2025 was a great year in books! The KAXE staff shared their favorite or most memorable books read in 2025, whether new or new to them. You can join in by sharing your favorites on our What We’re Reading Facebook Group or email us.
Happy holidays! We can’t wait to see what books find us in 2026!
Penny Holcomb, Director of Business Services
One that stayed with me this year was I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger. I had to re-read it to really absorb it all but I still think about it.
One that I loved was Stars of Alabama by Sean Dietrich. Regardless of some heavy themes, I leave feeling hope for humanity.
And Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I loved the relationship between Tova and Marcellus.
Sarah Bignall, CEO / General Manager
One of the first books I read this year ended up as my favorite of the year. Dungeon Crawler Carl is hands-down my favorite book and series. It is unhinged, hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt written by Matt Dinniman. What starts as a brutal game show dungeon crawl turns into a laugh out loud adventure. The characters are what make this series. Carl and Princess Donut are iconic!
It’s especially incredible on audiobook. Jeff Hays, the narrator, is hands-down the best. His performance takes the story to entirely different level and is the best way to enjoy this series. I love these characters. It’s wildly entertaining, refreshingly original and somehow both absurd and meaningful at the same time!
Chelsey Perkins, News Director
"When the Cranes Fly South," by Lisa Ridzén, translated by Alice Menzies, is a heartbreakingly beautiful meditation on life, love, family and aging through the eyes and memories of Bo, whose quiet life is punctuated by visits from his home health care team and scheduled phone calls with his best friend and granddaughter. Bo is aware his memory and body are beginning to fail him, but the specter of his faithful canine companion Sixten being rehomed by his son — with whom he has a strained relationship — ignites a fire in Bo and prompts reflection on his long life. I listened to the audiobook, and Bo's first-person, sometimes unreliable narration was fantastic and engrossing, and the gorgeous writing really painted a picture of these ever-universal themes.
Jennifer Barr, Host / Producer
I loved The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. The title sounds really cheesy, but this book is about an odd-duck in his mid-60s who’s on a quest to connect with his high school girlfriend. She lives across the country in a retirement community called “Tender Hearts.” His plan gets derailed when he suddenly gets custody of his estranged brother’s grandkids (who he’s never met!). This book combines found-family with an epic road trip and hilarity and sweetness ensue along the way. Oh, and there’s a cat who predicts death.
Peggy Stevens, Development Associate
Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson—I don’t usually read fantasy books but I’m enjoying this one!
Steve Neu, IT/Broadcast Engineer
Orson Scott Card's Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide—I really enjoyed the philosophical questions and thought experiments they presented. They really do get at the sorts of weird things we would have to wrestle with if we ever made contact with an alien species.
Heidi Holtan, Directory of Content and Public Affairs
Sipsworth, by Simon Van Booy landed in Heidi's lap through serendipity—recommended by her cousin with whom she was on vacation, the book then, almost magically, made itself known on the bookshelf of the home they were staying in. The story itself features a woman and a mouse.
Heidi explained, "It started slow and I was bogged down with my personal mouse issues at first, and then I found it delightful. You know the feeling – this is about the fragility of humanity and connection to our community, my little book lover heart was telling me. I made my husband read it. I asked others. No one else had the magical take or deep dive I did. People whose reading opinions I trust said 'meh' —which is fine, but I think it was specific to the moment I was in."
Kari Hedlund, Music Director
Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros—I jumped on the bandwagon with this dragon fantasy book this year, and it did not disappoint. This is not a genre I typically dabble in, and one I wasn’t sure I’d like. The characters were fun to follow along with as they matured into adulthood and in their dragon training. A little romance in there didn’t hurt either!
Strange Sally Diamond, by Liz Nugent—One of the most interesting books I think I’ve ever read. This book is equally endearing and disturbing with the complex main character, Sally Diamond. It keeps giving you more to process as the book goes on, with a few WTF moments. A fascinating read.
Andrew Dziengel, Host / Producer -- Area Voices
My favorite book of 2025 was Chris DeVille’s Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion. It serves as more than just a trip down memory lane when indie music ruled the internet, but a sort of roadmap to how we got to the current state of the music landscape. No doubt it’s a book I’ll keep revisiting for years to come.
Dan Gannon, Volunteer Coordinator
Although it came out in 2019, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was my favorite book of the past year. It's a historical fantasy novel inspired by Mexican folklore, following a young woman named Casiopea Tun who accidentally releases the Mayan god of death, Hun-Kamé, from a wooden box.
John Latimer, Staff Phenologist
The Light Eaters, by Zoe Schlanger—It's an amazing account of the lives of plants and their interconnectedness
Malachy Koons, Assistant Music Director
Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World, by Pádraig Ó Tuama—First time reading a book like this. A poetry compilation with excellent analysis alongside each from Pádraig Ó Tuama. The idea of someone explaining poems to you seems like not the point of poetry in my head, but somehow it works well and you can still take away something unique to you.
Megan Buffington, Grand Rapids/Range Area Reporter
A favorite of mine this year was This America of Ours: Bernard and Avis DeVoto and the Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild, by Nate Schweber. Despite being nonfiction, Nate Schweber's writing keeps you on the edge of your seat and truly invested in the "characters." The DeVotos' story is one to be remembered, and other names you know will pop up often, including Julia Child, Wallace Stegner and J. Edgar Hoover.
Honorable mentions:
- Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins;
- Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey;
- The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood;
- Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen;
- Driftless, by David Rhodes; and
- Homesick: Why Housing is Unaffordable and How We Can Change It, by Brendan O'Brien.
Tammy Bobrowsky, Producer of What We're Reading
Cameron Crowe’s memoir The Uncool is a backstage pass to a bygone era of music. I would wake up early just to read this! The writer/director shares his amazing beginnings as music journalist for Rolling Stone magazine in this entertaining and touching book.
Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting stayed with me all year with its wholly inventive and genre-defying story. It involves a legendary lady knight and a cowardly historian and their unlikely love.
And because I think children's books are for everyone, I have to mention Erin Estrada Kelly's wonderful book The First State of Being. It's an exciting and meaningful story with well-crafted twists. Neighbors Gibby and Michael meet a strangely dressed stranger named Ridge. He may or may not be from the future...
Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234.
What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
