2025 Reading Goals review 📚

Last year, I shared my 2025 Reading Goals. My plans didn’t go well. I tackle one-third of the books from the list. But I still achieved my reading goals. According to Goodreads, I read (or listened to) 26 books, which is two more than I planned.

In this article, I’ll list them all with short, one- or two-sentence reviews.

• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. This book is considered a 101 for anyone interested in finances or investing. The rules mentioned are usually basic, but I like the books when someone confirms what I already notice.
• Remembrance of Earth’s Past #3: Death’s End by Cixin Liu. Great ending of the modern cult-classic Sci-Fi trilogy. I didn’t like The Three-Body Problem, but The Dark Forest and Death’s End were excellent.
• Expeditionary Force #1: Columbus Day by Craig Alanson. I’m glad I read this book before Bobiverse #3: Heaven’s River, because it gives me important references. Very enjoyable sci-fi about space/aliens from a soldier’s perspective.
• Hyperion Cantos #1: Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Hyperion is considered a classic of Science Fiction. But I had a problem with that book. It is a set of “connected” stories, which is not bad in itself, but the main storyline ends in a cliffhanger.
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Short dystopian book. Must read in my opinion. I listened to it as a great full-cast interpretation.
• Diddly Squat #1: Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm by Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson’s Farm is wholesome content. Diddly Squat Books is a collection of Jeremy’s farm articles. Nothing revolutionary, but if you need more Clarkson’s Farm between the seasons, this one is for you.
• Bobiverse #3: All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor. I already said that in my reading goals article, but I will repeat: Bobiverse is awesome! All These Worlds is a great conclusion of an epic story arc. Now I’m reading the next book - Heaven’s River.
• The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. I learned a new term - competency porn. I plan to write an article about this, but in short, it is a term for fiction that portrays exceptionally capable protagonists tackling difficult tasks with great proficiency. I probably like that genre. The Day of the Jackal is a great example of it (except that Jackal is an antagonist).
• (Polish only) Reputacja by Andrzej Pilipiuk. Short fantasy stories from a Polish author. I’m re-reading all the books from the series.
• Boss Fight Books #27: Silent Hill 2 by Mike Drucker. I planned to make a video about the Silent Hill 2 video game. The video didn’t happen, but I read a short book about the game’s history. It contains a lot of details, and I feel it is a great analysis of the game.
• Hyperion Cantos #2: The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I mentioned a cliffhanger in the Hyperion book. To find out how the story ends, I listened to The Fall of Hyperion. I was already familiar with characters, and this book was better for me.
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari. Harari’s books are always worth reading. This one tackles hot topics like AI, so it is even more relevant now.
• Helliconia #1: Helliconia Spring by Brian W. Aldiss. This is probably the worst book I read this year. For me, it was boring. The author created a vivid and complex world, but I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters.
• (Polish only) Finansowa Forteca by Marcin Iwuć. Excellent book about personal finances. I’ll recommend it to anybody who wants to organize home finances.
• Dungeon Crawler Carl #1: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. This was my favorite read this year. I had a great laugh and couldn’t put this book down until the end. I’m happy that there is a lot more to discover in Carl and Princess Donut’s adventures.
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Fascinating story about a man who gains super intelligence.
• Strange Pictures by Uketsu. It was highly advertised on social media, so I picked this up. The book is strange and mysterious. It was an enjoyable read, but I had a feeling that the writing quality was not high.
• The Long Walk by Richard Bachman. I never heard of this King’s book before the movie. I am probably a bit too old to feel connected with young characters. But still, I didn’t regret reading it.
• Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. I really like the Starship Troopers movie, so I wanted to get familiar with the classic original. It turns out that a movie and a book are not so similar. For me, the movie was better, but since it is a classic book, I’m not mad that I read it.
• The Illuminae Files #1: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman. This was another book (after The Long Walk) aimed at a younger audience. The book has an interesting form (it is a set of documents, chat logs, etc.), but the story is somehow dull. I won’t be reading the next books in this series. If you want to experience a book that plays with form, I recommend House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.
• Harry Potter #1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. I’m listening to Harry Potter as a great full-cast edition on Audible.
• Harry Potter #2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. I’m listening to Harry Potter as a great full-cast edition on Audible.
• Robot #4: Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov. My only Asimov book I read this year. I finished the Robot series. Now I will continue to the Galactic Empire.
• (Polish only) Litr ciekłego ołowiu by Andrzej Pilipiuk. Short fantasy stories from a Polish author. I’m re-reading all the books from the series.
• Canonical Alien trilogy #3: Alien: River of Pain by Christopher Golden. The book explains what happened between the Alien and Aliens movies. I listened to it on Audible, but I had a feeling it was a cast recording, so I’ll have to reread it as a book.
• Merry Murdle by G.T. Karber. The advent calendar of Murdle mysteries. Condensed form works better for me than the normal Murldle book (that I still have to finish).