2025 Reading Roundup

You cannot be a good writer of any sort if you are not an avid reader. This is surely the reason that I have never met a grants professional that does not read voraciously – books, newspapers, magazines, journals, RFPs, reports, guidelines, etc.

As the year comes to a close (and what a year it’s been!), let’s look back on some of the best books we’ve read in 2025 (in no particular order):

• The Names, Florence Knapp – England, 1987. Here’s the official synopsis: “Tomorrow – if morning comes, if the storm stops raging – Cora will register the name of her son. Or perhaps, and this is her real concern, she’ll formalise who he will become.” What if she names him Gordon? Julian? Bear? How much does our name impact our lives?
• My Friends, Fredrick Backman – Sometimes, the friends you make in school stay with you for life. Every single book of his is fabulous.
• Sounds Like Love, Ashley Poston – “How do I forgive my past self for all the futures I didn’t become?”
• Apostle’s Cove, William Kent Krueger. I always love spending time with Cork O’Connor and family and the constant mysteries that find them. It’s like visiting with an old friend.
• Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy – According to Barnes & Noble, “Wild Dark Shore is about a family on a remote island, a mysterious woman, and a rising storm, set in a future ravaged by weather, exploring survival and hope.” It is all that and so much more.
• Just for the Summer, Abby Jimenez – “Not everything that comes out of a crisis is bad. Sometimes your traumas are the reason you know how to help.” It’s fun to spend time with the friends in Abby’s interconnected universe. Someday I’ll get to her cupcake shop – https://www.nadiacakes.com/
• The Blue Hour, Paula Hawkins – It’s Paula Hawkins (Girl on the Train) so expect it to be twisty. “Grace remembers the island before the trees fell and afterward before the causeway crumbled and after it was repaired; she can see the scars even if no one else can. People have those too don’t they?”
• Learning to Lean, Dave Blundell – A motorcycle travelogue memoir from the Jersey Shore to San Fransisco with all the drama, falls, and side quests you would expect on a solo cross-country trek.
• Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Unlocking the Full Potential of a Vital and Complex Sector, Vu Le – I haven’t even received my copy yet and I already know that I’m going to love it. Vu is something of a nonprofit prophet, I look forward to learning from him.
• The Dark Olympus series, Katee Robert – Dark and spicy re-tellings of all your favorite Greek myths. #3, Wicked Beauty, Helen of Troy, Achilles, and Patroclus was my favorite so far but #9 and 10 haven’t released yet.

Drop us a line and let us know what you’ve been reading this year, recommendations always welcome!