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These 10 Noteworthy books by California authors made a splash in 2025

March 31, 2026

The buzzy, the bestsellers, the titles lauded in literary circles — every year, some books just seem to strike a chord that resonates deeply with a wide range of readers. That’s the idea behind our annual Noteworthy list, where we salute California authors whose books hit the zeitgeist over the past year. Editors from the Southern California News Group selected our fifth list of Noteworthy works for how they connected, provoked, entertained, informed and inspired us. And if they escaped your attention the first time, catch up now!

Gary Baum's debut thriller 'In Pursuit of Beauty' examines the emotional cost of chasing hotness. (Courtesy of Blackstone Publishing / Kieumai Vo) — Gary Baum’s debut thriller ‘In Pursuit of Beauty’ examines the emotional cost of chasing hotness. (Courtesy of Blackstone Publishing / Kieumai Vo)

A keen reporter — he once earned the title of “Journalist of the Year” from the Los Angeles Press Club — Gary Baum harnessed his formidable skills to pen the engrossing L.A. noir novel, “In Pursuit of Beauty.” This scalpel-sharp thriller’s fictional cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Roya Delsha, leads readers into the cutthroat world of Beverly Hills’ plastic surgery scene, and in the process tells awful truths about the cultural obsession with looking “hot.” A 2025 Top Summer Pick by both the New York Post and Hollywood Insider.

"What Kind of Paradise" by author Janelle Brown.(Photo courtesy of Random House) — “What Kind of Paradise” by author Janelle Brown.(Photo courtesy of Random House)

Let’s say your dad was the Unabomber. That’s the compelling premise of “What Kind of Paradise” by L.A.-based novelist Janelle Brown. Her propulsive writing and the story’s mix of suspense and ’90s nostalgia not only made it a national bestseller but also earned it a bevy of distinctions — including being elected as a Best Summer Book of 2025 by The New York Times, Elle, Real Simple, Harper’s Bazaar, Crime Reads, Goodreads and Publishers Weekly. The Washington Post also named it a Best Book of the Year, and it was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards. And wait, there’s more: It won the Alex Award from the American Library Association.

Bruce Lee is the subject of Jeff Chang's new book "Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America." (Photograph by Jeremy Keith Villaluz / Courtesy of Mariner Books) — Bruce Lee is the subject of Jeff Chang’s new book “Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America.” (Photograph by Jeremy Keith Villaluz / Courtesy of Mariner Books)

“Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America” by the Bay Area’s Jeff Chang is both an un-put-down-able biography of the legendary Bruce Lee and an insightful analysis of the rise of Asian Americans. Publishers Weekly, NPR, Vogue, Kirkus Reviews and the Alta Journal all named it in their best-of lists for 2025. “The rise of Bruce and the rise of Asian America, they almost mirror each other,” Chang told pop culture reporter Peter Larsen. “While Bruce is not an activist, he reflects a lot of the ambitions and desires of that particular generation that names themselves ‘Asian Americans’ for the first time.”

Myriam Gurba's most recent book is "Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings." (Courtesy of Timber Press / Photo credit Geoff Cordner) — Myriam Gurba’s most recent book is “Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings.” (Courtesy of Timber Press / Photo credit Geoff Cordner)

“Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings,” by L.A. writer Myriam Gurba, is a fascinating, poetic weave of recovery memoir, history and botany — and made quite a stir among indie booksellers, hitting bestseller lists across the region. Gurba nabbed a 2025 Golden Poppy Award for Nonfiction, given by The California Independent Booksellers Alliance to top California authors.

Stanford English and creative writing professor Adam Johnson’s “The Wayfinder” is a 700-plus page historical epic about ancient Polynesia. Johnson, who won the Pulitzer for “The Orphan Master’s Son,” earned year-end “Best of” distinctions from The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, New York Times, Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Oh, and don’t forget the Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best” list. The Denver Post called it “a tour de force.”

Laila Lalami's "The Dream Hotel" (Photo by Beowulf Sheehan / Courtesy of Random House) — Laila Lalami’s “The Dream Hotel” (Photo by Beowulf Sheehan / Courtesy of Random House)

A UC Riverside professor of creative writing and a Pulitzer finalist for her novel “The Moor’s Account,” Laila Lalami earned more acclaim for “The Dream Hotel.” This unsettling dystopian novel became a national bestseller, a “Today” Read with Jenna Book Club pick, a 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist nominee and a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Also: It was named among the 46 Best Books of 2025 by the Southern California News Group.

Ada Limón's "Startlement" (Photo Randy Toy Photographication.com / Courtesy of Norton) — Ada Limón’s “Startlement” (Photo Randy Toy Photographication.com / Courtesy of Norton)

Ada Limón’s “Startlement: New and Selected Poems,” a career-spanning retrospective from the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States, was the poetry collection for poetry lovers last year. Limón, from Sonoma, was popular everywhere: The New York Times named it one of the year’s Notable Books plus an Editor’s Choice; it made The New Yorker’s Best Books of the Year and was included in the magazine’s prestigious year-end roundup of essential reading. It was one of Oprah Daily’s Books That Got Us Through 2025 and Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025. For the Los Angeles Times, it was a Most Anticipated.

A crew of robots opening a restaurant? That’s “Automatic Noodle,” an inventive sci-fi novella that became a USA Today bestseller and Indie Next Pick. The writer is Annalee Newitz, originally from Irvine, who now lives in the Bay Area. Newitz won the 2025 Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award: the book earned best-of nods from LibraryReads, Kirkus Reviews, Los Angeles Public Library, Elle, Gizmodo and Reactor. Add, too, a nomination for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Science Fiction.

"Atmosphere" by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Courtesy of Penguin Random House / Photo Courtesy of Taylor Jenkins Reid) — “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Courtesy of Penguin Random House / Photo Courtesy of Taylor Jenkins Reid)

“Atmosphere” is a historical fiction novel by L.A.’s Taylor Jenkins Reid of “Daisy and the Six” fame. The story — about an aspiring astronaut as she navigates training, a secret romance and crises in the NASA Space Shuttle program during the 1980s — had echoes of the 1986 Challenger tragedy. Readers and critics fell in love with it: “Atmosphere” hit number one on the New York Times Bestseller hardcover fiction list, and was a GMA Book Club Pick for June. Plus: The Goodreads Choice Award winner for Best Historical Fiction and Target Books of the Year winner for Adult Book of the Year. And, let’s not forget, it earned an Indie Next Pick, too.

"Sacrament" by Susan Straight. (Photo by Stan Lim/UCR) — “Sacrament” by Susan Straight. (Photo by Stan Lim/UCR)

Making her second appearance on our Noteworthy list is the bard of the Inland Empire, Susan Straight. This UC Riverside creative writing professor and National Book Award finalist wrote “Sacrament,” about a group of ICU nurses in San Bernardino during the Covid lockdown, but it weaves in beloved characters from her previous acclaimed novel, “Mecca.” Named a best book of the year by Chicago Review of Books, Kirkus Reviews and the Southern California News Group, it was longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. The laurels didn’t stop there: The novel was an “Editor’s Choice” for The Washington Post and Library Journal, and also a People Magazine “Top Pick.” Publishers Weekly called it “a vibrant drama.”

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These 10 Noteworthy books by California authors made a splash in 2025 Orange County Register

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These 10 Noteworthy books by California authors made a splash in 2025

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