Los Angeles has long been called a laboratory of the future. It's been repeatedly said that what happens in L.A. first often starts happening everywhere else sometime soon. Whether it’s been ICE raids or the deployment of the National Guard this has happened again and again in 2025. So many societal developments happen here first. This year’s booklist reflects the zeitgeist of these uncertain times. Almost all of these were released in 2025, but a few from late 2024 and while several are LA-centric titles, quite a few apply to Greater California, the West Coast, and the prevailing spirit that’s in the American air right now.
The books listed here not only meditate on current events like the Los Angeles wildfires, late stage capitalism, and rising xenophobia, they also reflect our vibrant local literary culture, especially the archipelago of groundbreaking indie publishers like Angel City Press, Beyond Baroque Books, DSTL Arts, Giant Claw Press, Hat & Beard Press, Heyday Books, Hinchas Press, What Books, and World Stage Press.
And while a book cannot stop evil forces it can educate us, warn us, and prepare us for what’s coming. Moreover, literature like music and art inspire and provide strength which we need now more than ever. This is my sixth year in a row compiling a book list for L.A. TACO. Read on for 25 books from 2025!