Books Read 2025

In alignment with tradition, I've listed the books I read in 2025 so anyone interested in a particular title can pick it up on their own accord. As always, the content of these books doesn't always reflect my personal opinions as I attempt to expose myself to a variety of differing perspectives. Enjoy!

Psychology

The Existential Importance of the Penis: A Guide to Understanding Male Sexuality by Daniel N. Watter (2022)

I took a CE course with Watter and became interested in his perspectives with regard to existential psychology and how it relates to the functioning of the penis. Very interesting read!

Being Homosexual: Gay Men and Their Development by Richard A. Isay, M.D. (1989)

Isay was one of the first to write about how homosexuality was was inborn sexual proclivity and was a pioneer for how the modern field of psychology views gay men. 

The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm (1956)

This existential psychologist discusses various types/forms of love and the maturity that is necessary to cultivate them. 

Of Boys and Men: Why the modern male is struggling, why it matters, and what to do about it by Richard V. Reeves (2022)

If you’ve heard of the modern masculinity crisis then you have likely come across Reeves’ research. 

The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt (2006)

I’ve always enjoyed Haidt’s work but had yet to read one of his most popular books. Just as its subtitle suggests, this book is about some of the ancient teachings that most of us have been exposed to with the research to some of these common sayings. 

The Narcissism Epidemic by Jean M Twenge and W. Keith Campbell (2009)

This one was a tough read, not because it was dense, but because I found it saddening. The Narcissism Epidemic tracks and reinforces though gratuitous examples of how American culture has become increasingly self-obsessed. 

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant (2023)

Grant offers anecdotal and scientific evidence to help his reader get past common blockages and obstacles that inhibit us from reaching our full potential. 

Trancework, 3rd Edition by Michael Yapko (2003)

Another clinician who I’ve taken a CE course from. This is a textbook that Yapko wrote to help other clinicians conduct hypnotherapy sessions in their practice. 

Non Fiction

Homosexuality and Civilization by Louis Crompton (2003)

A thoroughly detailed history of homosexuality and how it was received culturally by Western and non-Western civilization. 

The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by William Strauss and Neil Howe (1997)

Strauss and Howe outline their cyclical theory of history and attempt to predict when the next major crisis period will face Americans and the interconnected globalized world. 

My Struggle: Book Four by Karl Ove Knaisgaard (2010)

I’ve been enjoying this autobiographical series and have been slowly making my way through them each year. In this volume Karl Ove recounts his teenage years working as a teacher in a small working class town. He recounts with great detail the relationship between him and his father and the struggle he endures trying to navigate his father’s sensitive and angry temperament. 

The Great Crash of 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith (1955)

Galbraith recounts the market conditions as well as details surrounding the U.S. economy and culture that culminated in the most devastating stock market crash. 

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (2011)

Isaacson is a great writer, even if you don’t care about the subjects of his biographies, his attention to detail and the anecdotes surrounding his subject is thoroughly engaging. Jobs is no exception. 

Fiction

The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut (2023)

This books follows the fictionalized history of polymath John von Neumann. Through its examination of real history it weighs the existential threats of nuclear weapons and AI. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007)

A neighbor loaned me a copy of this young adult novel that follows a low self-confident teen who lives on an Indian reservation. Gradually the teen becomes more integrated with cultures outside of the reservation which provokes a journey of self-discovery.