This year's Atlantic 10'our list of the best books of 2025'is an attempt to celebrate writing that 'distinguishes itself as worth reading and remembering for years to come.' I think we've accomplished that. But the Atlantic 10 is also a product of deliberation and consensus, meant to reflect a wide range of tastes and subjects. Inevitably, a very short list can't include all of our personal favorites. Looking back at my notes, I'm reminded of other titles published this year that I loved: Amanda Hess's Second Life; Vauhini Vara's Searches; Michelle de Kretser's Theory & Practice. I spent this summer evangelizing to friends about The Dry Season, Melissa Febos's memoir of a year spent celibate. I was much more impressed with David Szalay's resonant novel of male alienation, Flesh, than I'd expected to be'and felt affirmed in my reaction when it won the Booker Prize in November. I was particularly moved by Beth Macy's Paper Girl, a memoir in which the journalist returns to her hometown...
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