We’re counting down to Christmas with Team B’s books of the year. Each member of the Mr B’s team has narrowed down their choices to just their top 12 (or close enough!) Each week we will bring you different members of the team so you can compile a brilliant selection of new favourites to add to your Christmas list.
Tom’s Fave: The Director by Daniel Kehlmann
Tom’s list of faves from 2025 features his usual love of the very best in boundary-pushing translated fiction, both old and new, plus a couple of essential non-fiction titles too.
Here’s what he had to say about his book of the year, The Director by Daniel Kehlmann: “G. W. Pabst, film director extraordinaire, is back in Europe after flopping in Hollywood. But the day he arrives back in Austria, Germany annexes the country, leaving him trapped. When the Nazis discover the great man is home, they send for him. This is an exuberant masterpiece of historical recreation from the great contemporary German author. Can Pabst continue to make art under the constraints of fascism – and keep himself alive in the process?”
Nethmi’s Fave: The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
Nethmi’s list this year features her signature trademark love for anything that is going to chill you to your core, mixed with an almost unexpected dash of portal magic, and YA coming-of-age.
Winner of the much coveted top spot this year, was The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey, about which she said: “England, 1979. Triplets Vincent, William, and Lawrence are the last remaining residents of the Captain Scott Home for Boys. Under the watchful eyes of three Mothers, they dream of being cured of the mysterious Bug and joining their friends in Margate. But when the government shuts down the home, the boys begin to understand that they’ve been lied to their whole lives. An eerie alternate history novel steeped in equal parts mystery and tragedy.”