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Most Anticipated
Books of 2025!
Wondering what to read this February? Here are just a few notable selections we think are worth checking out. They include both fiction and nonfiction, and have great potential as book club selections or solo reads. Reviews of some of these titles are planned for upcoming issues of our digital magazine, and we're excited to cover them for you in the coming weeks.
Feb 25, 2025. 336 pages
Published by Doubleday
In this Oliver Twist spinoff, historical fiction author Allison Epstein revitalizes the universe of one of Dickens’ most famous works while focusing on Jacob Fagin, a predatory opportunist who turns orphans into thieves. Critics have pointed out that Fagin is built on antisemitic stereotypes, and with Fagin the Thief, Epstein complicates the character’s narrative, showing how his behavior relates to the antisemitism he has experienced in the world of Dickens’ time. Publishers Weekly writes, "Epstein’s Fagin, rarely admirable but surprisingly sympathetic, is an unforgettable creation, and her vibrant secondary characters and depictions of Victorian London add to the novel’s power. Dickens’s fans and critics alike will love this."
Feb 4, 2025. 288 pages
Published by Pantheon Books
The title of Ali Smith’s latest book reflects her penchant for language and wordplay. "Gliff" is a Scottish word meaning a glance, a sudden fright, or an instant. The novel is set to be part of a two-volume series, with the second titled Glyph (a character or symbol). What does it all mean? Well, we don’t know that, but what we do know is that Smith’s shining literary reputation is built on her linguistically rich and often very topical work, and that this mysterious dystopian journey featuring two children, Briar and Rose, is on our radar. A Kirkus review observes, "familiar Smith subjects here include government intrusiveness, the closing of public libraries, environmental degradation, the pernicious effects of technology, and the delights of language," and calls the novel, "A dark vision brightened by the engaging craft of an inventive writer."
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Feb 25, 2025. 208 pages
Published by Knopf
Omar El Akkad, war journalist and novelist, writes in this work of nonfiction about how the recent wave of destruction in Gaza has caused many worldwide to question the sway of Western democratic societies, casting this subject matter towards a wider critical examination of power and violence. At a time of uncertainty for both Gazans and the future of the planet, this book and others like it will become increasingly relevant for reckoning with the mechanisms and systems of thought that have created and continue to sustain the global order we live in. Kirkus calls it, "A philosophically rich critique of state violence and mass apathy."
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Feb 4, 2025. 448 pages
Published by Soho Crime
In this work of crime fiction, Boyle tells the story of an Italian American family’s buried secret (a domestic murder committed with a cast-iron pan, then covered up) and its fallout over more than a decade. Clocking in at over 400 pages, this could be a meatier selection for book clubs looking for something substantial to sink their teeth into. Publishers Weekly notes, "Boyle structures the sprawling tale like a Greek tragedy, mining potent themes of legacy and class with such force and empathy that readers may come to think of him as the Balzac of Brooklyn. It’s a stunning achievement."
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Other notable books publishing in February include Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray and Anne Tyler's Three Days in June, both appearing in our First Impressions program.
You can browse curated upcoming titles for each month using our Books Publishing by Month view. For more titles we're looking forward to, see our Most Anticipated Books for 2025.
