I use Notion to help my track my reading habits and to store lots of wonderful literary quotes I discover along the way. You too can use my Quotes and Library templates (for free, I may add) to help log your reading journey. If you find them useful you can always thank me by buying me a cheeky coffee, but no obligation, of course – https://ko-fi.com/andyexperience
So, the 2025 list. Shorter than recent years and if I’m honest, I’m not sure why. Life getting in the way, perhaps? I’m very keen to carve out more time for reading and writing in 2026, indeed, it is my resolution. That said, I enjoyed many wonderful reads in 2025, including English Pastoral by James Rebanks. The first section, where the author remembers his childhood on a farm with his grandfather was very moving to me. A fantastic book.
I read two Cormac McCarthy novels this year, The Crossing and Cities of the Plain and firmly remain in awe of this remarkable author. To complement these I read the brilliant John Williams’ Butcher’s Crossing, clarifying my love for American West themed fiction.
In addition to the American West, I also have an interest in English rural history and in addition to English Pastoral I also enjoyed The Dillen: Memories of a Man of Stratford-on-Avon, The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain, and my old favourite, Jack Hargreaves Out of Town. I also read Lavengro by George Borrow, loved it, and have acquired so lovely old copies of more works by Borrow to enjoy in the future.
Finally, I enjoyed some quiet and powerful poetry by Wendell Berry in his collection The Peace of Wild Things. I find it best to read at most a couple of poems at a time, so I can rest with them rather than charge through a collected works at frantic pace. My favourite poems included; To My Children, Fearing For Them, The Peace of Wild Things, To Know The Dark, Another Descent and In a Country Once Forested. Beautiful writing.
So, let’s see the list in full for 2025:
A Short History of Drunkenness, Mark Forsyth
Butcher’s Crossing, John Williams
Cities of the Plain, Cormac McCarthy
English Pastoral, James Rebanks
Lavengro, George Borrow
Mythology of the British Isles, Geoffrey Ashe
Our Only World: Ten Essays, Wendell Berry
Jack Hargreaves: Out of Town, Jack Hargreaves
The Anatomy of a Golf Course, Tom Doak
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy
The Dillen: Memories of a Man of Stratford-upon-Avon, Angela Hewins
The Horse Boy, Rupert Isaacson
The Man Who Was Thursday, G.K. Chesterton
The Midlife Crisis Handbook, Julie Hannan
The Peace of Wild Things, Wendell Berry
The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain, Damian Le Bas
Under a Mackerel Sky, Rick Stein
Unruly: A History of England’s Kings & Queens, David Mitchell
Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things: A Comedian’s Guide to Autism, Pierre Novellie
If you’re interested I offer free Notion templates with a range of uses, and a YouTube channel showcasing them. I also run the Medicine, Arts, Humanities Resource List if that topic floats your boat. All my links can be found on my Linktree.
Wishing you all a prosperous and happy 2026. Happy reading!
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.
andyexperience 