Literary Critics Ann Patchett & Maureen Corrigan Share Favorite Books of 2025

Favorite Fiction Picks

• 💡 Ann Patchett highlights "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" by Kiran Desai, a sweeping epic about two young Indians in the U.S. navigating their dual identities and loneliness.
• 🎯 Maureen Corrigan recommends "The Antidote" by Karen Russell, featuring a prairie witch who holds people's memories, set against the backdrop of historical American disasters.
• ✨ Corrigan also praises Lily King's "Heart the Lover," a compelling novel about a love triangle and a woman's journey to self-discovery, enjoyable even without reading its predecessor.

Top Nonfiction Selections

• 📚 Ann Patchett discusses Arundhati Roy's "Mother Mary Comes to Me," exploring Roy's life and activism beyond her relationship with her mother.
• ✍️ Patchett also suggests "A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction" by Elizabeth McCracken for aspiring writers, offering direct and humorous advice.
• 🔍 Maureen Corrigan features Judith Giesberg's "Last Seen," which examines the lived experience of slavery through 10 historical ads placed by enslaved people searching for family.
• 🎤 Corrigan celebrates Patti Smith's latest memoir, "Bread of Angels," reflecting on her enduring artistry and authenticity, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of her album "Horses."

Children's Literature and Hidden Gems

• 🐶 Ann Patchett's favorite picture book is "If We Were Dogs" by Sophie Blackall, a whimsical conversation about what life would be like as dogs, highly popular with both children and parents.
• 📚 Patchett also mentions the "Norendy" series by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, as three short, imaginative fairy tale novels.
• 🧐 Maureen Corrigan found "Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife," a new biography, to be a fascinating deep dive into Stein's life and the construction of her reputation.

Best Book of the Year

• 🏆 Ann Patchett names "Buckeye" by Patrick Ryan as her best book of the year, a novel spanning WWI to Vietnam that explores the effects of war and peace on a small Ohio town, appealing to all readers.
• 🌟 Maureen Corrigan reiterates her top pick, "The Antidote" by Karen Russell, stating it's the book she will continue to think about long after the holidays.