Favourite books read in 2025

I haven’t read as many books as I was hoping to this year, but thanks to Matter I’ve read a lot more from across the web. Their support for sending articles to the Kindle makes for an excellent experience for long-form articles.

I’ll try to write about my favourite articles in the next few days, but here are my top three books I read this year.

Between Two Kingdoms, by Suleika Jaouad

An incredible storyteller with an incredible story to tell. This was very much un-putdownable and I really enjoyed it. The reader was invited into every conversation and passing thought that really built up the narrative throughout, and how Suleika tackled some incredibly tough topics was truly inspiring.

Unreasonable Hospitality, by Will Guidara

I first spotted this from The Bear and thought it looked interesting. It was a fantastic read, with so many brilliant stories and anecdotes to really drive home the points that Will was making. The power of incredible levels of service and attention to detail cannot be understated, and thinking about how the lessons here can be applied across other industries occupied my mind for a long time after finishing it.

A Different Kind of Power, by Jacinda Ardern

Jacinda Ardern becoming PM of New Zealand felt like a turning point in global politics. Sadly that influence has perhaps not had the full effect just yet, but her style of leadership is infectious and has certainly show that there is another way. She had to deal with some huge events during her time, and she took on each one with great humility.