Happy holidays, Reader!
We're almost at the solstice, the holidays, the end of the year—all turning points and opportunities for reflection. And food. And reading!
The holidays in my family are pretty much about books. My grandmother used to give us all books. Then my parents took up the mantel of book distributors. Now I sending books to my siblings, exchange them with my adult children, and buy them for my toddler grandson. (His love of books makes my heart grow.)
So, instead of dumping more writing advice on you right now, I thought I'd offer you a few book recommendations. (And keep reading for a "seasonal review" offer at the end.)
My year in books
Every year I track the books I finish each month.
To create this list, I reviewed each month of 2025 and chose the one book that stuck with me most. So, these recommendation are personal and quirkly—the best reading recommendations often are.
A couple things to know:
- The list does not include my client's books, because I cannot unwind their impact on me from my role.
- Most are nonfiction, because those are the books that seem to stick with me. However, I've dropped in a few fiction alternatives.
If you're looking for possible gift recommendations, maybe this will help! And I really hope you find a new favorite book lurking among these titles. Here they are, in the order that I finished them this year.
Every Valley by Charles King. My sister Carolyn recommended this one. (It pays to have a bookish family!) Having sung Handel's Messiah many times, I found this dip into its backstory fascinating!
Meditations for Mortals. This is Oliver Burkemsan's follow-up to Four Thousand Weeks, structured as four weeks of "meditations" or essays to spur reflection. I plan to revisit it this holiday season.
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. This is history writing at its best, about Fort Sumter at the onset of the Civil War. Not really a war book, it's about the characters and politics at this pivotal point in our nation's history. The voices of the people Larson has chosen to profile still resonate with me, like long-lost ancestors.
Tiny Experiments by Anne Laure Le Cunff. I finished a couple great novels in April including Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. But, nonfiction geek that I am, Tiny Experiments is the one that stuck with me. I love Le Cunff's experimental approach to just about everything, and am trying to inhabit it.
Hope for Cynics by Jamil Saki. I founds this quite encouraging. We all need a good dose of hope.
All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley. I picked it up as a member of the committee choosing books for a Santa Cruz County "community reads" event. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up being the book's advocate at our county's "book selection" party. It did not win, alas, but don't think less of it on that account!
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green. I knew next to nothing about this disease, and Green makes it both fascinating and personal. Fiction alternative: Orbital by Samantha Harvey is a short, transporting read.
The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger. I do not think of plants the same way after reading this. Seriously. It's a deep, fascinating dive into recent developments in botany.
We Need Your Art by Aimee McNee. Sometimes we all need a boost, a push, a gentle nudge or encouraging word. This book felt exactly like that.
How to Know a Person by David Brooks. My son Mark recommended this one to me, and it's thought-provoking, uplifting and warming. A new favorite.
The Place of Tides by James Rebank. This short book retells the summer that the author spent with two older women on a Norwegian island as they cared for wild Eider ducks and gathered their down from carefully-tended nesting boxes. It's a gentle, meditative glimpse into a vanishing way of life. Beatiful.
December: The Gales of November by John Bacon. I grew up in the proximity of the Great Lakes, and remember the Gordon Lightfoot song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitgerald when it first came out. What a tale! If you enjoy a good sea-faring story, this one's for you. Bacon's commitment to the material matches his skills as a storyteller. I learned a lot from this one, and now that song is stuck in my head again.
What books made the biggest impact on you this year? I'd love to know. If enough people respond, I'll share that list in the new year.
What are your writing plans for 2026?
Year-end planning for has to go beyond simply setting aggressive goals and hoping for the best. That's why I was thrilled to see that Elisa Doucette is offering a two-part workshop on planning just for writers.
The Seasonal Review for Writers (Winter 2026 Edition)
In the first session, you'll look back on what worked and what happened in 2025. In the second, you'll set calm, centered writing goals for the new year.
It sounds wonderful! Find out more here. (It's only $30, which seems like a worthwhile investment.)
I first met Elisa on her Writers' Rough Drafts podcast back in 2019. I think she will guide you well.
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That's a wrap for 2025, my friend. I'm planning a bunch of fun writing activities for 2026, so I hope you're ready to write and experiment.
Until then, happy holidays, happy reading, and write something, if only for yourself!
Anne
