I saw a YouGov survey the other day that found the median American read just two books in 2025. Not that surprising, huh? There are so many other ways to spend your time nowadays: watching series, listening to podcasts, scrolling social media, listening to music. I enjoy all of those things too. But I also love to read, and last year marked a personal high: 26 books. For those keeping score at home:

2019 - 18 books
2020 - 12 books
2021 - 23 books
2022 - 15 books
2023 - 15 books
2024 - 21 books
2025 - 26 books

I’d like to thank Betterworldbooks for fantastic book bargains. My favorite reading beverage: coffee. Dark roast. Black. Morning or afternoon, it was always by my side. Finally, I couldn’t have done this without my cat, Martha. If I stumbled upon a word, she’d say “Just take it slow and sound it out Stephen”.

Coffee, a book, and a cat. Lovely, innit?

A few things I learned:

We learn more from people who challenge our thought process than those who confirm our conclusions. (Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know)
Your personality is the hidden history of the places where love entered your life or was withdrawn from your life. It is shaped by the way your parents loved you, the ways they did not love you. All of us have certain attachment patterns lodged deep in our minds. (The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life)
Upon arriving at your table, you’re greeted by your waiter. Your personal servant for the night. Usually the waiter will tell you his name. Now that you are a person of royalty you never give yours. Waiter: Hello my name is Phil. I’ll be your waiter. You: I’ll have the chicken. (Food: A Love Story)

Here are some reading stats followed by the list of books.

Reading Days - 307
Reading Routine - 20 minutes most mornings and afternoons
Shortest book (3 books) - 5 days
Longest book (French) - 87 days
Median reading time per book - 14.5 days
Genres - 23 non-fiction, 3 fiction
Spent on books - $147.54
Best Book - The Second Mountain
Worst Book - Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs

The Authoritarian Moment: How the Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent
Ben Shapiro
1/4/24 - 1/15/25
Argues that major American institutions have been taken over by one political ideology and are used to shut down opposing views.
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
Adam Grant
1/15/25 - 1/24/25
Why people should be more willing to change their minds and how being wrong is often a good thing.
An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist
Richard Dawkins
1/25/25 - 2/5/25
Dawkins talks about his childhood and how he ended up becoming a scientist. This may have been my third or fourth Dawkins book.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Angela Duckworth
2/5/25 - 2/14/25
Sticking with things matters more than talent.
Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life
Jordan B. Peterson
2/6/25 - 3/18/25
Psychology and life advice about handling chaos and responsibility.
Beyond Basketball: Coach K’s Keywords for Success
Mike Krzyzewski & Jamie K. Spatola
3/19/25 - 3/23/25
Coach K’s leadership lessons he learned from coaching that apply to work and life.
Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point
David Lipsky
3/24/25 - 5/9/25
A look at what daily life is like for cadets at West Point.
The Little Book That Still Beats the Market
Joel Greenblatt
5/12/25 - 5/20/25
Explains a simple investing strategy meant to beat the stock market over time.
God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of “Academic Freedom”
William F. Buckley Jr.
5/21/25 - 6/6/25
Buckley criticizes Yale for drifting away from its original values and traditions.
Cashing Out: The Flight of Nazi Treasure, 1945–1948
Neill Lochery
6/9/25 - 6/25/25
How Nazis tried to hide and move stolen money after World War II.
Food: A Love Story
Jim Gaffigan
6/25/25 - 7/7/25
Gaffigan jokes about food, eating too much, and having no willpower. Many lol moments.
Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich
Kevin Phillips
7/8/25 - 8/18/25
Looks at how concentrated wealth has influenced American politics and power.
Ralph Lauren: In His Own Fashion
Alan Flusser
8/20/25 - 9/3/25
How Ralph Lauren built his brand and shaped American fashion.
Before & After Our Bodies
Phil SaintDenisSanchez
8/21/25 - 10/10/25
Poetry collection about family, love, and loss shaped by life in New Orleans. Not a huge fan of poetry but this was a gift given to me by a friend.
One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation
George Will
8/27/25 - 9/16/25
Collection of essays about American culture, politics, and habits. I saw the author being interviewed on Bill Maher so I decided to read one of his books.
Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation’s Future
Jim Webb
9/16/25 - 9/20/25
Compares people who live with risk and hard consequences to those who don’t.
Les Bagarres du Petit Nicolas
René Goscinny & Jean‑Jacques Sempé
9/17/25 - 12/12/25
Short children stories in French about kids getting into trouble at school. I try to read one French book a year.
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
Sloan Wilson
9/20/25 - 10/2/25
Novel about corporate life, work pressure, and fitting into postwar America. Enjoyed this book a great deal. Highly recommend.
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
Christopher R. Browning
10/3/25 - 10/13/25
Explains how regular men became involved in mass killings during the Holocaust.
The Lost Art of Drawing the Line: How Fairness Went Too Far
Michael J. Sandel
10/14/25 - 10/19/25
Argues that modern ideas of fairness often go too far and need limits.
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life
David Brooks
10/20/25 - 11/2/25
About shifting from chasing success to focusing on purpose and service. Brooks is a great writer. I ended up buying another of his books after this one.
How I Invest My Money: Finance experts reveal how they save, spend, and invest
Brian Portnoy, Joshua Brown
11/3/25 - 11/7/25
Investors explain how they manage their own money.
The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency
David M. Rubenstein
11/8/25 - 12/1/25
Conversations with historians and presidents about leadership and public service. I’ve read all of David Rubenstein’s books.
Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs
Josh Hawley
12/1/25 - 12/8/25
Argues for traditional masculine virtues like responsibility and strength. Focused so much on religion though. Felt like I was reading the bible at times.
Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber
Andy Borowitz
12/9/25 - 12/19/25
A satirical look at how dumb American politics can be.
Mere Anarchy
Woody Allen
12/20/25 - 12/27/25
Short pieces about life, culture, and human behavior. Big fan of Woody Allen. I read three of his books years ago. This one was not that good and would not recommend.

The Books of 2025

Photography