My Year in Books: 2025

A few years ago I started writing an end-of-year recap of my reading from the previous year. Here are the links to the entries from 2017, 2018, 2019, the first half of 2020, the second half of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. If you’re looking for the best of the best, my “Great Books” list is my central repository for books that I have read that IMHO are worthy of your valuable time. It is categorized and sub-categorized by genre for your scrolling convenience.

Let me start with my normal disclaimer about numbers: tracking and reporting on the number of books we read in a year is somewhat useful, but only “somewhat”. It can give us an idea of our reading progress over the previous year, but becoming overly focused on the number of books we read can lead us away from big books which would be a shame.

In 2025, I read 36 books, which is a normal-ish year for me. There were some standouts which I highlight below (with some honorable mentions at the bottom). This year I have added a new category: long-form essays. More on that below.

As is usually the case with me, these books flex across a range of fiction and non-fiction categories. Unlike my “Great Books” page however, I am not segmenting this list by genre, I have thrown them all into a pile for you to work through.

In our current digital age, many people notice a shortening of their attention spans and the ability to sustain the sort of focus that books require. I am no different. However the beauty of a good book is that we can become “lost” in it and inhabit a place where our attention is deeply held and we are elevated above the dopamine-laced world of alerts, apps, and “likes”.

Keep on reading, and I hope you enjoy this list of  a few of the books I read in 2025.

P.S. Posted without comment: the featured image above is from a painting of Abraham Lincoln in 1861 receiving guests in the historic East Room of the White House. 

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan — An excellent book and certainly among my favorite 2025 reads. British author Ian McEwan is legendary – perhaps best known for his novel Atonement (later made into a movie). When a celebrated 77-year-old novelist comes out with a new novel you can’t skip it and assume there’ll be another. My disclaimer is that the novel – set in a dystopian future – concerns the whereabouts of a lost poem and isn’t a fast-moving “beach read” type novel. I describe the pace as “deliberate”, rather than “slow”. This is a book you’ll want to absorb without urgency. As I read it I transitioned from “this is a strange premise”, to “this is a bit slow”, to “this is really smart writing” and eventually to “I don’t want this book to end”. One of the highest compliments I can give it is that it made me hungry for more smart writing after I finished it.

One Summer: America, 1927— This book was recommended to me by my friend John and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bill Bryson – known for his wit and insight in his books such as A Walk In The Woods – hits upon a great idea: chronicle the intersecting stories from one amazing summer in the past. The glue of the book is the over-the-top world reaction to Lindbergh’s historic flight, but also Babe Ruth’s jaw-dropping season, Al Capone tightening his grip on the bootleg trade, and the now-obvious landmines being unintentionally laid for a future stock market crash. Through it all Bryson dryly remarks upon the absurd, making the book an entertaining read that will inform you about, as the title says, “one summer” in America, 1927. Highly recommended.

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene— The Bill Bryson book, above, was recommended to me by a friend. This book was recommended to me by ChatGPT. I told it to read my “Great Books List” and, from that, recommend a book for me to read, and this was the selection. I’ve read Graham Greene before but was unaware of this book, originally published in 1940. It follows the furtive journey of a fugitive priest in 1930’s anti-Catholic Mexico. This is an example of a book that serves as time travel, placing you in a tense and unfamiliar place that is a nearby country (Mexico) but bears little resemblance to the Mexico of today. We see how authoritarian governments are different in a few minor ways but ultimately are all the same: creating out-groups, identifying heretics, and hunting them down amid a cowed populace. I thought it was a terrific book.

West With Giraffes by Linda Rutledge — Like other books on this list, this book places you in the middle of a historic time which serves as a critically important element to the story, a fictionalized version of the transportation of two giraffes across the Depression-era United States to from New York Harbor to the San Diego Zoo. Like the novel Boys in the Boat, this book maybe teaches us more about the Depression than most historic books ever could. Wrapped up in a journey narrative, the story moves along as we follow a rootless young man, his traveling companions, and the improbable sight of two giraffes rolling past stupefied onlookers in every town along the way.

The Women by Kristin Hannah — I read two books by Kristin Hannah this year, who never disappoints. This novel, set in Vietnam and San Diego during and after the Vietnam War, shines a light on “the women” who served as nurses during the conflict. It may be one of the most vivid and gruesome depictions of the war, along with its aftermath. The fact much of the book is set on Coronado Island across from San Diego – a place I love to visit – made it all the more fun to read.

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson — There are years when one a political/policy book gets published that everyone “has to read” (Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance was one of those books back in 2016). If there was such a book meeting that description in 2025 it was this one, in which two well-known left-of-center writers team up to describe the need and promise of an America that returns to building things – more homes for people, more clean energy, more infrastructure. The book is a self-critique of the left since so many barriers that prevent building have come from a patchwork of regulations championed by the left that, when taken together, drive over-budget projects that take decades to complete instead of months, if they’re completed at all. Since Democrats’ core competency is to engage in internal political squabbles, this book was, and is, a subject of much debate.

Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious by Ross Douthat — Since I put a book on politics on the list, why not move on to religion?  Ross Douthat – a conservative New York Times columnist who can both inspire and infuriate me – writes this book for the educated and skeptical, those who view traditional religious belief as an anachronism of a pre-literate, tribal past. He makes the case that considering what we can perceive and observe, religious belief is the far more plausible and intellectually defensible approach than unbelief.

Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway — Frankly, I didn’t know what to do about this book. It is straight-ahead advice from one man – a serial entrepreneur, podcaster, and university professor – on a topic currently at the forefront of societal health: the need for developing males to be healthy providers and protectors. Since he and I grew up in wildly different circumstances I see some things differently than he does. What I liked in the book I loved, and what I didn’t like….I didn’t like a lot. But the book is (mostly) filled with wisdom and insights that are both timely and interesting to reflect upon. Helping young men develop positive traits is something all of us can do. This book may help as you think about the young men in your own life.

Population: 485 – Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry— Fortunately I ended 2025 with a winner. I just finished this book written by Michael Perry, who I would describe as a something of a Montaigne or Thoreau if they happened to be volunteer EMTs in a small town. Perry returns to his hometown in Wisconsin and writes about the people and community around him. His writing is terrific as he details the tragedies and absurdities of his role, and he clearly writes as a participant in the community rather than a detached observer. His book reminds me of how many critical services we rely upon – particularly if we’re in a more rural community – are provided by people who could be doing something else, but instead choose to run to the station when the alarm sounds.

Honorable Mentions

These are some other books – no links – I thoroughly enjoyed in 2025 and also recommend.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – A unique take on the well-covered story of the German occupation of France during WWII.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston – A classic. I read it to expand my literacy – I have noticed it often pops up on “the greatest books in the last 100 years”-type lists. I wrestled with it and came to enjoy it more as I went along.

In Defense of Dabbling by Karen Walrond – The title says it all. A life well-lived is often a life well-rounded. The author pushes us to “dabble” in new things.

By Motor To The Golden Gate by Emily Post – Before Emily Post became the maven of etiquette she was something of a travel writer. This book – which can be read for free from Project Gutenberg – was her journal of a highly unusual decision for her era. She threw her luggage in a car and traveled with two companions from New York to California in 1915 – a feat made difficult by the general lack of paved roads as well as the 20 mph speed limit across Nebraska.

I Robot by Isaac Asimov – A classic. Amazing how prescient he was. (Fun fact: Erik Asimov, Isaac’s nephew, is the chief wine critic for the New York Times).

Vera, Or Faith by Gary Shteyngart – Probably should have been in the list above. A thoughtful, funny book written from the perspective of an autistic girl in a mixed-race family trying to make sense of the world around her.

Poetry As Enchantment by Dana Gioia – Poet Dana Gioia writes on a topic that often vexes me – namely the degree to which so much of poetry vexes me. These essays lay out his concern that incoherent verse drives people away and kills the muse. I follow his brother Ted’s writing on culture, music and technology. What a family.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks – A novel that jumps between the modern day and antebellum South, with two intertwined storylines. Also could have been on the list above.

A Season For That by Steve Hoffman – If you’re into the “we packed the family and moved to France and wrote about it” genre as I am, then I recommend this highly. Also great if you’re a foodie.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt – An early (long) novel by the author who would eventually write The Goldfinch. Not a fast read, but Tartt’s brilliance (I think that’s accurate) is on display.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain) & James (Everett) – I read these two books in succession since James is the celebrated novel which writes Twain’s story from the viewpoint of Jim, the escaped slave traveling with Huck. I forgot how brutal Twain’s book was, and when I was done reading the same story from two vantage points I was wrung out.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey – A Booker Prize winning novel from the perspective of astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

New! Long-Form Essays

Reading takes many forms. For all the (deserved) lamentations about the decline in our attention spans and incoming college students who have rarely read a complete novel, the essay form is alive and well. You can find these in a multitude of smart journals and also through services that find the needles in the internet haystack (an excellent one is The Browser). These essays listed below are generally “long-form” (over 1,000 words – in some cases significantly so). I didn’t keep track of my essay reading the same way I do for books,  but below are a few that I remember. I apologize if you run into any paywalls. Happy reading.

The Pleasures of Patterns in Art –Why Gustave Caillebotte’s “Paris Street, Rainy Day” (1877) is so pleasing to the eye.

Meta Tolerates Rampant Ad Fraud in China to Safeguard Billions – Just when you thought Meta wasn’t scuzzy enough….

Why Aren’t Smart People Happier? – Hint: it’s about the difference between defined problems and undefined problems.

Why Ice Skating is a Miracle of Physics – Crazy in-depth analysis of what’s going on when I’m doing one of my favorite things in the world: skating with a stick and a puck. I had no idea.

“I’m not who you think I am”: How a deep-cover KGB spy recruited his own son. – The title says it all. Catnip for people who lived during the Cold War.

Antiqua Et Nova – A 2,000 year-old intellectual tradition looks at Artificial Intelligence.

The Tune of Things: Is Consciousness God? – I have read through this once and will be doing so again since it is hard to fully digest in one read. Fascinating stuff. After reading this I purchased the author’s book which now sits in my future reading pile.

The DIY Maestro – A high-net-worth donor with a deep devotion to Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 buys his way to the conductor’s podium in front of annoyed musicians.

Without Books We Will Be Barbarians – Niall Ferguson jumps into the fray.

The Ugly Truth About Spotify is Revealed – Buckle up. You’ll be hearing more of this in the coming months/years.