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If you’re still searching for the perfect book to gift this holiday season, you’re in for a treat. CBC Books has compiled a list of our top book recommendations from 2025 all in one convenient location.
Here are our top choices for the best Canadian fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, and children’s books of the year.
Fiction
Our top selection: Endling by Maria Reva
Endling narrates the tale of three women whose lives are impacted by Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. Yeva, a scientist, is fixated on breeding rare snails and finances her work by dating Westerners who visit Ukraine on romance tours. Sisters Nastia and Solomiya are also involved in the marriage industry as they try to uncover the truth about their mother’s disappearance. As the war unfolds, their plans are disrupted, shedding light on the harsh realities of conflict.
Maria Reva, who hails from Ukraine but was raised in New Westminster, B.C., currently resides there. Her collection of short stories, Good Citizens Need Not Fear, was the recipient of the 2022 Kobzar Literary Award and was also shortlisted for the 2020 Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Reva’s debut novel, Endling, made the longlist for the 2025 Booker Prize and was a finalist for the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Furthermore, Reva has been selected as a judge for the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize.
<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-best-canadian-books-of-2025-9
