2025 - Books Of The Year
One of the things I’ve shared on LinkedIn and my blog before is my reading count. 2025 was not as big of a year for reading as prior years. I read 102 books, most of which were escapes from reality. However reading, and being committed to it, continues to be a way to embrace life and happiness. Here are my top books of the year and what I’ve learned.
Who Moved My Cheese? Short and sweet but there is a reason this book is a classic for personal development. My husband and I have continually asked each other about moldy cheese since first reading this book 15 years ago, but this time a different message struck home. “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?” This was a big motivator for me in making the choice to hire a virtual assistant and reaching out to old contacts this year.
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster. This is another short read, but impactful. Full of morals, like so many of the orphaned heroine stories of the time, but I really enjoyed it. I loved her growth and the lessons about making judgments about character and the impact of the written word.
Pride and Prejudice. I only read this one all the way through twice in 2025. It’s one of my favorites to listen to while working, but it also makes me appreciate the world today. 50 miles being a far journey where that’s less than an hour away today. It also shows what hasn’t changed in terms of the world setting expectations for how a person should act in society.
Holiday Hockey Tale: The Icebreaker’s Impasse - This was definitely light reading, but surprisingly insightful. The lead character, Luci, is a female with ADHD. It was really insightful to me as a I seek to be a better person and parent and role model in my daughters’ classes at school to have this perspective on managing ADHD. So much of the information out there on ADHD is focused on boys. This story while being a fun romance gave me a female perspective and ideas to help those around me.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I didn’t read this book when it was popular and the movie came out. (I still haven’t seen the movie and don’t really have a desire to watch it.) It was a suggestion of books available now on Libby and I took a chance. It was a really great listen. The history was interesting and comparing it to what I learned about Japan growing up; but the thoughts on character were even more interesting. What would I have done in Louis’ situation, I don’t know.
