We are interested in hearing from our audience members who want to share their favorite books. Let us know about the best book you read in 2025 by clicking the ‘Join the Conversation’ button above.
Still on the lookout for the perfect gift book this holiday season? Your search ends here. CBC Books has compiled a list of the best books of 2025 for your convenience.
Discover our top recommendations for Canadian fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, and children’s books of the year.
Fiction
Our top choice: Endling by Maria Reva
Endling narrates the lives of three women impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yeva, a scientist, focuses on breeding rare snails, financing her work by dating Westerners on romance tours in Ukraine. Sisters Nastia and Solomiya are also involved in the marriage industry, trying to uncover the truth about their mother’s disappearance. As the war unfolds, their plans are disrupted, shedding light on the harsh realities of conflict.
Maria Reva, a Ukrainian native raised in New Westminster, B.C., currently resides there. Her collection of short stories Good Citizens Need Not Fear was the recipient of the 2022 Kobzar Literary Award and featured on the 2020 Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize shortlist. Reva’s debut novel Endling made the longlist for the 2025 Booker Prize and was a finalist for the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Reva also serves as a judge for the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize.
