The Good Stuff

My favorite books, music, films, & art from this year

A short stack of the books I loved this year (and a peek at our holiday centerpiece, which is a row of LEGO Christmas houses)

Hi, Friend.

Now that we’re in the last month of the year, I wanted to share with you the art that moved me in 2025: the books, the films, the visual art, the music, the live performances. Buckle up, because I have a lot of recommendations!

As you might imagine, independent bookstores really depend on holiday sales, and this is a great time of year to shop independently instead of at the enormous online retailers (who don’t need your money, frankly). You can even use that site that won’t be named to find titles and make a wish list, and then take that list of books to your local indie and buy from them instead. If you don’t have an indie or a brick-and-mortar chain bookstore near you, check out Bookshop.org, which gives a portion of its profits to independent bookstores.

To get you started, in case you’re looking for recommendations, here are some of my favorite books from 2025, plus a couple of books coming out in 2026, including a new collection of poems by yours truly, my first book of poems in five years. I love preordering books as holiday gifts, and giving a card that tells the recipient what title(s) they’ll be receiving and when. That with some dark chocolate, coffee, or tea? Instant holiday hero.

Lion by Sonya Walger
Startlement: New and Selected Poems by Ada Limón
Paper Crown: Poems by Heather Christle
Terminal Surreal: Poems by Martha Silano
The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis
Scorched Earth: Poems by Tiana Clark
The New Economy: Poems by Gabrielle Calvocoressi
A Silent Treatment: A Memoir by Jeannie Vanasco
Collected Poems of Stanley Plumly, coedited by David Baker and Michael Collier
The End of Childhood: Poems by Wayne Miller
Transit: Poems by David Baker (preorder)
A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems by…me (preorder)*

*My neighborhood bookstore, Gramercy Books, allows you to order signed and personalized copies of my books, and they’ll ship to you anywhere in the continental US. I love walking down to Gramercy to sign books and make them out to the people you care about most: friends, kids and grandkids, teachers, neighbors. So please know that’s an option this holiday season! The folks at Gramercy—and I—appreciate your support.

There were so many terrific records released this year, and some songs I’ve played on repeat (“Rebuilding Year” by Hallelujah the Hills with Ezra Furman, and “Dopamine” by Robyn are two recent ones). Here are ten of my favorite albums this year, in no particular order.

Deep Sea Diver, Billboard Heart
Wednesday, Bleeds
S.G. Goodman, Planting by the Signs
Ezra Furman, Goodbye Small Head
Bad Bunny, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Snocaps, Snocaps
Flock of Dimes, The Life You Save
Saintseneca, Highwallow & Supermoon Songs
Neko Case, Neon Grey Midnight Green
Will Johnson, Diamond City

I saw more films in the theater in 2025 than I have in years. It’s not just better with a bigger screen and surround sound; it’s nice to have a communal experience, and to support independent cinema. Here are some of my favorites from this year.

Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler
One Battle After Another, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Sorry, Baby, written and directed by Eva Victor
In the Mood for Love (25th Anniversary), written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, written and directed by Mary Bronstein
Rental Family, directed by Hikari, co-written with Stephen Blast

Some of the most powerful experiences I had this year were at concerts, plays, and museum exhibitions. In April I visited MOMA in San Francisco and was wowed by the Ruth Asawa retrospective and especially the video installation The Visitors by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson. If The Visitors comes to a museum near you, RUN to see it. Trust me. In July I was completely floored by John Proctor Is the Villain on Broadway. In September I flew to Texas to see Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co. play two transcendent nights in Austin and San Antonio. They’re touring more in 2026, and if you have a chance to catch one (or two, or three) of those live shows, you absolutely should. I’ll leave you with a photo of my beloved Jason Molina Vans, with lyrics from “Farewell Transmission” on them.

Last but not least, I’ve shared many poems since taking over as the host of The Slowdown podcast in August. One thing I’m planning to do in the new year is share some craft posts about poems I select for the podcast, so keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, here’s a beloved poem by W.S. Merwin, “Thanks,” that I read every Thanksgiving, but it’s a poem I could return to every single day. Maybe you need it, too.

What poems, books, music, films, and performances lit you up this year? Please share your own recs!

Happy reading & watching & listening—
Maggie