2025 Reading Review

I haven't read much besides kids' stories in the last ten years.  2025 was the year of fixing that crap.  I wound up reading 39, including a beta copy of a friend's novel.  Yes, a lot of them were still kids' books.  Those were good adventures with the girls, ranging from well-loved favorites of my childhood to stories that were new to all of us.  

Some of the girls' favorites included:

• Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (who I recommend to anyone and everyone)
• Witches by Roald Dahl
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry

As for me, here's what I've read (and what I thought of them, thrown in completely free).

• Shahnahmeh by Ferdowsi.  This is part of the epic of Persia, part mythology and part history of Iran.  I wound up getting the abridged illustrated version, but no complaints.  The story was intriguing and the art was beautiful.  

• Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne.  This was a winner.  I've already discussed it in another post but the book covered the conflict between Texas and the Comanche, and it was absolutely fascinating.  A hard and sometimes horrific read, but fair-minded.  No one is the villain, but everyone plays their part in the conflict.  Definitely recommend.

• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.  I hate this book.  Now, some of you will be saying to yourself that that just confirms my racism and Ms. DiAngelo is proven right yet again.  I definitely disagree with her premise, but I disagree even more with the self-obsessed, patronizing, yet self-flagellating tone of the work and the circular logic to prove her thesis.  I've gone over my objections more in another post, but while I think it was important to read this book because of its influence over the past few years, it is still one I cannot bring myself to like or recommend.

• Woke Racism by John McWhorter.  This book, on the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed.  John McWhorter is a black liberal linguist and academic who dived into the culture wars to offer counterpoints to Kendi and DiAngelo.  His major premise is that anti-racism is a religion, complete with a catechism, confession, and heresy.  I think he makes his case brilliantly.  Even if you are a DiAngelo-ite, I think you will benefit from reading McWhorter's perspective.

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  I read this back in highschool and largely forgot about it, but it was nice rereading it this year. Bradbury has an interesting analysis of humanity that feels just as prescient in 2025 as it was in 1951.  I definitely recommend this book along with the other great dystopian novels by Orwell, Rand, and Huxley.

• Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende--this was not my usual genre, but it was still interesting.  Allende has beautiful prose that I imagine is even more lovely in the original Spanish. 

• The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt.  An interesting and insightful analysis of how the educational system, colleges, and society in general have tried to insulate students from hard discussions and conflicting "bad" opinions, and the costs of those choices.  Namely, the last few generations have become increasingly anxious and emotionally rigid and brittle despite humans naturally trending towards resiliency in adversity.  They discuss what they call the Three Great Untruths that have become part of the mantra of the last decade: 1, that what doesn't kill you makes you weaker; 2, always trust your feelings; and 3, life is a battle between good people and evil people.  Lukianoff and Haidt make some compelling points and have practical suggestions for fixing some of the harms caused by the Untruths. This is a must read along with Anxious Generation by Haidt and Bad Therapy by Shrier.  

• Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky.  This is easily my least favorite book I've read this year.  It's not even a contest.  My dislike is made even saltier by the fact that Alinsky's observations and guidance is so obviously useful--and used.  After reading this I can see exactly how "community organizers" are so effective in mobilizing protests and affecting change.  On the other hand, Saul Alinsky was deeply amoral--as he would explain, morality is something that those on the outside of the conflict concern themselves with, not those in the struggle.  The victorious end is the only goal, and however that is attained is moral because it resulted in victory.  I disagree.  I also find something concerning in his assertion that the struggle can never--must never--be solved; it must be mutated into the next struggle, and the next.  We'd call it "moving the goalposts." Alinsky was brilliant, but he was also a deeply narcissistic, manipulative man who reveled in being in power (he'd dispute that, but he also clearly enjoys being influential and having local governments and groups quail at his arrival in town), and it shows in his writing.  A must read, but it will probably leave you feeling gross or angry unless you share Alinsky's ideology.

• Oh No, Not the Home by Peggy Rowe.  After all the heavy topics on this list, this book was delightful literary popcorn.  Peggy Rowe is an essayist and anecdotist who shares stories about growing old and moving into a community for the age-challenged.  She is America's Grandma, and has a gentle sense of humor that is all too willing to make herself the butt of the joke.  A nice, calm book that can be read piecemeal and just enjoyed instead of dissected.

• The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry.  I had a friend recommend this one, and holy crap.  I'm so glad she did.  Contrary to the title, this is not some anti-feminist, ultra right-wing religious screed.  This is a modern, liberal feminist who takes a thoughtful look at how the sexual revolution more or less encouraged women to act like men--and how that hurt women.  In particular, modern sexual attitudes encourage sex without attachment, and this is something that socially and biologically benefits men at the expense of women.  Porn, far from being a liberating and equalizing construct, also reinforces the male appetite and sexual perspective. The book is frank and sometimes explicit, but I think Perry crushed it.

• Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier.  An interesting, thoroughly documented analysis and several case studies of the female-to-male transgender epidemic among teen girls.  While this book caught a lot of flack and got Shrier accused of bigotry, the material actually treats everyone in the book fairly and respectfully.  It is an observable fact that transgenderism exploded among teen girls at an incredible rate out of literally nowhere, and this explores some of the potential causes and costs.  Whether you agree with it or not, it is a worthwhile and reasoned perspective.  

• The Once and Future King by T.H. White.  This is actually four books in one; most of us are familiar with the first one as the old Disney classic, The Sword in the Stone.  Frankly, the first book was a little boring. Then the second one started with one of the most gruesome scenes I've ever read.  Ever.  Including Stephen King, Anne Rice, and George R.R. Martin. While I considered quitting the first book, the other three kept me riveted despite knowing how it would end.  White's prose is simply beautiful, profound, and sad.  It's a story of love, redemption, hate, envy, failure, and dreams that failed because of the weakness and imperfection of others.  I enjoyed it so much more than I expected.  There is a quote from Ursula K. LeGuin on the cover: "I have laughed at White's great Arthurian novel and cried over it and loved it all my life." I understand why.

• The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.  This one is bleeding over a little into 2026, but it is written as only Tolkien could.  It is a beautiful story of creation and the jealous, spiteful evil that seeks to undo it over lifetimes.  It provides a background for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but at times it reads almost like a religious text, particularly at the beginning.  I'm glad I got to savor it last.

Bonus:

•   The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (Books 1-8)  These weren't officially on my list, but I recommend them unabashedly. A friend of mine who absolutely adores them convinced me to try the first one, and I was hooked.  It's a period series like Pride and Prejudice, but funnier and more relatable than any Austen novel.  There are literary allusions and references all over the place, and one of the most likeable heroines and casts I've read in a long time.  The silver lining is that they are all PG so far--a rarity in a world rife with fairy and dragon smut. (No judgment, read what you like, I've definitely dabbled, but sometimes it's nice to have something I can share with my daughters.)

I've already started on my list for next year.  If something inspires you, steal it.

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
• Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
• Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
• Night by Elie Wiesel
• The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Runners up include The Man-eaters of Tsavo, The Lost Year, and Klara and the Sun.  And, of course, the next Emma M. Lion book if it comes out.  Hint, hint, Brower.