396: What We Read and Why in 2025

Summary

In this episode, Cultivating Curiosity host Jeff Ikler reflects on his love of year-end “Best Books” lists and why reading sits at the heart of his podcast and personal life. He welcomes lists from institutions like The New York Times and the New York Public Library, seeing them as both a defense against book banning and a source of discovery, connection, and generosity. For Ikler, books spark curiosity, deepen empathy, and create bonds—whether through gifting or thoughtful conversation with authors. He also underscores podcast hosts' responsibility to read their guests’ work in full, arguing that preparation honors both listeners and writers. Ultimately, Ikler finds himself drawn to books that slow him down through careful observation and reflection, or expand his understanding through deeply researched history, reinforcing reading as both nourishment and refuge.

Three Major Takeaways

1. Reading lists are acts of resistance, curiosity, and connection—not just recommendations.

2. Thoughtful reading is essential to meaningful conversation, especially in podcasting.

3. The most rewarding books either sharpen our attention to the present or deepen our understanding of the past.

Jeff’s favorite books in 2025

Crossings – How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb. Quoting from the book jacket, “Creatures from antelope to salmon are losing their ability to migrate in search of food and mates; invasive plants hitch rides in tire treads, road salt contaminates lakes and rivers; and the very, very noise of traffic chases songbirds from vast swaths of habitat.” In this beautifully crafted book, Goldfarb makes the case that overpasses and underpasses are essential for reducing the deaths of animals and humans who inevitably come into brutal contact with one another. One of the chief takeaways in our era of divisiveness is that road ecologists and other scientists, insurance companies, and government officials are working collaboratively to solve problems. They have different goals for doing so, but they’re working effectively at the intersection. You can access my two-part podcast interview on Getting Unstuck–Cultivating Curiosity with Ben in episodes 347 and 348.

The Comfort of Crows – A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl. This title came from one of last year’s best books, and it did not disappoint. Quoting from the book jacket, “Margaret Renkl presents a literary devotional: fifty-two chapters that follow the creatures and plants in her backyard over the course of a year.” How often do you read a chapter or passage because the writing is so moving? If you’re interested in slowing down and seeing more of your immediate world, this is a great place to start. This small volume is a course in observation and reflection.

Challenger – A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham. Like many Americans who watched the Space Shuttle Challenger break apart just seventy-three seconds into its mission, I thought I knew the story, but I was so wrong. As the book jacket explains, “…the Challenger disaster was a defining moment in twentieth-century history–one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told.” I was moved to head-shaking anger after reading how decisions were made and bungled. Higginbotham’s explanation of a highly complicated topic is beautifully presented. The book is a primer on the dangers of overly complex and competing bureaucracies and ego.

Remember Us – American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Remember Us documents twelve lives connected to the American Military Cemetery near the small village of Margraten, Netherlands. Approximately 8,300 Americans who helped liberate the Netherlands from the Nazis and the grip of fascism during World War II are buried there.

One of these was a Black American soldier who, along with a company of other Black Americans, dug the graves under the harshest weather conditions. The cruel irony is that Black soldiers worked in segregated and mostly non-combat roles in a war fought to eliminate tyranny and oppression.

The cemetery is remarkable because local Dutch citizens have taken it upon themselves to adopt each grave and visit it weekly. This practice reflects the citizens’ ongoing gratitude, and their visits ensure that the soldiers are always remembered for their sacrifice. There is a waiting list of citizens who wish to adopt a grave.

Raising Hare—a Memoir by Chloe Dalton. This title has made almost every list I’ve come across. From the jacket cover, “…Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare—a leveret—that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how difficult it is to rear a wild hare.” Dalton deftly and wisely navigates caring for the hare as a house guest versus a pet, a choice that lets the hare move between the wild of the nearby woods and the security of her home. Like Renkl, Dalton has a keen eye for observation, one that put me in her home and garden as a witness to their interactions.

Origin — A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. When I was growing up, I watched or read with almost religious fervor anything National Geographic produced featuring Louis Leakey, a paleoanthropologist and archaeologist. I was in awe of how he dug through the layers of time to find bones and artifacts from our earliest ancestors. Leakey’s work was critical in demonstrating our human origins in Africa.

So, when my friend Annette Taylor, a researcher of evolutionary psychology and biology, shared an article featuring Professor Jennifer Raff, an anthropologist and geneticist trying to rewrite the history of human origins in the Americas, I knew I had to invite her on my podcast.

As a history enthusiast, I found it especially rewarding to co-host, along with Annette, a discussion with Professor Raff on podcast episode 358 about how and why early peoples migrated to and within North America. Raff has a talent for simplifying complex topics and making listeners comfortable with uncertainty. Scientists have theories and are constantly testing and revising them. We don’t yet know for sure how early peoples arrived here or why they migrated, but that’s the beauty of science and history. There is always more to discover.

If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name by Heather Lende. I read this book decades ago and was as captivated then as I was this year by Heather Lende’s storytelling ability. Adapted from the back cover, “As both the obituary writer and social columnist for the local newspaper (in Haines, Alaska, population about 2,500), Heather Lende knows better than anyone the goings-on in this breathtakingly beautiful place. Her offbeat chronicle brings us inside her — and the town’s — busy life.”

Why read about a small town in Alaska? Maybe because it helps us look critically at our own lives. Like Renkl and Dalton, Heather Lende has an eye for detail, but also the humanity beneath the detail. She has graciously agreed to be my guest in podcast episode 400 this coming February.

The most interesting books read in 2025 by his friends and colleagues

Steve Ehrlich – The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul by Connie Zweig.  Zweig writes from a Jungian perspective that is accessible to anyone who thinks about old and new agendas, internal and external, as we transition to later life, and reflect on what we want to hold on to, and what we're prepared to let go of to live an authentic life.  

Cindy House – What Just Happened by Charles Finch. It's one person's experience of the terrible year that was the pandemic lockdown, with all the fear, uncertainty, and strangeness I had forgotten. I loved his cultural observations and witty take on one of the weirdest years of our lives. I am so glad this particular record exists. 

By Edgington – The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. I first read the book in 2013, then again in '24, and now I read and refer to it every year. Singer's book is what propelled me to join his Temple of the Universe, where Mariah and I now live on the grounds. It's filled with inspiration and simple, almost homely wisdom: "The moment in front of you is not bothering you; you're bothering yourself about the moment in front of you!"

Spencer Seim – To Possess the Land by Frank Waters. It follows the life of Arthur Manby, who came to the New Mexico territory in 1885 from England. He quickly tried to cash in by calling parcels of land his own. He quickly ran into resistance, often by force, and had to learn the hard way that the land of New Mexico in those days was a bit more complicated.

Charlotte Wittenkamp – Shift by Ethan Kross. Kross examines Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning and the notion that we always have the freedom to choose how we respond - even to the atrocities Frankl had to put up with in a WWII concentration camp. Kross examines and supports, with scientific findings, various ways we can shift our perspectives to gain easier access to that freedom of choice.

Paul McNichols – E-Boat Alert by James F. Tent. The book offers a nearly forensic yet highly readable analysis of the threat posed by the E-Boats of the German Kriegsmarine to the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944. It covers the development, use, strengths, and limitations of these fast, maneuverable craft, as well as their impact on the Normandy landings on D-Day and the weeks thereafter. The most interesting part is the chain of events that ultimately led to their neutralization.

Annette Taylor – My Name is Chellis, and I’m in Recovery from Western Civilization by Chellis Glendinning. Chellis writes affectionately and respectfully about eco-psychology and nature-based peoples from whom members of Western Civilization could learn a lot.

Sue Inches – The Light Eaters – How the unseen world of plant intelligence offers a new understanding of life on earth by Zoe Schlanger. A thrilling journey that leads the reader from an old paradigm of plants as separate inanimate objects, to the true nature of plants as sensing, alive beings who communicate with the world around them. An inspiring example of how human understanding of the world around us is making progress!

Rich Gassen – The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. Priya teaches us how to have better parties, events, and relationships through her writing. I used this book’s information (along with her podcasts) to plan a better 10-year anniversary party for the Campus Supervisors Network community of practice I lead at UW-Madison — making it exclusive, inviting, and tailored to those who attended.

Mac Bogert – Renegades by Robert Ward. After some time as a college professor, Bob decided to try journalism. He spent twenty years interviewing folks from Waylon Jennings to Larry Flynt, and, damn, he's good at it!

Hunter Seim – Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. The novel is set during World War II, from 1942 to 1944. It mainly follows the life of antihero Captain Yossarian, a U.S. Air Force B-25 bombardier. The term "Catch-22" itself refers to a paradoxical situation in which contradictory rules or circumstances trap a person. In the novel, Yossarian discovers that he can be declared insane and relieved from duty if he requests it, but by requesting it, he demonstrates his sanity. Remarkably accurate in describing organizational dysfunction and bureaucratic absurdity. It was the perfect book to read in 2025.

Bill Whiteside – I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally. I wondered whether this memoir by a New York restaurateur (who hates the word “restaurateur” and much else), who suffered two strokes and survived a suicide attempt, would live up to its social media hype. It does.