December is a natural inflection point to reflect on the past year: What worked well? What didn’t? What did we learn? What do we hope for in the coming year?

As we turn the page to 2025, we wanted to share some reflections from our in-house staff and editors on their favorite reads this year. If you’re thinking about what books you’ll read as you cozy up by the fireplace, we hope you’ll consider these recommendations. 

Gilead (2004)

By Marilynne Robinson

This Pulitzer-prize winning novel is set in Iowa in the mid-20th century and told as a series of letters from an older man, John Ames, writing to his young son. John anticipates that he will die before his son grows up, and he hopes these letters will serve as a vehicle for his son to know him, and to quietly impart whatever wisdom he has gained. In this way, the novel is a meditation on what makes a good life – what is a life well lived? If John lived a good life – and I personally think he did – then what contributed to it? 

One letter has continued to resonate within me. John, who has been a minister all his life, has a lifetime of sermons packed up in boxes in his house, and he’s reflecting on what to do with them. His conclusion, which he reaches quite matter-of-factly, is that they should all be burned. His lifetime of work, the only written copy that exists of his painstaking labor, sent up in smoke. And his reasoning here is simple: these sermons have served their purpose. He gave them at a time and a place, they impacted who they might impact, and their work is now finished. And John is at peace with this. 

This peace conveys a rich humility, a quiet acceptance that while his life may have been small, this smallness does not in any way mean it was meaningless. When I think about this passage, I often turn it into a prayer: may I too have peaceful acceptance that however big or small my vocational contributions end up being, that I would gratefully acknowledge their unique value, and then let them go. —Rich Bollinger, Senior Program Officer, Character Virtue Development

An Immense World (2023)  

By Ed Yong

Philosopher Thomas Nagel famously asked, “What is it like to be a bat?” In this book, Ed Yong takes a deep dive into the science behind that question and similar questions about the internal world of elephants, sharks, birds and other creatures. He explores senses and experiences no human has ever had and leaves you with the distinct impression that the world is so much bigger, and stranger, than we think it is.  —Redmond Brubaker, Executive Assistant, Office of the President

Master of Change (2023)

By Brad Stulberg

Sometimes, even the most seemingly secure things in life can suddenly become unstable. Brad Stulberg takes this idea further. In Master of Change, he explains that change is the rule, not the exception: life follows a cycle of order, disorder, and reorder. 

In light of this fact, Stulberg argues that we shouldn’t focus on becoming more resilient. Instead, to survive (and even thrive) through life’s constant changes, we should adopt a more flexible mindset and identity, one which he describes as anti-fragile. 

The concept of “antifragile,” initially coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, describes systems that not only survive but also benefit from disorder or volatility. (If this idea intrigues you, listen to our Templeton Ideas podcast episode with Nick Holton, which explains this concept in depth.) 

But how do we turn chaos into a catalyst for growth? Stulberg provides many practical methods and case studies that illustrate how we can become more antifragile in our health, careers, and more. 

My favorite piece of advice from Stulberg is simple: keep showing up. Whether your goal is to become healthier by cultivating a workout routine or to grow in your career by learning a new skill, by staying consistent (even on the days when you really don’t want to), you will eventually reach your goal. —Samantha Cocove, Digital Communications Associate 

Mockingbird (1980)

By Walter Tevis

I came to this book knowing only that Walter Tevis was the author of The Queen’s Gambit. This story could not be more different. It starts with a familiar trope: a future in which the world and all its difficult responsibilities are handled by robots powered by artificial intelligence so that humans can lead lives of leisure.

The trouble is, it’s just not that enjoyable. Suicide rates are alarmingly high, birthrates have plummeted, and there is really no imagination or aspirations for anything different. There’s limitless pleasure, comfort, and entertainment available to every member of society—isn’t that a dream come true?

The story stands out by its complexity of characters. The leading AI robot, Spofforth, struggles with his identity and purpose while holding together a decaying society. He is both architect, caretaker, and destroyer of what remains. The leading human character, Bentley, rediscovers literacy, rekindles his imagination, and comes into direct conflict with the status quo. What kind of world do we want to inhabit, and what roles should humans and machines play in it? This story offers much to ponder. —Thomas Burnett, Assistant Director of Communications

The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale (2022)

By John List

List’s book serves as an important reminder that, when attempting to solve some puzzle, mere intuitions about good ideas are never enough, and it offers practical principles, rooted in economic reasoning, to promote the possibility of greater impact and success for our plans. —Greg Wolcott, Director, Individual Freedom and Free Markets