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By: Rick
With more and more of our favorite shows being adapted from books, 2025 was the perfect year to get into reading. Even some of the best movies were originally based on books. Not sure where to get started on your reading/audiobook journey, here’s some of my favorites from this past year:
Books Read (17 total):
Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life – Gary John Bishop
Sonny Boy- Al Pacino
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store – James McBride
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario – Matt Dinniman
Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – George R.R. Martin
Along Came A Spider – James Patterson
A Life In Parts – Bryan Cranston
Dearly Devoted Dexter – Jeff Lindsay
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins
Becky Lynch: The Man – Not Your Average Average Girl – Rebecca Quin
Carrie – Stephen King
Adversity For Sale – Jeezy
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -J.K. Rowling
Supergirl: Worman of Tomorrow – Tom King
Recommended Reading
Sonny Boy
If you’re a fan of autobiographies, a movie fan, and/or and Al Pacino fan, this one is for you. Start to finish it goes through the early days of his childhood to his big break, to some of his more iconic roles, and the pitfalls along the way. There’s no “gotcha” or “tell all” moments you’d expect from a celebrity biography, but it’s fascinating how he navigated the challenges of stardom.
The Hunger Games Series
With 5 books in the series, The Hunger Games are the perfect companion to anyone who loved the movies. The original trilogy is set over 3 separate books and then two prequel stories. These are a great read for anyone who felt the movies were a bit rushed. With the upcoming movie Sunrise on the Reaping, it’s a good time to catch up on the books that inspired your favorite series. Quick reads that keep your attention.
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
They say “you can’t judge a book by its cover” but for this one, I did. Well, with the original book, Dungeon Crawler Carl. Originally, I only dove in because the cover made it seem like it was similar to the video games I had been playing, and I was not disappointed. The second book in the series dives deeper into the character development between Carl and Princess Donut, yes, that’s his cat’s name. A LitRPG (or literary PRG) that follows Carl’s adventure into the next floors of the dungeon and a few side quests that get him into more trouble. It won’t be your typical read for sure.
Dearly Devoted Dexter
If you’re a fan of the Showtime series, Dexter, you should know it’s based on these novels by Jeff Lindsay. The second book in the series follows fan-favorite Dexter in his pursuit of justice outside of the Miami Metro Police Department. Die-hard fans might be slow to pick up the books with so much coming out on streaming, but there’s a fork in the road that the books take that the show did not. With an adversary yet to be seen on the series, this is a deeper dive into the emotional world of TV’s most fascinating serial killer.
Along Came A Spider
This book was a total gamble, but after watching the show Cross on Prime, I rolled the dice. This is the introduction to the Alex Cross character, the show is based on, but the books are a bit different. Another psychological thriller with enough twists to keep the pages turning. With a sequel being released this year, this is the perfect introduction for anyone looking for a long, 34-book, to be read.
Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow
It’s not often that we can recommend graphic novels in our book recommendations, but this one cut. If you loved the Superman movie of 2025 and are excited for the upcoming Supergirl movie, this graphic novel will be what it’s loosely based on. The story itself is kind of a slow burn, but by the end, you get a real sense of who Kara is and what she stands for. A great addition to work in the mix before you see the movie.
Adversity For Sale
Maybe we’re just getting old, or maybe some of our favorite artists growing up feel like they have more of a story to tell. Not everyone will get the chance to have their story made into a biopic, but (Young) Jeezy’s Adversity for Sale is a great look at how the Soul Survivor artists come up. From hustling to come up to not trusting people in the music industry, this book goes into depth about what it takes to make it in the industry.
There’s nothing like a good book to kick off the new year. While we might not be as trendy as #bookTok, we’ve always got your back if you need a few good recommendations. Check back for our latest picks.
