The Book Episode: Our Top Picks from 2025
This is our annual book episode! Angie and Trevor discuss the books they enjoyed in 2025– top picks for both fiction and nonfiction.
Links Mentioned in This Episode
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The Book Episode: Our Top Reads in 2025
Angie got through a total of 241 books in 2025. (95 fiction and 146 nonfiction)(audio = 144, hardcopy = 94, ebook = 3).
Authors We Interviewed on the Podcast
Here are the books we featured on the podcast this year. See links to the author interviews.
Think Like a Runner by Jeff Horowitz
How to Run the Perfect Race by Matt Fitzgerald
The Norwegian Method by Brad Culp
The Explorer’s Gene by Alex Hutchinson
Ballistic by Henry Abbott
Extreme Balance by Joe DeSena
The Runaway Housewives of the Appalachian Trail by Kitty Robinson
Fuel for Thought by Renee McGregor
Don’t Call it a Comeback by Keira D’Amato
Lootie’s World Run by Marie Leautey
The Running Ground by Nicolas Thompson
Angie’s Top 10 Non-Fiction Reads:
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
Memoir is one of my favorite genres and this book takes a peak behind the scenes on writing an engaging memoir. In fact, Mary Karr weaves in so many personal anecdotes that it doesn’t feel like a how-to book at all. Some of the core principles she talks about have to do with dealing with the truth as you remember it, turning vulnerability into art, and finding your unique story. Everyone from the casual reader to someone who wants to write a memoir will enjoy this book.
Awake by Jen Hatmaker
I’ve followed Jen Hatmaker on Instagram for a number of years and she has a very funny and relatable way of sharing her life. Her latest book is a memoir and talks about the dissolution of her 25 year marriage and how she had to come awake to many important areas in her life as a result.
Bad Therapy- Why The Kids Aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier
The author is an investigative journalist who argues that aspects of the mental health industry is harming American children by over-diagnosing and over-treating normal struggles. It’s important to get children the mental health help that they need but Shrier warns that normal developmental challenges and emotions are sometimes mislabeled as mental disorders which can lead children to adopt an “illness identity.”
It Didn’t Start With You -How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
This book talks about how trauma and epigenetic are linked. Trauma can change how our genes work and influence stress responses, health, and mood and these alterations can be passed down to future generations, which can help explain intergenerational trauma. This was a very eye opening book and helpful for anyone processing struggles linked to family history.
The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs by Joel Salatin
Since reading Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I’ve been working on getting the meat our family eats from ethically sustainable sources. Joel Salatin, owner and operator of Polyface Farms, makes the case for how farming and ranching practices need to change (for the good of the environment, the animals, the farmer, and society in general).
Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy
This is a book that was first published back in 2009 and was updated in 2020. It has been used by many professional athletes and high achievers to develop a stronger mental and emotional game. NFL player, A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles, was filmed reading this book on the sidelines of a January 2025 playoff game and the book started selling thousands of copies. Some of the principles in the book that resonated with me were detaching self-worth from outcomes so that your identity isn’t tied to results or achievements. Instead of asking, “How did I do?” Ask, “What did I learn?” Another important take-away was learning to gain control over my inner world. We don’t have to believe everything our mind tells us. Yes, we should recognize emotions and thoughts but then come back to our core values to develop self-mastery.
Estrogen Matters -Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve Women’s Well-Being and Lengthen Their Lives- Without Raising the Risk of Breast Cancer (Revised and Updated) by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris
As a woman in perimenopause I’ve been educating myself on how to make this transition in life work for me. As a result I started using Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) two years ago and it has improved my life physically, mentally, and emotionally. Thankfully the FDA removed the black box warning on HRT in 2025 after years of misinformation. This book is a must read for women in their mid-30’s and up, those who have experienced surgical menopause, or anyone who wants to understand the role of estrogen more completely.
From Strength to Strength– Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks
Brooks is a Harvard professor and happiness columnist for The Atlantic. He draws on philosophy, social science, biography, and spirituality to offer a helpful roadmap for aging well in the second half of life. In order to embrace, and not fight, the inevitable decline we need to redefine success (moving away from being primarily validated by money or job titles) and look to internal measures like a deeper sense of purpose, wisdom, strong relationships, and service to others.
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobson
Annie Jacobson is one of those authors from which I will read anything she writes. In this rather bleak (but fascinating) book she lays out the history of nuclear programs throughout the world and presents a scenario in which nuclear weapons are used. Spoiler alert- there are no good outcomes.
Breath- The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
I’ve struggled with allergies since childhood, dealing with a lot of nasal congestion. As a result I was a mouth breather and this book challenged me to take a look at my breathing patterns and make some changes. Over the course of a year I trained myself to breathe through my nose during the day (but nighttime was a bigger challenge). A few months ago I started using mouth tape at night (and an airflow clip nasal dilator called Snore Less Now to open up my airway). I’ve experienced better mouth hygiene and deeper sleep as a result.
Honorable Mentions (nonfiction)
Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose
Revenge of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher
Angie’s Top 10 Fiction Reads:
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (#19 in the Armand Gamache series) and The Black Wolf (#20 in this series)
If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers this series is excellent. I’ve particularly enjoyed listening to them on audiobook since I’m not a French speaker and would probably mispronounce many names and places otherwise.
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
I’ve enjoyed every book that author Matt Haig has written and this one was no exception. The Life Impossible follows a retired math teacher named Grace who is grieving the loss of her husband and son. She receives an unexpected inheritance which forces her outside of her comfort zone, helping her to deal with her past and find new purpose for the future.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
This book is a modern retelling of Charles Dicken’s David Coperfield. It follows a boy named Damon Fields who is born into poverty in modern rural Appalachia. He has a very tumultuous life particularly because of the weakness of the foster care system. The book deals with some very heavy subjects but it’s ultimately a story of resilience and the power of finding hope in community and through art.
The Burning White by Brent Weeks
This is the fifth and final book in the Lightbringer Series, a modern fantasy set in a world governed by light and the magic of Chromaturgy. In this world, some people called drafters have the ability to harness light to create a physical substance called “luxin.” Each color has unique powers and identity and the drafter is changed over time.
Red Rising Series by Pierce Brown
My teens had read this series a few years ago so I was a bit late to the game. But once I finished the first book, Red Rising, I devoured the other five in this fantasy/sci-fi series and am eagerly waiting for the final book to be released in the summer of 2026. The series centers on class warfare because of a rigid caste system and the main character gets involved in an attempted revolution. This fast paced series is full of action and violence and is set in space.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
In this book everyone who reaches a specific age receives a box revealing their lifespan. The story follows eight people who wrestle with the decision whether to open their boxes or not and what to do with the information they get. Ultimately it’s an uplifting book that encourages us to live life to the fullest.
Twice by Mitch Albom
This is a magical realism novel about a boy named Alfie who discovers that he gets two chances at everything in his life. It has a very engaging storyline (which kept me guessing until the end). It really made me see even more value in imperfection and the growth that comes from learning.
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
This mystery follows freelance editor Susan Ryleland who finds herself unwillingly entangled in the death of an author whose book she is working on. I enjoy a mystery that keeps me guessing.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
I enjoyed the audiobook version of this book which follows the story of Sonia and Sunny who are both Indian immigrants to the United States and who are navigating love, family, country, class, and race.
Trevor’s Top Reads in 2025:
Trevor managed to finish 41 books last year. These ones rose to the top:
How the Irish Saved Civilization -The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill. Basically, the Irish saved civilization because their monasteries preserved classical texts, learning, and book making after the fall of the Roman Empire. Irish monks later established monasteries on continental Europe which became centers of learning.
American Nations -A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. This was a paradigm shaping book and provides the best explanation that I’ve heard for regional differences in the USA.
As You Wish -Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (1987) by Cary Elwes. If you love the movie, listen to the audio book as Cary Elwes and other cast members share behind-the-scenes stories.
The Shortest History of Ancient Rome -A Millennium of Western Civilization, from Kingdom to Republic to Empire: A Retelling for Our Times by Ross King. Trevor is a big fan of the Shortest History Series because they provide short overviews without getting too myopic or tedious.
Mark Twain by Ron Chernow. This is a 1,200 page tome or 45 hours on audio book. Fun fact! Twain smoked between 22-40 cigars per day. Let’s end with some Mark Twain quotes:
“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d druther not.”
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”.
“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them”.
