These Are the Most Challenged Books of 2025

As major chains dominate the retail industry, independent bookstores are making a quiet comeback.

While it has felt like the big companies have been winning over the past few years, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that indie stores are actually having their moment. The American Booksellers Association reports that 422 new indie bookstores will open in 2025, a 31% increase from 2024. There are probably several possible reasons for this. One of them is the shrinking of third places and the realization that going to a physical bookstore is more fun than buying books online from big box stores. Additionally, there’s the support indie bookstores have received since the pandemic from organizations like Bookshop.org. See below for more details.

BookCon is back, leaving attendees with bruises.

BookCon has been popular and controversial since its inception in 2014. While most book conventions are aimed at professionals, BookCon focuses on fans and bookworm influencers. It was revived this year after a seven-year hiatus, and it sparked a lot of discussion. Tamara Fuentes cosmopolitan we’re talking about fairly minor criticisms, such as long lines, not enough food options, and a more serious criticism: the chaos around ARC.

30% of people think that reading regularly makes them better than others

Get this statistic while eating a healthy dose of salt. Because the whole methodology is, “To create this study, researchers at the Headway app surveyed 2,000 professionals of both genders, over the age of 18.” (How did they source their respondents? Who would be considered a “professional”? Are they all users of the app?) Nevertheless, I couldn’t resist the fact that “30% of people believe they’re better than others by reading regularly.” To be honest, this is consistent with a good portion of our reading culture, both online and offline.