It’s officially a new year, which means you might be looking to create some resolutions or — better yet — a new book list for the year ahead.
Thankfully, award-winning author John Searles stopped by the 3rd hour of TODAY to share his top book recommendations to kick off 2025.
Searles is the author of several books, including the national bestselling novel “Boy Still Missing,” which explores a young boy’s complex journey into adulthood in the 1970s.
Best book to screen
‘What Are You Going Through’ by Sigrid Nunez
Recently adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, this book explores a friendship between two women who meet at pivotal points in each of their lives.
After one woman learns she is dying, she asks her friend an “unimaginable” request, changing the dynamic of their friendship forever.
Searles says that it raises the question: how far would you go for a friend who needs you?
Best romance
‘Water Moon’ by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Searles calls this one the perfect blend of romance and fantasy genres — a proper “romantasy.”
In it, a woman inherits a secluded pawn shop on a backstreet in Tokyo that sells off a different kind of treasure: people’s deepest regrets. However, everything changes when a charming pharmacist walks into the shop one day and sparks begin to fly.
Best motivational read for new year
‘Aflame: Learning from Silence’ by Pico Iyer
“I love a good self-help, motivational book, but so many of them can leave people stressed with all their to-do lists,” Searles says. “But this book is different.”
The book explores the benefits of a life marked by solitude as the author shares the wisdom he gained after making over 100 retreats over the past three decades.
Searles says that this is the perfect read for the “noisy and anxious world we live in right now.”
Best thriller
‘The Note’ by Alafair Burke
This fast-paced thriller follows three friends who head off to the Hamptons for a weekend girls trip. Just when they are about to pull into an empty parking space, a car swoops in with a picture-perfect couple inside.
After the girls play a seemingly harmless prank on the couple by writing a suggestive message on their windshield, things take an unexpected turn and set off a series of events, including an intense police investigation.
“This story is twisty and surprising and a real page-turner,” Searles shares. “I loved it.”
Best debut novel
‘How to Sleep at Night’ by Elizabeth Harris
Searles’ final pick is centered around a sensitive subject for couples (and, well, everyone): Politics.
This clever and funny novel follows a couple whose lives are flipped upside down when one announces he is running on a Republican ticket despite his spouse being outspokenly liberal. As his political campaign unfolds, the couple must face their different beliefs while also remembering their love for each other.