Saturday, December 27, 2025 |
|
|
I'm not one of those people who needs to count how many books they read in a given year, but if I were, I'd start the clock today, not January 1. Just after Christmas is absolutely the perfect time to commence a new year of reading. Crashing into the trough between Santa and Auld Lang Syne, who has the energy to do anything but cozy up on the couch with a rocks glass and a good book? If you're with me, allow me to present Esquire's list of the best books of the year, which you can check out below. And if you're someone who does count their books—it's got 35 titles on it. Get started. —Kevin Dupzyk, contributing editor Plus: |
|
|
Whether you're looking for a compelling nonfiction mystery, a charming fantasy escape, or a suspenseful science-fiction thriller, this year's literary slate has something for everyone. |
For a writer, one of the underappreciated perks of publishing a book in mid-December is that you have a built-in excuse for not appearing on best-of-the-year lists, which now begin appearing as early as September. But there are no such excuses at Esquire, as we update our Best Books of 2025 list for the third and final time as we approach the holidays. This list includes must-read titles from celebrated authors Jason Diamond, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Ada Limón, Daniel Kraus, and so many more. If you still have room on your Christmas shopping list for bibliophiles—or just want to squeeze in one more read by year's end —here are more than 30 of the year's best new books, including genres ranging from science fiction and fantasy to memoir and reportage. |
|
|
Having my high school's perennial crucibles turned trivia made me reflect on what I might've missed as a student. Maybe because he's been deified as the incontrovertible Almighty of Western letters, I thought of Shakespeare and why I hadn't read him back then. Could it be that the absence hinged on who made up most of the student body: Black kids, no few of them underprivileged and at risk? That my teachers decided rigorous discussions of his work would be beyond our capabilities? That they figured it more fitting—though I don't recall reading James Baldwin or Toni Morrison or August Wilson in those days—to assign contemporary and/or Black writers? That they believed his work wouldn't hold our attention, besieged as it was? That they sided with those who nix him from classrooms for offering too little with which today's student can identify? Was it a simple lack of resources? Or could it have been that our stubbornness had beat them into forsaking our promise? Whatever their reasons, my never-prime-salad days turned me away from the Bard. |
|
|
Aaron Moten is trying not to lose his head. Literally. Through Fallout, the hit Prime Video series based on the best-selling video game franchise, the 36-year-old actor and father of three is now an action figure, too. It has a swappable head, so die-hard collectors can display Aaron's character Maximus suited up head to toe in hulking power armor–or, if they prefer, keep the helmet off with an eerily realistic mold of Moten's face in plastic. "Sometimes, around the house, I've found this miniaturized version of my head," he says with a laugh. "It's the coolest thing to gift my children an action figure of me. Puppet shows have been made on cell phones whenever I've been traveling." Despite a soft-spoken voice and a boyish charm that radiates even over Zoom, Aaron Moten is made of iron. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment