Key Facts

• The article discusses top book picks for 2025, as recommended by literary experts.
• Maureen Corrigan and Ann Patchett were interviewed for their opinions on this year's best books.
• "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" by Kiran Desai was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and explores themes of cultural identity and loneliness.
• "The Antidote" by Karen Russell is set in 1935 Nebraska and features a character known as a prairie witch.
• "Mother Mary Comes to Me" by Arundhati Roy focuses on Roy's life and her relationship with her mother.
• "A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction" by Elizabeth McCracken offers advice for aspiring writers.
• "Last Seen" by Judith Ann Giesberg is based on historical ads placed by formerly enslaved people searching for family members.
• Patti Smith's "Bread of Angels" is a memoir reflecting on her life and music career.