Favorite books of 2025

I finished 37 books in 2025. Most of my “reading” is via audiobooks, which lets me listen while I go for walks, work out, or do chores. This has been the best way to fit reading for fun into my busy PhD schedule. I also participate in a book club with fellow graduate students, where we challenge ourselves to discuss topics outside our research fields. In this post, I am sharing some of my favorites: book club picks, top fiction, top memoirs, other standout non-fiction, and a few honorable mentions. Non-fiction history and politics was definitely my reading obsession for 2025. Check out my Goodreads if you want the full 2025 reading list!

Top fiction books

1.      Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games 0.5) by Suzanne Collins

Set in the dystopian world of Panem of the Hunger Games, this prequel focuses on the Hunger Games of Katniss Everdeen’s mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. Suzanne Collins artfully weaves together themes of authoritarianism, propaganda, and the psychological toll of living under an oppressive regime.;

2.      The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy by Tasha Suri

This fantasy book series consists of 1) The Jasmine Throne, 2) The Oleander Sword, and 3) The Lotus Empire. This series stands out from previous medieval-Europe-inspired fantasy novels I have read. Instead, it is set in medieval India and draws upon Indian mythology. This setting adds depth and complexity to the storyline, which brings together political intrigue, cultural nuance, and a love story between two protagonists on opposing sides of a war. 

Top memoirs

1.      On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci

Dr. Fauci’s dedication to public service is inspiring and speaks to his strong character. He reflects on his life and career, navigating public health crises ranging from AIDS to Ebola to COVID-19. The book makes clear his talent and passion for caring for patients, and dedication to reducing global and national disease burdens. Dr. Fauci expertly distills complex disease and policy topics into something accessible to the general public, and provides an inside look as to how agencies research and respond to disease. His compassion for others and empathy is clear throughout. After finishing this book, I have even more gratitude and respect for Dr. Fauci and his work to protect public health. The audiobook is read by the author himself.

2.      The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop

Beautifully written memoir by Kelly Bishop. Bishop is a talented storyteller, candidly opening up about all aspects of her life. I laughed, I cried, and I was inspired to hear about the challenges she faced and overcame to achieve her theater and acting career. The audiobook is read by the author herself.

3.      In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History by Mitch Landrieu

This book details Mitch Landrieu’s personal journey growing up in New Orleans and political career, including his decision to remove Confederate Statues in the city. He discusses his and his family’s efforts to confront racism in Louisiana, reckoning with the negative parts of NOLA’s past while embracing the diversity that makes it the great city it is today. As a fun bonus, the author narrates the audiobook himself, Louisiana accent and all.

Honorable mentions:

Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty by Hillary Rodham Clinton. Like her or hate her, her predictions about what would happen under the first and second Trump administrations have been spot on. I just hope not all her predictions come true, but some like mobilizing the military to quash protests and deport undocumented immigrants is already happening. She has dedicated her life to public service, is driven by her ambition and her moral code to always do good, and is a passionate supporter of women’s rights. It has been inspiring to hear the work she has continued to do to support women’s movements worldwide since 2016, persisting in the face of a difficult political defeat. It was also nice to hear a bit more about her personal life and relationships with her family members, and the joy and dedication she feels towards them.

Top (non-memoir) non-fiction books

1.      On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

One of those books where every sentence has a point and matters. Excellent book, succinct, impactful, and insightful. It has been a source of inspiration in understanding how to respond to the growing wave of fascism in the U.S. under Donald Trump.  

2.      The Third Reich in Power (The History of the Third Reich, #2) by Richard J. Evans 

This book is part of a trilogy by historian Richard J. Evans that documents the rise, actions, and downfall of the Third Reich. This book details what the Nazi government did once elected to power, dismantling Germany’s democracy from the inside and taking increasingly extreme actions to control German public life, economy, culture, art, and politics until the extreme was what was normalized. Reading this book, the parallels between Nazi actions and the Trump administration are clear. We must never go the path of Nazi Germany, and must learn from the lessons of this book.

3.      The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser

A detailed and worrying account of the chaos in the White House during Trump’s first term, and the president’s volatile and vindictive nature. The book provides insight as to how the president thinks and his motivations, and gives great cause to worry for what will happen during his second term.

4.      Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

John Green balances the large-scale worldwide impacts of tuberculosis with the impact on an individual. He discusses how the disease has played a role in everything from science to fashion and culture. He also follows the story of Henry, a young man from Sierra Leone who has suffered from drug-resistant tuberculosis, yet maintained a positive outlook throughout his treatment and is now an advocate for those with the disease. He discusses health inequities, and the tragedy that the treatments for tuberculosis are available, but pharmaceutical companies are prioritizing profits over saving lives and purposely keeping drug costs high.

5.      The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

In this book, historian Beth Allison Barr dives into the role of women in Christianity, and traces how Biblical stories and historical accounts have been selectively interpreted, and at times manipulated, to support the subjugation of women. Drawing on both Scripture and history, Barr argues this framework is not aligned with early Christianity or the teachings of Jesus, which often affirmed women as equals and challenged the gender norms of the time.

Honorable mentions:

Who is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis shares the stories of federal workers, sharing their personal and professional journeys. He highlights how people pursue a career in federal government out of a desire to serve the public, especially given how these people can make a lot more money in the private sector, but a dedication to promoting the welfare of the country drives them to the career in federal government.

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari discusses how information networks have been used throughout history, and what to be wary of in the age of AI. When I read this at the beginning of the year, I thought some of the predictions were a bit alarmist, but after seeing 2025 play out, and the use of AI to disinform the public and foment unrest, as well as be used by ICE to target people of color, and the use of AI to generate images meant to degrade women, I think I did not take it seriously enough.

Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It by Ari Berman discusses how the American political system was set up from the beginning to keep white, wealthy men overrepresented in politics. Berman’s arguments are well-researched and compelling.

Favorite book club book

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

This book challenges liberal politics and institutions to shift from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance, especially on topics relating to housing, environment, and science. It discusses how the housing crisis is caused by scarcity created by zoning laws and regulations making it difficult to build houses. The book also explores how environmental laws meant to protect ecosystems are often now being used to delay or block environmental infrastructure, since it makes it easy to sue and stall projects like public transit, rail, solar, and wind energy. Additionally, the authors discuss how the rate of innovation has slowed, in part because the scientific system is set up where many senior scientists are more focused on grant writing than doing the actual science. Overall, Abundance argues for reframing regulations to promote abundant housing, renewable energy, and scientific innovation—without abandoning progressive values.

Conclusion

All in all, I had a productive reading year this past year. I really enjoyed reading memoirs of different individuals who were leaders in their field, and learned a lot about the rise of fascism in Germany and the disturbing parallels with the United States today. In 2026, I will keep my reading streak up but hope to get some more fiction reading in!