2025 Pithy Book Reviews
#1. The Amen Effect by Rabbi Sharon Brous: This was a good first read of the year with a lot of reminders about the power of community and showing up.
#2. Super Psyched: Unleash the Power of the 4 Types of Connection and Live the Life You Love by Dr. Adam Dorsay: I underlined a lot of well-said points in this book about the deeper reasons we need to connect not only to others (in a personal way), but also to ourselves, to the world around us, and to something greater than ourselves. Listen to Dr. Adam on episode #132 of Dear Nina. And you can hear me on Dr. Adam’s show in episode #247 of SuperPsyched, “A Conversation With Nina Badzin”).
#3. Styles of Joy by SC Perot: This was a delightful memoir from Vanderbilt professor, SC Perot, and how she overcame the grief of her divorce in the most unexpected (to her) way– through becoming a Harry Styles superfan and attending many of his concerts around the world. I was fascinated about the fellow fans–strangers–who became her friends. Look for an episode on Dear Nina in late Feb or early March.
#4. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows by Diana Gabaldon: This is an Outlander novella! I’m a big fan of the show, but I’ve never read the books. I don’t want to go back and read all the books now that I’m so far into the series. However, a novella here and there is fun for me.
#5. What I Ate in One Year (and Other Related Thoughts) by Stanley Tucci: As much as I adore Stanley Tucci, this story was not great. I do love his voice, but there wasn’t enough of a narrative.
#6. You Didn’t Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip by Kelsey McKinney: Really good topic. Who can’t relate?
#7. On Brand by Aliza Licht: Quick read with great advice for dealing with your social media posts and other branding information.
#8. Shame on You: How to be a Woman in the Age of Mortification by Melissa Petro: Really good mix of memoir and research on shame. Look for Melissa on Dear Nina in the spring of 2025.
#9. Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time by Seth D. Kaplan: I read a few of Seth’s articles and so did my assistant producer. She suggested him for the show so I read the book to prepare. I’m glad I did! Listen to Seth on episode 138 of Dear Nina: Turn Your Neighborhood Into a Village.
#10. Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara: I was years late to this book. I learned so much and can see why the world likes it so much. It’s about hospitality in restaurants, but applicable to all businesses and aspects of life.
#11. Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld: I always like Curtis Sittenfeld’s work. Her first collection of stories were my favorite, but I will always recommend Sittenfeld for fiction.
#12. The Tell by Amy Griffin: Powerful memoir about childhood abuse that was locked away in Griffin’s memories. Terrifying to think about much trust we have to put in the adults who are with our children. Well written and appreciated the reminder to be vigilant.
#13. Talk: The Science of Conversation and The Art of Being Ourselves by Allison Wood Brooks: I really liked this book about having better conversations. I recommend the audio. I find myself talking about this one a lot. No pun intended.
#14. Party of One: Be Your Own Best Life Partner by Meghan Keanne: Party of One is a book with two important audiences: people who are single who want to feel understood and supported. And people who are married/partnered who want to do right by their single friends. The advice here is warm, practical, and genuinely helpful. Entertaining and fast read with approachable research and personal stories, too. I recommend it! Listen to Meghan and me talk about supporting your singles friends on episode 145 of Dear Nina.
#15. I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney: Listening on audio. I’ve taken a long break. I will finish eventually.
#16. Bad Friend: How Women Revolutionized Modern Friendship by Tiffany Watt Smith: Part history, part memoir, part pop-culture analysis. You have to be deeply interested in friendships.
#17. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam: Currently reading. I’ve read sections in the past, but I’m listening to the whole thing. Interesting to really consider the social issues that already existed before smart phones. It’s not an easy listen. It will take me a while!
#18. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: I really enjoyed this novel and needed the nonfiction break. I did the audio because Julia Whelan as a narrator is always the right call.
#19.
Very quick read with good advice that would be useful for anyone. Great grad gift! I’m always a Gretchen Rubin fan and you can even hear Gretchen on Dear Nina.
#20. My Friends by Fredrik Backman: Not a page turner, per se, but I listened to the every last word. It was quite beautiful and I wish I had read this one in print to highlight some quotes.
#21. We Might Just Make it After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade by Elyce Arons: I genuinely found the story of the creation of the Kate Spade brand and the way Katy’s and Elyce’s friendship stood the test of time really interesting and worth reading to the end.
#22. Awake by Jen Hatmaker: Such a well-written and compelling story of the way a marriage ended and a new life began. The friendships and family that kept Jen going really moved me.
#23.
#24. Same by Hannah Rosenberg: Absolutely gorgeous collection of poems from a poet I have admired for awhile. Listen to Hannah on episode 170 of Dear Nina.
#25. This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg: I loved every moment of this memoir. Highly recommend.
#26. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins: So depressing and dark, but I will always keep up on the Hunger Games books. This was the prequel about Haymitch that takes place after the previous prequel about Snow.
#27. by Linda-Marie Barrett: This book will give you some great ideas for how to host a salon, which is a wonderful alternative to a book club or other more common ways to gather with new or old friends. Linda-Marie joined me on episode 169 of Dear Nina.
#28. Are You Mad at Me? by Meg Josephson Such a helpful book for anyone who has suffered with people pleasing!
#29. Joyride by Susan Orlean: If you liked Orlean’s work throughout the years, you’ll enjoy her memoir about how it all came to be. I do think this is a memoir most enjoyed by other writers.
#30. The Scott Fenwick Diaries by Kristin Nilsen: Kristin is my friend and genuinely one of my favorite writers. She reminds me so much of Judy Blume and I adore her main character Millie from Worldwide Crush, who is back for this sequel. Listen to Kristin on episode #74 of Dear Nina where we spoke about the childhood friendships that shape all of us.
#31. Go Gentle by Maria Semple: I always enjoy a Maria Semple for her quirky characters and plots. Not my top novel of the year, but it was a fun read. I really appreciated the stoicism lessons throughout.
#32. Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection by Dr. Ben Rein: Tons of great scientific details in this book tracked with what I already know to be true about the essentiality of social connections. I did the audio an Dr. Ben has a wonderful storytelling ability to make medical information much more digestible. Stay tuned for his episode on Dear Nina!
#33. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: This one was a little slow at first and then grew on me to be one of my favorites of the year. I truly loved it.
FIND ALL PREVIOUS BOOK LISTS HERE
*Links lead to Bookshop.org and Amazon, which pays me a tiny bit as an affiliate at no cost to you.
