2025 Reading List

Book cover of 'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver featuring dark blue and black tropical foliage with a small moon in the background.

Poisonwood Bible | Barbara Kingsolver

After Demon Copperhead I had to read another Barbara Kingsolver novel.

A Baptist missionary from Georgia brings his wife and four daughters to the Belgian Congo in 1959 — What could possibly go wrong? Amid a series of increasingly difficult situations, each family member seems to find their own version of salvation.

I was so into the book that I wasn't bothered by rain during a Mexican vacation. It gave me an excuse to read more.

Book cover titled 'Stay True' by Hua Hsu featuring a person holding a camera, with award mentions from The New York Times and Pulitzer Prize, and a quote about gathering power through accretion.
Book cover titled 'Stay True' by Hua Hsu featuring a person holding a camera, with award mentions from The New York Times and Pulitzer Prize, and a quote about gathering power through accretion.

Stay True | Hua Hsu

Pulitzer Prize winner? I expected a whole lot more.

Pass.

Book cover for 'This Tender Land' by William Kent Krueger, depicting a sunset over a river with a person sitting on the bank, and tall grass in the foreground.
Book cover for 'This Tender Land' by William Kent Krueger, depicting a sunset over a river with a person sitting on the bank, and tall grass in the foreground.

This Tender Land | William Kent Krueger

Four orphans fleeing an Indian training school during the Great Depression and making their way down the Mississippi River. This book checked a lot of boxes for me: historical fiction, coming-of-age, crime, mystery, travel, and memorable characters.

William Kent Krueger has never let me down.

Book cover titled 'Hermano Santiago' featuring an illustration of a man with a halo holding a lamb.
Book cover titled 'Hermano Santiago' featuring an illustration of a man with a halo holding a lamb.

Hermano Santiago | Theodore Drahamann

A quick biography of a De La Salle Christian Brother murdered in Nicaragua in 1982. He was beatified by Pope Francis in 2026.

Book cover for 'Our Darkest Night' by Jennifer Robson, depicting a vintage photograph of a boy and girl embracing in a field, with a dark, cloudy sky and planes flying overhead.
Book cover for 'Our Darkest Night' by Jennifer Robson, depicting a vintage photograph of a boy and girl embracing in a field, with a dark, cloudy sky and planes flying overhead.

Our Darkest Night | Jennifer Robson

Surprise — more historical fiction. Also a love story which is bit of a departure for me.

A story of Italy during World War II and what unselfish and heroic things people are capable of doing in service of others.

Book cover for 'The Driftless Area' by Tom Drury, featuring a black-and-white profile of a woman with freckles and dark hair.
Book cover for 'The Driftless Area' by Tom Drury, featuring a black-and-white profile of a woman with freckles and dark hair.

The Driftless Area | Tom Drury

I picked this book up in Seattle while visiting my daughter Carly, who likes to say, "If you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, why do publishers spend so much time designing them?" I didn't buy this one for the cover, but for the title. I love the Driftless Area and contest that it is one of the most underrated scenic area in the US.

The plot — some crazy messed up people doing some seriously messed up stuff.

The cover of a book titled "Pitt Street Bankers" by Gary Davis. The cover features a cowboy hat suspended in mid-air, with chess pieces falling from it onto a chessboard. The subtitle reads, "Can Tom Mortimer, a farm boy from humble beginnings, prevail against the might of the Pitt Street Bankers, in his fight for the everyday person?" The author's name appears at the bottom.
The cover of a book titled "Pitt Street Bankers" by Gary Davis. The cover features a cowboy hat suspended in mid-air, with chess pieces falling from it onto a chessboard. The subtitle reads, "Can Tom Mortimer, a farm boy from humble beginnings, prevail against the might of the Pitt Street Bankers, in his fight for the everyday person?" The author's name appears at the bottom.

Pitt Street Bankers | Tom Mortimer

Based on the real-life foreign currency loan schemes that swept through Australia in the 1980s and the devastating impact they had on families, farmers, and small business owners. At its core, it's a David versus Goliath story.

Have I mentioned my distaste for bankers and currency traders?

Book cover titled 'Civil Evil' by Jennette Gudge, featuring a dark cloudy sky and a church steeple in the background.
Book cover titled 'Civil Evil' by Jennette Gudge, featuring a dark cloudy sky and a church steeple in the background.

Civil Evil | Jennette Gudgel

I picked this book up from the library my mother helps maintain at her senior living community after noticing it was set in my hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. I enjoyed the references to familiar places and a few characters who seemed loosely inspired by local public figures.

Other than that ... meh.

Book cover for Edith Wharton's 'Ethan Frome' published by Penguin Classics, featuring a snowy landscape with a house and distant mountains during sunset.
Book cover for Edith Wharton's 'Ethan Frome' published by Penguin Classics, featuring a snowy landscape with a house and distant mountains during sunset.

Ethan Frome | Edith Wharton

I just felt like re-reading a classic. After all, who doesn't enjoy a story built around sexual tension, forbidden feelings, poor decisions, and despair?

Come to think of it, Ethan Frome is a lot like the lyrics of Don’t Stand So Close To Me by The Police — only set in 1880s New England.

Book cover titled "Nocturnal Admissions" with a photo of a crowded nightclub scene, including a performer on stage with arms outstretched wearing flowing attire, and a DJ booth with a DJ in the background.
Book cover titled "Nocturnal Admissions" with a photo of a crowded nightclub scene, including a performer on stage with arms outstretched wearing flowing attire, and a DJ booth with a DJ in the background.

Nocturnal Admissions | Steve Adelman

I could tell you I participated in the heyday of New York City club life in the 1980s and 1990s, but there's no way you'd believe I was ever that hip.

However, that didn’t stop me from living vicariously through Steve Adelman in this memoir.

Book cover of 'Prayers for the Assassin' by Robert Ferrigno, featuring an American flag and a dove with an olive branch against a red, white, and blue background.
Book cover of 'Prayers for the Assassin' by Robert Ferrigno, featuring an American flag and a dove with an olive branch against a red, white, and blue background.

Prayers for the Assassin | Robert Ferrigno

Book one of the futuristic Assassin trilogy.

It’s 2040, and America is governed by an Islamic state. What starts as a thriller quickly becomes an uncomfortable exercise in asking, "What if?"

Book two — ordered.

Book cover of 'The Premonition: A Pandemic Story' by Michael Lewis, with a bright yellow background, three red circles, and text indicating it is a New York Times bestseller.
Book cover of 'The Premonition: A Pandemic Story' by Michael Lewis, with a bright yellow background, three red circles, and text indicating it is a New York Times bestseller.

The Premonition | Michael Lewis

Such a disappointment from a favorite author.

There is some interesting background around the outbreak of COVID-19, but don’t try to make any of these people into heroes. I’m not buying it.