Best Books of 2025 | Kate & Drew’s Year-End Reads (Bonus Episode)
To close out 2025, Everyone Should Read co-hosts Kate Watters and Drew Sylva share their best books of 2025 in an extra-long bonus episode. We’re breaking down our top picks across longform fiction, longform nonfiction, shortform fiction, and shortform nonfiction—plus the most surprising reads, our favorite discoveries, and the single best thing we read all year. Expect lively book recommendations, hot takes, and tangents that take us all over the literary map.
Drew's Best of 2025 Book Picks:
Longform Fiction: Home to Harlem by Claude McKay / The Antidote by Karen Russel
Longform NonFiction: The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Short-form Fiction: The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
Short-form NonFiction: The Race to Innocence by Mary Louise Fellows and Sherene Razack
Book that Surprised: Yellowface by R.F. Huang
Book to Build a Class Around: Making History by KJ Parker
Best thing Drew Read in 2025: The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Kate's Best of 2025 Book Picks:
Longform Fiction: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Longform NonFiction: In Open Contempt by Irvin Weathersby Jr
Short-form Fiction: Galatea by Madeline Miller / Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu
Short-form NonFiction: Superfine by Monica L. Miller
Book that Surprised: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jannette McCurdy
Book to Build a Class Around: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Best thing Kate Read in 2025: Hand written notes
22 Oct 2025
The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Step into the shadows one last time this season as we close out Season One of Everyone Should Read with two of the most iconic Gothic masterpieces ever written: Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
In this finale, hosts Drew Sylva and Kate Watters explore the twisted dualities of morality, vanity, and the human soul. We unpack how Wilde and Stevenson use Gothic horror to reveal what happens when beauty, power, and repression collide — and why these stories still feel unsettlingly modern.
From Victorian aesthetics to psychological horror, we trace the origins of the “split self,” the dangers of perfectionism, and how these timeless tales continue to influence pop culture today.
Listen now to the season finale of Everyone Should Read — a deep dive into desire, decay, and the darkness within.
Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube to catch upcoming bonus content and updates on Season Two!
Trigger Warning: this episode discusses suicide. If you, or anyone you know are suffering from thoughts of self harm, or suicide, please call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Text HELP for English or AYUDA for Spanish.
15 Oct 2025
Mexican Gothic and Vampires of El Norte
In this episode of Everyone Should Read, hosts Kate Watters and Drew Sylva explore the dark beauty and haunting allure of Mexican Gothic literature through two standout novels — Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas. Join us as we discuss how these works blend Gothic horror, postcolonial themes, and feminist storytelling to challenge traditional narratives of power, race, and identity. From crumbling haciendas to blood-soaked battlefields, we unpack the symbolism, historical context, and modern resurgence of Latin American Gothic fiction.
Perfect for fans of literary horror, cultural criticism, and dark romance, this episode delves into the enduring legacy of the Gothic tradition — reimagined through a distinctly Mexican lens.
🎧 Tune in for insights on:
The cultural and historical roots of Mexican Gothic fiction
How Moreno-Garcia and Cañas use horror to explore colonial trauma and gender
The evolution of the Gothic heroine in contemporary literature
8 Oct 2025
The Yellow Wallpaper and Lovecraft
In this haunting episode of Everyone Should Read, hosts Kate Watters and Drew Sylva dive deep into the unsettling world of Gothic Horror. From Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper to the cosmic terrors of H.P. Lovecraft. They explore how each writer captures the fear of the unknown, psychological confinement, and the boundaries of reality itself.
Through Gilman’s chilling portrayal of postpartum depression and female agency in a patriarchal world, and Lovecraft’s obsession with cosmic dread, Kate and Drew uncover how horror reflects both inner madness and societal control. Tune in for a discussion that blends literary analysis, feminist critique, and the psychology of fear, all wrapped in the eerie atmosphere that defines Gothic storytelling.
Trigger Warning: this episode discusses suicide. If you, or anyone you know are suffering from thoughts of self harm, or suicide, please call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Text HELP for English or AYUDA for Spanish.
1 Oct 2025
Rime of the Ancient Mariner and The Raven
Step into the haunting world of Gothic poetry as Kate Watters and Drew Sylva unravel two of literature’s most iconic works: Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven. In this episode of Everyone Should Read, they explore how these poems capture the essence of the Gothic tradition—mystery, superstition, horror, and the sublime—while also shaping the way we understand fear, guilt, and the supernatural in modern culture.
From the cursed voyage of Coleridge’s mariner to Poe’s hypnotic refrain of “Nevermore,” Kate and Drew break down key themes, historical context, and cultural impact. Whether you’re a fan of Romantic poetry, Gothic literature, or simply want to understand why these chilling verses remain unforgettable, this episode will guide you through the shadows of two masterpieces that defined the genre.
24 Sept 2025
Beloved and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
In this episode of Everyone Should Read, hosts Drew Sylva and Kate Watters dive into the Southern American Gothic tradition, analyzing two iconic works: Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved and Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. They discuss how these masterpieces explore themes of haunting, memory, trauma, family secrets, repression, and desire while painting a vivid picture of the American South.
From Morrison’s ghost story rooted in the legacy of slavery to Williams’ drama of power, love, and denial, Drew and Kate highlight how Gothic literature exposes hidden truths about American history, race, sexuality, and identity. Perfect for fans of classic literature, Southern Gothic stories, and cultural analysis, this episode connects the past to present conversations about resilience, legacy, and the ghosts that still shape our world today.
Trigger Warning: this episode discusses suicide. If you, or anyone you know are suffering from thoughts of self harm, or suicide, please call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Text HELP for English or AYUDA for Spanish.
17 Sept 2025
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Scarlet Letter
Step into the haunting world of American Gothic literature with Everyone Should Read. In this episode, we dive into Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, two masterpieces that shaped America’s dark literary tradition. From Ichabod Crane’s eerie encounter with the Headless Horseman to Hester Prynne’s struggle with sin, shame, and redemption in Puritan New England, these stories reveal how fear, morality, and cultural anxieties defined early American life.
We explore the gothic themes of superstition, isolation, guilt, and social judgment while connecting them to today’s cultural imagination. Perfect for fans of classic literature, gothic fiction, and American history, this episode unpacks why Irving and Hawthorne remain essential to understanding the roots of America’s literary identity.
Whether you’re a lifelong reader or discovering these classics for the first time, join us for an insightful and engaging look at how American Gothic literature continues to shape our sense of story, morality, and the uncanny.
10 Sept 2025
Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights
While Gothic is considered a subgenera of romanticism the two meet and diverge at various points. Join us for our Bronte episode where we break down two classic novels from the genre.
In this episode of Everyone Should Read, Drew Sylva and Kate Watters dive deep into the dark and stormy world of gothic literature through two iconic novels: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. We explore how these literary classics go beyond the haunted manors and doomed romances to reflect pressing sociological themes - including class struggle, gender roles, racism, and moral power - and how their brooding landscapes and unforgettable characters still shape pop culture today.
Whether you’re a lifelong Bronte fan, a student of English literature, or simply fascinated by the lasting legacy of Gothic fiction, this episode will give you fresh insight into why Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights remain cultural touchstones.
3 Sept 2025
Frankenstein and Dracula
In the first full episode of Everyone Should Read, hosts Drew Sylva and Kate Watters dive into the two most iconic gothic novels of all time: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dracula by Bram Stoker. They explore the chilling stories, unpack sociological themes, and discuss hoe these classic novels shaped gothic literature, horror, and popular culture. Discover the lasting legacy of Frankenstein and Dracula and why these gothic classics remain essential reading today.
27 Aug 2025
Everyone Should Read Teaser Trailer Episode
Before they release season one Drew Sylva and Kate Watters bring you a brief glimpse into what their podcast will look like with a teaser episode about Pygmalion, Galatea, My Fair Lady and everything that comes along with the Greek classic and Bernard Shaw adaptations.
Everyone Should Read is a podcast all about the books, plays, short stories, poems, and essays that you've certainly heard about but might not have ever gotten around to actually reading. Drew and Kate read them for you and discuss the sociological and pop culture implications of these classic works of literature.
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