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If one of your goals for the coming year is to read more, the first step is finding the books that pique your interest. Whether you’re drawn to topics like local history, interesting facts, or an intriguing fictional story, there’s something for everyone on this 2025 reading list.
Delaware is also home to plenty of independently owned and operated bookstores. The owners and staff at these shops are sure to have plenty of recommendations for you based on your interests. Claire van den Broek is the co-owner of Huxley & Hiro and one of Delaware Today’s Top Women in Business. Here, she shares some top picks from the team at Huxley & Hiro alongside our editorial picks.
If you want to get back into the habit of reading for pleasure in the coming year, these titles are sure to draw you in.
(Purchase on Amazon, or check out our list of new and used bookstores in Delaware for local independent bookstores.)
Top Picks From Huxley & Hiro
“The Mighty Red” – Louise Erdrich
One of Claire van den Broek’s recommendations from 2024 is Louise Erdrich’s “The Mighty Red.” The New York Times bestseller follows a collection of people in Argus, North Dakota. In a story about grief, love, and forgiveness, “The Might Red” offers a window into the lives of ordinary people in North Dakota’s Red River Valley. The New York Times calls it “an immersive domestic drama . . . that, like much of Erdrich’s oeuvre, speaks to the acrimony at the heart of the American national project.”
“James” – Percival Everett
This retelling of “Huckleberry Finn” is already in development to become a feature film directed by Steven Spielberg. Told from the perspective of Jim, “James” redefines the classic novel, focusing on Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion. In “James,” Everett sheds new light on a story deeply embedded in American literature. Critics praise the novel as an instant classic. Whether you’re a lover of historical fiction and classic American literature or simply planning on seeing the film upon its release, you’ll want to pick up “James,” which the team at Huxley & Hiro calls must-read in 2025.
“Wild Dark Shore” – Charlotte McConaghy
Hitting the shelves in March 2025, Wild Dark Shore is one of the team’s most highly anticipated reads of the year. Set on a small island between Australia and Antarctica, the story follows Dominic Salt and his three children—caretakers of the island, which is home to the world’s largest seed bank. With rising sea levels caused by climate change, the Salts are the last inhabitants of the island. With the worst storm the island has seen, a mysterious woman washes up on shore. What follows is a story filled with breathtaking twists as it explores the choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world is coming to an end.
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“Local Interest: The Spinach King” – John Seabrook
This story is told by John Seabrook, whose grandfather was C. F. Seabrook, hailed the “Henry Ford of Agriculture.” John Seabrook’s parents met on a ship on their way to Grace Kelly’s wedding. The story reads like Succession based in South Jersey. Seabrook explores his own (in)famous family’s rise and fall, pain, and redemption as they built their frozen vegetable empire.
“We Do Not Part” – Han Kang
From the 2024 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature comes a new novel that chronicles the painful history of South Korea through two friends. One winter morning, Kyungha receives an urgent message from her friend Inseon to visit her at a hospital in Seoul. Upon her arrival, Inseon begs Kyungha to return to Jeju Island, where she lives, to save her beloved pet bird. This novel confronts historical traumas and illuminates a forgotten painful chapter in Korean history.
Must-Reads From Local Authors
“Grandma’s Hair Is Ankle Length” – Adriana Camacho Church
This touching bilingual children’s book by Wilmington author Adriana Camacho Church is beautifully illustrated and has received rave reviews nationwide. The book, recommended by the team at Huxley & Hiro and featured in Delaware Today’s September 2024 issue, is a must-read for all ages, exploring how children can find courage in the unknown.
“Showtime” – Jeff Pearlman
If you loved HBO’s Winning Time, this book is a must-add for your 2025 reading list. A University of Delaware graduate and former editor at UD’s student newspaper wrote the story that inspired the series. Jeff Pearlman is a renowned sportswriter and author of 10 books about various athletes and the sports industry. “Showtime” focuses on the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. Whether you’re a sports fan or just love a good success story, “Showtime” is a page-turner and certainly worth the read.
“Beautiful Days” – Zach Williams
This collection of short stories by Delaware author Zach Williams gained critical acclaim from Dwight Garner, chief literary critic at The New York Times. It also made an appearance on Barack Obama’s annual summer reading list. “Beautiful Days” is a collection of short stories Williams describes as “social science fiction,” filled with thrilling twists and dark turns. For fans of sci-fi anthologies like Netflix’s Black Mirror, this will make a great addition to your 2025 reading list.
“The Daughter of Man” – L.J. Sysko
“The Daughter of Man” is “poetry for people who think they hate poetry or at least find it unapproachable,” according to Delaware author L.J. Sysko. The title was inspired by René Magritte’s painting “The Son of Man.” The painting shows a plain, gray-suited figure whose face is obscured by an apple—a faceless industrial-era man. Sysko describes the book as a feminist retort, asking, “If that’s what happens to men in our society, what happens to women?”
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“Thirty-Three Cecils” – Everett De Morier
When Everett De Morier of Dover first penned “Thirty-Three Cecils,” which meshes the fictional journals of two men—one from Binghamton, New York and the other from Erie, Pennsylvania—he found the story to be cathartic.
“It’s really about turning-point moments,” he says. “Everyone has them, and they can quickly change the course of a life.”
Dustin Hoffman will star in the film adaptation of this novel. If you’re the kind of person who likes to read the book before seeing the film, add “Thirty-Three Cecils” to your reading list to get a head start.