Somehow I’m always behind. Obviously I deployed, but I wonder if the “production value” of these posts gets in the way of actually doing it. What could I do to reduce inertia? 🤔

Anyways, 2025 totaled 55 books. It’s not exactly a clean number, because I abandoned a few books, but I gave them a fair shake.

True to form, I love the exposure to different ideas. I rip through non-fiction on 2.65X speed so that I can draw connections across multiple domains. Recommend me some new titles or genres!

I’ve divided up all the books I read this year by the rating scale I use for my Book Notes page. Let me know if you want any of the notes I took for a particular book, and I’ll post it and share a hyperlink. Alas, my book notes have also fallen behind, unable to keep pace with my to-do list…

5 Stars: Loved It (17 books)

Non-Fiction

• Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command by Sean Naylor
  • This was such a cool peek behind the curtain on how JSOC was formed and why it was (and is) necessary
• How to Be Married (to Melissa) by Dustin Nickerson
  • My favorite comedian’s biography and a practical guide to marriage
• No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer
  • I read this for a grad school project and was left fascinated by the high peer accountability Netflix implemented
• Freedom by Angela Merkel
  • Merkel is a fascinating politician and scientist who experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall and helped unite Germany on the global stage
• Traction by Gino Wickman
  • As mentioned in my Books of 2024 post, this is the correct book I was looking for
• Doom Guy by John Romero
  • This was a fun look into the history of technology, video games, and computers.
• Highest Duty by Chesley B. Sullenberger III with Jeffrey Zaslow
  • Autobiography of Sully, the pilot who landed in the Hudson
• Built to Sell by John Warrillow
  • I really enjoy this parable-style book where there’s a story with all the business turnaround principles embedded in the story. I read it for a grad school class while I was trying to turn around Harper Aviation.
• Discipline Is Destiny (Stoic Virtue Series) by Ryan Holiday
  • My second book by Ryan, I wanted to dabble in some philosophy, and the tenet of discipline seemed approachable given my interests
• Challenger by Adam Higginbotham
  • Ironically, this made me want to go back to engineering and continue pursuing my dream of being an astronaut
• Every Tool’s a Hammer by Adam Savage
  • My second re-read of Adam’s fantastic book on the art of making
• Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman
  • This was a fun way to experience Nick Offerman, learning about National Parks, sheep farming in Scotland, and acting and prop building. It also piqued my interest in Teddy Roosevelt and his conservation efforts.

Fiction

• Change Agent by Daniel Suarez
  • This thriller is wrapped around an idea that felt very feasible after the COVID pandemic. It left me asking myself how I would react in several situations.
• The Mist by Stephen King
  • The first (and probably last) book I’ve read by King (besides his non-fiction pseudo-biography, On Writing). I really enjoyed this novella!
• Hatchet (Brian’s Saga, #1) by Gary Paulsen
  • I never read this as a kid, and I borrowed it from my in-laws over the summer. Surprisingly fun.
• Poison Ivy (2022-) Vol. 1: The Virtuous Cycle by G. Willow Wilson
  • A really fun take on one of my favorite villains
  • Artists: Warren Louw, Jessica Fong, Joshua Middleton, Marcio Takara, and Arif Prianto
• The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, #4) by Robert Jordan
  • People will knock the Amazon show, but the Prime Video series is what got me started on the books, and they’re really well done!

4 Stars: Liked It (17 books)

Non-Fiction

• Character Limit by Kate Conger with Ryan Mac
• Main Street Millionaire by Codie Sanchez
• On Great Fields by Ronald C. White Jr.
  • I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed learning about the Civil War
• Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
• Presidents of War by Michael R. Beschloss
• Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy
• The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel
• Big Dumb Eyes by Nage Bargatze
• A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

Fiction

• Zatanna by Paul Dini with Derek Fridolfs and Adam Beechen
  • Artists: Cliff Chiang, Chad Hardin, Stéphane Roux, Jesus Saiz, Rick Mays, and Jamal Igle
• Shadowland by Andy Diggle with Antony Johnston
  • Artists: Roberto De La Torre and Billy Tan
• Nightwing, Vol. 1: Leaping Into the Light by Tom Taylor
  • Artists: Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas, Neil Edwards, Rick Leonardi, Andy Lanning, and Scott Hanna
• The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3) by Robert Jordan
• The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time, #5) by Robert Jordan
• Morning Star (Red Rising Saga, #3) by Pierce Brown
• Golden Son (Red Rising Saga, #2) by Pierce Brown
• Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1) by Pierce Brown

3 Stars: It Was Okay (11 books)

Non-Fiction

• The Strategy of Denial by Elbridge A. Colby
• Whispers In The Tall Grass by Nick Brokhausen
• Black Flags, Blue Waters by Eric Jay Dolin
• Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
• Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan
• The Upstarts by Brad Stone
• The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson
• Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Fiction

• Tony Stark: Iron Man, Vol. 1: Self-Made Man by Dan Slott
  • Artists: Alexander Lozano, Valerio Schiti, and Gang Hyuk Lim
• Fantastic Four, Vol. 1: Whatever Happened to the Fantastic Four? by Ryan North
  • Artists: Iban Coello, Ivan Fiorelli, Jesus Aburtov, Joe Caramagna, and Alex Ross
• Vengeance of the Moon Knight, Vol. 2: It’s Alive by Jed MacKay
  • Artists: Alessandro Cappuccio, Devmalya Pramanik, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit

2 Stars: Disliked It (3 books)

Non-Fiction

• The Mercy of Gods (The Captive’s War, #1) by James S.A. Corey

Fiction

• On the Psychology of Military Incompetence by Norman F. Dixon
• Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

1 Star: Hated It / Quit (7 books)

Non-Fiction

• Here Come the Black Helicopters! by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
• The War on Warriors by Pete Hegseth
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
  • I wasn’t loving it, and my audiobook through the library expired. I just let it lapse…

Fiction

• Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Bracken Collection by Matthew Bracken
• Spider-Man/Deadpool, Vol. 2: Side Pieces (Spider-Man/Deadpool [Collected Editions]) by Scott Aukerman with Gerry Duggan, Penn Jillette, Paul Scheer, and Nick Giovannetti
  • Artists: Reilly Brown, Scott Koblish, Todd Nauck

Put On Pause (2 books)

Non-Fiction

• The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss
  • I don’t know why I bought myself a non-fiction tome right before starting grad school, but I’m excited to read the 4HC eventually
• Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
  • I was re-reading it for school and finished it in 2026.

Fiction

• N/A