Arlington readers know that every month sees more amazing books released than they can possibly keep up with! In 2025, nearly 2,500 books received a starred review.

Arlington fell in love with some of those books critics raved about, but with so many to choose from, some inevitably flew beneath our radar.

The books are sorted into subcategories: fiction, nonfiction, graphic, detective, science fiction and fantasy teen, elementary/middle grade and picture books/early readers. And much like browsing the library’s shelves, you're sure to find something unexpected and delightful!

To see which books Arlington readers checked out the most this year, check out our companion list: Arlington's Top Reads in 2025.