Books Read in 2025

An incomplete list with inconsistent notes.

Nonfiction

How We Learn to be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith

By Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington
Nonfiction; hard cover; library; read in March/April
Budde made headlines when she gave the sermon at Trump's second inauguration and used the opportunity to ask the incoming president to have compassion for immigrants and the LGBT+ community, which is also how I found out about this book. Budde wrote it after her first round of standing up to Trump, speaking out after he did a photo op with a Bible in front of her church during his first term. This book draws a lot on the Christian faith, of course, but Budde focuses more on the stories of real people - both those she has known personally and those whose brave decisions were impactful enough to be recorded in the history books.

Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World

By Jason Hickel
Nonfiction; ebook; library; read in February
The first half of this book is a historical look at the rise of capitalism and an explanation of its many horrible impacts. It was very eye-opening, in that it was presenting things that I already knew about, but connected the dots in ways that hadn't occurred to me. It was also infuriating, but luckily the second half offered some hope in the way of new directions we could take. It was interesting that a book I was reading to better understand economics ended up talking about animism and our broken relationship with animals (and plants, and the land, and each other), which harkened back to Calarco's Three Ethologies (read in January).

On Tyranny

By Timothy Snyder
Nonfiction; ebook; library; read in February
This is basically serves as an instruction manual for those living in the US right now, and seems to be an expansion on what Yale history prof Snyder wrote on Medium in 2016. This is a fast read, and I highly recommend starting with the article right now and getting to the book as soon as you have a chance.

The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet

By Jeff Goodell
Nonfiction; ebook; library; read in January
Both fascinating and terrifying; which can be said about many books that look at the climate crisis, but this one is very well written.

The three ethologies : a positive vision for rebuilding human-animal relationships

By Matthew Calarco
Nonfiction; soft cover; library; read in January
This was a very interesting philosophical read and right up my alley, but it built on some other works and thinkers that I haven't read yet. It was written in a way that it was still very understandable, even if you didn't have that background, but I think I'm going to do some other reading and then go back and give this one a re-read to make sure I'm getting the most out of it.

Fiction

Game Changer

By Tommy Greenwald
Middle grade fiction; e-book; library; read in April
Specifically read this when I heard about the unusual style; this story of a young football player who ends up in a coma after a pre-season scrimmage is told through text messages, social media posts, newspaper articles, and the snippets of conversation that take place in his hospital room as those in his life try to unravel the mystery of what exactly took place on the field that day. It's short and fast and I can see where it could work very well for some kids who aren't usually interested in reading.

The City of Ember

By Jeanne DuPrau
Middle grade science fiction; e-book; library; read in March
Graphic novel adaptation; e-book; library; read in March
As supplies dwindle and systems break down, twelve-year-old schoolmates Lina and Doon are determined to find a way to survive the final days of their isolated city, even while the adults around them languish in denial or defeatism (or corruption). I was surprised when I finished this and only then realized it was published back in 2003. Not sure how I missed it for so long. A fast, engaging read that's great for the target age group. I read the novel first then decided to see how the graphic novel adaptation compared. I found the original much richer, but for reluctant readers the graphic version may be a good alternative.

• Update: Not long after I read this we got the 2008 film adaptation City of Ember from the library and I really wish they hadn't turned the protagonists into teenagers and tried to turn it into an action movie. If you saw the movie but weren't that into it, still give the book a chance.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet

By David Barclay Moore
Middle grade fiction; e-book; library, read in March