Best books of 2025

 


Excited to mark my 11th year of sharing the books I've enjoyed—always across business, technology, leadership, and beyond. Here’s my 2025 list along with all my other favorite books from 2015 till 2024.

The Happiness Files by Dr. Arthur Brooks

Brooks blends science, philosophy, and practical advice to reframe happiness as something we actively design—not just hope for. Applying the mindset of a CEO, readers learn to balance love, growth, and resilience. I found this to be useful to understand that in the second half of life it is more about subtraction than addition. We should also learn to say no more often and spread ourselves too thin. Thinking of yourself as the CEO of your life increases your happiness as you have control over your decisions, actions and whatever results come your way accept it.

The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher

A guide for transforming tough conversations, Fisher teaches control, confidence, and connection. He shares techniques like “conversational breath” for managing emotions, and shows how to use pauses, assertiveness, and boundaries. I liked the fact about not arguing much and secondly but very important to understand that our words matter. We should also stand up for ourselves and be assertive in our conversations. For example don't say "I just want to check with you on this" and instead say "I need this from you."

The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom

Bloom expands the concept of wealth to five domains: financial, social, physical, mental, and time. Of course, money is not the one type of wealth. His first idea is to think about how many more moments we will have with our parents and to prioritize what is truly important to us. It is a fun and fast read with some actionable insights.

The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel

This is a follow up to his earlier book which was The Psychology of Money. It was an easy read and just encourages readers to live within their means and decide where they want to put their money for spending. It is about spending money in a way that improves our lives and of course we can choose where we spend our money.

A CEO for all Seasons by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra, Kurt Strovink

They had written an earlier book called CEO excellence which was excellent. This book is how you prepare yourself to become CEO and at the same time when to leave when your time is over. It can apply to leaders at all levels. The key is having a vision for your leadership and back it up with consistent action.

Superagency by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato

This is all about Human first AI and how AI can create positive impact for our society. AI is there not to replace humans but augment them to increase creativity and productivity. There are also discussions on AI's impact on medicine. It is a breezy read and worth taking a peek.

Here are the other books I liked right from 2015 to 2024.

My favorite books of 2015

My favorite books of 2016

My Favorite books of 2017

Top Books I liked Reading in 2018

25 Books of 2019

35 Books from 2020

13 Best Books of 2021

8 Best Books of 2022

2023 Books

2024 Books

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