2025 Book List

A list of books I have read so far in 2025. Summaries are from Goodreads.

1. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari

Summary: For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI—a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. For all that we have accomplished, why are we so self-destructive? Nexus looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age, through the canonization of the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism, and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems throughout history have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence. Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and in doing so, rediscovers our shared humanity.

Rating: 8/10

Impressions:

A really impressive and immersive history of information networks. Harari grounds his narrative in the importance of stories to humanity and traces the evolution of how stories are told and the impacts this has throughout history. At times, deep dives into specific examples felt like they disrupted the narration and overall it didn’t always feel like the story had one unifying core, but rather the main topic came in and out of focus. Some parts felt like they lacked intentionality and it felt like the book had several topics inside of it. Nevertheless, it was very engaging and informative and did an excellent job of explaining how different AI is to other information networks and why it should be treated differently. 

2. Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali

Summary: 'It is, perhaps, easier to dismiss a man whose face gives no indication of an inner life. And what a pity that is: a dash of curiosity is all it takes to stumble upon treasures we never expected.'

A shy young man leaves his home in rural Turkey to learn a trade in 1920s Berlin. The city's crowded streets, thriving arts scene, passionate politics and seedy cabarets provide the backdrop for a chance meeting with a woman, which will haunt him for the rest of his life. Emotionally powerful, intensely atmospheric and touchingly profound, Madonna in a Fur Coat is an unforgettable novel about new beginnings and the unfathomable nature of the human soul.

Rating: 7/10

Impressions:

A deep and layered exploration of yearning, fate, and identity, and nationhood. The book doesn’t feel particularly outstanding, but this almost feels intentional, as it explores the life of a very regular man, who has an experience that is profound, but still accessible to everyone.

3. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Summary: Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia's descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day, Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation.

Rating: 9/10

Impressions:

Absolutely incredible writing and storytelling. The book follows the family lines of two separated sisters, as them and their family lines live through colonization, the slave trade, and racism. Each 20-30 page chapter is dedicated to a family member from one generation of the family, and the storyline goes back-and-forth between the two family lines. The characters’ stories were so deep and compelling, it felt like a whole novel could be written about each character, and like each short chapter contained an entire world. The writing was incredibly intentional and visceral, communicating a lot to the reader without over-explaining. An incredible account of the impacts of injustice and trauma, and impossible to put down. 

4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Summary: First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion. When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.

Rating: 8/10

Impressions:

The mystery and atmosphere were constructed very well. The book felt scary and suspenseful and the story was very intriguing and remained a secret until the end. It felt like the narrative would be enriched with more exploration of the characters. Beyond their introductions, it felt like the narrative maintained a distance from them, so caring about the story was not supplemented by caring about the characters. But overall this was a great read and very enticing.