For those with ambitious reading goals in 2025, here is a list of four non-fiction books and five fiction books coming out in the first half of this year. Whether you’re looking for a cozy read during rainy days or something informative outside of school, this list has what you need.
Non-fiction
“Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People” by Imani Perry — Jan. 28
“Black in Blues” is a historical scholarly analysis exploring the meaning of the color blue in Black communities over time. She proposes the idea of blue as a symbol of both melancholy and hope for Black communities, using history, art and personal experiences to create a profoundly moving narrative of current Black pop culture.
From exploring the works of Pulitzer Prize winning author Toni Morrison to the creation of the jazz scene, Perry explores all that blue encompasses to describe the experience of Blackness in America.
“Source Code: My Beginnings” by Bill Gates — Feb. 4
For those interested in learning more about one of the men who pioneered the iconic Silicon Valley tech industry, this memoir written by the Microsoft inventor himself brings readers back in time to the start of modern computer technology. In this book, Gates recounts his childhood as a misfit kid trying to make his way and feeling that he was meant for something greater.
He tells stories from his college days as well as when he discovered computers and coding. Focused on the person behind the revolutionary inventions he is known for, “Source Code” paints a human picture of a man who changed the world.
“Dianaworld: An Obsession” by Edward White — April 29
It’s hard to find a person today who doesn’t know who Princess Diana was. The beloved figure wore many hats for people all around the world, eventually becoming “a symbol for almost anything.” In “Dianaworld,” White recounts Diana’s life of becoming a cultural sensation.
Guiding readers through the many outlandish narratives created by the media, he includes perspectives from rarely-used-before sources, promising a hard-hitting story full of surprises. Honing in on her life, White stresses Diana’s impact on the world and the legacy she left behind.
“This Dog Will Change Your Life” by Elias Weiss Friedman — June 3
Written by the creator of the “The Dogist,” a social media account featuring pictures of dogs and Friedman’s own pseudonym, this book will either make you want to get your own furry friend or make you miss the ones back at home. Friedman writes that “Dogs make people’s lives better by making people better.”
He recounts anecdotes about the dogs he’s encountered in his life, from childhood dogs to those he meets as a photographer. In a world plagued with uncertainty and chaos, the solution might just be man’s best friend. This book will be perfect for those who love “A Dog’s Purpose” and are looking for some major puppy fever.
Fiction
“The Three Lives of Cate Kay” by Kate Fagan — Jan. 7
A world-renowned author who got her bestselling book trilogy on the big screen is nowhere to be seen; she’s never at premieres or book signings. Nobody knows who Cate Kay is because she doesn’t exist. Never having revealed her real identity, Cate has been unknown to her fans from the beginning of her career.
It is only after a sudden revelation which forces her to come home that her past is revealed. Since then, she’s been on the run, changing her name in each new town. A highly emotional thriller with themes of queer love and the price of fame, “The Three Lives of Cate Kay” will surely get you hooked.
“Three Days in June” by Anne Tyler — Feb. 11
This book is sure to simultaneously make you smile and your heart ache. “Three Days in June” follows a mother, Gail Baines, as she navigates the few days before her daughter’s wedding and a reunion with her ex-husband. Though full of laughter and joyous moments as her daughter prepares to enter a new stage of life, not everything is as perfect as Baines would like it to be.
Between tensions with the in-laws and an uncovered secret concerning her daughter’s husband-to-be, the wedding preparations might just have to be put on hold … indefinitely. Could this secret also have something to do with Baines’ own past? This is a perfect book for the spring and summertime, exploring family, love and commitment. It transports the reader to a land of family secrets and idyllic gardens.
“Elphie” by Gregory Maguire — March 25
After the recent sensational “Wicked” movie, “Elphie” — the epic tale of main character Elphaba’s childhood — couldn’t come at a better time. Though it’s slightly different from the movie, it remains true to the book as a heartwrenching tale of a shunned child shaped by her mother’s infidelities and her father’s piousness.
Elphaba first witnesses animal mistreatment in Oz, tries to hold on to an unlikely friendship for her family’s sake and experiences her first surges of power, all before attending Shiz University in hopes of getting a good education. The book encapsulates her childhood in an inspiring tale of endurance, hopefulness and resilience, proving Elphaba was always meant to be an incredible witch.
“The Manor of Dreams” by Christina Li — May 6
In this powerful examination of the cost of the American dream, Li tells the story of two families moving into an old Southern California manor previously owned by the first Oscar-winning Chinese actress, Vivian Yi. Fighting to see who will get her estate, both of Yi’s daughters try to understand why their mother quit acting at the height of her career and became a recluse.
Told in multiple timelines, Yi’s past is slowly unfolded to build an understanding of her life’s path. A gothic tale of dark history, love and ambition, “The Manor of Dreams” makes you reconsider Hollywood’s glamorous image.
“Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid — June 3
Reid — author of bestselling hits such as “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and “Daisy Jones & the Six” — is back with a promising, thrilling piece of historical fiction. It features Joan Goodwin, a physics and astronomy professor at Rice University who has always been enthralled by outer space.
In the summer of 1980, she’s selected for NASA’s space shuttle program and finds herself immersed in NASA’s environment and loving it. She becomes friends with weirdly magnetic yet amazing people, unexpectedly falls in love and begins to question what her place in this universe is. Things don’t stay perfect for long, however, because in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes.
Lise Desveaux is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. She can be reached at ldesveau@uci.edu.
Edited by Corinna Chin, Lillian Dunn and Mia Noergaard