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my favorite books of the year

2026.03.21

My favorite books of 2025

Philosophy, Essays, Poems

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Right Now - my favorite nonfiction book of 2025. A concrete and actionable rallying cry against surveillance capitalism right when I needed it most. A genuinely fun and entertaining read about what could otherwise be a very dark topic. Lanier has the rare combination of the background as a tech pioneer (so deeply understands the landscape) and the ability to articulate ideas for a nontechnical audience.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton - unexpectedly modern and relatable travel diaries from the 17th century with haiku interspersed. Loved the poem about missing a famous view of Lake Biwa due to the fog and mist the day he visited and hearing temple bells instead.

The Serviceberry - Short and sweet account of reciprocity and the gift economy. We'd be happier and better off, Kimmerer argues, if we viewed more things as gifts and not as commodities. Optimistic and concrete with many real-world examples of the benefits of giving freely to people we care about.

Mountaineering, Climbing, Hiking

A topic that has been a staple for me for the past few years, mostly due to my need for escapism.

Into Thin Air - Krakauer's chronicle of the 1996 Everest disaster, I have read this more than 10 times. With a writing style superbly matched to its content, the slow motion car crash depiction of the fateful climb is impossible to put down.

The Snow Leopard - Part Zen Buddhist philosophy, part grief-stricken memoir, mostly one man's journey into the Himalaya. Unlike most of the other books here, the narrator was not a world-class athlete, which was refreshing. As an audiobook read by the author, it was perfect, he has a fantastic voice and storytelling ability.

Alone on the Wall - Alex Honnold of "Free Solo" fame is a very fascinating person and I loved hearing things from his own perspective. Hilariously understated firsthand descriptions of some of the most impressive athletic feats of our time.

Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home - Heather "Anish" Anderson's memoir about her PCT FKT, with significant sections set in the desert. Her descriptions of the titular thirst during her attempt made me pay more attention to my hydration strategy. Loved her voice throughout.

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills - Technical and no-nonsense guide to learn the actual hard skills of mountaineering to survive and thrive out there. Encyclopedic coverage of any topic you could ever need, basically the bible of this field. Not a thrilling read but important.

Training for the New Alpinism - My favorite "how to" of 2025. Another technical training-focused manual for mountainees with lots of crossover applicability to other endurance sports like ultrarunning. Unlike the above volume it was actually fun to read. Lots of stories from mountaineering legends.

The Climber - My favorite manga of the year. Recently translated into English, this manga has a stunning art style focusing on craggy peaks and detailed manual-like illustrations of climbing gear, as well as a compellingly standoffish main character. Despite a slow start I got very invested towards the end.

K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain - Like Honnold, I am fascinated by Ed Viesteurs (the first American to climb all 8000m peaks without oxygen). Viesterus' insider perspective on seven infamous ascents of "the savage mountain" had me on the edge of my seat. Great to read alongside The Climber (whose protagonist is obsessed with climbing K2).

The Will to Climb - Basically the autobiography of Ed Viesteurs, can confidently say I am a big fan of his now. Rare combination of humility, mountaineering talent, and good writing. Personally enjoyed the detailed description of his training and preparation for my own reference but the non-athlete may find it tedious.

Westerns

Not a genre I expected to love but had a couple great stories anyway.

Lonesome Dove - My favorite novel of 2025. Crown jewel of the western genre. I literally wept at the end. Also, randomly, some of the best character naming, in any book, ever.

True Grit - Worth a read just for its idiosyncratic verbiage. I need more people to read this so I get less crazy looks when I say someone looks "like a hog on ice". As an audiobook read by Donna Tartt it is even better.

Books I hated

The Burnout Society - I could tell the fundamental message was important, and something I would have liked to explore further, but I found Byung-Chul Han's voice completely unreadable. Maybe it was just a bad translation, but the overly academic, pretentious, jargon-y, and repetitive style was repulsive. Which is disappointing for a book I think I otherwise would have loved.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence - With a strong start, I was really disappointed when this book went off the rails completely. Maybe that was the point. In any case, it wasn't for me.

White Nights - Good to pick up a Dostoyevsky volume I didn't analyze to death in university. I loved the prose but found the protagonist so insufferable I could only make it a few pages at a time before having to throw it at the wall. Despite personally hating this book while reading it, I deeply appreciate the masterful execution.

Packing for Mars - Ostensibly about the logistical process of preparing to go to space, this book reads more like a tabloid article. Too much "human interest" focus on astronauts fighting, having sex, defacating, etc. and not enough engingeering, science, or logistics compared to what this book was marketed to be about. Also, bad writing. Failed to live up to expectations. Waste of my time.

The Worst Journey in the World - Known as a classic in the adventure genre, I was very excited to read about Antarctica, but instead couldn't even make it through the first section covering the ship's voyage to South America. A terrible slog. The medium is the message? In any case I'm sure I'll return to it someday and read the good parts.