The Best Books and Albums of 2025

The Dispatch team reflects on its favorite music and books of the year.

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Happy Tuesday! As we turn the corner into 2026, don't fear growing older, for Staff Sgt. Dominick Critelli—a 104-year-old World War II veteran—is here to remind us that youth is eternal. Here he is shredding on the saxophone with a flawless rendition of the national anthem ahead of a hockey game between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Happy New Year—we'll be back in your inboxes on Monday! Quick Hits: Today's Top Stories President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Monday for a wide-ranging discussion on Hamas, Iran, and other regional issues. After the meeting, Trump warned Hamas that "there will be hell to pay" if the terrorist group continues to resist disarmament. Trump specified he would give Hamas a "very short period" of time to fully disarm and transition to the second phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal, claiming that countries other than Israel are ready to "wipe out" the group in Gaza if its fighters don't lay down their weapons. Trump added that Israel has "lived up" to its obligations under the agreement. On Iran, Trump said that he would support further Israeli strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic continues to redevelop its nuclear enrichment program. When asked whether he would back Israeli operations targeting the Iranian-backed, Lebanese-based terror group Hezbollah, however, Trump demurred: "We're going to see about that." Trump stated that the Lebanese government faced a "disadvantage" in combating Hezbollah, and that the group was "behaving badly." Netanyahu later described the meeting as "very, very productive." Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Trump in a phone call Monday that Ukraine had attempted to launch a drone at his residence, an allegation that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky swiftly denied. Zelensky described Putin's accusation as "typical Russian lies" intended to sabotage peace negotiations, adding that Russian forces were preparing attacks on Ukrainian government buildings. According to Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, Putin told Trump that the Kremlin was plotting retaliatory strikes against Ukraine and that the alleged strike "will not be left without a serious response." Speaking to reporters later that day, Trump said that he was "shocked" by the news but acknowledged the possibility that the strike did not occur, and he did not specify whether U.S. intelligence supported Putin's claims. Also on Monday, Zelensky said that, while meeting Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, the U.S. president had offered the Ukrainian leader a 15-year security guarantee. Zelensky added that Ukraine would prefer a security guarantee lasting up to 50 years. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Monday said the Turkish police clashed with Islamic State militants in the country's northwestern Yalova province, a confrontation that killed three police officers and six terrorist fighters. At least eight other Turkish police officers and a night guard, all Turkish nationals, were wounded in the fighting. According to Yerlikaya, Turkish authorities conducted a raid on a suspected ISIS-linked safe house, and Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said that authorities detained five militants in the operation. Turkish officials said that five women and six children were present in the house during the skirmish, and that they were all safely evacuated. The raid was part of a broader push by Turkish authorities to crack down on Islamic State operations, which involved more than 100 operations carried out across 15 provinces in Turkey. One day after Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a new U.S. and China-backed ceasefire agreement, the Thai army accused Cambodian forces of breaching the deal, stating that it detected more than 250 drones entering the country's airspace from Cambodia on Sunday night. In response, the Thai government said it "may need to reconsider" releasing 18 detained Cambodian soldiers that Thailand had agreed to free. The two sides had previously signed onto a Trump-backed ceasefire deal in late October, but it ultimately fell through amid renewed fighting earlier this month. The 20-day clashes killed more than 100 people and displaced millions on both sides, but the Saturday ceasefire appeared to hold into Tuesday despite the alleged Cambodian violations. The 30-year-old Virginia resident accused of placing pipe bombs outside both the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2021, confessed to investigators that he was the culprit, federal prosecutors said on Sunday. According to a Justice Department court filing, the man told investigators that he believed the 2020 election had been stolen and that he needed to "speak up." The suspect also told federal officials that, on the day he planted the explosive devices, he "was going to a protest in support of [then President] Trump." He added, "If people feel that their votes are like just being thrown away, then … at the very least someone should address it." Authorities arrested and charged the would-be bomber earlier this month following a nearly five-year investigation. He is set to appear in court today. Liner Notes Illustration by Noah Hickey/The Dispatch. Is there anything quite like curling up with a good book or slipping on a pair of headphones after a busy holiday season? As 2026 comes to an end, we here at The Dispatch wanted to share some of our favorite books, albums, and performances of the year. We'd love to hear yours in the comments! Alex Demas, Reporter: Kingfishr's Halcyon Earlier this fall, while my mom and I were deep cleaning my D.C. apartment, the Spotify playlist we had on shuffle came to an end, and the app began playing a song we had never heard before. When the chorus hit, we both paused, turned to each other, and simultaneously asked, "Who is this?" The band was Kingfishr, a fairly new folk group out of Northern Ireland whose debut album, Halcyon, went on to become one of my favorites this year. The album is far better written, produced, and composed than a typical debut, and—from my experience seeing them perform at D.C.'s 9:30 Club this fall— they're just as talented live as in the studio. If you enjoy anything in the folk/alternative rock genre, give them a try. Charles Hilu, Reporter: Evelyn Waugh's Edmund Campion: A Life I didn't read many books that came out in 2025, so the powers that be let me name an older one that I read for the first time this year. I was only about 90 years late to Evelyn Waugh's Edmund Campion: A Life. The biography tells the story of St. Edmund Campion, an Oxford scholar who dazzled Queen Elizabeth I but later became Catholic, fled England to the continent, and was ordained a priest. Though he worked in Europe for a bit, he was later sent back to England to minister to persecuted Catholics there. He operated like a Catholic ninja, moving discreetly from household to household to celebrate Mass and hear confessions. Eventually, the authorities caught up with and executed him. Waugh's beautiful prose tells the inspiring story of his life and martyrdom. Kelsey Dallas, SCOTUSblog Managing Editor: Kate Baer's How About Now Anytime I read a book of poetry, I fold down the top corner of the pages I want to return to. When I did this with How About Now, Kate Baer's latest poetry collection, the book nearly doubled in size from my folding. I loved Baer's reflections on the beauty of growing older. She dares her readers to laugh in the face of their wrinkles, extra weight, and sore joints. Steve Hayes, Co-Founder and CEO: Goose's Everything Must Go (April 2025) & Chain Yer Dragon (August 2025) Ever find yourself listening to Widespread Panic or Phish or even the Allman Brothers, nodding your head along to a catchy bit of extended play, only to wonder moments later how that very groovable improvisation had given way to discordant honking that only audiences in altered states might find appealing? This was a frustratingly common occurrence for me, even as I've generally liked listening to jam bands—true of live performances and studio recordings alike. Enter Goose. My brother Dan took me to a live Goose show in Washington, D.C., last year and it was a revelation. Lots of great improv and several 10-minute-plus jams, devoid of the self-indulgence that sometimes detracts from jammier jam bands. Goose is a jam band for people who aren't entirely persuaded they're into jam bands—jammy enough for the hard core types but enjoyable for the rest of us, too. High-quality musicianship and thoughtful, evocative lyrics fill the band's two new 2025 albums—very welcome arrivals that brought an end to a long new-music rut I'd experienced over the past couple of years. On the former, check out "Dustin Hoffman," "Give It Time" and "How it Ends," the last one of those an expressive and wistful meditation on life on the road as performers. This is how it ends, This is where we go Tell them, my friends That we played in a band And we sang on till the end of the road On the latter, listen to "Factory Fiction," "Madalena," (which the band performed live on Saturday Night Live), and "Jed Stone," which I listened to on repeat for about a month. Ross Anderson, TMD Editor: Mark Kriegal's Baddest Man & Clipse's Let God Sort Em Out I'm greedy, so rather than choose a book or an album, I'm writing about both—and conveniently, they share the theme of Mike Tyson (whom I've never particularly cared about). I read roughly 20 new releases this year, and my favorite was a completely random try: Mark Kriegel's Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson. It's a biography written like pulp fiction, and it neither venerates nor demonizes Tyson. The boxer is at times glorious, at others horrifying, and Kriegel is there on the sidelines with a thoughtful and entertaining read. My favorite album was Let God Sort Em Out: the reunion record of 2000s coke rap legends Malice and Pusha T, known together as Clipse. Produced entirely by Pharrell, the album is decadent, aggressive, head-banging, and a Scorsese movie on wax, as the sibling lyricists try to outcompete each other for most creative, clever bars. "So Be It" is incredible, as are "P.O.V." featuring Tyler, the Creator and "Chains & Whips" with Kendrick Lamar—but the best verses are probably on "M.T.B.T.T.F.," an abbreviation of "Mike Tyson Blow to the Face." But there's not a single skip on the album. Valerie Pavilonis, Ideas Editor: Olivia Nuzzi's American Canto This book is not good if you're wanting to read a book. (I discuss that in greater detail in my review, for which I had to go outside the house because the powers that be thought it was too clickbait-y. And that's fair.) However, it is good if you've been wanting to punch up the quality of your personal diary, which in the best cases can be a work of art and in most cases is an exercise in self-indulgence. In fact, I'd bet the farm that American Canto would've had a completely different reception had it been titled "Self Indulgence." But that would've been too self-aware! James Sutton, TMD Reporter: Cameron Winter's Heavy Metal I recently had the privilege of seeing the (in my opinion) cultural event of the year—singer-songwriter, and lead singer of breakout band Geese (not to be confused with Goose), Cameron Winter's show at an absolutely packed Carnegie Hall, where he performed his solo album, Heavy Metal. If you combined Warren Zevon's songwriting chops with Nick Cave's gift for imagery, and added on a voice that sometimes feels like it's close to Jeff Buckley levels, you would get pretty close to what Winter brings. He joined a very select crowd of artists to play Carnegie, and he absolutely earned it. Winter was so good that the standing ovation went on for 10 minutes, and got even louder when the lights came on, until he finally agreed to play an encore. Jake Newby, friend of TMD and writer of Concrete Avalanche: Cola Ren's Mekong Ballad The year in music from China featured regional identity rap, Midwest emo revival, and helter-skelter hyperpop releases, but my record of 2025 is Mekong Ballad by Guangzhou-based producer Cola Ren. Building on the atmospheric, ambient-adjacent electronic sound she established on her first two EPs, this new release saw her weave in instrumentation from Thai trumpeter rrrrrm and Beijing-based saxophonist tga while also adding her own vocals for the first time. The result is a glorious, soothing listen that has seen Ren deservedly garner praise from across the globe. Peter Gattuso, TMD Reporter: Oasis Live '25 I wasn't planning to sell my kidney to go see the Oasis reunion tour, but when my friend texted me one week before the band's show at MetLife Stadium—"Osasis [sic] floor tickets?"—peer pressure got the better of me. And I'm so glad it did. The sea of bucket-hat-wearing fanatics around me on the floor never let the energy wane, even during the ballads, and Liam Gallagher repeatedly demonstrated that the skill of balancing a tambourine on one's head doesn't diminish with age. My guess is that only a few people within the mostly American audience were huge fans of Manchester City F.C. (or soccer in general), but that didn't seem to stop anyone from partaking in the Poznań, where everyone turns around to face away from the stage, links arms, and jumps together before moshing into the intro of Oasis' "Cigarettes & Alcohol." I also got to see another favorite band of mine—Cage the Elephant, which opened for Oasis—and I doubt I'll ever get a better two-for-one bargain in my lifetime. I know, I know … I'm bending the rules a bit here, because Oasis hasn't released a new album. Am I happy about that? "No, I'm not! I want MORE!" Today's Must-Read The Red Dream That Won't Stay Buried Jay Sophalkalyan Both left and right in the West have recently developed a troubling habit of romanticizing foreign authoritarian regimes that happen to align with their domestic culture war preferences—whether it's Tucker Carlson praising Nicolás Maduro's social conservatism or progressive commentators downplaying China's repression. Drawing on his birthplace's history, Cambodian analyst Jay Sophalkalyan points to the scars left by the rule of the Khmer Rouge—and a communist experiment that annihilated every fragile, humane instinct that keeps a society recognizable to itself. "Communism is not socially conservative in the way American traditionalists imagine, nor is it economically liberatory in the way Western progressives sometimes pretend," Sophalkalyan writes. "Those who invoke it as a convenient prop in America's culture wars reveal, most of all, the distance between their rhetoric and the realities they presume to interpret." Toeing the Company Line 'Garfield' Minus Garfield Nick Catoggio Christian politics without Christ. Trump Finds a Low-Cost 'Crusade' in Nigeria Kevin D. Williamson Don't just stand there—bomb something! The Worst of Both Worlds for Campus Free Speech Greg Lukianoff The biggest threat to speech used to come from within higher ed. Now it's the government. When AI Chatbots Become Accomplices Jonathan Gibson Concern is growing about would-be attackers turning to AI. 'You Can't Turn Jesus into a Nazi Mascot' | Interview: Russell Moore Jonah Goldberg It's all about the brand. In Other News Today in America: Trump told reporters that the U.S. conducted a strike targeting a Venezuelan facility "where they load the boats up with drugs," an operation that would mark the first known land attack of the administration's "armed conflict" with drug cartels. Two people were killed in New Jersey after the helicopters they were piloting collided. The State Department announced it would contribute $2 billion in humanitarian aid to the United Nations, which will be distributed under a new model that U.S. officials say will enhance efficiency and oversight. A new rule published in the Federal Register will allow the federal government to turn away asylum seekers if officials identify "emergency public health concerns generated by a communicable disease." The regulation, originally drafted during the COVID-19 pandemic, will take effect on Wednesday. Republican State Sen. Bryce Reeves of Virginia withdrew from the state's 2026 U.S. Senate race, opting instead to run for reelection in the state Senate. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Mehmet Oz announced the distribution of $50 billion in federal funding for rural health care programs, which, he told reporters, will help "rightsize the system and … deal with the fundamental hindrances of improvement in rural health care." Around the World: A Russian commander claimed that his forces were less than 10 miles from the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, prompting Putin to order the army to push its advances and capture the city. China conducted a large-scale military drill around Taiwan, which, according to Chinese state media, involved "maritime and airborne search-and-destroy operations, simulated strikes on land, and live-fire naval drills." A new report by the Norway-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights found that the Islamic Republic carried out at least 1,500 executions from January through the end of November, up from 975 verified executions in 2024. Cyprus, Greece, and Israel reportedly agreed to conduct more joint air and naval drills next year, following a defense coordination agreement reached by the countries last week. North Korean state-run media reported that the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, had conducted launch drills of long-range strategic cruise missiles. A commercial passenger train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, killing at least 13 people. Investigators are still determining the cause of the fatal incident. On the Money: The director of the country's central bank, Mohammad Reza Farzin, resigned amid steep inflation that has prompted the country's largest protests in three years. The Japan-based investment firm Softbank Group reached a $4 billion deal to acquire DigitalBridge Group, a digital infrastructure investment company. After silver futures reached an all-time peak of $84 per ounce in overnight trading, futures fell by 8.7 percent on Monday—the metal's steepest single-day decline in nearly five years. The minor league hockey circuit, the ECHL, reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Hockey Players' Association to end a two-day strike. Worth Your Time: Stefan Theil details key developments in the Russia-Ukraine war in 2025. (Foreign Policy) Veronique de Rugy explores the greatly underappreciated holiday miracle of abundance. (Reason) The Economist highlights the stakes that face ChatGPT developer OpenAI in the AI race going into 2026. (The Economist) Max Tani asks media figures from across the political spectrum what they got wrong this year. (Semafor) Former Dispatch reporter Audrey Fahlberg interviews Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia on his gubernatorial term. (National Review) Former TMD reporter Cole Murphy shares his experience trying out the "Cake Picnic" trend. (Wall Street Journal) Presented Without Comment Associated Press: Peruvian Shamans Predict Maduro's Fall, Continued Global Conflicts in 2026 Also Presented Without Comment Guardian: Stingless Bees From the Amazon Granted Legal Rights in World First Also Also Presented Without Comment Ottawa Citizen: Ottawa Man Takes His Uber Driver Tobogganing for First Time Let Us Know Have any thoughts or questions about today's newsletter? Become a member to unlock commenting privileges and access to a members-only email address. We read every submission, and answer questions in the following edition of TMD. Join Today! Sent to: ignoble.experiment@arconati.us You received this email because you signed up for The Dispatch. To stop receiving this type of email, unsubscribe here. 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