One of the practices I’ve gotten a lot of value from for a number of years now is reflecting on the books I read and sharing those I found to be especially noteworthy. Many of these informed my perspective and/or include useful tools that might be of use for folks in my network. Although I mostly focus on nonfiction for these lists, all are well-written and many read like fiction. Indeed some of the great authors of the “narrative non-fiction” genre make an appearance here. Some of the books are new (could one post a list like this in 2025 without some books related to AI?), but many are not (and are still great).
Let me know in the comments if you had a chance to read any of these as well or if there were other books you read this year which you’ve enjoyed. One of the great joys of these posts is the discussions they prompt with folks about great books and ideas.
If you’re looking to give yourself a gift this year, consider reading some great books. If strategies on how to read more would be helpful, I put together some that have served me well here (audiobooks count! Use Libby!). Happy holidays, happy reading, and best wishes for an amazing 2026!
- The Coming Wave: In this book you get a front row view on the rise of modern AI capabilities from one of its leaders. What I thought was most intriguing was how it explores the relationship between the trends of digitization across computing, robotics, and genomics. Each is powerful and in their combination, there is a potential step function in our capabilities to alter how we live. The author also explores the potential risks these changes bring and suggests tangible ways to address them.
- Nexus: Yuval Noah Harari does a great job of tackling big ideas across broad spans of history while also being engaging (his other books are worth reading too). In Nexus, he explores the role information has played in different types of societies in the past, present, and possible future. It turns out that what constitutes truth has rarely been straightforward but is always very important. With the rise of new players in the mix, namely artificial intelligence, us humans getting our act together may never have been more urgent.
- The Motive: A pithy take on one of the core ingredients of great leadership. Patrick Lencioni introduces the contrasting models of responsibility centered vs reward centered leadership in this book, and challenges us to reflect on our own practices. No one is purely one or the other but this was a wise and practical guide to how to clarify and improve how you show up as leaders.
- The Fish that ate the Whale. A fascinating tale about an industry you probably haven’t heard or thought much about: the banana trade. The subject of the story, Sam Zemurray, is a gripping example of what “founder mode” looks like as well as where this can go too far. His career and impact span several continents and many decades, with a legacy that survives until today. This was a Ryan Holiday recommendation; these have yielded some of my all-time favorites and he puts out a free reading list email you can sign up for here.
- Empire of Pain. If you’d like to get more informed about the opioid crisis in the US and the business empire behind it, this is your ticket. You’ll also get a full dose of business and family drama a la the TV show “Succession” as the story goes back almost a century and involves three generations of the Sackler family. You may have thought (as I did before reading this book) that the verdict that was handed down by the courts was a full reckoning for the misdeeds of the family behind Oxycontin, but this book may leave you with a different conclusion.
- Bloodlands: While this was a grim read, I’m thankful to Kistreads for spotlighting it and inspiring me to read it. Its story is told across the boundaries of nations, cultures and ideologies to paint a complete picture of the suffering of the people in eastern Europe caught between Hitler and Stalin. This was the territory in which the human toll of both regimes was the heaviest, both before, during, and after World War 2. These are experiences which are part of many nations but fundamentally they are human stories we can all learn from. Be prepared to be moved, this is heavy content.
- Fire Weather. As someone who has lived on the West Coast of North America for most of my life, I’m no stranger to wildfires. However I’ve still felt I didn’t understand them as well as I’d like. When looking into how to remedy this, I saw John Valliant (who wrote The Tiger, an amazing book) had written about them, so there was no doubt I’d be picking this up. It turns out climate change and human fire control practices have formed a vicious cycle, leading to more intense fires. This is all delivered via an engrossing story and unique characters.
- Kingmaker. Another Ryan Holiday recommendation, this biography covers an incredibly unique figure in 20th century history. Daughter in law to Winston Churchill, confirmed or rumored lover to a long list of men from all manner of fields, and advisor to many powerful figures, Pamela Harriman is probably best described as a modern courtesan. While her lifestyle is one I can’t really relate to, I still found myself rooting for her. She seemed to have principles and while she was quite fixated on power, she appeared to genuinely want to use it for good. Through her experience, you’ll be granted a very unique perspective on much of the twentieth century and the people who shaped it.
- Facing the Mountain. While I learned about the internment of Japanese civilians in the US during World War 2 in school, I had only a superficial understanding of it. This book goes much deeper, profiling many of the Nisei (second generation Japanese immigrants) soldiers who fought for the US during the war. Volunteering to fight for the country which locked up your family takes some serious commitment, this is the story of some true heroes.