I read a lot this year, and it was fun—but I rated the books purely based on how they made me feel. Many of them could easily have ended up on my top list, barring a few misfires. There were also a couple of outright disappointments—Ambilimol and Vinoy Thomas’s attempts at sarcasm come to mind. I’ve been extremely picky this year, and even then, mistakes happened.
There are also several books I’m still in the middle of—Paris Stories by the legendary Mavis Gallant , Ring by Alexis, Edmund White’s memoir, Eva Baltasar’s series, and Bernard’s books, among others. The list is never-ending.
I also read Bret Easton Ellis’s top three this year: American Psycho, The Shards, and Less Than Zero. American Psychowas good, though by the end—much like The Shards—it became a bit sloppy. Still, it’s a solid entry. The Shards felt like too much; I wasn’t convinced by the plot twist. Less Than Zero, on the other hand, had impeccable prose. The story was deeply disturbing, and there’s a heavy overlap across all his books. I’m not entirely sure how many readers find that aspect fascinating. Red Rising though I rated low, is a series with a lot of good vibe which I plan to continue into 2026.
Among the remaining reads, Vaim was the biggest letdown—disappointing, especially as his second work after winning the Nobel. Prey was my first Crichton. I’ve written about The Suicide Museum elsewhere.
A Little Life by Yanagihara had been sitting on my TBR forever. I had got about 20% into it, and unfortunately, that turned out to be the book’s best stretch. Beyond that, the plotting felt increasingly unbelievable and overly convenient, with mistakes that somehow escaped an editor’s scrutiny. I finished it mainly because I didn’t want to DNF it. At the same time, the trauma depicted is painfully real and visceral. To me, the central character comes across as self-centred—but then again, isn’t that entirely plausible for someone who has lived through that much suffering? I was torn right till the end.
So, let me start at the bottom of the list.
Fiction
Death in Venice – Thomas Mann – 3.5 stars
The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith – 3.5 stars
Less than Zero – Bret Easton Ellis – 3.5 stars
Domain – James Herbert – 3.5 stars
Strange Pictures – Uketsu – 3.5 stars
The Shards – Bret Easton Ellis – 3.5 stars
Still Born – Guadalupe Nettel – 3.5 stars
American Pyscho – Bret Easton Ellis – 3.5 stars
Writers and Lovers – Lily King – 3.5 stars
Extinction – Douglas Preston – 3.5 stars
Permafrost – Alastair Reynolds – 3.5 stars
The Suicide Museum – Ariel Dorfman – 3.5 stars
Flesh – David Szalay – 3.5 stars
Prey – Michael Crichton – 3.5 stars
Less than Zero – Bret Easton Ellis – 3.5 stars
Red Rising – Pierce Brown – 3 stars
A Little Life – Hanya Yangihara – 3 stars
Vaim – Jon Fosse – 3 stars
The Captive – Marcel Proust – 3 stars
The Hungry Gods – Adrian Tchaikovsky – 3 stars
Sodom and Gomorrah – Proust – 3 stars
Old God’s Time – Sebastian Barry – 3 stars
Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal – NS Madhavan – 3 stars
On the Calculation of Volume – 2 – Solvej Balle – 3 stars
Thapomayiyude Achan – E Santhosh Kumar – 3 stars
Rose House – Arkady Martine – 3 stars
Non Fiction
Friendaholic – Elizabeth Day – 3.5 stars
Memoirs
Jayaseelan’s memoir was a letdown, it was almost like someone forced him to write it.
ഓർമ്മയിൽ നിന്ന് – Jayaseelan 3.5 stars
Story Collections
No stars here, all average fair. Nettel was the biggest letdown – barring one or two stories(title one being the best) there was nothing to remember in this much-hyped collection. others were same.
The Hive and the Honey: Stories – Paul Yoon – 3.5 stars
Ashanthi – Ov Vijayan – 3.5 stars
കൂളെ- Mrudul VM – 3.5 stars
ഒരു വർഷകാലരാത്രി – Nanthanar – 3.5 stars
Accidentals – The Accidentals by Guadalupe Nettel – 3 stars