Another year, another post about books to lead it off! As I’ve said for at least the last five years, this is going to be the year I do something more with this website! But first, my review of top reads of 2025. A smaller number of books this year, 54 total, but some pretty heavy reads. The most notable being:
Playground by Richard Powers
Another good environmental novel from Powers. This time the focus on reefs and the ocean was perfectly timed and aligned with a dive trip to Roatan. Would it have been as good if read landlocked at home? Yes.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Super quick, but satisfying read. I read it in its entirety on a flight back to Colorado from Toledo, yet the take on time travel and anomalies has stuck with me.
The Assault by Harry Mulisch
Not at all what I expected. Mulisch wrote one of my all time favorite books (The Discovery of Heaven) and for some reason I thought this book was, based on its description, going to be something of a WW2 thriller. Nothing further from the case, and all the better for it. Yes, WW2 plays a role, but the themes have more to do with his other book than as a thriller.
Midnight in Washington by Adam Schiff
Should have been required reading when it came out. Now it’s a missed warning of what was to come, the destruction of our republic by the traitors within.
Space Race by Deborah Cadbury
Good insights into the race from the dual views of Von Braun and Korolev. Not too much new information or insight on the US side, that’s been covered by so many books, but the Soviet side had a ton of new-to-me details. Particularly with regard to the political machinations and personal conflicts that played a significant part in the USSR losing their early lead.
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares
Well, that’s a rough one to read. At least I no longer worry about climate change killing us all in the next 50 years, since the authors make a good case for how we might not make it that long. The doom and gloom is leavened with kernels of hope and some actions that people, including electeds like myself, can take. And the use of frequent QR code links to updated and deeper material online is a great addition for a book like this that can easily be out of date by the time it’s published.