your 2025 reading list
best reads from this year (and some from last year, too)
I’ve heard a million times that becoming a great writer requires writing as much and as often as you can. While this is true, I believe reading as much and as often as you can – exposing yourself to new themes, writing styles, and vocabulary – can be just as useful.
So, as all overly-optimistic Goodreads users do, I set out a goal to read a potentially unrealistic number of novels in 2024. To my delight, I’m currently tucking into number thirty-three out of thirty-five!
My 33rd novel of the year is Butter by Japanese author Asako Yuzuki (and translated by Polly Barton). This book is unlike many I’ve read this year, an internationally popular mystery/thriller (one that has triggered my Big Book Fear), and whose thiccness pretty much guarantees I won’t hit this year’s goal. That’s okay with me though, because I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the journey.
Reconnecting with reading as a hobby again has brought me so much joy. Like most people on Substack, I have the horrible feeling that screens have taken up way too much of my life in the last couple years. I’m desperate to take that time back while nurturing my attention span by going offline for some time every day.
In light of tapping back into my bookworm era, here’s a list of ten books I’ve read over the last couple of years that I still think about every day. Before this starts sounding like a recipe blog (why do we need to scroll through your life story to the recipe!?), let’s get into it… in no particular order.
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
I probably recommended this book in one of the newsletters, but here it is again. This funny, sad, and brutally honest memoir tells the story of growing up with undiagnosed autism as a woman. I’m a sucker for autobiographies as it is, but this one was really hard to put down.
Either/Or by Elif Batuman
Would I have loved this book as much if I wasn’t a philosophy major? Who knows. Did I love this book even though I read it without knowing it was a sequel to Elif Batuman’s The Idiot, which I hadn’t read yet? Absolutely, it made no difference. This book is for the introspective, curious, sort-of awkward hotties out there. I just loved it.
Burn it Down: Women Writing About Anger edited by Lily Dancyger
Female rage is a genre(?) I’m grateful to have discovered in recent years because, well, being a woman in this world can be a rage-inducing experience. This book, a collection of entries by women of all different races, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds, explores the topic of women's rage from many angles. “Who gets to be angry (white women, black women, young women)? How do women express their anger? And what will they do with it as a collective?”
Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
A collection of stupendously written short stories about girlhood, friendship, family and grief that will warm your heart, give you chills, and leave your jaw on the floor. Need I say more?
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
Let me be honest: this book triggered my daddy issues… in an enjoyable way. I read it in the winter but it had that certain je ne sais quoi that placed you right in the South of France with salty skin and hair and a delicious bowl of lemon sorbet. Remember how it felt to watch Call Me By Your Name for the first time? This is that in a book. Incroyable!
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
‘it's not a nonfiction book, but it might as well be for how palestinians survive.’ This book tells the story of one Palestinian refugee’s fight for a better life, not just for herself but for her whole family. This book is a rollercoaster and a masterpiece, right down to the last page.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
I’ve suggested this book to everyone who has asked me for a recommendation over the last two years, and I’m almost certain not one of them have read it yet. I’m not bothered though, because it’s one of those books you feel so lucky to have stumbled upon that you almost want to keep it a secret for yourself. But I’m no gatekeeper. This dystopian novel managed to have such a profound impact on me in so few pages that I think about it almost every day. I hope you reach for it!
Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders
YOUR GUT IS LITERALLY YOUR SECOND BRAIN. Yeah, I’m serious. Your intestines have a very real impact on how you feel, how you think, and how your body deals with the world’s infinite number of germs. Gut explores scientific research in an accessible language so that everyone can learn about how important their digestive system is to their overall wellbeing.
The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuściński
It’s my dream to visit the Congo one day (with a special stop at the Virunga National Park gorilla sanctuary) but until I can do that, I’ll read books by African writers and well-versed journalists like Kapuściński. He’s no stranger to the continent, spending most of his career trekking the unbeaten path whenever he can. This book, a collection of writings made during his time as a reporter, is filled with curiosity and his attempts to uncover Africa’s myriad of unique cultures, communities, and customs.
Some honourable mentions:
Foster by Claire Keegan
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
I hope you all have a wonderful final few days of 2024. Wishing you health, happiness, and a lot of excellent reads in the year ahead!
Thanks for reading and make sure to subscribe for the latest news on Gen Z and youth culture. Also, don’t forget to check out The Gen Zer for a weekly roundup of more trending insights, stories, and discussions.
Until next time,
The perfect list for stocking stuffers !!