This year, I read 25 books, which is pretty average for me, but a good reading year in terms of quality. 11 were fiction, and 14 were nonfiction. I abandoned two additional novels. I didn’t include any cookbooks or coffee table books in this roundup.

A few themes may become apparent. I’ve been playing around with the idea of writing a novel set in Paris, so for research, I read both fiction and nonfiction set there. Over the summer, I got into tennis. I took lessons, rallied regularly, and went to the National Bank Open, so naturally I had to read some books on tennis.

I also read more books on manifesting. I’m always open to learning new perspectives. It's clear now that everyone has their own way of doing things, and learning these different techniques helped me clarify what I prefer and what works for me.

I listened to more audiobooks this year, mostly because I became a gym bro. I don’t find strength training exciting or anything, but it’s necessary. On days when I don’t feel like listening to music, I put on an audiobook and just get it done.

I need to do something about my bad reading habit. I can’t keep reading ten books at the same time. Books are everywhere. I buy them, my library holds all come at once, and anytime someone recommends a book, I immediately track it down and start reading it. But that stops now.

I started keeping recommendations on a digital list. I'm forcing myself to finish the books I’ve already opened before starting new ones. My goal is to only read one book of fiction and one to two books of nonfiction at the same time.

Pin

Fiction

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

More of a short story than a book, this is a foundational classic I’d heard about for years and finally got around to reading. First published in 1892, it follows a woman brought to a country house by her physician husband to recover from what's described as nervous exhaustion. Rest and isolation are prescribed, while writing, the one thing that brings her relief, is treated as dangerous. As she becomes fixated on the yellow wallpaper in her room, she seems to have a psychological breakdown. It’s a quiet horror story about what happens when a woman’s inner life is denied an outlet.

Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner

Literary novels that are both erudite and funny are rare, so I enjoyed this one so much. An American poet on a prestigious fellowship in Madrid spends his time trying to have “profound experiences of art,” leaning hard into his own pretensions and straight-up lying to appear more tortured, insightful, and interesting, especially around women. It's one of those plotless novels, and this kind of humor and protagonist is not for everyone, but I appreciate the wit, honesty, and unflinching self-absorption. I’m very much looking forward to reading more Ben Lerner.

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Thoroughly creeped me out. Amanda seems to have a successful life: a happy marriage and a solid career at an architecture firm. Slowly, she becomes possessed by a demon. Small changes in her behavior turn into disturbing and violent events that she can't always remember. By the time she realizes what's happening to her, it’s too late to stop it. I started this book on the subway late one night, then exited to a dark, secluded neighborhood. That was a mistake.

Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico

The literary equivalent of Instagram vs. reality, this is a coolly observant novel about a millennial couple who leave a southern European city for Berlin. They curate a hyper-modern life filled with plants, designer furniture, and artisanal food. Over time, the lifestyle starts to feel hollow. Their politics become performative, friendships thin out, and even relocating to Lisbon or Sicily can’t restore their sense of adventure. Translated from Italian, it’s a portrait of shallow aesthetic living that hits uncomfortably close to home for many of us millennials.

On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle

Originally written in Danish, this short novel follows rare-book dealer Tara Selter, who becomes trapped reliving November 18 again and again. Unlike in Groundhog Day, Tara continues to age, while everyone else resets. It's the first volume of a seven-book series that has won major literary acclaim, including being shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. It's a special kind of hell to be trapped in the same day as everyone else forgets. This book is almost boring, since she does have to repeat the mundanity of the same day, but I want to know what happens to her, so I'm set to read the other books in the series.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I haven’t read a bad Taylor Jenkins Reid book yet, and this one might be my favorite so far. It’s impressive how convincingly she captures the mindset of an elite, ruthlessly competitive tennis player, especially given that she doesn’t play the sport herself. Carrie Soto isn’t especially likable, but she’s compelling. I admired her ambition and discipline, even when they came at a personal cost. The novel also references The Inner Game of Tennis (which I review below) and, in many ways, feels like a fictional extension of its core idea of learning to separate winning from self-worth.

Audition by Katie Kitamura

I'm glad post-modern novels like this exist to push the form forward. It's fun to be challenged by fiction. While this short novel can be confusing, especially near the end, I like that it's unsettling and unpredictable. The protagonist is an actress who seems to be performing a role for the people in her life, and is constantly assessing what they are thinking. The novel is split into two parallel versions of her life, one in which she is childless and one in which she has a son. The first half felt stronger to me, although neither resolves itself. The book invites multiple interpretations, for example, life as performance mirroring theatre, and a kind of Rorschach test on whether a woman's life is better with or without children.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (AB)

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels are like palate cleansers between heavier reads. They're often centered on beautiful, famous people. Malibu Rising has all of them: musicians, surfers, models, actors, athletes. It follows the Riva siblings. Left by their famous but deadbeat father, they build their own lives and converge on one chaotic Malibu party. There are fun crossovers for fans of her other books. Carrie Soto makes an appearance, and the eldest sister is married to the tennis player Carrie has an affair with in Carrie Soto Is Back.

This wasn’t as much of a page turner as her other novels. The large cast weighs it down at times. Still, I enjoyed it. One of Reid’s strengths is making even larger-than-life characters feel grounded and real.

Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock

A visually playful, illustrated book for adults told entirely through letters exchanged between two pen pals, Griffin and Sabine. The story unfolds through postcards and envelopes you physically pull out and read. It's slightly mysterious, hinting at something more surreal beneath the correspondence. The book ends on a cliffhanger and is part of a series, but I’m not invested enough to continue.

Rental House by Weike Wang

I found Weike Wang's first two novels to be sharp and darkly funny. This one, I almost didn't finish, but I pushed through. There's a feeling of deep unhappiness and hopelessness in the characters and their marriage. I didn't really connect with the characters, and the plot is very thin. If the story had the same level of humor or sharp insights as her previous work, I think I would've enjoyed it, but this one is a miss for me. 

Voyeur by Francesca Reece

This novel has mixed reviews, but I ended up really enjoying it once I got into it. I just never knew what was going to happen next. Leah is hired as an assistant to an aging author, only to realize she was chosen because she resembles his ex, who disappeared decades ago. From there, the story moves into unsettling territory around power and desire.

My main issue was the prose. I wanted to take a red pen and cross out the excessive adjectives and similes. Still, I appreciated this book and having a main character who is openly considered hot. Leah benefits from her looks in obvious ways, but her insecurities have little to do with her looks, which was refreshing and real.

Non Fiction

Stay True by Hua Hsu

A beautifully written coming-of-age memoir about friendship, college life in the '90s, and finding your identity. At Berkeley, Hua meets Ken, a Japanese-American student who initially seems too mainstream, but they soon become best friends. Ken's untimely death three years later shapes Hua’s trajectory as he searches for meaning and closure. I also appreciate that, in his 40s, Hsu can reflect on the pretensions and faults of his younger self. He has a talent for dissecting small, everyday moments and transforming them into something meaningful.

The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey

I took forever to finish this short book because I wanted to read it very carefully. The chapter on the meaning of competition changed my life. I wrote more about this book in my post How Playing Sports Reveals Your Character.

String Theory by David Foster Wallace

A collection of DFW’s essays on tennis that also appear across his other essay collections. If you already own those, you don’t really need this book, unless it’s for aesthetic reasons. I was initially worried from the opening pages that it would just be him going on about wind conditions in the Midwest, but each essay ended up being better than the last. They’re genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. I took photos of certain passages to spam friends because they were so delightful. This is the work of a non-normie trying to understand normie athletes.

The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs by Elaine Sciolino

This is such a charming book about the author’s life in Paris, focusing on one street, the Rue des Martyrs. Sciolino mixes personal anecdotes with the street’s history and the everyday lives of the people who work and live there. Her neighborhood is on the opposite end of where I lived in Paris back in the day, but I’m sure I walked down it at least once. Now that I know more about its stories, history, and little secrets, it’s the place I’m most excited to visit on my next trip back to Paris. I really enjoy Sciolino's writing and general vibe, so I'm looking forward to reading her other books.

Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther & Jerry Hicks

This book focuses on manifesting through the teachings of Abraham, the name for a group of non-physical entities channeled by Esther Hicks. The central idea is that whatever you focus on, whether wanted or unwanted, expands in your life, and that good things always want to come to you, but you have to remove resistance.

Emotions should be treated as guidance. How you feel indicates whether you’re aligned with what you want. I found the Emotional Guidance Scale really helpful. It wouldn't make sense to aim for joy when you're in a pit of depression, for example, but the scale helps you to aim for the emotion just above it. It offers practical exercises for gradually shifting emotional states rather than forcing immediate change and getting disappointed.

The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships by Esther & Jerry Hicks (AB)

This book is essentially a transcript of Esther Hicks channeling Abraham during live events. On the page, I found it tedious. You really see how Abraham tends to talk in circles, go off on tangents, and sometimes never fully answer the question being asked. I switched to the audiobook halfway through just to get through it.

This book did give me a few valuable takeaways. Basically, we are here in the 3D to experience contrast to understand what we want, but we often get distracted by the negative and focus too much on what we don't want. Also, the book emphasizes relationships, whether with people, experiences, or even things. Relationships are the main way we shape our desires and clarify what we want.

It Works: The Famous Little Red Book That Makes Your Dreams Come True! by R.H.J.

I received this as a gift. It’s extremely short, more like a pamphlet than a book. The core technique is simple: write down your desires and read them three times a day. I tried this out, and I learned I'm not into repeating affirmations so often. Whatever manifesting technique you use has to feel good to you. Otherwise, it’ll feel like a chore. Although I'm not sticking with the technique, this did help me write down a thorough list of the major things I want.

Contesting: The Name It & Claim It Game by Helene Hadsell

First published in 1971, Helene Hadsell became well known for winning a crazy number of contests, and this book documents her approach. What stood out to me wasn’t so much technique as her level of certainty. She genuinely expected to win, which isn’t a feeling that’s easy to manufacture or force. She's also a bit psychic, often describing moments of simply knowing when to take certain actions, like staying home to receive an important phone call. She is a student of the Silva Method, which I read and reviewed for 2024's reading roundup.

The Little Book of Sanuk: The Thai Secret to a More Joyful Life by Karen Sinotok

I picked up this cute little book for €5 in Ireland. It explores the Thai concept of sanuk, or finding joy in everyday life. While the advice here isn’t anything you haven’t heard before, sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the simple things. I also enjoyed the personal touches, especially the glimpses into the author’s life as a British woman who married a Thai man and built a family there.

Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell

I’m a fan of Amy Odell’s writing and subscribe to her Substack. Her first book, Tales from the Back Row, I found hilarious, though I skipped her Anna Wintour biography because I didn't need to know that much about Anna Wintour. I didn't need to know this much about Gwyneth Paltrow either, but this book was a fast, gossipy read that pulled me out of a reading slump.

The strongest sections focus on her film career. The behind-the-scenes stories from movie sets and awards campaigns are the most compelling, including how aggressively Harvey Weinstein pushed her Oscar run. The Goop chapters feel biased and don’t reveal much that’s new. Overall, the book is uneven, probably because Odell didn’t have access to Gwyneth herself and instead relies on interviews with people who knew her, many of whom seem to be haters.

The Greatest Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Don't get this confused with the original Secret book, which I had found a bit one-note. The Greatest Secret is the 5th book in Rhonda Byrne's series. From the reviews, I'm not sure if people really understand the message of this book. Basically, the 3D reality is not real. It's a product of the mind. Life is like living in a dream. So when we start families, advance in our careers, etc., we're doing that for the experience as opposed to it being anything of importance. Nothing is real. Our emotions are also illusions. We can dissolve negative emotions just by awareness. Byrne keeps mentioning using The Sedona Method, so that's a book I'll read soon.

Countdown to Riches: 21 Days of Wealth-Attracting Habits by Rhonda Byrne

Honestly, this could've been a blog post. With the extra-large fonts and page fillers, it was really stretching the content to be a book. If you think about it, basic manifesting advice is simple: feel good, feel abundant, and practice gratitude. If you’ve read Byrne’s other books, none of this will be new. But for someone who wants money-focused advice collected in one place, laid out as a 21-day practice, this could be useful.

How to Manifest by Lacy Phillips

I first learned about Lacy Phillips and her To Be Magnetic community from a somewhat snarky article in The Cut. I was curious, so I read the book. It turned out to be a comprehensive entry point on manifesting for beginners. I agree with many of her points, such as manifesting from your true desires instead of ego, and the importance of removing subconscious blocks. Interestingly, she doesn’t emphasize visualization much, focusing instead on making lists, which goes to show everyone does it a little differently. I can't speak on her TBM community, which requires a monthly subscription. They seem to include guided meditations to help remove subconscious blocks. I have my own ways of removing subconscious beliefs and blocks, so I don't feel like paying and locking into a subscription. The most useful takeaway for me was her concept of the Magic Dark, the uncomfortable transition period where the old identity has fallen away but the new one hasn’t arrived yet. I appreciated how structured and step-by-step her method is, which helps explain its popularity.

Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod (AB)

This 2014 memoir follows a burned-out corporate copywriter in her mid-30s who rethinks her life, sells most of her possessions, and moves to Paris. Once there, she figures out how to make a living as an artist by repurposing her old skills. She goes from writing literal junk mail to creating beautiful illustrated letters. It’s always nice to learn about artists who go after their dreams and make them happen. The book is part reinvention story, part love story, as she also finds romance with a butcher once she is in Paris.

Abandoned Books

Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler

I really wanted to like this one. The title, cover, and opening pages were all working for me, but as I kept reading, I found myself getting bored. The characters are glib and shallow, which I can usually enjoy if it’s done with enough humor. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much pulling me forward. That said, I haven’t written Halle Butler off. I’ve been meaning to read her first novel.

Flesh by David Szalay

This won the 2025 Booker Prize, so I went in interested, but I stopped early on, around the scene involving an older woman grooming the protagonist when he’s still a teenage boy. At this point, I’m tired of novels that rely on grooming, rape, or sexual violence as shorthand for seriousness or depth. I’ve also never been drawn to the passive, emotionally blunted male voice common to certain Hemingway-adjacent fiction, and this book falls into that territory. I don’t feel the need to read an entire novel about this kind of man to understand him.

Fave Books of 2025

I’m trying to curb buying more books, so even if I want to reread my faves of this year, I’ll probably borrow them again from the library. The one book I’m most tempted to buy is Leaving the Atocha Station. I already own The Inner Game of Tennis.

Here is the complete list of my favorite books of 2025:

• Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
• Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Audition by Katie Kitamura
• Stay True by Hua Hsu
• The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
• String Theory by David Foster Wallace
• The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs by Elaine Sciolino

Pin