Best Books of 2025
I look forward to compiling this list of books every year. The practice of sharing what I consider the best books I read in the previous year gives me a reason to go back and revisit all the writing and ideas I spent time with over the last twelve months. It reminds me of things that I forgot I loved from the beginning of the year and sometimes, on a second reflection, highlights the best (and worst) qualities of a book I hadn’t thought about since I finished it.
Being able to reflect on all of the books from last year in contrast with each other is a useful avenue for reevaluating my thoughts on them, the writing in each, and their impact on me. Looking back for patterns in what I was reading and what I liked and disliked also proves productive as I consider what to read in the new year. This practice of reflection not only helps guide the months to come, but also sheds light on how my tastes have continued to change.
I’m sure I say this every year, but one of the greatest joys and surprises for me over the last six years of deliberately fostering my reading habit is the way my comprehension, taste, and preferences have changed and grown. Typically we associate improvements in our comprehension with our development when we were young readers, and I have found a lot of delight in the confirmation that our intellect and inclinations can expand no matter our age.
Reading also continues to teach me about time. I read, in a normal month, mostly between dinner and when I go to bed. On the weekends I might read in the morning or afternoon if I am lucky enough to have some free time. It amazes me every year how much I have been able to read in these small handfuls of time that would otherwise have been lost to television or scrolling. Reading has proven to me that meaningful things can happen in small investments of time over an extended period. We know this as musicians, but there is something especially significant about seeing that change happen from a habit that is not part of our work. As in previous years, I hope to take this renewed optimism about habitual behavior and make it useful in the other areas of my life I’d like to foster.
Beyond these positive outcomes, reading also teaches me patience by putting my expectations in check. I can’t always spend hours reading each day. If I am busy, stressed, or over-tired, I can’t read as fast as I can when I am rested and reading something I love. Sometimes even a book I love can take a long time to read, which (if I’m being honest) I can find very frustrating. Whatever I feel, there is no rushing the process. It takes the time it takes, and there is something quite comforting about looking back over the year to see that regardless of how my patience was tested I still read, learned, and enjoyed many books.
I loved memoirs in 2025 as I did in 2024. I loved reading about the interior lives of interesting people and the process of writers. I also continued to expand my taste in fiction after years of having an unfortunate aversion to fiction as something that was fluffy or not useful. (It turns out I just hadn’t discovered the right fiction books.) Besides these favorite genres, I also enjoyed reading books on culture and its impact on our lives and lifestyles.
Although the books in the following list were the standouts for me, I loved so many of the books I read last year. If you’d like to see them all and consider what else might suit your tastes, you can find me on Goodreads and see the whole list.
These are my favorite books that I read in 2025:
Although the title of this book implies it is meant for someone having a mid-life crisis, this book is perfect for those in their 30s, 40s and beyond who are considering the passage of time, purpose, happiness and meaningful work. It contains though provoking and important questions for reconsidering who we believe we are and how we can shape our upcoming years with intention.
This book was every bit as good as its cover. In just 224 pages Samantha Harvey uses the sunsets and sunrises seen by a group of astronauts in space to shed a beautiful light on the human condition, our planet, and the endearing fragility of both.
My students have heard me talk about this book ad nauseam for the last year. Gebrian’s book breaks down the pitfalls of how we have all learned to practice and gives functional, actionable advice backed by current neuroscience on how we can practice better. This book has become a handbook in my personal practice and in my studio. If you are a musician you absolutely need to read and reread this book!
I have enjoyed of Sheila Heti’s books that I’ve read, and this one stood out for me in 2025. Based on a character who is closely considering the actions of everyone around her as she tries to answer the question how should a person be?, the writing in this book feels raw and personal. Heti’s style of fiction is always just a touch odd and also relatable, and this book is no different. (This novel contains one of my favorite observations in all of fiction and I think of it on an almost daily basis.)
This book was a well-timed read for me in 2025 as I flew across the country to see my favorite band in a three day performance. Dederer dives deep into the implications of an artist’s personal life and behavior on their work and our consumption of it. I found this book’s take on biography as an element of art fascinating. A must-read for anyone working in the arts or who considers themselves a fan of anything.
This book was everything a good novel should be. Inventive, fun, a little strange, and compelling. I found it incredibly enjoyable to read, with characters that I got attached to and an ending I wasn’t expecting at all.
Although I found this book dense and a little time consuming to read, I think anyone who consumes entertainment or works in the arts in our current times should be required to read this book. An incredibly detailed and insightful overview of the importance of culture on the world and how we have ended up in a cultural void, I appreciated how Marx gave actionable advice on how we can invest in bringing culture back.
You know I have to ask - what did you love reading in 2025? There’s always room on my to-be-read list.