📕 Book Report: January-May 2025
The ubiquitous “Let Them Theory”, my fantasy reading nook, and a tall Summer Reading stack
I do love reading. But you know what else I love?
Planning my reading. Analyzing my reading. Talking about my reading.
Sometimes, I’m feeling bookish, but I don’t exactly feel like reading. Some of you know what I mean. (The rest of you are scratching your chins.) In those times, I research book recommendations, prioritize my “To Be Read” list, or catch up on my Reading Tracker spreadsheet. 😁
It’s pretty great to be a dork. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dorkiness is why these Book Reports are my favorite newsletters to write. I analyze my reading. I tell you about it. You tell me what to read next. It’s a virtuous cycle, so let’s get spinning.
Buzzy Books of 2025
I’ll start with the most talked-about books of late, the ones people ask me if I’ve read yet, the ones popping up in headlines, for flattering and unflattering reasons.
📗 The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
In case you’ve been holed up in a library reading 19th-century classics the last few months, motivational speaker Mel Robbins released a new self-help book everyone’s talking about.
They’re talking about it because, by many accounts, it’s a great book with a life-changing message.
And they’re talking about it because Mel conspicuously plagiarized the Let Them theory from a lesser-known influencer and chose not to acknowledge her source.
I’ve never followed Mel’s work, and I won’t follow it going forward. But I wanted to be in the loop on this book due to its cultural significance and its potential interest to my coaching clients.
The “Let Them” theory is essentially the Buddhist concept of “non-attachment” repackaged in catchy terms. And I don’t say that with any snark. I think it’s important that we find ways to modernize ancient wisdom to reach new audiences.
“The Let Them Theory” TLDR: If life or another person is getting you down, “let them”, and focus on what you can control – your own reaction to people and circumstances.
I listened to this book on Audible, and Mel was an engaging narrator, though some will find her style of speaking grating and too folksy. The book didn’t blow me away, but I see why it’s been so well-received.
My main takeaway, though, was “what a shame”. What a shame that Mel hijacked someone else’s work. Boo hiss to that.
📘 The Tell by Amy Griffin
(Trigger warning)
Now THIS was a great read (or in my case, a great listen. Thanks, Audible!)
After reading How to Change Your Mind last year, I’ve become increasingly curious about the intersection of psychedelics and inner work.
When I heard that The Tell detailed Griffin’s experience of psychedelic-assisted therapy, which surfaced repressed memories of sexual abuse, I knew I was in for a fascinating narrative.
Like The Let Them Theory, this book is not without controversy, for obvious reasons given (1) the story’s connection to illegal drugs and (2) disagreement in the psychological community about the veracity of repressed memories as a phenomenon.
I, for one, absolutely believe Amy’s story, and she told it beautifully and bravely. Highly recommend.
Making Good on My 2025 Reading Promises
In my 2024 Book Report: Year in Review, I predicted that in 2025, I’d read more books within my newly identified sweet spot of “upmarket fiction with a heavy literary bent”, as well as more poetry.
I follow through, people.
📙 The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
I gifted this novel to my mom for Christmas, and I simultaneously gifted it to myself. We read it around the same time and discussed it via text and phone along the way. (That was fun!)
I was thoroughly confused for the first several chapters of this fantasy-tinged murder mystery. On page 1, Turton plops the reader right in the middle of the action. Understanding what exactly was what and who was who took a while.
While I wouldn’t call this a page-turner, I would call it a complex, engaging puzzle. I recommend reading it in a short period with frequent reading sessions. When I skipped several days of reading this story, I struggled to keep track of the characters and timelines.
Ultimately, one of my tests of a great read is how often I think about the book in the weeks and months after reading it. I’ve never read a book like this; the structure and premise were thoroughly unique. It’s still echoing in my mind months later, so I give it a hearty recommendation. I enjoyed the experience of reading The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but I’ve enjoyed remembering it even more, and that is its own kind of pleasure.
📕 Inward by yung pueblo
I’ve seen this book of poetry sitting on shelves for the last few years. One snowy Sunday in February, I took an evening to myself away from home. Naturally, I went to a bookstore – the newly opened Inkwell in Northeast Minneapolis.
I spotted Inward at Inkwell and felt that inner knowing – the time to read it was now. I bought it, ordered a latte from the bookshop coffee bar, and curled up in a chair to read until the shop closed. I then took myself to dinner at Aster House and finished Inward before I left the restaurant.
Inward is poetry in that it uses words, phrasing, and the space on the page in creative ways that diverge from prose.
It’s unlike some poetry in that it is extremely easy to read and understand.
Yet it packs a profound punch, speaking raw truths about inner work with exquisite gentleness.
I highlighted and took endless pictures of passages in this book.
Also – who doesn’t love a book that you can finish in one evening?! I felt so satisfied.
Chipping Away at the 100 Best Books of All Time
A couple of years ago, I came across a list from Reader’s Digest of the 100 Best Books of All Time.
I liked the mix of classic and modern titles (Anna Karenina, The Giver – two of my all time faves), as well as the range of fiction and nonfiction represented (Me Talk Pretty One Day, Pride and Prejudice, The Kite Runner, Dare to Lead, The Color of Water, Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks).
I decided to adopt this list as a wayfinder for my reading journey. Every couple of months, I choose a title from the list. Often, I select a book about which I’ve long mused, “I should get around to reading that someday”.
When I first found the 100 Best Books of All Time list, I’d read about one-third of the books on it. Now, I’ve read 50! 👏🏻
📘 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
This is the O.G. true crime tale. Capote pioneered the genre when he (with the help of Harper Lee, fun fact!) began researching the Clutter murders in their immediate aftermath, then spent six years following the case and narrating it in story-like prose.
The Clutters, a family of 4 in rural Kansas, were killed in their home in the dead of night. Without a likely suspect or motive, the wholesome Clutters seemed to have been murdered, well, in cold blood.
In Cold Blood is a classic for a reason. Worth a read if you can stomach the violent content.
The Best Book I’ve Read This Year
When
of published a recent Substack piece titled The Best Book I’ve Read This Year, I took that shit seriously. Anne Helen is my favorite follow on Substack (and one of my few paid subscriptions); she has *chef’s kiss* taste.The book?
📗 Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara
Here’s my Amazon Review. (I rarely leave reviews, but in this case, I had to support her work!)
I have to agree with Anne Helen. Searches is now the best book I’ve read so far in 2025.
Reading While Snuggling
Lately, my 8-year-old daughter Mabel and I have been snuggling up and reading aloud together. I’m thrilled she’s at the age to enjoy books that I also genuinely love. (Not that I don’t like “Paw Patrol’s Birthday Surprise”…ok, I don’t like it.)
A gorgeous book we just finished this week:
📙 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
I appreciate books that generate a strong emotional reaction. Several times, as we read Edward Tulane together, Mabel gasped, buried her head in the pillow, and wept. In the final pages, I succumbed to my tears and read aloud with increasing difficulty, like a glitching, waterlogged robot. Mabel took over and read the ending for us both while I tried to hold it together.
Some people love horror films because they offer the chance to experience fear in a safe container. Horror fans get an adrenaline rush without having to personally endure sadistic threats from cannibalistic serial killers or stalking by woodland witches.
Some people think that’s weird, but I get it.
Similarly, I love sad books because I get to experience grief without actually losing something.
Maybe that’s weird, too.
📚 My Summer Reading List
And we’re back, full circle, to where we started – my love of planning my reading life. Here are some highlights I can’t wait to crack open over the summer, preferably in a hammock hung lakeside.
On Our Best Behavior by Elise Loehnen – another one of my favorite Substack newsletters is
. She explores spirituality, psychology, culture, and feminism in beautiful depth. She inspires me often. I’m excited to finally read her book, subtitled “The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good”. 😬The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - After my love affair with The Anthropocene Reviewed, I’m now out to read everything John Green has written, including this young adult novel that put him on the map back in 2012. Fun fact – this title is on the 100 Best Books of All Time list! I also just finished Greene’s latest, Everything is Tuberculosis, which was excellent.
Demystifying Misophonia by Sara Barrick – I’ve lived with misophonia, a condition which entails being unbearably triggered by certain sounds like chewing, since I was 6 years old. I’ve never found help for it, other than earplugs and white noise. Turns out, this just-published title is written by a therapist right here in MN, who I’m now working with! Could relief be just around the corner?
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore – This recent work of fiction was recommended to me by a Diving Board reader as a “great summer read”. I’ve been holding out on this one for the warm weather. I’m pumped!
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman - This young adult fantasy classic is also, you guessed it, on the 100 Best Books of All Time list. I’d never heard of it, but I’ve already started it and am wowed so far!
Ariel: Poems by Sylvia Plath – I recently read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (ahem…plucked from the 100 Best Books of All Time list). I liked it, didn’t love it, but respected it, you know what I mean? Plath was one of history’s most promising female writers, but she sadly died by suicide before she turned thirty. Even though I didn’t adore The Bell Jar, I’m still intrigued by Plath and her other work, so I’m turning next to her most acclaimed poetry collection, Ariel: Poems.
Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee and How to Do Nothing by Jenny O’Dell – Both books have been on my radar for a while, and I keep getting them mixed up in my brain since the titles are so similar. I can never remember which one I want to read more, so I think I’ll just read them both. 🥳 I’m currently working towards significantly slowing down my pace of life, so this shall be the summer of the “nothing doing” books.
Harry Potter: Books 5, 6, and 7 by J.K. Rowling – I’ve been re-reading this series, trying to keep up with my daughter. Alas, she has surpassed me. She’s currently halfway through Book 7, while I’m just starting Book 5 (which is my least favorite of the whole series, am I right?)
Hit Me with Your Best Books!
What have you read so far this year that has you buzzing? What’s on your Summer Reading List?
I take your recommendations to heart. Don’t hold back.
TTFN.
I’m not a Mel Robbin’s fan, and agree with you about the disappointment regarding the plagiarizing. She’s going to add to her wealth thanks to this, and that’s a bit maddening.
The Golden Compass (the whole series) is amazing!
Have you read To the Bright Edge of the World yet? I think you’d love it. It’s my all-time favorite book and everyone I recommend it to loves it too. But get it in hard copy, not digital, for the visuals in the book.