There’s basically two kinds readers, those who don’t start a new book until they’re done with the one they’re reading, and those who are reading more than one book at a time. I’ve always been the latter of the two.
Twenty-some years ago, among the books I was reading were volumes in two series, Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin books and F. Paul Wilson’s The Secret History of the World (Repairman Jack, the Adversary Cycle, and related books). Some of the books I’d bought, others I’d checked out from the library. After a while I started to lose track of where I was in either series.
So began writing a list to keep on track for what might come next. And then started wondering how many books I was reading a year, since I was only counting ones I’d finished. Back in the day that was 40–50.
More recently, I’ve slowed down. A big part of the drop off is probably time spent on Hive and its predecessor blockchain. These are the 17 books I finished in 2025 in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent:
Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
It Dies With You by Scott Blackburn
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Central Park West by James Comey
James by Percival Everett
Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty
Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut
The Man Who Saw Seconds by Alexander Boldizar
White Night by Jim Butcher
Standing By The Wall by Mick Herron
The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry
First Lord’s Fury by Jim Butcher
Princep’s Fury by Jim Butcher
So all fiction although Labatut’s damn fine book mixes in lots of fascinating science. Maybe more nonfiction in 2026 (Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts sits on the shelf, beckoning) but fiction/literature will probably dominate.
“Think not of the books you’ve bought as a ‘to be read’ pile. Instead, think of your bookcase as a wine cellar. You collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood.” — Luc van Donkersgoed
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