The books I read in 2025

2025 was a more consistent reading year for me. I kept the habit of reading every day. I tried to choose books that made sense for my mood and for the moment I was living. Some books went fast, others took a looooong time. It was also the year I read a fiction book in English, a small big achievement.

My favorite books of 2025:

1º - Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes

This was the book of the year for me. Short, direct, and emotionally heavy. The character’s curve is brutal and very quiet. I finished it with that rare feeling of needing to stop for a few minutes before moving on with the day. Highly recommended.

2º - The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón

A book that slows time down. This is the kind of reading you do without rush. It invites you to stay, to enter the story. One of those books that makes you want to reread it in another phase of life.

3º - Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert

A classic that is more uncomfortable than pleasant. Emma’s character construction is impressive and still feels very current. It’s a book that provokes reflection, both because of its structure and because of when it was written.

Other books read in 2025

• Carandiru Station – Drauzio Varella
• Ayrton: The Revealed Hero – Ernesto Rodrigues
• Never Lie – Freida McFadden
• A Short History of the World – Geoffrey Blainey
• Verity – Colleen Hoover
• The Wedding People – Alison Espach
• Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters – Richard P. Rumelt
• How to Talk to Anyone – Leil Lowndes
• The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas – Machado de Assis
• How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
• Dhammapada: The Teachings of Buddha – José Carlos Calazans
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being – Rick Rubin

All in all, it was a good year. Some books passed without much impact, some stayed longer, and a few really made a mark.