Make 2025 a year of books
Some inspiration to get you going…
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Introduction
To say I love reading is a massive understatement. I devour books. But now we’re in the age of Audible, my consumption has gone through the roof.
Gone are the days when reading was something I squeezed into a few short weeks’ holiday each year. I still do that but tend to stick to low key, fun stuff rather than the full-on work-related content. Now, though, I can ‘read’ while driving, walking the dog, doing the garden - pretty much anytime my presence and focus isn’t on demand by others.
So, I thought I’d kick off the blog in 2025 (happy New Year, by the way! 🥂) with a review of my reading from last year - in the hope that you might be triggered to read one or more of them yourself and improve your practice further.
📘 Books read in 2024:
Here’s a list of the ones I’ve worked my way through, along with my opinion in brief of each one and a star-rating (as posted on Instagram). I ‘read’ lots of them on Audible, but many in print. This year I’ll keep a track of which I listened to and which I read - is that geeky? I suspect it really is…
Feel free to nip on to the end if you don’t want to read all this - you can always keep it for later… 😉
First 10:
THE MYTH OF NORMAL - GABOR MATÉ - finished 3/1 - 5⭐️
‘This is an absolute beaut and defo one of my top ten ever!’
The Revenge of Power - Moisés Naím - finished 9/1 - 4⭐️
‘A must read for anyone interested in politics. More people will vote in elections in 2024 ever before. An important book for an important year.’
Too Much & Never Enough - Mary L. Trump - finished 4/1 - 3⭐️
‘A scary insight into the utter dysfunction at the heart of the family that created The Donald. Fascinating to anyone interested in human development and the impact of environment on children.’
Clear thinking - Shane Parris - finished 15/1/24 3⭐️
‘Really helpful insights into the practicalities of good decision-making.’
Scattered Minds - Gabor Maté - finished 21/1/24 - 5⭐️
‘Third time through & still my favourite ADHD read!’
ADHD Explained - Edward Hallowell - finished 25/1/24 - 4⭐️
‘A first rate summary of the subject by a thought-leader in the field.’
Man’s Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl - finished 30/1/24 - 4⭐️
‘Important insights into having a ‘why’ for your life - from a man who lost almost everything in Auschwitz.’
Log Rafts to Freedom - Linda Gallagher - finished 08/2/24 3⭐️
‘A personal memoir about a Polish teenager’s journey through the Siberian deportation. Written by a friend - fascinating! ‘
Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner - finished 152/25 - 4⭐️
‘Absolutely fascinating! A quirky read answering interesting questions using big data.’
Life In The Balance: A Doctor’s Stories of Intensive Care - Dr Jim Down - finished 3⭐️
‘A riveting read & fascinating insight into the life & practice of an intensive care doctor!’
Second 10:
What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience & Healing by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey - finished 06/3/24 5⭐️
‘A very important message this! If you work with trauma in any way, please read it.’
Kier Starmer: The Biography by Tom Baldwin - finished 10/3/24 4⭐️
‘In an ELECTION YEAR everyone should read this.’
Conspiracy Tourist - Dom Joly - finished 21/3/24 3⭐️
‘This is a hoot! 😆👍🏻’
Russia’s War by Jade McGlynn - finished 23/3/24 4⭐️
‘Enthralling - illustrates the importance of understanding both culture & history.’
Showman: The Inside Story of Ukraine & the War that Made A Leader of Zelensky by Simon Schuster - finished 28/3/24 4⭐️
‘A fascinating insight into the man & his situation!’
Crime & Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky - finished 07/4/24 3⭐️
‘A classic about the human condition & the nature of morality. Bit of a slog but glad to have read it!
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW - GWEN ADSHEAD - finished 15/4/24 5⭐️
‘This is why I do the job I do. It’s a beaut!’
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis - finished 20/4/24 2⭐️
‘A tense mixture of drudge, anachronism & erudite one-liners.’
The Thursday Murder Club - by Richard Osman - finished 15/5/24 - 1⭐️
‘Meh… an inoffensive, unremarkable easy read.’
Ghost Rider by Neil Peart - finished 18/5/24 - 5⭐️
‘Intelligent interwoven thinking & word-smithery at its very best; superb!’
Third 10:
From the Oasthouse with Alan Partridge - finished 19/5/24 3⭐️
‘Classic partridge: a mix of cringe, hilarity & poignancy; brilliant.’
Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin’s War Against Ukraine by Owen Matthews - finished 06/6/24 5⭐️
‘Superb historical-political masterpiece. Essential reading to understand the current crisis.’
Camino Ghosts by John Grisham - finished 11/6/25 3⭐️
‘Entertaining summer read. Classic Grisham - enjoyed it.’
Camino Winds by John Grisham - finished 17/6/24 2⭐️
‘Meh.’
The Sacred Chain - How Understanding Evolution Leads to Deeper Faith by Jim Stump - finished 29/6/24 4⭐️
‘Great on evolution & creation - turns out we CAN have our cake & eat it!’
The Meaningful Money Handbook by Pete Matthew - finished 30/6/24 4⭐️
‘My little brother’s book on money - excellent for financial cretins like me!’
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel - finished 03/7/24 4⭐️
‘Fascinating.’
When The Body Says No by Gabor Maté - finished 05/7/24 5⭐️
‘Another work of genius by the Main Man.’
The Untethered Soul by Michael Viner - finished 17/6/24 2⭐️
‘An interesting clinic on mindfulness and self-awareness. Bit flakey though…’
Same As Ever - Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity & Living A Good Life by Morgan Housel - finished 30/6/24 2⭐️
‘Meh…an unremarkable sequel to a brilliant first book.’
Fourth 10:
How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding how U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe by Benjamin Abelow - finished 12/7/24 3⭐️
‘Important reading to balance western media emphases.’
MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love & F*ckery by Paloma Faith - finished 22/7/24 3⭐️
‘A book for women that very man should read.’
What is the Bible? How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters and stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything by Rob Bell - finished. Finished 16/8/24 4⭐️
‘Everyone should read this, especially Christians!
Camino Island by John Grisham - finished 28/8/24 3⭐️
‘Best of the series, in my opinion.’
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance - finished 26/8/24 3⭐️
‘An interesting trip through the working class roots of one man’s conservatism. Worth a read.
The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris. Finished 30/8/24 4⭐️
‘A great weaving of biography & policy - well worth a read. Reassuring that there’s at least one sane person running for office in the U.S. this year!’
THE HEALTH GAP: IMPROVING HEALTH IN AN UNEQUAL WORLD by Michael Marmot - finished 15/10/25 5⭐️
‘Required reading for anyone interested in human rights.’
Nexus - A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari - finished 01/11/24 5⭐️
‘Superb. A very important book!’
Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation by Deb Dana - finished 11/1124 4⭐️
‘Great for application ideas (of polyagal theory).’
Into the Magic Shop - A Neurosurgeon’s True Story of the Life Changing Magic of Compassion and Mindfulness by James Doty - finished 01/12/24 4⭐️
‘Where neuroscience meets mindfulness - loved it!’
Fifth 10:
Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestion and how it changes Everything by James Doty - finished 03/12/24 4⭐️
Cracking good read if you want to learn how to DO mindfulness.’
The Clinical Application of Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges & Deb Dana (Eds.) - STILL WORKING ON THIS (it’s amazing so far!)
The Developing Mind (3rd) - STILL WORKING ON THIS everyone working with kids should read the first 100 pages (brain & attachment); it’s genius!
Not all work
For me, like most others probably, reading is solace as well as learning. I love to read to learn, to garner knowledge and enhance what I think I know with new Insights. But I also love to read to escape, disappear into new worlds and other people’s stories for a while.
Not all the books cited above are ‘work’ books, obviously. Some are faith-based, others are just fiction for fun or general interest because the cover caught my eye. I agonised briefly about whether to include these or not, but decided this was more about reading in general than it was about reading to be better practitioners; so here they are. But my top 3 reads of 2024 - in capitals above - just happen to be my overall top reads of the, too; they are:
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté - a brilliant take on the toxic nature of modern Western culture.
The Devil You Know by Gwen Adshead - a forensic psychiatrist takes us on a tour of the human mind at it’s worst and yet manages to exemplify grace and kindness, too.
The Health Gap by Michael Marmot - a wake up call and bomb-proof evidence on how wealth and poverty influence human health and what to do about it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks for indulging me in this little foray into my 2024. And thanks for your support last year - for the blog and my work in general. THANKS to everyone who’s attended a course, read a book, watched a video or emailed with encouragement. My only wish is that what I write here-and thus what you guys read-will help make the lives of troubled kids better somehow.
Looking back over 2024, I’m grateful as always for the privileges I enjoy. I’m also acutely aware of how many kids don’t have this, and through no fault of their own. It’s our greatest joy as practitioners-I believe-to be able to change that, even just a little bit, for the better.
So, I will keep writing in the hope of encouraging us all to learn, expand our thinking and practice, and so serve troubled kids more effectively. And also in the hope of urging us to look after ourselves - to find and soak in the solace that is… reading.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you in the next one! 🥂
More Information
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©️ Jonny Matthew 2025