2025: In the Books

I read twenty-six books in 2025, half nonfiction and half fiction, which is my preferred proportions. It is redundant to say that I read incredibly life-changing books this year, redundant in the best of ways. Here is my list from 2025:

NONFICTION:

1. Continental Reckoning by Elliott West (an incredible sweeping history of the American West written by my favorite college professor)
2. Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (a history of the short time between Lincoln’s election and the beginning of the American Civil War; a timely gift from our friend, Flo, given the current political unrest in our nation)
3. Hope for Secondhand Suffering by Camille Block (a sweet gift from my friend, Jere, the proud father of the author; I learned more about my friend and his special love for his special son)
4. Troublemakers by Gary Yerkey (a personal and important account of the shift in the civil rights movement following the march from Selma to Montgomery, written by a Ripon College alum that lived American history)
5. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (a history of slavery in America; a powerful recommendation by my colleague, Jackie)
6. Hacking College by Ned Scott Laff & Scott Carlson (a really important book that I didn’t know I needed as I began advising first-year college students)
7. The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter (recommended years ago by my friend, Sandi, and wow, such an important book for me personally, and if I can be so bold, for the world today)
8. Hail Mary: The Rise & Fall of the National Women’s Football League by Frankie de la Cretaz & Lyndsey D’Arcangelo (embarrassed not to have known of the NWFL but excited to add its story to my Sports Law course now!)
9. Relationship-Rich Education by Peter Felten & Leo Lambert (loved the premise then gifted it to my buddy, Autumn, in honor of her master’s degree in higher education)
10. Future Tense by Tracy Dennis-Tiwary (received this book at an NYC conference where the author was a featured speaker; on how anxiety can be good for you)
11. Moncrief: My Journey to the NBA by Sidney Moncrief with Myra McLarey (because Sid made moving from Arkansas to Wisconsin cool)
12. You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson (oh my goodness, incredible poetry that captured my whole heart)
13. Run the Song by Ben Ratliff (combines running and music, but mostly music, and the music part was far above my understanding)

NOVELS:

1. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (inspired to read this classic after visiting Monterey last Christmas)
2. Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas (a powerful story and a good recommendation from my friend, Ji’Mya)
3. Bloodchild by Octavia Butler (stumbled across this set of short stories; glad to discover Octavia Butler)
4. The Hornet’s Nest by Jimmy Carter (didn’t love the book, but love (and miss) the author)
5. 1984 by George Orwell (should have been titled 2025)
6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (inspired to read even before the White House ballroom project and the government shutdown)
7. Vineland by Thomas Pynchon (can you “not” love a book and still find it interesting? because I did with this one)
8. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (so timely as we live in our own dystopian times)
9. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (how many timely dystopian novels are there?!?)
10. The Exchange by John Grisham (a sequel to The Firm; Grisham can always capture your attention)
11. The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy (picked this up at a library used book sale because I always wanted to read the Ilyich short story; so glad that I did)
12. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (had always heard of Robinson’s work but had never read her; Gilead turned out to be my favorite novel this year)
13. The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry (this book had not been checked out of our college library since 1988; Berry never disappoints)