My TBR stack, also known as my to-be-read stack, is huge, so I compiled a list of my priority TBR of fiction published in 2025.
This list was inspired by a reader who asked me what books from my list of historical fiction books published in 2025 I was going to read first.
I am a mood reader, so I am not a hundred percent sure which books I will pick up first, but I do know which ones I have already read or bought. Several of them were ones that I preordered months ago, and several come out in the next two months that I already preordered.
When I buy a book, it means that I really want to read it. So, today I am sharing what I would consider my priority to be read list of books published in 2025 because they are books that I have paid money for already or that I have pre-ordered from my list of historical fiction books published in 2025.
My Priority TBR Stack of Fiction Published in 2025
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis came out in January, and I have already read and loved it. It is set in New York and Egypt and combines history with mystery.
Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh is a book about WWII and a tennis star. This is another book that I have already read and enjoyed.
The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry was one of the books I preordered months ago. I am currently reading.
I love Patti Callahan Henry’s writing. She has become an auto-buy author for me. This book, set in 1927 and 1952, is about an author and her daughter, an illustrator. It is historical fiction with a mystery mixed in.
I have read and enjoyed multiple Julia Kelly books, so when I saw her new book, The Dressmakers of London, I knew I had to pre-order it. This WWII book about a dress shop is high on my stack to read soon.
The Kennedy Girl is a book about fashion and politics in the 1960s. I have read and enjoyed several books on fashion recently and read another book by Julia Bryan Thomas, so I decided to buy this one. I also liked that fact that it is not set in WWII. I love WWII books, but sometimes I need something a little different.
I bought The Umbrella Maker’s Son because it is being compared to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a book I loved. This book is about a heavier topic, so I will have to be in the mood to pick it up, but I plan to read it soon.
I bought The Riveter because I have never read anything by Jack Wang and I loved that it was WWII fiction set in Canada. I also enjoy reading books set in Canada, especially those set in Western Canada. This sounds like a great read.
The Girls of Glimmer City made the list because it is based on the real story of the Nazi concentration camp Theresienstadt. I love WWII historical fiction based on real stories, so I knew I wanted to read this one.
One Good Thing made the list of books I pre-ordered months ago because I read Georgia Hunter’s book, We Were the Lucky Ones. It is one of my all-time favorite WWII books, so I knew I had to read her latest book.
Last Twilight in Paris is about a department store and a necklace. This was not on my list of historical fiction books published in 2025 because I did not realize it was being released. When I saw it shortly after sharing my list, I knew I had to read it.
Kristin Harmel’s new book, The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau, does not come out until June, but I have already pre-ordered it. I love Kristin Harmel’s writing, and this is one of the summer reads I am most looking forward to.
What books are high on your TBR stack?
A note about the books above: Online and social media life often gives a poor picture of what life really looks like or what can be realistic for most people. Due to some recent comments from readers, I wanted to add a note to this post. I have purchased all these books. I read for a job and do not have a great library system in my small rural town. I know my readers will not buy all these books; they will request them from the library. Not everyone can buy as many books as I do or as many as online book influencers and reviewers do. I read for a job. This website is a job. It takes time to read, review, and share posts like this. Buying as many books as I do is not realistic for most people, and I don’t want to give the impression that it is.
I can’t remember if I asked you about book budgets, but I may have because it’s a question I have been asking of some lately. I looked back in your more recent blog posts and don’t see that I asked, but I know I’ve asked it a few times of some of my favorite online sources. If I did ask you, it was definitely not coming from a critical perspective. I get the idea that you may have felt criticized but the comments or questions, so I wanted to give you context for my own possible question. My husband and I for most of our marriage been working to retire early, and have had a fairly tight budget. I have found many ways of free or very low cost reading over the years. We have reached our goal, he retired last month and I retire May 6. With the expectation of having a bit more financial freedom, I’ve been trying to figure out what is a more normal mindset about books and spending money on books. My free and very low costs ways are good and things I plan to continue, but at the same time, reading is something I truly enjoy, and want to feel able to spend a little more sometimes without feeling bad about it. That has prompted me to ask a few people about how they budget for books. I am sorry if questions or comments seemed critical! I hope my own wouldn’t have, because I definitely didn’t intend to imply criticism! You are my favorite source of book recommendations!
I don’t think it was you who asked it. I have had the question several times here, by email, and on social media. I hope I wasn’t too defensive by adding that to the post. I get why people wonder how online book reviewers can afford so many books. Since multiple readers/followers have mentioned it, I thought I should add something to that post. I wish I had a better library system near me so I could use that more. I also love thrift books as a way to get books inexpensively. And congratulations on retiring early!! That was a great goal to work towards and quite an accomplishment. Hopefully you will have lots of time for reading in retirement! And I am so glad that you enjoy my book recommendations! I appreciate our loyal readers and followers.
So many things are so hard when you don’t get all of the many non-verbal information you get when you speak in person. I probably was more worried because I can tend to be very focused on the thing that I am thinking through and I don’t always realize how my questions come across or that I haven’t given all the context I should.
Thank you for your good wishes for my retirement. I’m so excited about it!