{"id":9046,"date":"2026-02-27T14:47:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T03:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/?post_type=article&#038;p=9046"},"modified":"2026-02-27T14:47:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T03:47:58","slug":"the-2025-bookshelved-awards-recommendations-from-a-local-bookish-podcast","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/article\/the-2025-bookshelved-awards-recommendations-from-a-local-bookish-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2025\u00a0Bookshelved.\u00a0Awards\u00a0\u2013 Recommendations from a local bookish podcast."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hi!&nbsp;I\u2019m&nbsp;Amelie. My friend Evelyn&nbsp;and I have been running&nbsp;a small book podcast&nbsp;for a while now, and in December, we review all the books we read that year and pick our favourites to win the&nbsp;Bookshelved. Awards!&nbsp;We have a full episode talking in-depth about each book, but this article is a quick overview of all the different recommendations we have for anyone&nbsp;who&nbsp;doesn\u2019t&nbsp;have time to listen to a full episode.&nbsp;We have 13 categories, two winners in each,&nbsp;and we get to pick winners out of all the books we have read this year. This is inspired by an episode from another podcast, called&nbsp;<em>Novelbound<\/em>, which is linked on our&nbsp;Bookshelved&nbsp;Spotify page if any of you would like to go listen.&nbsp;So&nbsp;buckle up, because I have an overview of 26 fantastic books for you to&nbsp;take a look&nbsp;at. If&nbsp;you&#8217;d&nbsp;like the full version, go listen to our episode&nbsp;at the link below, or check out our website!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6ZXeHA09ZThytcAVQH4V0D?si=9c80112e707a4cf1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bookshelved. | Spotify<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/1bookshelvedpod.wixsite.com\/evelyn-and-amelie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bookshelved. Podcast | Website<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Kiss<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Red, White &amp; Royal Blue<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Casey McQuiston<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This was Evelyn&#8217;s pick for Best Kiss because of the buildup to the scene and the clever way it was written. The couple in this book is the kind where you&nbsp;can&#8217;t&nbsp;get enough!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If&nbsp;you&#8217;re&nbsp;looking for a great queer romance between the son of a US President and a Prince from the UK, loaded with plenty of&nbsp;romantic&nbsp;scenes, then this book is for you.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Way I Used&nbsp;To&nbsp;Be<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Amber Smith<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This one is&nbsp;definitely not&nbsp;what&nbsp;you&#8217;d&nbsp;expect, but we promise that&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;an amazing read!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A big fat&nbsp;<strong>trigger warning<\/strong>&nbsp;for this one, as it&nbsp;contains&nbsp;a&nbsp;<em>lot<\/em>&nbsp;of mature themes. Please read the content warning at the start of the book.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This was my choice for Best Kiss, not because it was super romantic, but because it was realistic and full of tension. If you like an angsty romance, then this one is&nbsp;a great choice, just make sure that you know what&nbsp;you&#8217;re&nbsp;getting into!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Enemies to Lovers<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Wisteria<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Adalyn Grace<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the 3rd book in the&nbsp;<em>Belladonna Trilogy,<\/em>&nbsp;by a New York Times Bestselling author.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Throughout the trilogy, the perspectives switch around to get a feel for all the characters. Although there is romance in the first book, Evelyn says to stick around&nbsp;because the real enemies-to-lovers is in&nbsp;<em>Wisteria<\/em>, with a couple who were initially side characters.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Wandering Wild<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Lynette Noni<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book is not the type of enemies-to-lovers that&nbsp;you&#8217;d&nbsp;immediately&nbsp;think of, because&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;not a fantasy book. However,&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;always good to change it up a bit, and the characters in this book had a lot of depth that made it&nbsp;really fun&nbsp;to read about them and the way they fall for each other.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We&#8217;ve&nbsp;reviewed this book on the podcast before, so if&nbsp;you&#8217;ve&nbsp;read it, then you can listen to our 5th episode. We go a lot more in-depth there, and hopefully it might be of interest to you!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Mystery<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Catch Your Death<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Ravena&nbsp;Guron<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This was a number one for Evelyn because of the memorable and shocking ending.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;one of those books that is fun from the start, but the last few chapters just make the whole book worth it.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Catch Your Death<\/em>&nbsp;is the type of book that allows the readers to really take part in the plot, trying to solve the mystery with various clues you get as the novel goes on, Sherlock Holmes-style.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book is lacking in romance, but the engaging writing and well-thought-out plotline means&nbsp;the book can stand up on its own, not needing a romance to fall back on. This is proof of the amazing writing.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Naturals&nbsp;<\/em>by&nbsp;<strong>Jennifer Lynn Barnes<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is one of the best mystery &amp; thriller series that I have ever read. It won this category because the writing is so gripping, and the plot is&nbsp;really well&nbsp;thought through. As an avid mystery reader, I can say with absolute confidence that this book is on the same level as&nbsp;<em>A Good Girl&#8217;s Guide to Murder<\/em>&nbsp;by Holly Jackson, a mystery book that&nbsp;nearly every&nbsp;mystery lover has read and loved.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The characters in&nbsp;<em>The Naturals<\/em>&nbsp;are loveable and relatable, and the plot never fails to captivate. This is&nbsp;a very strong&nbsp;recommendation for any amateur FBI agents or detectives out there!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Side Character<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Wandering Wild&nbsp;<\/em>by&nbsp;<strong>Lynette Noni<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The best side character in this novel is Ember, the main character (Charlie Hart)&#8217;s best friend. Evelyn is desperate for a side story with her, thanks to her sunny,&nbsp;hilarious&nbsp;and upbeat personality.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>She&#8217;s&nbsp;a character&nbsp;who&#8217;s&nbsp;always smiling, but she has such a deep backstory that&nbsp;doesn&#8217;t&nbsp;get fully explored in the novel, leaving some of it up to the imagination. Her character has&#8230; well, character, and she has depth and an overall likeable demeanour that makes her an amazing side character.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Anatomy of Songs<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Megan White<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A classic enemies-to-lovers fantasy, this is the first book in a duology with one of the most amazing side characters&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;ever read about. His name is&nbsp;Lhyriel&nbsp;(or&nbsp;Lhy&nbsp;for short), and he is the main character (Kasira Severen)&#8217;s ride or die.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lhy&nbsp;was easy to fall for, and despite not being the main love interest, he was easily the most charismatic character in the book.&nbsp;He&#8217;s&nbsp;very well-written, as is the rest of the book. A lot of the time, enemies-to-lovers books all have a similar plotline and worldbuilding, but this book stood out from the crowd in terms of the magic system, and&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;definitely worth&nbsp;reading.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Lore<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Fourth Wing<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Rebecca&nbsp;Yarros&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes, the one&nbsp;we&#8217;ve&nbsp;all been waiting for! The book that reached the No. 1 spot on the Amazon and New York Times Bestseller&nbsp;lists, and&nbsp;is a worldwide favourite among readers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is Evelyn&#8217;s pick because the lore runs so deep throughout the book, and the world-building is cleverly integrated into the story without info-dumping on the reader.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;famous for a reason, folks! Not just because there are dragons in it.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Darkly<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Marisha&nbsp;Pessl<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&#8217;s&nbsp;hard to have interesting and convoluted lore in a book&nbsp;that&#8217;s&nbsp;not a fantasy, but&nbsp;<em>Darkly<\/em>&nbsp;does it&nbsp;really well. The story revolves around a board game company, with secretive, out-there mystery board games that are played in real life. The concept of these games is so intriguing that it makes the book hard to put down.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The novel is a thriller, and the plotline and lore are something that only a true artist&nbsp;could&#8217;ve&nbsp;thought up, and&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;a definite recommendation if&nbsp;you&#8217;re&nbsp;a fan of secret society-type mystery novels.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Fantasy<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Destroy the Day&nbsp;<\/em>by&nbsp;<strong>Brigid Kemmerer<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the last book in a trilogy, and Evelyn says&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;significantly better than the first two. A YA romantasy, Brigid Kemmerer does a fantastic job of concluding her bestselling series.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There&#8217;s&nbsp;a twist at the end that makes this book our winner, so hold on to your hats while this fantasy lures you into its fantastic plotline!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Blood Traitor<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Lynette Noni<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the 3rd book in&nbsp;<em>The Prison Healer<\/em>&nbsp;trilogy, and my favourite in the series.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I love to read fantasy books that stand out, with a different plotline or different characters, and Lynette Noni succeeds with this in every book she writes.&nbsp;<em>The Prison Healer<\/em>&nbsp;is&nbsp;great, but&nbsp;stick around because&nbsp;<em>The Blood Traitor<\/em>&nbsp;is the most captivating fantasy novel&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;read this year!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Cover<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Pumpkin Spice Cafe&nbsp;<\/em>by&nbsp;<strong>Laurie Gilmore<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This one is a little bit different, because Evelyn did not like this book at all! However, we do have to give credit where credit is due, because the cover is warm, cozy, autumnal and well designed.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>When&nbsp;The&nbsp;Moon Hatched<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Sarah A. Parker<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&#8217;s&nbsp;hard to create a book cover that truly reflects the content of the book, but&nbsp;<em>When&nbsp;The&nbsp;Moon Hatched&nbsp;<\/em>has done this perfectly, with a lovely, silver design that reminds you of the night sky.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Book Boyfriend<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>A Curse of True Love<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Stephanie Garber<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This&nbsp;one&#8217;s&nbsp;a classic \u2014 Jacks, aka the Prince of Hearts, from the&nbsp;<em>Once Upon a Broken Heart<\/em>&nbsp;series, specifically book 3,&nbsp;<em>A Curse of True Love<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Funny, charismatic, and an all-around loveable guy, and&nbsp;he&#8217;s&nbsp;quite popular on the internet, so there must be&nbsp;<em>something&nbsp;<\/em>good about him, right?&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The House Saphir<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Marissa Meyer<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Armand from&nbsp;<em>The House Saphir<\/em>&nbsp;is my favourite book boyfriend of 2025. His character quirks, hobbies,&nbsp;looks&nbsp;and personality make him the winner of Best Book Boyfriend.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We&#8217;ve&nbsp;reviewed this book on the podcast too, so if&nbsp;you&#8217;ve&nbsp;read&nbsp;<em>The House Saphir<\/em>&nbsp;then&nbsp;go have&nbsp;a listen, because we discuss the novel (and&nbsp;very hot&nbsp;characters) in more depth.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Villain<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The House Saphir<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Marissa Meyer<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Monsieur Le Bleu is the villain from&nbsp;<em>The House Saphir<\/em>, and&nbsp;he&#8217;s&nbsp;Evelyn&#8217;s pick because of the interesting (but scary) way he is portrayed.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For a villain that&nbsp;doesn&#8217;t&nbsp;get much of his own dialogue, we still understand him quite well, and he still seems terrifying, despite not being&#8230; well, alive.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>One&nbsp;Of&nbsp;Us Is Back&nbsp;<\/em>by&nbsp;<strong>Karen M. McManus<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes, ANOTHER book&nbsp;that&#8217;s&nbsp;the 3rd in a trilogy. (Sorry guys,&nbsp;can&#8217;t&nbsp;help it!) The villains are really&nbsp;well written, and yes,&nbsp;there&#8217;s&nbsp;more than one.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The way that the author can hide an antagonist in plain sight is a testament to her great writing, and the main villain, Jake, is a big, looming presence throughout the whole story that gives the story a sense of urgency.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Couple<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Cheat Sheet<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Sarah Adams<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is a friends-to-lovers story, filled with humour, and yes, fake dating. The book is silly and funny, and&nbsp;definitely worth&nbsp;a read.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bree Camden is&nbsp;fake-dating&nbsp;the star quarterback, Nathan Donelson, who also happens to be her best friend. But&nbsp;she&#8217;s&nbsp;hopelessly in love, and this fun, enjoyable book leaves the readers wondering, &#8220;Is it ever too late to leave the friend zone?&#8221;&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;a classic sports romance that will brighten your day.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Whisper<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Lynette Noni<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite not being an ACTUAL couple (yet), the two love interests in&nbsp;<em>Whisper<\/em>&nbsp;have some of the best chemistry&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;read. The main character is only known as Jane Doe for the beginning of this book, because she&nbsp;doesn&#8217;t&nbsp;talk, and we&nbsp;don&#8217;t&nbsp;know why. Her fragmented backstory is revealed well, and the love interest captures the hearts of the readers with little to no effort.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I&#8217;m&nbsp;totally terrified for the second book, because I know&nbsp;there&#8217;s&nbsp;something incoming for this not-couple, but&nbsp;at the moment&nbsp;they&#8217;re&nbsp;amazing, and I&#8217;ve just&nbsp;gotta&nbsp;hang tight.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Plot Twist<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Whisper<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Lynette Noni<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thought this book sounded familiar? Not only is this a Best Couple winner, but also the Best Plot Twist. And not just one twist either.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The twists are integrated so seamlessly into the story. None of them feel forced or unbelievable, and they all build up to a climax.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;the kind of book that you&nbsp;don&#8217;t&nbsp;realise is twisty while reading, but when you step back, you realise that there was a small one on every second page, and&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;100% worth reading.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>No Place Left to Hide<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Megan Lally<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book has the best \u2014 and most unexpected \u2014 plot twist that&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;ever read about. I read this until 1 am on my Kindle at a music camp, and sacrificing my sleep was more than worth it. This book shocked me to my core, and I&nbsp;couldn&#8217;t&nbsp;put it down, meaning I finished it in just a day or two.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One of the things that made me admire this book is the fact that the entire story only really takes place in one night,&nbsp;the majority of&nbsp;it in a car. That sounds so boring on the surface, but&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;pulled off amazingly and unbelievably. This book is&nbsp;<strong>SO<\/strong>&nbsp;underrated.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Realistic Fiction<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Unnecessary Drama&nbsp;<\/em>by&nbsp;<strong>Nina Kenwood<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book is a romance novel, but&nbsp;that&#8217;s&nbsp;not the only central focus.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;a cute, fun, upbeat story, with plenty of banter between characters.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&#8217;s&nbsp;a coming-of-age story&nbsp;that&#8217;s&nbsp;a good alternative&nbsp;to some of the heavier books on this list, and the backstories are captivating, and the characters are loveable.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"313\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-2.png 313w, https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-2-192x300.png 192w, https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-2-96x150.png 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 313px) 100vw, 313px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Daisy Jones and the Six<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When I started reading this book, I was sceptical of the format it was written in. Instead of being a regular novel style,&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;in the form of an interview, with the character that&#8217;s speaking&#8217;s name before the text. I thought that it might be hard to get into, but boy, how wrong I was.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book was so realistic and entertaining that it had friends of mine asking, &#8220;Is Daisy Jones and the Six a real 70&#8217;s band?&#8221; No friends,&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;not. But I really wish it were. Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of the cleverest authors I have ever read, and I really hope&nbsp;you guys&nbsp;go and read at least one of her books.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Runner-up for Best Book<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Night Circus<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Erin Morgenstern<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book shows all the stories of different characters without changing perspectives, which is&nbsp;very hard&nbsp;for an author to do, and even harder for them to do it well.&nbsp;<em>The Night Circus<\/em>&nbsp;spans over 20 years (crazy, I know), and right at the end, you realise how spectacular the writing&nbsp;actually is.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book is popular for a reason, friends, and&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;been translated into 37 languages! Following two battling magicians at a circus (wow, really?), this book is not one that&nbsp;you&#8217;d&nbsp;ever regret reading.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Amelie &#8211;&nbsp;<em>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Another realistic fiction, this book is AMAZING!&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;an iconic story of an old celebrity revealing her life story, and I promise you,&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;a lot deeper than it seems. As a fan of realistic stories and a tiny bit of queer fiction, this book very nearly got the number one spot for 2025!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Book, 2025!!!<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"265\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-3.png 265w, https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-3-189x300.png 189w, https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/image-3-94x150.png 94w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Evelyn &#8211;&nbsp;<em>Heartless<\/em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<strong>Marissa Meyer&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book catered to Evelyn&#8217;s tastes perfectly.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;a fairytale retelling; the story of the Queen of Hearts, from Alice in Wonderland, and how she came to be the evil queen that she is.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This book takes something that&nbsp;seems to be&nbsp;a perfect world and makes it darker than you first thought, adding a creative depth to the lore and world-building.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If there is only one&nbsp;book&nbsp;you&#8217;re&nbsp;willing to read, let it be this one!&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;full of depth,&nbsp;suspense&nbsp;and wonder.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The little thing that sold me was the Irish culture woven into this book, in the way the people talk (and swear), the clothing worn, the sports played and the names of characters. Yes, I share a last name with the main character, Shannon Lynch. And yes, this book is 6 out of 5 stars.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Another&nbsp;<strong>trigger warning<\/strong>\u202fhere, because&nbsp;there&#8217;s&nbsp;plenty of mature language and very dark themes that are suited to older readers. Please read the content warning at the beginning of the book.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Well,&nbsp;that&#8217;s&nbsp;it, folks! Thanks for reading, and if you want a more in-depth review of these books, go listen to our 2025&nbsp;Bookshelved. Awards Episode on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. See you next time!&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi!&nbsp;I\u2019m&nbsp;Amelie. My friend Evelyn&nbsp;and I have been running&nbsp;a small book podcast&nbsp;for a while now, and in December, we review all the books we read that year and pick our favourites to win the&nbsp;Bookshelved. Awards!&nbsp;We have a full episode talking in-depth about each book, but this article is a quick overview of all the different recommendations [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","article_category":[18],"article_tag":[],"class_list":["post-9046","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/9046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_category?post=9046"},{"taxonomy":"article_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/oxley-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_tag?post=9046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}