Books are the most impactful media I consume. One of my regrets for the last few years is that life as I’ve constructed leaves me little time for reading. Nonetheless I finished 15 books in 2025, roughly the same as the last few years. It’s well over the national average of four but nowhere close to the family (adult) average of over 40 this year. It’s telling that I finished six of those during summer break. (I also solved a lot of puzzles this year; mostly crosswords, and mostly MGWCC. I think of puzzles in the same time-bucket as reading.)
I had a number of re-reads this year, trying to refresh my relationship with some ideas and characters.
(A note about links: I have used bookshop.org for most links, because they support independent booksellers. I get a small affiliate percentage if you buy a book through these links, which I will use to maintain this website. You can also direct a portion of your purchase to support a local bookstore of your choosing. Which is pretty cool.)
Nonfiction
The Anatomy of Melody, Alice Parker (216 pages) Maybe I need to read this every year. I don’t know. Alice’s words are so beautiful, wise, and important. Never more than in this book, which helps break down what makes melodies lasting.
Keep Going, Austin Kleon (224 pages) Austin gives great advice for the artistic life – practice, mindset, perspective. I’m looking forward to his next book, Don’t Call It Art, which comes out in June.
Fiction
Wreck, Catherine Newman (224 pages) This is a sequel to Sandwich, which was one of my favorites from last year. Catherine writes movingly and hilariously. I’ve been reading her writing for nearly two decades, and she just keeps finding new peaks.
The Rose Field, Philip Pullman (672 pages) Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy is my favorite youth-oriented books of the last half-century. The Rose Field is the final piece of his second trilogy, collectively called “The Book of Dust.” While it wraps up the fantastic story of Lyra Silvertongue, it also has some profound things to say about creativity, humanity, and the perils of hyper-rationalism. (In a kid’s book? Yes.) Pullman is a master and his writing is incredible. Much better than that other youth fantasy series you’re thinking of right now.
Sum: Forty Tales From the Afterlives, David Eagleman (128 pages) What happens when we die? Eagleman imagines forty different outcomes, from the sublime to the ridiculous, in short 2-5 page vignettes. Along the way, you get to think a lot about what happens while we live.
I didn’t read any bad books in 2025 – you can see the entire list in my Instagram Story Highlight.