I read (or reread) 141 books last year, which I believe is a record for me, at least since my childhood years. Does some of that total represent a desire to escape from the hellish political landscape that we currently are living through? Yeah, probably… [Was I also reading in my childhood years as an escape? Yes, definitely.]
My top book for 2025 was my reread of In Search of Deeper Learning, by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine. This book resonated differently with me the second time that I read it through. I unearthed lots of new think-abouts, and I am looking forward to unpacking the book with my doctoral students this summer in my Leadership for Deeper Learning class. As I said in my post last January, if you care about deeper learning, this foundational book is worth every penny you pay for it and every minute you spend reading it.
Last year I also greatly enjoyed Implementing Project Based Learning in Early Childhood, by Sara Lev, Amanda Clark, and Erin Starkey. I hadn’t thought much about early childhood project-based learning (ECPBL), but I learned a lot from the book (and a visit with Sara in Los Angeles!). Our youngest learners can do PBL too!
On the fiction front, my top pick last year was probably The Final Strife, by Saara El-Arifi. I tend to read more traditional epic fantasy instead of fantasy with African-/Arabian-themed elements, but this was a fantastic book (and a good series overall). Lately I’ve been on a thriller and mystery kick instead of my usual science fiction and fantasy emphasis. These tend to be a little less challenging for my brain, so I finish them fairly quickly. Maybe I’m gravitating to the whole good-triumphs-over-evil aspect…
Hope you’re reading something fun too!
