The best books of 2025 — picked by FT readers

“A wonderful book that provides a compelling and detailed history of the use of economic sanctions. It explores their use as a weapon in modern economic warfare, with insightful case studies on Iran, Russia and China. I’d highly recommend it to anyone wanting to understand how sanctions function as a tool of statecraft and how they might shape global conflicts in the future.”

— Mike Burnett, Instagram

“This is a delightful and surprising study of 12 carpets — from a John Lewis ‘Bokhara’ to a frozen Siberian textile, which highlights the quirks of history and taste, the surprising spread of culture through ancient trading routes — and the skills and artistry of the extraordinary weavers who produced these wonderful artefacts. Even if you have no interest at all in carpets and textiles, these are wonderful stories — and you will never again think of ‘Oriental carpets’ as ‘Persian’.”

— Roxelana1955, FT comments

“This provides an important and timely counter-narrative to the immigration backlash (through empirical data and compelling stories) of the economic contributions of immigrants.”

— Bryanisinthekitchen, Instagram

“A lovely celebration of the beauty of humans, which warmed my heart.”

— Katrina Veerman, Instagram

“Monisha Rajesh’s latest instalment in the world of trains — this time, sleeper trains. Rajesh is a bright, vivid writer who does not shy away from reality in her tales of trains.”

— Amy Abdelnoor, Instagram

“A fascinating tour of the author’s visits to cemeteries in her native Argentina and across the world, full of engaging asides and personal observations. Enriquez is my favourite contemporary author and, at least for me, this book offers the pleasures of an encounter with a very interesting and humane friend. In the midst of death, we are in life.”

— Valmont, FT comments

“Drayton and Mackenzie turned out to be one my favourite fiction reads — rich in characters, plot and the humane side of entrepreneurship and male friendship. Slow build but great pay-off and fun cameos by Peter Thiel and Elon Musk!”

— TajeshwarSingh, FT comments

“While some of the books I read in 2025 might have been more worthy or of literary importance, none were as fun as Men in Love. I loved being catapulted back to the late ’80s and revisiting Welsh’s Trainspotting characters, especially Sick Boy. But also Begbie, Spud and Rent Boy made me laugh out loud at times. It gave me the kind of incredulous dopamine hit that I felt when I first read Trainspotting and later saw Danny Boyle’s film. The fact that I read the book with all its unbridled drug references whilst at a Swiss detox spa added another layer of guilty pleasure.”

— Katja Eichinger, Instagram

“I first heard about Everything is Tuberculosis from Parnassus Books’ ‘New to You’ reel, and I’m so glad I tried it. It’s a fascinating read, or listen in my case. The history of tuberculosis is told in a really interesting way and brought to life through a story about a man from Sierra Leone. Overall, it makes you feel grateful if you have access to healthcare.”

— Orla Kennedy, FT Books Café

“Such a moving work with brilliant writing. Completely different to what I was expecting. From the title and reviews, I was expecting a straightforward memoir with recipes — instead it was half-novel, half-memoir, told in a surreal, disorientating style. Would definitely recommend.”

— L.h., FT comments