Goodbye 2024, and hello 2025. As we close the chapter on this year, we prepare to begin another — one that’s already looking rich with new book titles sure to excite avid readers.
KPBS reached out to San Diego’s booksellers and the San Diego Central Library to find out which upcoming books they’re most eager to see on their shelves for 2025 across the following genres: literary fiction, mystery, horror, sci-fi and fantasy and nonfiction.
For those of you, like me, who love watching your towering TBR (to-be-read) stack grow, here are a few more titles to add to the pile.
Warwick's pick
"The Strange Case of Jane O." by Karen Thompson Walker
Release date: Feb. 25, 2025
Genre: Literary fiction
Karen Thompson Walker writes “The Strange Case of Jane O.,” a novel described by the publisher as “spellbinding and provocative,” blending psychological mystery with speculative fiction. The story follows 38-year-old Jane, a single mother with hyperthymesia — a condition that gives her near-perfect autobiographical memory — who begins experiencing blackouts, hallucinations and dissociative fugue episodes. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Henry Byrd, documents her case as her symptoms raise questions about the boundaries of memory, trauma and reality.
Recommended by our friends at Warwick’s, the novel explores themes such as motherhood, identity and psychological mystery. Walker, who also wrote “The Age of Miracles,” is known for weaving intricate narratives that engage readers with thought-provoking ideas.
Librarian Ivy Weston's picks
"Trust Issues" by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan
and Greg Wands
Release date: Jan. 28, 2025
Genre: Mystery
“Trust Issues,” by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands, follows siblings Hazel and Kagan Bailey, who must set aside their differences to solve the mystery of their mother’s suspicious death and track down her ex-husband, Perry, who vanished with the family fortune. Ivy Weston, librarian at the San Diego Central Library, called it “a lighthearted and fun novel” that combines the intrigue of a murder mystery with the cleverness of a caper.
“The Baileys are sure Perry is responsible — but find themselves suspects instead,” Weston teased. After Perry disappears, Hazel and Kagan team up with Perry’s tech-savvy daughter, fresh out of prison, and Hazel’s Habitat for Humanity volunteer boyfriend, Adam. “The group travels the Eastern Seaboard in search of clues — and Perry,” Weston added. With quirky characters, surprising twists and a fast-paced plot, Weston said, “Trust Issues” is “sure to keep readers turning the pages.”
"The Black Orb" by Ewhan Kim
Release date: Feb. 4, 2025
Genre: Horror
HarperCollins calls Ehwan Kim’s “The Black Orb” "dryly funny, propulsive and absurd," weaving an apocalyptic tale set in modern-day Seoul. The story begins when Jeong-su, a young office manager, witnesses an enormous black orb consume his neighbor. The orb’s relentless spread — impervious to weapons and multiplying at will — sparks widespread panic, driving Jeong-su on a harrowing journey to find his elderly parents. As society crumbles under the orb’s unrelenting pursuit, Jeong-su confronts not only survival but also deep questions about the values and norms that have shaped his life.
Weston praised Kim’s "unique horror novel" for exploring themes of isolation during an apocalypse. "Jeong-su unsuccessfully tries to connect with family and friends amidst widespread panic, army patrols, looters and religious fanatics," Weston said. She noted that as Jeong-su and a fellow refugee hide from the orbs, they begin questioning societal values like conformity and toxic masculinity, which are rendered meaningless.
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore's pick
"Katabasis" by R.F. Kuang
Release date: Aug. 26, 2025
Genre: Science fiction and fantasy
R.F. Kuang’s "Katabasis" follows Alice Law, an ambitious magician who sacrifices everything to work with Cambridge’s greatest magical mind, Professor Jacob Grimes — only to find herself responsible for his untimely death. Determined to salvage her future, Alice embarks on a perilous journey to Hell, joined by her academic rival, Peter Murdoch. Armed with magic, mythology and their own complicated history, the two confront a Hell unlike any they’ve imagined, filled with dangers they might not survive.
Jenni M., co-owner of Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, described "Katabasis" as "'Dante’s Inferno' meets Susanna Clarke’s 'Piranesi'" and noted that Kuang’s previous works have been perennial staff picks among booksellers, and anticipation for this latest novel is high.
Meet Cute's pick
"Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told" by Jeremy Atherton Lin
Release date: Jun. 3, 2025
Genre: Nonfiction
Jeremy Atherton Lin, author of the award-winning “Gay Bar,” returns with “Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told,” a memoir that intertwines a deeply personal love story with the political history of queer life in the ‘90s. Set against the backdrop of the U.S. Defense of Marriage Act, the book follows Lin and his British boyfriend as they navigate love across borders. From remote forests to Berlin sex clubs, and from San Francisco dives to a “city of refuge,” the couple’s story unfolds while exploring some of the struggles and triumphs of LGBTQ+ history.
Becca Title, owner of Meet Cute Romance Bookshop, described the memoir as “both a deeply personal love story and a political history of queerness in the 1990s.” With Lin’s signature blend of tenderness and humor, “Deep House” juxtaposes intimate disclosures of undocumented domesticity with stories of queer resilience.
My pick
"Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat" by Kim Jiyun
Release date: Jan. 7, 2025
Genre: Literary fiction
Kim Jiyun’s “Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat” is written in fragmented narratives that showcase characters as dynamic and real as anyone we encounter in everyday life. From grief and financial hardship to dysfunctional families and the profound need to be heard, the book captures moments of tenderness and pain that resonate deeply. Centered around a laundromat in a gentrified Seoul neighborhood, the characters’ lives intersect through a mysterious diary with a dark history that brings these unlikely characters together that eventually brings justice to the diary’s owner.
This isn’t your typical comfort read, where we get low-stake conflict with a high payoff. It’s emotionally uncomfortable at times, but that’s what makes the later relief — the resolution — so impactful. The book has a way of making you ache for these characters, which creates an unshakable attachment to their journeys. By blending emotional stress with powerful emotional moments, Kim delivers a story that feels both intimate and universal — a heartwarming reminder of the power of community and human connection.
