BESTBOOKSof the yearFind a book
Menu

2025 selection · Poetry

Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore

by Katy Horan

NPR Books We Love · Recommendation

Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore by Katy Horan appears in NPR’s 2025 Books We Love guide. NPR’s editors categorized the recommendation around nonfiction, short stories, essays & poetry, for art lovers, placing it within the year’s broader reading conversation.

01

Why it matters

This selection preserves a named editorial recommendation alongside jury-selected books, making agreements and differences between institutions visible.

02

Read this if…

You want an NPR-recommended nonfiction, short stories, essays & poetry, for art lovers title from 2025.

03

Ideas inside

nonfictionshort storiesessays & poetryfor art loversfor music loversfor history lovers

Get or borrow

Continue with this book.

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. Editorial selections are independent.

Find on Amazon (opens in a new tab)Find on Bookshop.org (opens in a new tab)Find on Barnes & Noble (opens in a new tab)Find on WorldCat (opens in a new tab)

Primary record

Verify the selection

Every inclusion traces back to the organization that made the selection.

NPR Books We Love — official recommendation recordOfficial record (opens in a new tab)NPR Books We Love — official recordOfficial record (opens in a new tab)

Continue reading

From the same conversation

2025Poetry

History Matters

by David McCullough, Dorie McCullough Lawson (contributor), Michael Hill (contributor)

  • NPR Books We Love

History Matters by David McCullough, Dorie McCullough Lawson (contributor), Michael Hill (contributor) appears in NPR’s 2025 Books We Love guide. NPR’s editors categorized the recommendation around staff picks, nonfiction, for history lovers, placing it within the year’s broader reading conversation.