While in many other aspects 2025 has felt like such a difficult and, frankly, disappointing year, literature-wise it has been satisfactory to me. It hasn’t really been easy to stay on top of my reading, despite the more manageable working hours this year. I want to kind of blame it on the commute—which allows me to ride the train for less than 10 minutes and mostly spent on a motorbike—but if I truly want to hit my reading goal, I should be able to find a way to do so. What I decided to do was use my lunch breaks to do so, or I would catch up on my reading before bed. Normal stuff, you know. You make do. Well, I’ve got to distract myself from all the storms brewing all around me. What else can I do but read?
By the time I’m writing this post, I am still working my way through the 30th book and hit that yearly reading goal—thankfully, it’s a book I’ve been really excited about all year. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the statistics in 2025! The books I read this year are comprised of 53% fiction, 50% picture books (mostly illustrated, but there’s one filled with other forms of artwork), 47% German books (thanks to a quaint afternoon at Goethe Bibliothek sometime in May), 43% nonfiction, and 20% environment-related books. Currently, I’m technically reading 3 books at once, although 2 of which seems impossible to finish before the end of the year. Don’t worry, you’ll get to see them too at the end of this post. Let’s go!
While in many other aspects 2025 has felt like such a difficult and, frankly, disappointing year, literature-wise it has been satisfactory to me. It hasn’t really been easy to stay on top of my reading, despite the more manageable working hours this year. I want to kind of blame it on the commute—which allows me to ride the train for less than 10 minutes and mostly spent on a motorbike—but if I truly want to hit my reading goal, I should be able to find a way to do so. What I decided to do was use my lunch breaks to do so, or I would catch up on my reading before bed. Normal stuff, you know. You make do. Well, I’ve got to distract myself from all the storms brewing all around me. What else can I do but read?
By the time I’m writing this post, I am still working my way through the 30th book and hit that yearly reading goal—thankfully, it’s a book I’ve been really excited about all year. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the statistics in 2025! The books I read this year are comprised of 53% fiction, 50% picture books (mostly illustrated, but there’s one filled with other forms of artwork), 47% German books (thanks to a quaint afternoon at Goethe Bibliothek sometime in May), 43% nonfiction, and 20% environment-related books. Currently, I’m technically reading 3 books at once, although 2 of which seems impossible to finish before the end of the year. Don’t worry, you’ll get to see them too at the end of this post. Let’s go!
#10: Pergulatan Transisi Energi Berkeadilan
Edited by Geger Riyanto
I purchased this book from Gramedia during one of their big sales around the end of the year. I was just browsing through, but the title (and cover) of this book just caught my eye completely. I can’t believe a book like this existed (in Indonesia!) and I hadn’t heard about it at all. It’s insanely under appreciated.
This book is a collection of essays, dissecting different aspects of building the framework and implementing renewable energy in Indonesia. If you think getting renewable energy is as simple as installing a turbine or solar panel, boy, you’re in for a ride. There’s a lot of politics, financial, geological, and socio-cultural aspects to consider. It’s not enough to commit to zero carbon, the people’s wellbeing need to be considered as well. These are the kinds of things you will learn about in this book.
#10: Pergulatan Transisi Energi Berkeadilan
Edited by Geger Riyanto
I purchased this book from Gramedia during one of their big sales around the end of the year. I was just browsing through, but the title (and cover) of this book just caught my eye completely. I can’t believe a book like this existed (in Indonesia!) and I hadn’t heard about it at all. It’s insanely under appreciated.
This book is a collection of essays, dissecting different aspects of building the framework and implementing renewable energy in Indonesia. If you think getting renewable energy is as simple as installing a turbine or solar panel, boy, you’re in for a ride. There’s a lot of politics, financial, geological, and socio-cultural aspects to consider. It’s not enough to commit to zero carbon, the people’s wellbeing need to be considered as well. These are the kinds of things you will learn about in this book.
#9: Disobedient Bodies
by Emma Dabiri
I talked about this book before. My friend Mel from work is an active feminist—which is to say that she reads a lot of books on feminist issues. One day she recommended me this book and let me borrow it. Interestingly, she hasn’t finished reading it herself (lol). But she wasn’t wrong, this book has such an interesting perspective on how we view beauty and, in particular, our own individual bodies.
Emma Dabiri does a really great job writing this topic both from an academic and personal point-of-view. She speaks of her own feelings and experiences as a woman who feels the pressure of having to focus on beauty constantly…but also the many, many cultural practices on beauty that may challenge the modern way we look at our bodies and how we value (physical) beauty.
#9: Disobedient Bodies
by Emma Dabiri
I talked about this book before. My friend Mel from work is an active feminist—which is to say that she reads a lot of books on feminist issues. One day she recommended me this book and let me borrow it. Interestingly, she hasn’t finished reading it herself (lol). But she wasn’t wrong, this book has such an interesting perspective on how we view beauty and, in particular, our own individual bodies.
Emma Dabiri does a really great job writing this topic both from an academic and personal point-of-view. She speaks of her own feelings and experiences as a woman who feels the pressure of having to focus on beauty constantly…but also the many, many cultural practices on beauty that may challenge the modern way we look at our bodies and how we value (physical) beauty.
#8: Buah Leluhur dari Pohon Kehidupan
by Ahmad Arif
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may be familiar with the name Ahmad Arif. I’ve been reading and following his Seri Pangan Nusantara (trans. “Indonesian Food Series”) since 2020. And this year, he published the fourth installment of the series, which focuses on the fruit we mostly know in Indonesia as sukun (in English, apparently, it’s called breadfruit). When it was available for pre-order, I quickly grabbed it together with my friend Uta.
In reality, I’m not a fan of the breadfruit. I’ve had it many times and it never really grew on me—pun entirely intended (lol). That being said, I always love the idea of eating more locally, which means eating local produce (not only recipes from local cultures). I’m always learning so much from Mas Aik’s books, and this will be my 30th book.
#8: Buah Leluhur dari Pohon Kehidupan
by Ahmad Arif
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may be familiar with the name Ahmad Arif. I’ve been reading and following his Seri Pangan Nusantara (trans. “Indonesian Food Series”) since 2020. And this year, he published the fourth installment of the series, which focuses on the fruit we mostly know in Indonesia as sukun (in English, apparently, it’s called breadfruit). When it was available for pre-order, I quickly grabbed it together with my friend Uta.
In reality, I’m not a fan of the breadfruit. I’ve had it many times and it never really grew on me—pun entirely intended (lol). That being said, I always love the idea of eating more locally, which means eating local produce (not only recipes from local cultures). I’m always learning so much from Mas Aik’s books, and this will be my 30th book.
#7: Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far
by Stefan Sagmeister
Ever since I learnt about Sagmeister at uni, I’ve always admired his work ethics. His ability to transcend the limits of graphic design to blur the lines between art and design is truly magnificent. He also has such a dedication to his craft that he would experiment with many, many tools that go beyond what would normally be considered art supplies. There truly isn’t anything that he wouldn’t (at least) think to use for his craft, pushing the boundaries for what is possible to create exceptional art. This book, in particular, is one title from his wide array of published books that I’ve been super intrigued by. When I saw it at a used bookstore, I quickly grabbed it—despite the fact that it’s missing a booklet.
This book is truly unique, because it actually consists of 15 unbound books (or booklets, as I call them). Now, since I’m missing one, I only have 14, so I may not have the full picture. The interesting thing is, you can shuffle the orders of the booklets to change up the covers however you want. There isn’t much of an order to read it—although one of the booklets serve as the introduction to the rest. It talks about Sagmeister’s career in a somewhat chronological way, starting from his grandfather who serves as one of his earliest inspiration in creating art. It’s really amazing to see his thinking throughout many of his projects, most of which take very different formats and are often executed in an organic and non-pristine way.
#7: Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far
by Stefan Sagmeister
Ever since I learnt about Sagmeister at uni, I’ve always admired his work ethics. His ability to transcend the limits of graphic design to blur the lines between art and design is truly magnificent. He also has such a dedication to his craft that he would experiment with many, many tools that go beyond what would normally be considered art supplies. There truly isn’t anything that he wouldn’t (at least) think to use for his craft, pushing the boundaries for what is possible to create exceptional art. This book, in particular, is one title from his wide array of published books that I’ve been super intrigued by. When I saw it at a used bookstore, I quickly grabbed it—despite the fact that it’s missing a booklet.
This book is truly unique, because it actually consists of 15 unbound books (or booklets, as I call them). Now, since I’m missing one, I only have 14, so I may not have the full picture. The interesting thing is, you can shuffle the orders of the booklets to change up the covers however you want. There isn’t much of an order to read it—although one of the booklets serve as the introduction to the rest. It talks about Sagmeister’s career in a somewhat chronological way, starting from his grandfather who serves as one of his earliest inspiration in creating art. It’s really amazing to see his thinking throughout many of his projects, most of which take very different formats and are often executed in an organic and non-pristine way.
#6: In the Name of Identity
by Amin Maalouf
I bought this book used purely because the title intrigued me so much—and the unique cover art surely helps. After reading the synopsis a little bit, I became even more intrigued to flip through it. Amin Maalouf, the author, is a Lebanese man, and I suppose that contributes to his interest in identity in general.
While this book was published in 1998, its observations and the way it explores the subject matter can still amazingly remain relevant now in 2025. Perhaps even especially now, in the wake of globalisation. If I’m being honest, I don’t really remember what the book talks about in detail—I take a lot of what I write here from a review I write about the book earlier this year. The only thing I felt was such a shame is how the author keeps mentioning Israel in the book, acknowledging its existence and erasing the Palestinian people. Ironically, in a book speaking about identity.
#6: In the Name of Identity
by Amin Maalouf
I bought this book used purely because the title intrigued me so much—and the unique cover art surely helps. After reading the synopsis a little bit, I became even more intrigued to flip through it. Amin Maalouf, the author, is a Lebanese man, and I suppose that contributes to his interest in identity in general.
While this book was published in 1998, its observations and the way it explores the subject matter can still amazingly remain relevant now in 2025. Perhaps even especially now, in the wake of globalisation. If I’m being honest, I don’t really remember what the book talks about in detail—I take a lot of what I write here from a review I write about the book earlier this year. The only thing I felt was such a shame is how the author keeps mentioning Israel in the book, acknowledging its existence and erasing the Palestinian people. Ironically, in a book speaking about identity.
#5: Intermezzo
by Sally Rooney
This is one of the books I mentioned pretty early on this year. It’s something I’ve been eyeing long before I finally read it, but I didn’t want to buy it new. Luckily, one of work friends Sade had this book in her possession and was kind enough to let me borrow it. And that’s how Intermezzo became the second Sally Rooney book I’ve ever read—and I thought it was perfect that way.
First, a word of warning: Sally Rooney is not for everyone. A lot of people have mentioned her lack of quotation marks very hard to follow. Personally, I find it really endearing—blurring the lines between what’s being said and what’s being thought makes it very raw. Intermezzo, in particular, speaks of family dynamics that hit so close to home for me—although not entirely the same. It makes me believe even more that a Sally Rooney book always comes to my life when the time is right.
#5: Intermezzo
by Sally Rooney
This is one of the books I mentioned pretty early on this year. It’s something I’ve been eyeing long before I finally read it, but I didn’t want to buy it new. Luckily, one of work friends Sade had this book in her possession and was kind enough to let me borrow it. And that’s how Intermezzo became the second Sally Rooney book I’ve ever read—and I thought it was perfect that way.
First, a word of warning: Sally Rooney is not for everyone. A lot of people have mentioned her lack of quotation marks very hard to follow. Personally, I find it really endearing—blurring the lines between what’s being said and what’s being thought makes it very raw. Intermezzo, in particular, speaks of family dynamics that hit so close to home for me—although not entirely the same. It makes me believe even more that a Sally Rooney book always comes to my life when the time is right.
#4: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
by Ocean Vuong
There’s something about the cover of this book that has always mesmerised me. While I don’t entirely understand what is portrayed there, it strikes a chord in my heart and I knew the book must be very personal and emotional. My conviction was made even stronger when I watched Ocean Vuong’s interview with Dua Lipa, which felt like two kindred spirits finally meeting (online) for the first time. The interview surpassed my expectations and made me want to read the book even more. When I saw that it was available at Margin Space—an independent library located near my office—I quickly grabbed it for an end-of-year read.
The way this book was written feels like a fever dream. What is present, what is past, what is real, what is imagined—all of this kind of blurs into the melting pot called memories, since the entire book is supposedly a letter Little Dog is writing to his mother. Whether or not the letter was mailed notwithstanding. It’s somewhat haphazard way of portraying experiences and family history is reminiscent, to me, of Murakami—without any of the misogynistic details—and Han Kang. However, the multi-format style of the writing is not unlike the next book on this list. It’s a book you need to sit with for several minutes after finishing.
Also, someone named Ocean writing about ‘Earth’ is so interesting to me.
#4: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
by Ocean Vuong
There’s something about the cover of this book that has always mesmerised me. While I don’t entirely understand what is portrayed there, it strikes a chord in my heart and I knew the book must be very personal and emotional. My conviction was made even stronger when I watched Ocean Vuong’s interview with Dua Lipa, which felt like two kindred spirits finally meeting (online) for the first time. The interview surpassed my expectations and made me want to read the book even more. When I saw that it was available at Margin Space—an independent library located near my office—I quickly grabbed it for an end-of-year read.
The way this book was written feels like a fever dream. What is present, what is past, what is real, what is imagined—all of this kind of blurs into the melting pot called memories, since the entire book is supposedly a letter Little Dog is writing to his mother. Whether or not the letter was mailed notwithstanding. It’s somewhat haphazard way of portraying experiences and family history is reminiscent, to me, of Murakami—without any of the misogynistic details—and Han Kang. However, the multi-format style of the writing is not unlike the next book on this list. It’s a book you need to sit with for several minutes after finishing.
Also, someone named Ocean writing about ‘Earth’ is so interesting to me.
#3: Grief is the Thing with Feathers
by Max Porter
Now, this is probably the book that I whizzed through the fastest on this list. I read it when I was visiting my sister in Bandung, when we stopped by The Room 19, an independent library in Dago. Since I didn’t live in Bandung, I was determined to finish this book in one seating—and I did! It’s one of those books whose reputation has preceded it and I perceive it as a modern classic—isn’t it, though? Which is where the determination comes from. It was only later that I realised its movie was getting released earlier this year too.
The book tells the story of a small family of a father and two sons who just lost the mother. None of the characters have a name, and the writing style is entirely experimental. It portrays the chaotic nature of grief perfectly, I find. It resonated with my own prior grief, but I didn’t realise that it would foreshadow an upcoming grief as well.
#3: Grief is the Thing with Feathers
by Max Porter
Now, this is probably the book that I whizzed through the fastest on this list. I read it when I was visiting my sister in Bandung, when we stopped by The Room 19, an independent library in Dago. Since I didn’t live in Bandung, I was determined to finish this book in one seating—and I did! It’s one of those books whose reputation has preceded it and I perceive it as a modern classic—isn’t it, though? Which is where the determination comes from. It was only later that I realised its movie was getting released earlier this year too.
The book tells the story of a small family of a father and two sons who just lost the mother. None of the characters have a name, and the writing style is entirely experimental. It portrays the chaotic nature of grief perfectly, I find. It resonated with my own prior grief, but I didn’t realise that it would foreshadow an upcoming grief as well.
#2: Possible
by Chris Goodall
Not going to lie, I initially picked up this book thinking that Chris Goodall may be related to Jane Goodall—spoiler alert: he’s not. However, it turns out Chris Goodall is an expert in new energy technologies and has published multiple books on the topic. This time around, his book speaks of the intricate details that need to be tackled in order to effectively install a renewable energy framework to achieve net zero.
Since the author himself is a businessman, he speaks mainly about renewable energy for the business sector—which has obviously been obsessed with ‘net zero’ without (I fear) understanding at all what the phrase means. While such information may not be relevant or useful for individuals, such as myself, sadly we cannot start implementing renewable energy in domestic settings if the framework by businesses and the government aren’t put in place first.
#2: Possible
by Chris Goodall
Not going to lie, I initially picked up this book thinking that Chris Goodall may be related to Jane Goodall—spoiler alert: he’s not. However, it turns out Chris Goodall is an expert in new energy technologies and has published multiple books on the topic. This time around, his book speaks of the intricate details that need to be tackled in order to effectively install a renewable energy framework to achieve net zero.
Since the author himself is a businessman, he speaks mainly about renewable energy for the business sector—which has obviously been obsessed with ‘net zero’ without (I fear) understanding at all what the phrase means. While such information may not be relevant or useful for individuals, such as myself, sadly we cannot start implementing renewable energy in domestic settings if the framework by businesses and the government aren’t put in place first.
#1: Nature Is a Human Right
Edited by Ellen Miles
The fact that this and the previous books both talk about the environment and use the same colours on the covers is purely accidental—although, I’m not the one who designed the covers so maybe there’s something there actually. This book truly opened my eyes to the fact that access to nature is such a privilege, mainly reserved for the rich. I never really thought of it before, as it seems to be the poorer communities who live around nature in Indonesia. That being said, they seem to lose more and more of the liberty to keep said nature in their lives—especially considering recent events with Prabowo’s obsession with godddamn palm oil.
Through essays, fiction, poetry and meditation guide, this book manages to educate us about the importance of nature and why everyone should have free access to it. Some of the things explored in this book includes the systematic uneven distribution of nature among different races and social backgrounds, the ridiculous idea of gated properties that include a wide area of wild nature (including mountains and forests), and how access to nature feels ableist and restricted against disabled people.
#1: Nature Is a Human Right
Edited by Ellen Miles
The fact that this and the previous books both talk about the environment and use the same colours on the covers is purely accidental—although, I’m not the one who designed the covers so maybe there’s something there actually. This book truly opened my eyes to the fact that access to nature is such a privilege, mainly reserved for the rich. I never really thought of it before, as it seems to be the poorer communities who live around nature in Indonesia. That being said, they seem to lose more and more of the liberty to keep said nature in their lives—especially considering recent events with Prabowo’s obsession with godddamn palm oil.
Through essays, fiction, poetry and meditation guide, this book manages to educate us about the importance of nature and why everyone should have free access to it. Some of the things explored in this book includes the systematic uneven distribution of nature among different races and social backgrounds, the ridiculous idea of gated properties that include a wide area of wild nature (including mountains and forests), and how access to nature feels ableist and restricted against disabled people.
Honourary Mentions
Iconic Books I’m Still Working Through
Aside from the books I mentioned earlier, there are also a couple books I’ve been trying to get through this year. While they didn’t end up getting finished in time for the end of 2025, they were still some pretty good titles and I thought I should mention them, as follows:
I bought this book as part of my July Book Shopping Spree. As you may know, my boss at the office now is a musician and he constantly wants me to learn more about musical history and such. However, I am pretty clueless about the music scene. That’s when I spotted this book and I thought it would be a great way for me to get to know the music scene of the early 2000’s a little bit more. It’s a great compilation of articles written by the author throughout his career as a music journalist.
This book used to belong to Naela Ali (or her friends?), because I bought it from her at Meet Things Room 03. Obviously, you must know this book—it’s legendary! I thought I would be mind blown by its contents. However, I forgot completely that it’s a physics book and I…hate…physics. So after trying to get through it for a week or two (maybe more), I decided to put it down for a while for a time when my head isn’t so full. Resume next month, probably?
This year my reading portfolio has been very satisfactory. It was super colourful, comprising mostly of picture books and childlike wonder. God, I love it. It was also pretty varied in terms of subject matter. There were a lot of books speaking of the environment, society, family, design, food, immigrant experience and raw emotions. Each one written by different authors. All of them opened up my world to new insights and perspectives, which is what reading is all about for me.
I looked back to my book wrap up in 2024 and, apparently, I wasn’t satisfied with the books I had read that year. I also mentioned that I loved the books I read in 2022 and 2023, despite my life feeling like such a roller coaster of trials and challenges. Perhaps that’s how life works—everything else could fall apart, but you’ll at least read good books. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the year I forsook reading goals, but that’s okay—I smashed it anyway. And maybe in 2026 I could read books that could put my life back on track or help me find what I want out of it. So that I wouldn’t have to choose: between a good life or good reads.
What were your favourite 2025 reads?
Let me know in the comments!
Iconic Books I’m Still Working Through
Aside from the books I mentioned earlier, there are also a couple books I’ve been trying to get through this year. While they didn’t end up getting finished in time for the end of 2025, they were still some pretty good titles and I thought I should mention them, as follows:
I bought this book as part of my July Book Shopping Spree. As you may know, my boss at the office now is a musician and he constantly wants me to learn more about musical history and such. However, I am pretty clueless about the music scene. That’s when I spotted this book and I thought it would be a great way for me to get to know the music scene of the early 2000’s a little bit more. It’s a great compilation of articles written by the author throughout his career as a music journalist.
This book used to belong to Naela Ali (or her friends?), because I bought it from her at Meet Things Room 03. Obviously, you must know this book—it’s legendary! I thought I would be mind blown by its contents. However, I forgot completely that it’s a physics book and I…hate…physics. So after trying to get through it for a week or two (maybe more), I decided to put it down for a while for a time when my head isn’t so full. Resume next month, probably?
This year my reading portfolio has been very satisfactory. It was super colourful, comprising mostly of picture books and childlike wonder. God, I love it. It was also pretty varied in terms of subject matter. There were a lot of books speaking of the environment, society, family, design, food, immigrant experience and raw emotions. Each one written by different authors. All of them opened up my world to new insights and perspectives, which is what reading is all about for me.
I looked back to my book wrap up in 2024 and, apparently, I wasn’t satisfied with the books I had read that year. I also mentioned that I loved the books I read in 2022 and 2023, despite my life feeling like such a roller coaster of trials and challenges. Perhaps that’s how life works—everything else could fall apart, but you’ll at least read good books. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the year I forsook reading goals, but that’s okay—I smashed it anyway. And maybe in 2026 I could read books that could put my life back on track or help me find what I want out of it. So that I wouldn’t have to choose: between a good life or good reads.
What were your favourite 2025 reads?
Let me know in the comments!