2025: A Year in Books

Welcome to my annual book list—apparently an endangered species in this day and age. I keep hearing that “no one reads anymore,” but I’m calling bullsh*t on that. Some of us are still out here turning actual pages (or swiping them on our Kindles, whatever).

And now that the holidays are upon us, I’m guessing you’re chomping at the bit for that glorious moment when you can finally collapse on the couch with a mug of something warm and dive into a book without guilt.

If you’re anything like me, you’re about to have a delicious stretch of unstructured time, and you’re looking for something meaty to sink into. Maybe you want to explore Hell with bitter grad students, contemplate the mysteries of the afterlife, or rage against bad laws with someone who does it better than anyone else. I’ve got you covered.

Here are my top three reads from 2025, plus everything else that made it into my brain this year.

My Top Three:

1. Katabasis: A Novel by R.F. Kuang

In Katabasis, grad student Alice Law travels to Hell to save the soul of her advisor Professor Grimes who, up until his untimely death, was the greatest magician in the world. Even death won’t stop Alice from pursuing her dream to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick (which is actually a proxy for philosophy). She needs Grimes’ recommendation to save her future. And Peter Murdoch, her rival and love (academic relationships are complicated), has reached the same conclusion. So the two set off together to save a man they don’t even like. 

Will they find Grimes? Will they survive Hell? Will they make it back to Earth, graduate, and live happily ever after? You’ll have to read it to find out.

 That this is my favorite book of 2025 is surprising for a few reasons. I’ve never read anything else by this author (but Babel is next on my list). I don’t usually enjoy fantasy. It’s all about a journey through Hell, which I don’t even believe in. But when my dear grad school friend, Jill, said, “you have to read this book, so we can talk about it,” I listened. And I haven’t yet regretted doing anything Jill tells me to do (see also: my book, Unwritten). Hint: If you ever need me to do anything, the easiest thing to do is ask Jill to ask me to do it.

 I came for the subtle and not-so-subtle ribbing of academia. I stayed for the world-building and Dante’s Inferno references. If you know something about the academic world, especially if you or someone you love has been in a grad program with an advisor, especially especially if it was in the humanities, and especially especially especially if it was in philosophy, I don’t see how you wouldn’t LOVE this book.

2. Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives by Michael Newton, PhD

No other non-fiction book I’ve ever read has felt more true to me than Journey of Souls. It’s hard to explain, but the truth of this book simply penetrates to my bones. First published in 1994, Journey of Souls summarizes Michael Newton’s research and work with thousands of individuals whom he placed in a state of deep hypnosis during which they recalled their experiences between lives as eternal spirits. By cataloging case studies from 29 clients, Newton paints the picture of the afterlife. His clients talk about what it’s like to die, who meets us after death, what the spirit world is like, and why we choose to come back in particular bodies.

 Reading this book has given me a broader perspective and played an important role in the spiritual journey I’ve been on this whole year. I don’t know what scientists say about past life regression. But as Albert Camus says, “Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” In the end, perhaps the question isn’t whether Newton’s findings are scientifically verifiable, but whether they help us make meaning in that space between the longing and the silence.

3. Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America by Elie Mystal by Elie Mystal

In Bad Law, New York Times bestselling author of Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution (on last year’s list), reimagines what our legal system, and society at large, could look like if we could move past legislation plagued by racism, misogyny, and corruption. What Neil deGrasse Tyson has done for astrophysics, Elie Mystal could do for constitutional law. His writing is accessible, depthy, and full of biting wit. Listening to Mystal read the audiobook was like taking my mind on a mini field trip. 

 Among the many great insights I took from the book was this little nugget: Any law passed before the 1965 Voting Rights Act should be considered “presumptively unconstitutional.” That seems right. Why should we accept laws written before all citizens had a voice in the government? I want to live in Elie Mystal’s world. 

Other Books I Read This Year:

Fiction and Historical Fiction:

• The Lobotomist’s Wife: A Novel by Samantha Greene Woodruff – Ruth Emeraldine, a mental health advocate, must confront her husband, Dr. Robert Apter, a pioneer of the lobotomy procedure, whose ambition leads to reckless and horrific surgeries.
• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto – a lonely, elderly Chinese tea shop owner in San Francisco’s Chinatown finds a dead body in her shop and decides to solve the murder herself, convinced the police are incompetent.
• Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante – This is the third book in the series continuing the story of childhood friends Elena (Lenù) and Lila in 1970s Italy as they navigate different paths in life.
• The Missing Piece and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein – These are my favorite relationship books—short and sweet.

 Non-Fiction for Speakers and Authors:

• Jolt! Get Zapped Into Intentionality: Rediscover and Believe in your Inner Greatness by Larry Long, Jr. – Get unstuck and back on track to not only discovering your inner greatness, but embracing and living in it wholeheartedly.
• How to Become a Professional Speaker: PAID to SPEAK! by Kevin Snyder – A step-by-step book for speakers at all levels who desire PAID speaking engagements.
• Speak GoodR: Confessions of a Professional Speaker on Mastering Public Speaking and Getting Paid to Speak by Ryan Vent – This guide combines laugh-out-loud stories, candid confessions, and practical tips to help you master the art of professional speaking.
• LAUNCH Your Book!: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Reviews That Drive Revenue by Robbie Samuels – Amazing things happen when you treat your book as part of your business. This books shows you what that looks like.

Non-Fiction Other Business:

• More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI by John Warner – A former English teacher exposes the flaws in traditional writing instruction, through the lens of AI. 
• Simple Marketing for Smart People by Billy Broas with Tiago Forte – I wrote a blog article about this little gem earlier this year because it’s all about making marketing simple and how to stop overthinking your marketing.
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss – This is advice on negotiating from a former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator.
• The Go Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann – This is a business parable about a young man named Joe who learns that shifting his focus from “getting” to “giving” is the key to unexpected success and fulfillment.
• Your Business Growth Playbook: Breakthrough Strategies to Scale Your Business for Business Owners Who’ve Outgrown Hustle by Jeremy B. Shapiro – This book offers a framework for small business owners who want to scale their businesses.
• Market Eminence: 22 Strategies to Build a Bold Personal Brand, Become a Business Celebrity, and Drive Unstoppable Growth by David Newman – This is all about branding and marketing strategies for entrepreneurs.
• Unlock Your Impact: The Roadmap to Magnetic Client Attraction for Entrepreneurs Who Hate Marketing by Sophie Lechner – Focus on your mission and values to create a marketing strategy that feels more authentic than traditional marketing strategies.
• Fearless Mind: How Your Human Brain Beats Artificial Intelligence by Jacqueline Kucera – This is an invitation to slow down, tune in and rediscover the strength that lives beneath the noise in a world increasingly dominated by AI. 
• Tech-No to Tech Pro: A Practical Guide to Digital Visibility Without Losing Your Humanity by Leila Kubesch – This book shows you how to build impact with limited resources.
• Values First: How Knowing Your Core Beliefs Can Get You the Life and Career You Want by Laura Eigel – This book offers ​​a step-by-step process to identify your values, audit your time, and set the boundaries you need to live your values for the long haul.
• Reframing the Leadership Dance: The Secret to Finding Your Rhythm as a People Leader by Stacey Larsen – This book provides stories and step-by-step guidance on how leaders can learn a new dance, improving their working relationships, personal health, and the bottom line.
• Inspire Your Buyers: Go to Market with a Story That Sizzles by Bruce Scheer – Learn how to develop a powerful go-to-market narrative that will accelerate your growth.
• Think Like a Marketer: How a Shift in Mindset Can Change Everything for Your Business by Kate Colbert – This book is what you need to shift from following the status quo to creating sustainable success.

Non-Fiction Self-Help and Memoir:

• Read Your Mind: Proven Habits for Success from the World’s Greatest Mentalist by Oz Pearlman – I saw a 60-Minutes interview with Oz Pearlman, so I wanted to check out his book, which is all about identifying and overcoming mental blocks.

• Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin – This is all about what Rubin, author of The Four Tendencies, learned about how to change your habits and lead a happier life.

• Mad Wife: A Memoir by Kate Hamilton – This autobiography interrogates how marriage and the institutions that support it provide the perfect ecosystem for abuse of women and children—all in the service of men’s desires.
• Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis – This is a memoir about Sam Bankman-Fried, the world’s youngest billionaire who founded ​​the FTX cryptocurrency exchange and then lost it all and ended up in prison. 
• Metabolism Repair for Women by Lara Briden – I recommend all of Lara Briden’s books if you are a woman of a certain age, and especially if you’re looking for a biology-centered approach to supporting the systems that regulate metabolism.
• Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives by Michael Newton, PhD – The next book after Journey of Souls, this book includes 70 case studies answering questions about the first book.
• No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard C. Schwartz – This was a second read for me. IFS is a paradigm-changing model because once we learn how to work with our parts, we can heal ourselves in many ways.
• Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child by Thich Nhat Hanh – This book offers specific practices, based in Buddhism, designed to bring healing and release for people suffering from childhood trauma.
• Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert A. Johnson – This book invites you to take a look at your shadow side.
• Existential Kink: Unmask Your Shadow and Embrace Your Power by Carolyn Elliott – This is a second read for me. It offers an approach to embracing the taboo, dark, and unwanted parts of ourselves so that we can unlock our inner power.
• Becoming an Empowered Projector: Thrive with Wisdom and Guidance from Human Design by Evelyn Levenson – I went down some Human Design rabbit holes this year, and this was one book I found specifically about being a Projector.
• Unbreakable(ish): I Wasn’t Built for Boring by Ali Ingersoll – This book takes you on a wild, hilarious, and deeply real ride through a life that broke multiple times, then got rebuilt stronger.

And there you have it: my reading year in review. As we head into the holiday season, I hope you find something on this list that speaks to you. Whether you’re looking to escape into fiction, level up your business, or dive deep into personal growth, there’s something here worth your time.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a stack of books, a gas fireplace, and some Oat Nog calling my name, plus a whole three quiet weeks ahead of me to answer that call. Emily out.

Happy reading, and I’ll see you in the new year!