maraoz.comFavorite Books of 2025
From the heat of the Buenos Aires summer, I’m reviewing the books I read this year. Here’s a list of those I enjoyed the most:
1. “The Man Who Folded Himself” by David Gerrold
fiction sci-fi
Fiction shines when it convincingly transports you to the life of another person, with a different perspective, in a different world. This book excels at that.
A story about time travel, identity, and weirdness.
Recommendation by Lucas Lopatin, thanks!
2. “How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built” by Stewart Brand
non-fiction design
6 STARS — EVERY NON-ARCHITECT SHOULD READ THIS!!!
And, honestly, architects too…
This was my favorite book of 2025 by far. Stewart Brand is a genius!! A mind-blowing and in-depth dive into what buildings are and how they change during the years. Completely opened my mind to a different way of thinking about the spaces we inhabit.
Recommendation by Deadpine, thanks!
p.s: read this in paper!
3. “The Fabric of Reality” by David Deutsch
non-fiction science philosophy
An honest search for a “Theory of Everything” in the broadest sense (not what reductionist physicists often call that). I plan to re-read every ~5 years.
4. “The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World” by Iain McGilchrist
non-fiction science
What an epic book! Not very well written, unfortunately, but a great contribution to the ‘know yourself’ journey. Understand why we have two hemispheres and what it does to you and the world. Loved the kind epistemological criticism of rationality along the way. Must-read for truth seekers in this intuition-forsaken world.
Recommendation by Fran Ingham, thanks!
5. “The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents” by William Martin
non-fiction parenting
“Tao Te Ching” may sound like religious nonsense if you don’t know about it and are like me. Instead, I found it to be just ancient wisdom and non-neurotic common sense. This book applies the teachings of the Tao to parenting. It describes a pragmatic and emotionally stable approach, free from excessive anxiety or overthinking. It’s one of the few parenting “theories” I didn’t completely despise. We may be living in the age of overthinking.
6. “Entre nosotras” by Cecilia Gomez Rosati
fiction argentina
A coming of age short novel written in Spanish. Corta e intensa. A menudo me encuentro pensando en los personajes.
7. “The Art of the Deal” by Donald Trump
non-fiction business
Written in 1987, before he was such a controversial political figure, this book by Trump tells you about his career as a real estate developer. It’s a fascinating read, and you’ll learn how (actually) smart and ambitious the guy is. Great lens by which to understand his leadership and foreign policy for USA, too. At the very least read my highlights, what a fantastic book.
Recommendation by Martín A., thanks!
8. “Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening” by Sepp Holzer
non-fiction farming
A great guide on permaculture: land management and farming that works with and not against nature. This books contains practical advice (albeit mostly without sources, because it’s based on Holzer’s own experience) on:
- Fruit trees
- Vegetable gardens
- Earthmoving (creating terraces, ponds, and waterways)
- Cattle rearing
Read this in paper format: it contains lots of illustrations and pictures.
9. “Dungeon Crawler Carl” by Matt Dinniman
fiction fantasy
Very light, geeky and funny! This book is the closest thing to a videogame or TV show that you’ll find in text format. Recommended for D&D, fantasy and comedy thriller fans who want a light read.
10. “Beyond Good and Evil” by Friedrich Nietzsche
non-fiction philosophy
“SUPPOSING that Truth is a woman—what then?”
A truth seeker with literary genius doing his best.
He argues that philosophers have disguised their prejudices as rational truths, but they’re just defending their cultural conditioning.
Nietzsche has such a way with words…
His sentences can evoke 1,000 images.
So he explores hard topics that cannot be made explicit, only hinted at.
Man’s search for morality, the nature of truth, cause, effect, self, thinking…
At times I got lost, but I guess that was part of the idea. A beautiful work of art and truth-seeking.
11. “Demian” by Hermann Hesse
fiction philosophy
A great coming-of-age story. Hesse’s authenticity shines through his writing. Beautiful exploration of what it means to grow up in a world of chaos and rules.
12. “The Bogleheads’ Guide to the Three-Fund Portfolio” by Taylor Larimore
non-fiction finance
Brief summary of what I call “black-box” investment theory. In this framework, you consider assets almost as random variables and try to build a portfolio allocation accordingly. The approach sounds dumb but it’s pretty effective when you’re not really an expert in what you’re investing in. The book proposes a simple solution based on 3 index funds, which I’m using for my non-crypto allocation. Pairs well with Ben Graham’s “The Intelligent Investor”.
If you can’t read a whole book on this (admittedly dry) topic, consider this shorter PDF.
Final Words
Looking back at the whole list of books I read this year, I notice that those I enjoyed most were recommended by someone that knows me. I guess that’s a great heuristic for finding good books. If you think a book is specifically good for me, let me know!
You can also check out my favorite books from 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021.
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