My 2025 Reading...

In 2025 I read lots of books. It was great to start switching off from social media and go back to a bit of old fashioned reading, mostly non-fiction real paper copies picked up second hand or from charity shops. I am pleased to say I have learnt lots which I can apply to my day job, my mission to take action for a better world and life in general. Here is a quick overview of the books I have read.

Late Light by Michael Malay

I read this book after attending an event for volunteers of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust where Michael was speaking. It’s part creative non-fiction part memoir and take you on a journey through the authors experiences as a new arrival in the UK and in particular exploring 4 different species or groups. It shares his thoughts on the heritage of how human culture has interacted with nature and how it has eroded it. Overall this book made me think about how we need to value our human connection with nature even the generally unloved species like the eels, moths, freshwater mussels and crickets that he explores. Also about how much we can learn from nature. A really enjoyable read!

World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukhumatathil

This book is brilliantly written! I chose to read it as a way of developing my own writing style particularly about nature. Part memoir, part creative non-fiction, it is a beautiful narrative weaving both nature and personal experiences transporting you into different places. It has helped me to think more deeply about my relationship with nature and the meaning it brings and has inspired me to experiment with new ways of writing.

Conflicted by Ian Leslie

This book really made me think. I have always felt that being challenging or argumentative was one of my weaknesses. But this book made me really change my thinking on arguments and conflict. It made me understand how debating, arguing and disrupting are a really useful tool to better understand the world, build relationships and find the most effective solutions. It uses some really powerful real world examples to demonstrate how the way that we argue is really key to getting the best results. It really inspired me to think more about ways that conflict could be useful rather than looking for ways to avoid it.

Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed

I read this book as part of a book club at work. Maybe not something that I would have choose to read but it was really interesting and I’m glad I did read it. It explains with some dramatic and very convincing examples how important it is to learn from our mistakes. The takeaways from this book are really useful for both my main job in digital marketing as well projects outside of work including: how we need to start trying, failing and getting feedback and data to improve as quickly as possible. Also about how important it is for us to recognise our own blind spots and really understand what the data means. Sometimes you need to take a big creative leap rather than small incremental improvements to maximise innovation otherwise you will only ever improve on what you already have. This book has helped me to refine how I am working to maximise success hopefully, I will start to see the results in 2026.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

I think the title of this book is attention grabbing but perhaps a little bit misleading and actually deliver a lot more than it promises. It’s less about not caring about anything and more about only caring about the important stuff. It makes the point that everything in life is a struggle but it’s up to us to decide which struggles we want. It has convinced me to refocus my energy on the important stuff and waste less time on noise. Also how failure is the way forward and pain is part of the process. Doing something, anything is the best way to motivate yourself. This book has had a big impact on me!

Wildlife Habitats for You Garden by Josie Briggs

I have recently got really interested in how gardens can help with nature recovery and encouraging nature back into built up areas. I have been reading this book as part of my plan to try and rewild my garden this year. It has lots of great ideas from garden meadows and grassland habitats to ponds, rockeries, container gardens and other ways to attract wildlife to your garden. I think it is one I will be dipping in and out of for reference.

What’s next for 2026? Well I have already got some books on my list but would love any more recommendations for good books that you have read. I mainly ready non fiction but occasionally enjoy some fiction too!