“A best friend is someone who gives me a book I’ve never read.” — A. Lincoln

Happy New Year to all—and welcome to my favorite post of the year.

This year, 63 contributors (35 female, 28 male) shared the reads that stayed with them, with fiction (F) narrowly edging out nonfiction (NF), 52% to 48%.

As always, the range of titles is broad, and it’s the contributors’ reflections on why a book resonated that make this list especially rewarding.

One suggestion: don’t limit yourself to names you recognize. Some of your best picks may come from contributors you don’t know.

I usually pick a dozen or so titles from this list to read over the year ahead, most of which are new to me.

Contributors are listed alphabetically by first name. Any errors are mine, and I’m grateful for corrections. And if you missed the deadline, I’m happy to add your 2025 favorites to those below.

Allan Latts:

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (NF). The Gist: A narrative history of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Reads almost like a financial thriller, detailing the hubris, panic, and key players—bankers, politicians, and fraudsters—whose actions led to the global economic collapse. 

Jews vs Rome by Barry Strauss (NF). The Gist: A gripping military and political history covering the two centuries of Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire. It focuses on three major conflicts: the Great Revolt (which destroyed the Second Temple), the Diaspora Revolt, and the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Strauss explains how these brutal wars not only devastated Judea but fundamentally reshaped both Judaism and the emerging Christian faith.

The Golden Road by William Dalrymple (NF). The Gist: A sweeping history that re-centers the ancient world around India rather than Rome or China. Dalrymple argues that for over a millennium, India was the globe’s intellectual and economic superpower—exporting Buddhism, mathematics (including the number zero), and art across the “Golden Road” to influence civilizations from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia.

As a Jew by Sarah Hurwitz (NF). The Gist: A powerful, modern manifesto on Jewish identity by a former White House speechwriter. Hurwitz (author of Here All Along) tackles the rise of contemporary antisemitism—from both the right and the left—and argues for a reclaiming of Jewish pride. She moves beyond the “victim narrative” to explore the deep wisdom, joy, and resilience found in Jewish tradition, offering a clear-eyed look at what it means to be Jewish today.

Barbara Friedman:

The Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung (F) is a wonderful book about a Chinese mother and her daughters who escape to Taiwan during the Communist revolution and how they make a life of their own.  An AMAZING story and worth a read. . . and without the men who should have shouldered the burden. While this book is listed as fiction, it is based on the author and her family’s life in China.

Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, and Eisenhower’s Campaign for Peace by Alex Von Tunzelmann (NF) is a wonderfully written history of the Suez and Hungarian crises in 1956 that threatened to result in WW III.  Major players in this account are Anthony Eden, Abdel Nasser, David Ben-Gurion, Guy Mollet, and Dwight Eisenhower.  This is a book well worth a read.

The Art Spy by Michelle Young (NF) is a fascinating — and very sad — story of Rose Valland who worked at the Jeu de Paume and had a first hand view of Paris in WW II. She saw the Germans loot the Paris museums for Hitler who was amassing the art for his future museum. She worked hard to bring back to the Jeu de Paume and other French museums the art work that had been plundered and to a large extent, she succeeded.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (F) is a novel but with a lot of truth to it as well.  A good read re Frank Lloyd Wright.

Ben Senturia:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (F). The novel follows the career (and life) of the smart, straight talking Elizabeth Zott as she confronts academic prejudice, sexual violence, parental prejudice. The journey from chemistry teacher to popular TV cooking show hostess, is filled with eccentric characters many unlikable although some are a delight. The family dog, “6:30” and Zott’s daughter Madeline are unforgettable characters. The often tongue in cheek descriptions are a lot of fun.

Nightshade by Mike Connelly (F). I have read (and watched) every Harry Bosch story followed by the Lincoln Lawyer series. I am a devotee. I was excited to follow his new character Detective Stillwell, but I was disappointed. Stillwell who had been exiled to Catalina Island for apparently alienating jealous colleagues, is solving crimes that stump others. The crime solving is ok but the character development is stale and familiar. I hope that I am wrong.

The Book of Doors by Garerh Brown (F). I am halfway through and completely captivated. The story follows NY book seller, Cassie, who is given a magical book that gives her access from any immediate door to any other door in the world. That leads her to incredible adventures and dangerous people who are trying to control that and many other books with equally powerful magic.

Bina Shah:

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (F).

The Guest List by Lucy Foley (F).

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (NF).

Brandt Tilis:

Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed (NF). A book about the power of diverse perspectives to create big ideas. Usually the theme of this kind of book is the takeaway, and the examples are fillers.  Instead, some of the examples in this book are eye opening, particularly the ones about higher education professors and how the lack of diversity of thought there is hurting those institutions.

How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner (NF). This book explores how to make big projects successful and how to avoid failure.  Whether you are doing a home renovation or have a massive capital expenditure at work, this book will be a helpful as a North Star.  tl;dr : give yourself time on the front end to plan so you’re not making changes midstream.

Brian Steinbach:

In addition to The Odyssey and James on the midyear list:

And There Was Light by John Meacham (NF). A life of Lincoln that focuses on the man rather than events, tracing his intellectual development, loves, bouts of depression, faith, and development of his beliefs on slavery and ultimate conviction that slavery must end (although from other writings I have seen he was not convinced that Blacks should stay in the US). Not a hagiography, but rather open to both virtues and vices, motivations moral and political. Fascinating stuff, even if you have read other books on Lincoln.

The Garretts of Columbia by David Nicholson (NF). D.C. native Nicholson has created a deep dive into his own family history, in the process telling the story of many a southern Black family before the Great Migration (and as it began) through the true story of his great-grandparents in South Carolina and the children. [Note: I attended high school with David, although he was three years ahead of me and so only vaguely knew him, and I have had a handful of exchanges with him over the years.] David’s great-grandfather was a professor at Allen University, a lawyer, and editor of several newspapers, and an activist in his church. His activism led to his dismissal from his teaching position and subsequent financial struggles. David’s great-grandmother was a teacher, a supervisor of rural “colored” schools, trainer of teachers, and overseer of the construction of schoolhouses. They believed in the possibility of America and pushed their children to achieve, although with varying results. I was constantly amazed at the depth of David’s research – the things that he uncovered through research and family letters! David is in the process of writing a sequels, focusing on the lives of his grandparents and their issue here in D.C.; an excerpt ws published in May 2025 in Washington History.

Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (F). I had read an except of the beginning of this book in the NY Times, but just now got around to the entire book. Whitehead uses the idea of the Underground Railroad as an actual railroad to tell several different experiences of slavery and its aftermath through the experience of a young Georgia plantation slave escaping first to South Carolina, the to North Carolina, then Tennessee, then Indiana, and finally heading further north only to apparently join a group headed to Missouri. Each place is different in its treatment of Blacks, but each time the evil of slavery, slave catchers, and discrimination/jealously of success raises its head, and she moved on. A book Trump would not want you to read, as it exposes a seamier side of our history.

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) (F). The seventh in Rowling’s Comoran Strike series, with two more to come. The main plot this time involves a religious cult that presents itself as a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world, but gradually is revealed to be something quite different and connected to a series of unexplained details. Robin risks much by infiltrating the cult. Not just a standard detective/mystery story, it also delves into the ways that cults can work and hide what they are really bout. (Jonestown, anyone?) An easier rad than The Ink Black Heart with Rowlings’ typical well-plotting and cast of interesting characters. And Strike

Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality by Pauline W. Chen (NF) which came from you not quite two years ago. What a great book! And yet I’m glad I read it now and not sooner. Her reflections are unfortunately more relevant now, and other things I’ve read in the interim created richer context for them. Thank you for sharing the book!

Catherine Lynch:

Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality by Pauline W. Chen (NF) which came from you not quite two years ago. What a great book! And yet I’m glad I read it now and not sooner. Her reflections are unfortunately more relevant now, and other things I’ve read in the interim created richer context for them. Thank you for sharing the book!

Chris Boutourline:

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (F) explored themes of faith, art, martyrdom, addiction, and family with humor and a twisting tale.

Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s Most Perilous Year by David Von Drehle (NF). Examines the political, personal and military happenings of 1862.

Appleseed by Matt Bell (F). An mind-bending work of eco-fiction. It took me a while to catch on to this tale told from three different times in history but it paid off.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange (F). With some characters surviving from his previous novel, Orange explores the fraught search for security by Native-Americans.

Chris Rothenberger:

By Her Own Design by Piper Hugule (NF). This book is the untold story of Ann Lowe, an extraordinary seamstress whose story is remarkable and previously unknown and ignored by history.   This was a book club read and applauded by all members who gave high marks.  For years, Ann designed clothes for society’s most influential women, including making the wedding dress for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.  The struggle of a black woman in the Jim Crowe south and in the north was a parallel and central theme in the book, very vivid and difficult to read at times.   Ann’s struggle over many obstacles, perseverance, mistakes, and great talent were thoroughly explored and brought her story to life.   The book was engaging from the beginning, and characters well developed and memorable. If you enjoy historical fiction, read this one.   Ann’s voice is captured and there are many lingering phrases that resonate for the reader.   Fascinating and profound story.

The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali (F).  Setting: Tehran, 1953, political upheaval, a great 1^st love and great sorrow.  Fast forward 60 years to a changed life in California with another man and then life in the Boston area and always wondering what happened to her first love.  By chance Roya gets to cross paths with him again and ask the questions that plagued her for a lifetime.  With colorful, memorable characters, Kamali creates a vivid and immersive world of both Tehran, and the 50’s-60’s.  The background with the backdrop of the culture of Tehran, traditions, savory foods that you can practically taste, lifestyle and customs painted a meaningful picture of life there.  That was a secondary gain in this historical fiction book that was disguised as a love story.    The book was engaging and enjoyable from the very beginning and well received by my book club.  

It Begins with Us by Colleen Hoover (F) & It Ends with Us  by Colleen Hoover (F).  Book 1 and 2.  A young businesswoman begins a relationship with a neurosurgeon, but when her 1^st love reappears she must confront her history, their history and make difficult choices about her future.   These books follow Lily’s journey through love, abuse, and self-discovery.   Book #2 picks up where #1 leaves off.  There are twists and surprises. The story was touching, emotional and powerful.   The sensitive themes about relationships, love and abuse, may be triggering for some readers.    Lily’s story is very real – real issues, real life and contains many layers making it powerful and easy to invest in.  

Christopher McCleary:

Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi (F) the best of the year from my meager reading list.

Chuck Tilis:

American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews by Andrew Porwancher (NF). Who knew our 26th President had a consequential impact on the Jewish-American dream. Despite being born into high Protestant society, TR actively sought Jewish talent from his days as a Rough Rider through his Presidency. He was ahead of his time with trust busting, environmentalism, worker protections (think of Lower East Side sweatshops), and even providing equal opportunity to Jews as the mass migration to America unfolded.

Jews Versus the Romans: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World’s Mightiest Empire by Barry Strauss (NF). Barry, an accomplished historian and academic, painstakingly researched the period of 63BCE to 136 CE. During these two centuries, we had the destruction of the Second Temple, Masada and the Bar Kohhba Revolt. This is a book for history “buffs” and covers in detail a time of peril (and where Jews were noted warriors-albeit massively outmatched) for the Jewish homeland which of course continued for nearly 2 millenniums.

Cynthia Margolies:

The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul by Connie Zweig (NF).  My favorite book this year. The author takes a positive approach to aging as an opportunity to embrace becoming “Elders.”  She notes, however, that there’s internal work involved in letting go of our previous identities and growing into a fuller realization of who we are.  She emphasizes the spiritual capacity to be present.  As a 78-year old two years into retirement, I found it a welcome and hopeful validation of the challenges and opportunities of this life stage.   

David Stephenson:

Raising Hare by Chole Dalton (NF). I turned 80 on May 6th, and my favorite gift of all was a book from a co-worker from long ago who knows me better than I do myself!  She gave me Raising Hare a slim volume I would have breezed by in the bookstore, but had a profound impact on me.

It’s a memoir of Chloe Dalton’ s COVID year, when she retreated to a location unknown (to protect other hares!) in the north of England from her hectic career as a London political consultant. Early on, while taking a walk, she noticed a little thingy moving on the dirt road. On closer examination, she saw it was a teensie hare (a “leveret” to those of us who now know more than we believed possible about hares). Dalton takes it home — gingerly, unlike those who might understandably — overwhelm it with attention, probably dooming it (the death rate is very high, especially due to vehicles and farm equipment).  For two years, she, and we, learn a tremendous amount about relationships, nature, and nurture, as the hare grows and becomes a mother.  It was wonderful, without being cloying, and I now make a big deal about lending my personal copy, only to those who I think might have the depth of character to take it to heart!

Dominique Lallemont:

Patrick Modiano: The Ballerina by Patrick Modiano (F). A little gem written by Patrick Modiano, Nobel Prize of Literature in 2014. The book is a ‘promenade’ both through the life of a mysterious young dancer and the streets of Paris. A young aspiring writer meets a young dancer in a bar-club through a man of a dubious past who rents him a very cheap ill-heated room. We learn about the dancer’s youth who took up dancing to escape what seems to have been a very unhappy youth in a Paris suburb, daughter of a mafioso father (nothing is ever said about her mother). She, herself, is the mother of a little boy whom she had from a mafioso young man who had to flee. The little boy is raised somewhere in Southwest France until age 7 when his mother brings him back to Paris – he arrives at the Austerlitz train station, with his name on a label (just like little Padding bear in London) – when her economic condition has improved and she has an apartment with a room for him, The writer and another young man seem to take care of the boy while the dancer pursues her daily training with a Russian teacher and performs with several companies. The book is a recollection of the aspiring writer’s learning days – a parallel between the discipline of classical dance and the needed discipline of a writer — a stroll in the past but brought back by memory by a casual encounter fifty years later with the mafioso who provided lodgings, in a way to redeem himself from his past actions. It is a powerful take, beautifully written, of the flow of life through the disciple of the dancer until she masters the technique that makes her float above the ground as light as a feather, understanding through silences, respect for the other who does not want to revel his or her past and even present. Discipline and long walks help clear up the mind and the sould until the final note of happiness between the dancer and her son a Christmas night!

The Granddaughter by Bernhard Schlink (F). From the author of the no.1 international bestseller The Reader. The Granddaughter is a gripping novel that transports us from the divided Germany of the 1960s to contemporary Australia, asking what might be found when it seems like all is lost. Kaspar, a West German, meets Birgit, an East German, in a youth festival. Love at first sight… he helps her leave East Germany.  In the bright spring days, anything seems possible for them – it is only many years later,after her death, that Kaspar discovers the price his wife paid to get to him in West Berlin. Shattered by grief, Kaspar sets off to uncover Birgit’s secrets in the East. His search leads him to a rural community of Neo-Nazis, where Birgit’s daughter whom she abandoned before leaving East Germany, grew up. Birgit’s granddaughter accepts Kaspar as her grandfather, and visits him during school holidays. Their worlds could not be more different – but he is determined to make her discovered another world than the Neo-Nazis, in which music, beauty, and different ways of thinking about the war, the holocaust, and recent Muslim immigrants prevail. He respects her freedom until she disappears from his life to leave in a Neo-Nazi community until one night when someone is killed, she knocks at his door. He thinks he has convinced her tor eport to the police, but instead she escapes to Australia to start a new life, and he dreams that one day he will go and see her. A griping story that not only addresses the issue of the difference in education between East and West Germany before the reunification, and the radical shifts to Neo-Nazism, but also complex personal issues such as adoption, lack of affection and tenderness, brain-washing and more, and how it can mess up individual development.

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee (NF). A brilliant book which documents with thorough research findings the roots of white supremacy and racism, and the cost that this has for the whole spectrum of Americans, including the lower income groups amongst the white population. The chapter explaining that the US never was a real democracy is extremely instructive. For me, as a foreigner, McGhee’s analysis corroborates my own observations and analysis and helped me fathom why I am not yet a citizen. This said, she offers paths for hope, and I support that. If we all make an effort to come together and continue working hard to build a democracy and if we are willing to share the wealth and be a multi-racial society, there is a chance for American to be a country to realize the dreams to which all aspire. In my humble view, this book should be used to teach young people the reality and the cost of the racial divide.

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (F). Attracted to this book found in a sidewalk “Small Library” because of my love for both Opera and the City of Venice, I actually enjoyed taking a break from serious readings to indulge in this easy read and fun thriller. A famous German conductor has been killed in his dressing room between Act II and III of an Opera performance. We follow the detective moving around the enchanting sites of Venice, interviewing a wide range of characters – possible culprits. I rarely read thrillers in English, and only one in French every year. This book is both fun to read and to analyze how the author crafted the story quite skillfully.

Donna Pollet:

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (F). A woman’s life revealed through carefully and precisely crafted letters written over many years to family, friends, authors of note, and miscellaneous contacts. This epistolary novel is part confessional, self-examination, and artistic expression. It is a paean to the written word and the reading life, a powerful means towards healing and redemption.

My Friends by Frederick Backman (F). A serendipitous meeting between a dying artist and a foster care teen on the run makes for a very funny and emotionally poignant plot about the transformative power of art and the bonds of friendship. There are two circuitous timelines which provide the backstory of the dying artist, his first rather mysterious painting, now a recognized masterpiece, and meeting the troubled teen runaway, Louise, a budding artist, who is obsessed with the meaning of the three small figures in the painting rather than the scene of the open sea. Twenty-five years ago a talented, but timid and bullied boy is fiercely protected, supported and encouraged to pursue his artistic talent by a small circle of friends, all of whom have troubled and damaged lives growing up in an impoverished community. In the present, the runaway, is plagued by her own troubled and damaged past and the recent death of her only friend, her source of security and hope. She is completely alone, homeless and penniless. These lives become linked when the dying artist, unexpectedly, bequeaths his masterpiece to the teen and tells his friend, Ted, “she is one of us”, an implied directive to stand by her. And so, the legacy begins anew with friendship and art as inextricable bonds rescuing and nurturing a young life.

The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden (F). This is not a book for everyone, but for those who venture, you will find it a provocative and remarkable read. It is a debut novel short listed for the Booker Award, 2024. The characters are all rather odd and curious. The passionate love scenes are erotic, intense, and graphically depicted. It is a tightly constructed novel, and from the very beginning, there is an underlying tension and a foreboding of things to come. The author does drop small hints, but it’s all like beginning a complex jigsaw puzzle. It is 1961 In the Netherlands. The main character is a house occupied by Isabel, the youngest of three siblings. The family moved there during the war. Her mother has died, her brothers have up and left and Isabel is the sole guardian of the family home. She lives an extremely regimented, repressed and solitary life obsessed with preserving every facet of the house. In walks, Eva, one of her brother’s serial romantic partners, who is foisted upon her for a short stay. She is a whirlwind, and Isabel’s ire is instantly triggered. Her carefully constructed world is completely upended. But, this is only the first of many dramatic reveals concerning Isabel, Eva, and the House. A World event from the past is only a small step away from rearing its ugly head colliding with the present and setting the stage for an unexpected future.

The Time of the Child by Niall Williams (F). Welcome to Faha, a charming Irish village in the 1960s. Like Williams’s previous novel, This is Happiness, this is a lyrically written, life affirming tale, and perfectly timed for a holiday season. Dr Troye is the village GP, the mainstay in providing medical care, and his daughter, Ronnie, competently provides the upkeep for both home and surgery. They are both living quiet lives of desperation until an abandoned baby is left in their care. Defying church prescriptions, they secretly care for and fall in love with this baby girl and in so doing their spirits are lifted and their lives immeasurably transformed. Well-being. good will and humanity triumph.

Doug Wolf:

Hard Times & David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (F).

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Lawson (NF) about the run up to the Civil War [and a rebuttal to Nikki Haley’s (remember her) equivocating on slavery as the cause of the war.

Citizen Soldiers by Steven Ambrose (NF) about WW II from D-Day through the Bulge to the fall of Germany. Would/could we commit to do that today.

A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan (NF) about the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in teen’s and twenties [and the rise of a shameless amoral demagogue/grifter/hypocrite who finds his way to wealth and power by tapping into grievance.]

Ed Scholl:

Valiant Ambition by Nathanial Philbrick (NF). This is the 2nd book of Philbrick’s trilogy about the Revolutionary War. It covers the middle years of the war and takes an in-depth look at Benedict Arnold — one of the most effective generals in the Continental Army until his betrayal of the cause. I haven’t read the other two books yet, but I plan to do so after enjoying this book so much. It was also a good companion piece to watching the new Ken Burns documentary on PBS about the Revolutionary War.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (HF). This book has been out awhile, but I never got around to reading it until now. It is a historical fiction novel about a Russian aristocrat sentenced to house arrest in Moscow’s Hotel Metropol after the Bolshevik Revolution. It was very entertaining.

Elizabeth Tilis:

Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (F). About a young woman in Lagos, Nigeria who must shake off a family curse.  

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (F). A family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence.

The Names by Florence Knapp (F). Three alternate and alternating versions of the life of a woman’s choice of name for her son. Explores domestic abuse, messy ties of family and possibilities for healing.

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen (F). Follows the separated loves of lovers over six decades of tumultuous Chinese history. 

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors (F). Three siblings return to their family home in New York after their sister’s death.

Ellen Goodman Lewis:

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (NF). Noted for fiction, Patchett weaves together a series of essays in which she ponders friendship, living well, the inevitability of death, and the role of memory.  She shows herself as a whole and honest person – from her Catholic upbringing, to her debt to her 3 fathers, to the reality that anyone who comes into her circle will be a subject for her writing.  There is a lot of lived wisdom in this book.

Ellen Hoff:

My Life in France by Julia Childs, et al (NF).

Ellen Miller:

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamal (HF): An engaging coming-of-age novel set in Tehran in the 1950s, a time of profound social and political change in Iran. As a work of historical fiction, it succeeds on every level, weaving a compelling narrative around strong female characters who must navigate friendship, ambition, and identity in a world filled with uncertainty. It offers offering an intimate portrait of women’s lives during a pivotal moment in history. Its an enjoyable and easy read that you will remember.

Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983 by Barbara Kingsolver (NF). As a fan of the author, I read this book because this is a very early book that she wrote, and I wanted to see how she started her storied career. The setting was also intriguing — Richard and I had just spent a day rambling around Arizona where this could have take place. It’s a two-part story that mostly explores how women’s lives were transformed by an eighteen-month strike against the Phelps Dodge Copper Corporation. The book  is part oral history and partly social commentary.  A perfect combination for me.

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me  by Patrick Brinkley( NF).
This wasn’t a book I discovered on my own; it was selected as next month’s read for my book club, and I doubt I would have read it on my own! (Thank you Book Club). As I read it, I quickly understood why it made the New York Times bestseller list. The author is a New Yorker writer who left that career behind and spent a decade working as a museum guard. Through his eyes, museum visits are transformed. We follow him as he protects delicate treasures from Egypt to Rome, wanders the galleries, and marvels at the extraordinary works in his care. After reading this book, you’ll never walk through a museum in quite the same way again.

Ellen Shapira:

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (F). The Correspondent is far and away one of the best books I have read in a long time!  This charming debut novel takes the form of a series of letters that the central character, Sybil, a 72 year old retired divorced lawyer, writes to all kinds of people including, though not limited to, family, friends, customer service representatives, former work acquaintances, two male suitors, and famous authors who actually write her back.  Through these beautifully written letters the plot unfolds and amazingly are all tied together in the end with a slight sad and poignant mystery revealed.  Often the endings of books tend to disappoint but the ending of this book is beautifully created to leave the reader totally satisfied.  Highly recommended! 

The Names by Florence Knapp (F).  The Names is a novel consisting of three different plot scenarios. The mother of a young daughter is about to give birth to her second child and is contemplating a name for her soon to be born son. The three names she is considering are one that her husband is insisting on, one chosen by her daughter, and one she would prefer. The three totally different outcomes are presented, following what would happen if each name were chosen.  While maybe not totally believable that a name can determine so much of one’s personality, the three divergent stories do make you think about the consequences of one major decision.  

Emily Nichols Grossi:

Katabasis by RF Kuang (F). A deliciously brutal and incredibly literary take down of competitive academia, Katabasis is set at Cambridge and in the circles of Hell. RF Kuang has such an incredible imagination and also a vast command of literature and linguistics. I didn’t find Katabasis quite as excellent as Babel (Kuang’s previous work), but I fully enjoyed it.

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore (F). I’m new to Lorrie Moore which is my loss, and a friend suggested I start with A Gate at the Stairs. The main character is a college student in the Midwest who takes a job as a nanny in her university town. It’s just after 9/11 and is a coming-of-age story that also explores themes of race, class, love, and war. It’s not a loud or showy work, but I did deeply enjoy it, and Moore is a great, incisive writer.

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall (F). Broken Country is both a murder mystery and a love story.   Set in rural England, the story begins when the  farmer’s daughter, Beth, falls in love with the wealthy young son of the nearby estate owner’s son. After a whirlwind romance the young lovers break up. She soon marries the neighbor boy who has always loved her, and they are happily married for a number of years running his family farm until her first love returns as a divorced father of a young son. Beth is confronted with leftover feelings as she helps her ex-lover care for his young son. In the midst of this love triangle, a murder has occurred and as the murder mystery is revealed secrets are revealed which make for a compelling ending.

Eric Stravitz:

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (F). The best book I’ve read in a decade! Epic story about Appalachia, the ravages of Oxycontin and other drugs, and ultimately, resilience in the face of incredible odds. Demon is a fantastic protagonist. Kingsolver’s mastery of the English language is quite a treat to behold.)

True Grit by Charlies Portis (F):

Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby (NF)

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (F)

Fruzsina Harsanyi:

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (NF).  Print and Audio. By far the most thought-provoking, compelling book on my list is this one by an Egyptian-Canadian author who now lives in Oregon.  I note his ethnic background and current domicile because it’s important to bear in mind as one reads this polemical memoir/lament/critique of Western values.  El Akkad’s reflections begin with the Israel-Gaza War and then moves on to other examples of what he sees as Western hypocrisy and the inadequacy of democratic political values when confronting evil.

I read and listened to this book a chapter at a time, taking a break between chapters. I gave it to each of my adult children for Christmas.

Co-Intelligence, Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick (NF).  Print. The most useful book I read this year, thanks to Richard Miller and MillersTime book list. Not a day goes by that we don’t read something about how AI affects our lives. This book, in a language I could understand, educated me on what it is, how it works, how it’s trained, and how it should be used. The future with AI does not have to be catastrophic, he writes, if we plan for it.

Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus by Elaine Pagels (NF). Print.  I’m interested in religion and theology and have always been curious about how this man, Jesus, 2025 years (more or less) after his birth, continues to inspire millions of followers.  Pagels, a professor of religion at Princeton, has written a scholarly, but readable book on the origins of Christianity.  The most interesting parts of her research were the connections she makes between Old Testament and New Testament stories.  She says, “What fascinates me is not only the historical mysteries my book seeks to unravel, but the spiritual power that shines through these stories.”   

Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins’s Efforts to Aid Refugees of Nazi Germany by Rebecca Brenner Graham (NF). Kindle. This book was written with the support of a grant from the National Archives Foundation’s Cokie Roberts Fellowship.  It’s a story that deserves to be told about the first woman Cabinet member, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins. In 1911, she witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City. That experience and, by her own account, her religious foundation as a practicing Episcopalian, motivated her to promote progressive labor policies. The book’s main focus is on her aid — often as the sole voice in Roosevelt’s Cabinet — to aid refugees from Nazi Germany. I regret that the book didn’t benefit from better editing.  Regardless, I recommend it as a story worth telling.   

Garland Standrod:

The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon (NF). Investigates the 1975 sinking of the “Edmund Fitzgerald” on Lake Superior during a devastating storm, exploring America’s maritime history and the lives of 29 lost crew members. Made famous by the song by Gordon Lightfoot, which is covered In the book.

Mortality by Christopher Hitchens (NF). A brilliant memoir of Christopher Hitchens’ battle with cancer, exploring the human predicament and the enigma of death. A necessary end of life book.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by John Krakauer (NF). A journalist-mountaineer’s harrowing tale of high-altitude climbing, bad luck, and heroism on Mt. Everest, where a storm claimed five lives and left him in guilt-ridden disarray.

A Death in the Family by James Agee (F). A six-year-old boy experiences and processes his father’s death alongside his family members. This Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiographical fiction captures the emotional journey through a child’s perspective.

Nothing to be Frightened Of:  A Personal Memoir by Julian Barnes (NF). A memoir on mortality, one that touches on faith and science and family as well as a rich array of exemplary figures who over the centuries have confronted the same questions he now poses about the most basic fact of life: its inevitable extinction. If the fear of death is “the most rational thing in the world,” how does one contend with it?

George Ingram:

On the serious side:

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (NF).

The Balance of Power by Jim Wright (NF).

On the lighter side:

Elly Griffiths the Magic Men Series by TG Reid (F).

Gina Price:

While everyone is talking about James from Perceval Everett (and rightly so, it was excellent), I ended up reading The Trees (F) by Everett first. While it is darkly humorous, it is a powerful story that every American should read. It is a book that is so carefully written, where even word placement on the page is meaningful. I found it to be very moving and an important book to read in today’s political climate.

Haven Kennedy:

The Conductors by Nicole Glover (HF). I enjoy books that come with a “what if” and a nod to history. The Conductors is a book about former slaves and the underground railroad. The book delves into black history and how newly freed slaves created their own communities. It’s a mixture of folklore, history, and social commentary wrapped in a mystery. Highly enjoyable, and I especially enjoyed the audio book.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Bennett Jackson (F). Absolutely brilliant. Jackson is a powerhouse writer and merges fantasy and mystery together brilliantly. Jackson also creates a diverse cast of characters, especially LGBTQIA+. This is one of his better books, written in response to people’s appetite for bloody and violent fiction focused on royalty. The book delves into murder and how it plays into the corruption of power. It’s fascinating.

Author Brandon Sanderson: Another author known for his diverse characters. Best known for his series his standalone books are excellent. His young adult series featuring Alcatraz Smedry is a masterpiece. The book deals with how misinformation is spread and the importance of questioning the status quo. The book is dark at times but extremely important for current times. It encourages critical thinking and it’s fun. His books Yumi and The Night Painters and Trees of the Emerald Seas are beautiful and captivating retelling of fairy tales.

I know fantasy isn’t for everyone, but I recommend everyone try it out. What I’m reading most at the moment is cozy fantasy. Fairy tales for adults. It seems that modern fantasy is better at character diversity – and making it natural. Being gay is a facet of someone’s personality, not it’s entirety. It’s fun. And it often contains brilliant social commentary.

Hugh Riddleberger:

1929 by Andrew Sorkin (NF). One might think it was all about a day when the market tanked. But, the fact was the “crash” was not a one day event but covers from the early 20’s through the early years of FDR’s presidency and focuses on some of the key players that led to 1929 and after. Researched over eight years by NY Times writer Andrew Sorkin, this is a very readable account and helped to reassure me the market will not tank as it did in 2008 or with all the AI excitement. But, it might be something else!!!

The Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kerns Goodwin (NF).  Who knew that her husband was so accomplished. As with anything she writes, this is a love story but much more. 

All the Colors in the Dark by Chris Whitaker (F). The fictional tale of a one-eyed “pirate” and his determination for finding who was responsible for the disappearance of young women after his rescuing a girl from captivity, and his own captivity. 

I also loved the book The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery by Gabrielle Zevin (F) and any novels by Kate Quinn and James McBride.

Jane Bradley:

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (NF).  I’m always drawn to an audiobook that’s read by its author; hearing the story told in an authentic voice is especially powerful when it’s a memoir.  I’m also always interested in the lives of writers whose books have been among my favorites, like The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy.  I was captivated by this intimate story of Roy’s childhood in India, her relationship with her mother, and the experiences that shaped her writing — it made me want to re-read her novels, and to list them here as favorites as well.

Jeff Friedman:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (F). A historian of medieval Europe uncovers credible evidence that Dracula still walks the earth and travels the continent in search of archival material to help resolve the mystery. The vibe is very “Indiana Jones visiting libraries and churches” in a manner that I found delightful, nerdy, and riveting.

The Devil Reached Towards the Sky by Garrett Graff( NF). A fantastic oral history of the atomic bomb, including testimonials from scientists who developed it, airmen who dropped it, and civilians who survived it. Graff does a terrific job of making readers feel like they’re “in the room” with interviewees; their stories are amazing, even if you know the basic history.

Jesse Maniff:

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (F).

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (F).

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (F).

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (NF).

Judy White:

Horse by Geraldine Brooks (F) – I am seldom a fiction reader, but this is a hybrid, based on a real horse, Lexington, and its human contemporaries… as well as wholly fictitious contemporary characters in Washington DC. Though the chapters alternate in time and place, the book is never confusing.  An appendix gives the facts for the fictionalized characters based on the author’s thorough research.  A great, absorbing story.

By the Second  Spring:  Seven Lives and One Year of the War in Ukraine by Danielle Leavitt (NF). This is not an easy book to read (on several levels), but I think it’s an important one.  Early in the war, Leavitt befriends 7 Ukrainians, and stays in touch with them by phone and email through the year as the war worsens.  The book is organized by time/year, not by individual stories, so it is challenging to remember what you read about one person after you’ve read the stories of six others. I recommend copious book markers and notes, unless your memory is better than mine.  Still, nothing else I’ve read about the war has given me as clear a picture of what it’s really been like.

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Tim Egan (NF).  The amazing life of Edward Curtis, photographer of American Indians in the early 20th century.  Both Curtis’s life and Tim Egan’s telling of it grabbed my attention and kept it. It’s long and detailed, but I hung on every word, remembering visiting Indian settlements in the Southwest many years ago.  Chautauqua Prize Winner for 2025.

Kate Latts:

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung (HF). The Gist: Set during the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1948, this novel follows a mother and her three daughters who are left behind by the family’s husband/father and his extended family. The mom and her girls embark on a harrowing thousand-mile journey to Taiwan to escape the incoming regime. The experiences they have during their years alone, and the relationship between the mother and her daughters and her faith in her husband, kept me enthralled throughout. 

Heart of a Stranger by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl (NF). The Gist: A memoir by the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi. Born to a Buddhist mother and a Jewish father, Buchdahl navigates the complexities of her mixed heritage to find her place as a spiritual leader, first as a song leader at her summer camp, at Hillel during her time at Yale, her ordainment first as a cantor and then as a rabbi, eventually becoming the Senior Rabbi of New York’s Central Synagogue. I have come to know Rabbi Buchdahl over the last few years and I am low key obsessed with her. I listened to this on audible and LOVED every minute of her story. 

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (F). The Gist: In 1950s Washington D.C., a diverse group of women living in a boarding house form an unlikely friendship during the height of the McCarthy era. Their weekly dinner parties become a sanctuary, but secrets (and a murder) threaten to tear their circle apart. The book starts with a murder in the house and then each chapter tells the story of one of the women. It is a lovely book about strong women navigating the McCarthy era world in DC and a fun, clever mystery too. 

Kathleen Kroos:

The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee & David John (NF). A North Korean Defector’s Story.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (F). Inspired by an astonishing true story from WWII.

Kathyrn Camicia:

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (F); his best work in years.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith (F); good story but better writing.

Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd (F); probably his best book since Any Human Heart.

Keats—A Brief Life in Nine Poems and One Epitaph by Lucaster Miller (NF); if you love Keats and the Romantics, this is a beautifully written and thoughtful book.

What It Means to Write About Art by James Earnest (NF); a book of interviews with art critics about how they came to their profession and how they made their unique voices.

Kevin Curtin:

Crumb by Dan Nadel (F).

John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie (NF).

Faithful Place by Tana French (F).

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (F).

Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto (F).

Larry Makinson:

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (NF). Inside the Facebook juggernaut, as seen by someone drawn in to make the world a better place and getting quickly disillusioned with the reality of Facebook’s leaders, who share none of those ideas and actually make things worse. Much worse. Well-written and frankly shocking.

Original Sin by Jake Tapper (NF). Speaking of shocking, this is the detailed and often shocking story of President Joe Biden‘s physical decline in office, and how it was kept under wraps by his closest advisors.

Ashenden by Somerset Maugham (F). Absolutely delightful stories from Somerset Maugham, based on his World War I experiences as a British spy. This was listed by the Economist as one of the best spy books ever, and I agree.

Linda Rothenberg:

Life on the Mississippi: by Rinker Buck (NF). It’s an adventurous sail down the Mississippi. It’s a true story that includes history and geography in a very chatty way. 

How to Read a Book: by Monica Wood (NF). This book is about redemption, forgiveness, and starting over. While not obvious at first, it is also about complex family dynamics. Harriet is a retired English teacher who leads a book club in a women’s prison near Portland, Maine. Imagine the most buttoned-up woman among felons, and you have this very unique group of women.

When the book opens, Violet is an inmate at the prison (and in the book club) and about to be released. After she is released, she moves into an apartment close to Harriet’s house. Not only that, but it also turns out that Harriet’s new friend Frank (who is the handyman at the bookstore she frequents) was married to the woman Violet killed in a drunk driving car accident. 

West with Giraffes:by Lynda Rutledge (HF) is a historical fiction novel inspired by the true story of two giraffes transported to the San Diego Zoo in 1938, following a perilous journey from Africa that included surviving a hurricane. The story is narrated by a 105-year-old man, Woodrow Wilson Nickel, who recounts his experience as a young Dust Bowl survivor driving the giraffes across America, encountering memorable characters and challenges along the way. It’s a coming-of-age story about resilience, unlikely friendships, and finding wonder during the Great Depression. 

Louise McIllhenny:

The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander (NF) was about loss following the sudden death of her warm and very appealing artist husband. But it was so much more too… it touched on families and on African culture which is always a favorite topic for me. I loved it.

Lessons from My Teachers by playwright Sarah Ruhl (NF) a collection of essays describing what the author learned from a wide range of teachers from her very rich life’s journey. Her stories are varied and very well written. Anyone would enjoy this book.

Mary L:

The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story by Mark Helprin (F). Riveting, moving, a page turner that you hope will not end (b/c he starts near the end), but which is very lovely when it does.

Meggie Herrlinger:

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (F) – My sister in law recommended this book, and it was such a great story of family, love and connection. The series (this is the first book of an eight part series, so be warned that you might be in for a long read!) follows seven adopted sisters as they search for their history after the passing of their adoptive father.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (F) – A thriller / mystery with some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (HF) – A historical fiction book set in the 1980s about the NASA space shuttle program. I really enjoyed the characters as well as the details about space.

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (F) – I read this in just 3 days, and it was a heartbreaking story about a family separated and the paths life took them after that event.

Also gave five stars to The Women by Kristen Hannah (F) & Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo (F)

Melanie Landau:

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (F)

Micah Sifry:

Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura Field (NF) – I devoured this book over the course of one weekend. Having taken it out from my local library, I’m now going to buy a copy so I can turn back to it again more easily. An intellectual tour-de-force that explains much about why today’s New Right is so fiercely trying to undo the modern, tolerant, liberal order.

Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall by Zeke Faux (NF) – I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an entertaining guide to the whole Ponzi scheme scene. Somewhere in the middle of Number Go Up, Faux quotes Alberto Brandolini’s Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, which I had not heard of until now, and I thought, “This right here explains it all.” Brandolini’s Law states, “The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than that needed to produce it.” Learning this alone made me glad I forked over $17 to buy Faux’s book.

Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning by Peter Beinart (NF) – I’m not always in agreement with Beinart, but this book is a must-read.

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sara Wynn-Williams (NF). Astonishing expose of the inner workings of Facebook and a powerful indictment of all the people at the top of that evil company. Amazing to me how Zuckerberg’s lawyers have managed to squelch most discussion of this book.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey (F); Reimagining Nonprofits by Vu Le (NF); The Hard Work of Hope: A Memoir by Michael Ansara (NF); Hate Monger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Naitonist Agenda by Jean Guerroro (NF).

Nick Fels:

The Power Broker by Robert Caro (NF). A reissued biography of Robert Moses.

Mike White:

The Boys in Light by Nina Willner (NF).  A heart-warming but at the same time horrible story of two teen-aged boys almost not surviving Hitler’s extermination camps, and also the story of American soldiers fighting to subdue Hitler’s Germany. The author is the daughter of one of the Jewish teenagers.

Science Under Siege by Michael Mann and  Peter Hotez (NF). A carefully documented book about the efforts to use disinformation to destroy science-backed research to solve pressing contemporary problems in the U.S.  Very readable and provides ideas about ways to change the course of the administration’s anti-science positions.

Nick Nyhart:

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (F) was my favorite read this year. Strong writing with an inventive twist in the storytelling. Atkinson tells us all about the life of Ursula Todd, a British woman born to an upscale family in 1910. She dies in the crib, fights Nazis, sees Hitler face-to-face, dies many more times, survives the bombing of London and lives a long life. It’s complicated, fantastical in its own way, and hard to put down.

Good Liar by Denise Mina (F) is one of the Scottish crime writer’s best. I’ve read many of her novels and enjoyed this one the most. The leads in a family murder all point one way. Her protagonist, a blood spatter expert, comes to realize that things are not as they seem and must make hard decisions about what to risk as she pursues justice. A cliffhanger to the end. 

Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (F) chronicles the coexistence of two linked communities -one black, one Jewish, in 1970’s Pottstown, PA. There’s a murder mystery embedded here, but it is much more about how the two cultures interact and their generational stories, driven by McBride’s strong character writing.

Bad Company by Megan Greenwell (NF) tells the damaging impact of private equity in America through the personal stories of four workers in different economic sectors (journalism, housing, retail, and healthcare). I’ve always thought of private equity as the most distilled form of unbalanced capitalism. The book explains why using personal stories with data in a strong supporting role. 

Nicole Cate:

Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar (F). The protagonist, a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants is obsessed with martyrs. Lots of artistic and cultural references and a compelling story. I could read this repeatedly, learning and noticing something new each time.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (F). One of my favorite books ever. One of my favorite books ever. I love a well-written book following a sympathetic character’s life from troubled childhood through adulthood, and this one checks all the boxes. The story is filled with love, flashes of humor, with a background of horror. Loved it.

Penn Staples:

I have two books to recommend – An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong (NF) and Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (NF).

They are very different books, but they offer the same sense of quiet and much needed relief from the relentless stream of troubling news that fills our days. Each, in its own way, returned me to a world that operates on very different terms, sensory, patient, and largely indifferent to the noise of the ‘human-sphere’.

An Immense World expanded my sense of reality by showing how animals perceive and navigate life in ways I knew little about. And Ed Yong is a rare breed – a gifted storyteller and a first-rate science journalist, and I found the book completely absorbing.

Raising Hare narrowed that focus, and asks that we slow down and pay attention to one small, wild life. I loved that book as well and will likely read it again. Chloe Dalton is another in the ‘rare breed’ category – bridging two very different ways of seeing the world given her work in the UK Foreign Office and finding herself in ‘lock down’ on her farm during COVID. As the sleeve notes attest, she is an exquisite story teller.

So, with these two books, who needs to take a vacation when one can simply dive into these two wonderful books?

Rebecca Lamaitre:

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo (F)- luminous ghost/love story by this Malaysian author. 

State By State: 50 Writers on 50 States by (numerous) (NF)- Everyone needs to read these gems, as our states become increasingly divided. A reminder of the humanity making up every inch of this country

If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura (F) –  A $5 cafe book at Barnes & Noble that turned out to be the most heartwarming small tale, readable in a matter of hours

The Library Book by Susan Orleans (NF). Somehow turns the burning of the L.A. Library in the 80s into a riveting tale of whodunit, a love story to libraries in general, and some of the quirkiest historical figures I’ve ever read about

Rebekah Jacobs:

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (HF).

Hostage by Eli Sharabi (F).

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (F).

Richard Margolies:

jewsandwords by Amos Oz and Fania Ox-Salzberger, (NF). The title, meaningfully, is all in lower caps and the three words are merged together. This small 204 page book is by a father and daughter, both professors at Israeli universities. They cover the millennia of what are called the Jewish people, one of the many topics they explore in depths of shocking turns of mind, which often leave the reader surprised. Don’t know the literary history, as I don’t, of the 12 tribes? The book still informs what is essential about ‘those people’. The authors should not be assumed to believe in god, nor the current ultra-rightist, theocratic, war-criminal regime, nor Jewish religious practices. For example, they describe the bearded, black dressing orthodox as living in the 16th century. Jonathan Safran Foer, a Georgetown Day School graduate and author, says, “Ingenious and thrilling, jewsandwords manages to cram more than five thousand years of prayers, songs, stories, arguments, praises, curses, and jokes into the suitcase of a thin, page-turning work of…what? History? Anthropology? Literary criticism? Theology? All of these and more. It’s a wonderful book.” A taste from the last line of the Epilogue: “But all things Jewish are free-for-all, to anyone crazy enough to claim them.”

We Hold These “Truths”: How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back by Casey Burgat (NF). The author is a former Congressional staffer and now graduate school professor of political science. The book presents 14 seasoned authors’ essays about aspects of our confused America of today. The editor has also written an essay. The authors address various challenges, such as the wisdom of the founders not listened to, the presidency as overpowered and yet limited, issues vs parties, what lobbyists actually contribute and yet can not do, the benefits and losses of term limits, how parties work together and don’t work together, and other dives into the often unknown realities of what we may think we know.

Richard Miller:

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora (NF). The story of a nine-year old’s immigration to the United States from El Salvador as he seeks to reunite with his parents, who immigrated to California years earlier. Poet Javier Zamora’s personal account of his remarkable journey is captivating.

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley (NF). Clearly my favorite of the year! Never expected I’d be so taken by Bringley’s story of his years as a guard at the MET when he left his job at The New Yorker. A pleasure and treasure to read.

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (F). A reread after many years of this 1972 Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Maybe even better the second time.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (F). Looking for something to keep you going on the treadmill or looking for an escapist read that you will not be able to put down? This psychological thriller can do either or both.

PS: MillersTime reader, contributor, former park ranger, author, and friend, Steve Kemp (see below) has recently published An EXHALTATION OF PARKS: John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Crusade to Save America’s Wonderlands (NF). If you’re interested in learning why and how our national park system has grown and been preserved, check out his book. It’s the story of how conservation philanthropy and park building has given us these wonderful national treasures. Then head to Maine’s Acadia National Park, as Ellen and I did recently, or Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, or Yosemite, etc. to see for yourself how private philanthropy can and has genuinely made America beautiful.

Romana Compas:

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (F) – I have read other Picoult books, but this book digs deeper and tackles racism in a way that breaks it down into a story that is digestible and works with you and doesn’t gut punch you.  

Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard (F) – Loved this book although I was so frustrated with the main character.  This story is a love story but also about the attachment to home and place.  It’s a women’s version of a Wendell Berry story with characters full of virtues and flaws and always evolving. 

Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life by Nicholas Kristof (NF) — Excellent and a must read!

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford (F) –  I loved this book!  It’s hard to describe, but it’s another one of those time twisting-traveling plots; and if you don’t like shifting timelines, you won’t like this book.  But it reveals sooo much about how Chinese people were treated in America around the turn of the century and in such an amazing plot scheme.

Ruth Quinet:

Isola by Allegra Goodman (HF) about an actual 16th century French aristocrat, a woman whose parents die when she is young, leaving her fortune in the hands of a duplicitous guardian. She is eventually found on a ship bound for the New World with the guardian, but he leaves her to die on a remote island in what would become Nova Scotia. Many adventures ensue.

The Mare by Mary Gaitskill (F). Gaitskill is something of an acquired taste, but this book presents several different narrators who describe the exposure, through a charity grant, of a Dominican girl from the ghetto to the world of horses. She is a natural with horses and learns to ride and communicate with them and as well as with her more affluent, genteel “adoptive” parents.

The Cold War Swap & Briarpatch – Ross Thomas (F). Any of Thomas’s books are entertaining thrillers. His dialogue is impeccable and many of his books are set in Washington, DC.

Sam Black:

City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim (F).  A first-person account to mid-life of a woman who became the most admired principal ballerina at the apex of the ballet world – Leningrad, Moscow, Paris.  You have to keep reminding yourself that it’s fiction.  Accomplished storytelling and characterization.  If these points intrigue you, then you really want to read this book.  Made a bit complex by flashbacks, memories within flashbacks, pasts within pasts.  Moments and thoughts of rare clarity and intensity.  Richly informed by the author’s deep knowledge of the art.  Recommended by Jane Spalding

The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth (F). A cold war thriller by a master, who died this year.  Considered by some to be Forsyth’s best novel, a high bar.  I also read, this year, Forsyth’s The Odessa File and re-read The Day of the Jackal (I think the latter is equal to or better than The Fourth Protocol, especially on the points of pacing and suspense).  All three have credibility, pace, detail and foreboding that force you to keep turning the pages and leave you breathless; you could lose several nights’ sleep.  (His Dogs of War is yet another compelling read.) 

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (F).  New Yorker-level snarky writing about Seattle parenting.  Way funny.  Narrated by an intelligent 15-year old daughter whose mother, an accomplished architect but a whacked-out adult, disappears.  Recommended by Michael

Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright (F).  Wright can write in many genres; I’m in awe of his versatility.  This is a marvelous short comic send up of Texas politics.  Hilarious, convincing, wise, and prescient.

Embers of the Hands by Eleanor Barraclough (NF) is a marvelous social history, and history of seafaring, in the Scandinavian world, 700 – 1400 CE.  The principal source is recent archeology from Labrador and Greenland, the entire North Atlantic and the British Isles, all of Scandinavia, and Kyiv Rus.  Second in number of sources is inscriptions and Old Norse literature.  A compelling strength is insight into the lives of common folk, of women, of children and of enslaved workers.  Highly readable.  The audiobook is done by the author and is a gem.  The title is a kenning for gold and, maybe, gold jewelry.

Steve Kemp:

Life and Art by Richard Russo (NF). The far-ranging collection of essays includes Russo’s fail safe test on what trait makes a successful writer to how a kitchen appliance threatened his marriage. As always, Russo’s prose is beautiful and poetic and his attitudes give us hope for the future.

Steve Radcliffe:

My Friends by Freddik Backman (F).

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (F).

1929 by Ross Sorkin (NF).

Tiffany Lopez Lee:

A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan (NF). I finally got around to reading it this summer, after seeing it on your list so many times. I am still shocked by how big this movement was- and by how much of it still echoes today. Parts of the book were tough to read, but it also left me with a deep sense of gratitude for the brave people whose integrity helped change the course of history. It is a reminder that unless we also stand up for what is right, our freedom is fleeting. 

The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy D. Snyder (NF). This book was a gift for my mental mapping of the geopolitical landscape of the West, Eastern Europe, and Russia. It laid out a clear playbook for Putin’s influence on Western democracies, and traces it back to philosophers whose ideas echo through so much of what he does. Given the rise of authoritarianism that we are experiencing today, this book almost seems as if it should come with a label: “Spoiler Alert!”

Tom Perrault:

Cher: The Memoir: Part One by Cher (NF). Don’t laugh! I finally decided to explore audiobooks, and this one had me mesmerized. Her life story is incredible and I cannot wait for Part Two (it keeps getting pushed out). She narrates parts of it herself, and it’s riveting….

My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand (NF).  You seeing a theme here? Barbra Streisand narrates this giant tome, and I loved every minute of it. It’s like your listening to a friend tell you stories an about her life. She also had a fascinating life and is not afraid to come off as unlikable, as she does early in her career. But a fun listen for sure and was sad when it finished.

We Do Not Part by Han Kang (F). Han Kang was the 2024 Nobel laureate so I tried this book to understand her work. It was challenging for sure but also beautiful and lyrical. I was also glad to be reading it in a book club setting to give us all a chance to discuss it which was helpful

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (F). Shortlisted for the 2024 Book Prize about a burnt-out woman who retreats to a cloistered religious community in rural Australia to escape her past. Very meditative, journal style book which, again, was helpful to have read in a book club setting as I really needed to discuss it afterwards to fully absorb it.

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And you can always check out the 2025 Mid-Year Favorite Reads’ List for even more books to consider.