fact that she is Jewish, something that could get her killed in a time full of antisemitism from the Spanish government. She soon meets Guillén Santangel, who helps her walk the fine line between miracles and witchcraft once she is found out and brought to the palace to perform for royal officials. 

I was completely engrossed in this book while reading it. The tense atmosphere throughout the story left me feeling just how precarious the characters’ situations truly were, even in scenes depicting everyday activities. Bardugo’s vivid imagery left me feeling as if I was actually walking through the streets of 16th century Madrid with the characters. 

I loved how in this book, there is no perfect hero. Cotado is not presented as a flawless heroine, and Santangel is not a saint either. Both of them are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their own interests. While some might say this makes them difficult to root for as characters, I found it made the story more interesting. Fairytale heroes might cling to their morals when placed in deadly situations, but real people would undoubtedly behave more like the heroes of  “The Familiar” and be willing to take some risks to protect themselves and those they care about. 

Overall, this book is what I consider to be the perfect historical fantasy. Its unabashed questioning of the line between faith versus paranoia, ambition versus selfishness and honesty versus safety renders this a relevant story to readers in today’s world. 

Zeara Robinson

“Assata: An Autobiography” by Assata Shakur (1987)

This book entails the non-fictional journey of Assata Shakur’s life as a revolutionary from childhood up until she escaped from prison to Cuba from the maximum-security wing of Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey in 1979. It begins with the story of her arrest in 1973 after prior, false convictions. From my understanding of the book, Shakur was with two other members of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) when they were pulled over while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. The police officers recognized the three activists (there was a counter-intelligence operation against them), and the interaction resulted in a shootout. The police shot and killed one of her friends, Zayd Malik Shakur, while the other, Sundiata Acoli, got away. Shakur and Acoli were then convicted of murdering one of the officers while Assata had been shot as well and was in bad shape.

This, of course, was not the only catalytic event in Shakur’s life. One of my favorite parts of the book is when she runs away from her mother’s home in Jamaica, N.Y., at 13 to live/work in Greenwich Village. There, she finds independence and the struggles of working as a Black woman. She had gotten a job making food the day she ran away in order to make money. She was fired the same day by the creepy boss who sexually harassed her. She uses her small hourly paycheck to rent a hotel room for herself for the night. “How is she going to survive alone now?” I thought as I read the book. But with the help of kind New Yorkers, she is fed and given advice. Eventually, she runs into her aunt Evelyn, who takes her back to her mother.

Assata Shakur passed away on September 25, 2025, in Cuba due to old age. She died still on the FBI’s most wanted list because of her past as a Black Panther and being in the BLA, despite not being a threat to the country. This meant she could not see her daughter in America before her death. This story means a lot to me, especially as a Black person in America, and I am grateful to share it.

Max Founder

“We Got the Beat” by Jenna Miller (2024)

This book is a lighthearted, funny, queer friends-to-enemies-to-lovers young adult romance novel that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. 

Jordan Elliott finds out that she not only did not get the editor-in-chief spot of her school’s newspaper, but she has been assigned the volleyball beat. The new captain of the team just happens to be Mackenzie West, who used to be her best friend and humiliated her at the start of freshman year. Instead of letting this get her down, Elliott dives in and decides to do an immersive long-term piece on the volleyball team, which requires lots of time around them. 

During their forced time together, West and Elliott unveil past secrets and fall back into their friendship.

“We Got the Beat” took me on an emotional rollercoaster. The novel explores queerness, fatness, the high school experience and the niche experience of being a high school journalist (which I greatly appreciate). I listened to this book read by Lindsey Dorcus; her narration was immersive and made this an easy listen.

Reading this book was a great, much-needed break from some of the darker, heavier books that our generation consistently recommends to each other. I would recommend this book to queer young adults, romance readers and anyone who has ever written in a school newspaper. You are bound to love the lighthearted fun that is “We Got the Beat.”

Grady Amick

“White Noise” by Don DeLillo (1985)

An old-as-dirt kernel of writing advice says that people do not talk in sentences; they talk in ideas. A writer who tries to bend this wisdom to their characters, though — who thinks he can collide and rewind and stretch his narratives like human thoughts can do — is usually crazy and will end up with horrible, obvious gibberish where big revelations are supposed to go.

Then there are writers like DeLillo. “White Noise,” the first of his books that I have read, does not have characters who lose their grip on the world so much as a world that loses its grip on the characters. 

When a chemical disaster, that is never really explained, shoots a toxic cloud at a nearby town, it battles for airspace with the brain-killing poison that the radios and TVs play in every scene. Yes, DeLillo loves his ironic moments (the main character is a Hitler scholar and none of his kids are right in the head) but in a time when we could all use some tenderness, he is also there with that. 

Abigail Coty

“Pack Up the Moon” by Kristan Higgins (2021)

My particular copy of this book is so worn and well-loved. I have always been a sucker for a good, bittersweet romance and this was that but so much better. The book flips between past and present and is told through the perspective of Joshua, a severely autistic and anxious man who has just been widowed. It tells the story of his life and whirlwind romance with Lauren, who dies young at the hands of cystic fibrosis. I found it especially tragic because Joshua is a medical device engineer, so as Lauren dies, he puts aside all of his projects to find anything to save her. I think it was that desperation that stuck with me. Or maybe it was the fact that you start with Lauren’s funeral and end with her actual death. 

As you get to know Lauren through the past perspective and through the 12 letters she leaves Joshua to help him move on from her death, her passing becomes even more meaningful to the audience. The author managed to get me attached to a character I knew was dead from the beginning. 

Each month, Joshua receives a letter that Lauren has written. Each one contains a task that he must complete in order to emerge from his grief and essentially keep going. By the end of the book, Joshua has not necessarily moved on, but he is no longer swallowed by his wife’s loss. 

It is a good reminder that life can be so incredibly painful, but you will make it through if only you keep moving forward. 

Evelyn Zhao

“I Am Not Jessica Chen” by Ann Liang (2025)

Never have I ever felt so seen by a book. 

For those Asian girls who try their hardest to be number one but always end up second best, Ann Liang tells a story of love, identity, family, academic pressure and the toxicity of comparison. “I Am Not Jessica Chen” is one of those books that immerses you into the story, where you can feel the emotions of the characters and leaves you reflecting on yourself. Now, this book is a romance, so, just a heads up, it might make you feel lonelier after reading it, too. 

The story follows art student Jenna Chen in the body of a star student and her cousin, Jessica Chen. For the longest time, Jenna was living in her cousin’s shadow, with her parents wanting her to be more like Jessica (i.e., get better grades, succeed in clubs and sports, get accepted into Harvard). However, Jenna constantly fails to meet the sky-high expectations of the prestigious school, Havenwood Academy. After the biggest rejection of her life, she manifests a very “Freaky Friday”-esque phenomenon: she wakes up in her flawless cousin’s body with Jenna’s body (and Jessica’s soul) nowhere to be found. The longer Jenna stays in Jessica’s body, the more secrets she finds and the more Jessica’s spirit fades and her family and peers forget her, except for one golden boy. Aaron Cai is the boy of Jenna’s dreams and her childhood friend. 

This book brims with imposter syndrome and personifies the “this is me trying” trope in ways that made me feel a myriad of things but, more notably, understood. I’ve felt the pressure to be perfect, to live by example and was, instead, in the position where I’m looking up at someone else and being compared to that figure. If only I could have gotten my hands on this book sooner, because maybe then, I could have loved myself more, been more empathetic and felt reassured with my relationships and my passions.

This book has something for everyone; you just have to give it a read to see what that might be for you.