The best books of 2025 so far — picked by FT readers

Hugely enjoyed Parallel Lives — the story of how Francis Haskell met Larissa Salmina at the Venice Biennale of 1962. He was an introverted Briton on the verge of becoming one of the leading art historians of the 20th century. She was an ebullient curator at the Hermitage Museum who had been through the horrors of the Leningrad siege. Brilliantly handled by Pears who brings many unexpected insights into postwar British and Soviet life.

— Simon Browne (FT Comments)

A masterful military and general history of the middle years of the American revolutionary war. Atkinson delves into the experiences of soldiers from as far north as Lake Champlain to the shores of St Lucia, and across the Atlantic as Britain pushed back fledgling efforts by the Bourbon powers to invade the Home Islands.

Modern readers have much to learn from the impeccable deference General Washington showed to elected representatives in Congress and the states, as well as the scrambled strategy of British commanders, from William Howe to Henry Clinton. Atkinson shows that strategic alignment and constant communications are often the core of successful military ventures.

— Stephen M (FT Comments)

I loved Dyer’s Homework for its razor-sharp memories of tea cards, Action men and Vesta curries — the passage describing the mountains of sugar that were shovelled on everything is hilarious.

Poignant and historic, capturing those moments of tension with parents whose identities were moulded by the war and its aftermath, and the protagonists beginning their journey towards a freer life shaped by culture and the tumultuous events of the 1960s as they slowly trickled through to . . . Cheltenham.

Ultimately, it is a story about the potential of educational opportunity to transform one’s life, and how arbitrary that can be.

— baddayatblackrock (FT Comments)

Roper’s Summer of Fire and Blood is a pleasant surprise. It’s beautifully and engagingly written and it puts you smack in the middle of an important moment in history that is often overlooked. You won’t think about feudalism, revolutions, Protestantism or Luther the same way after reading it.

— Stu (FT Comments)

So, so good. Like having a drink with someone after work who talks, and perhaps overshares. Honest, sad, but funny too, just so lovely.

— Clare, Books on the Hill St Albans (FT Comments)

In Pronoun Trouble, McWhorter offers his usual blend of scholarship and humor. It’s not a political rant or diatribe, but a thoughtful, engaging look at how pronouns work in English and other languages.

— CWC (FT Comments)

Personally I am really enjoying Pioneers — it is fascinating to hear the background of why Sillaman wrote it and the journey of each successful immigrant. So relevant right now. Such wise words. Inspiring.

— @taniagrier (Instagram)