My Top Reads of 2025: A Deep Dive into Noir, Classic Literature, Comics, and Crime Fiction

Man Carrying Thing

Introduction & Book Club Announcement [0:00]

• The speaker announces the launch of a book club starting in 2026, reading one book per month.
  • Membership is available through Patreon, with tiers starting at $2 for access to everything, and a $5 tier allowing members to vote on future book selections.
  • A free membership tier is also available.

    

• Reflects on 2025 as a transformative reading year, influenced by having a newborn and adapting reading habits to mobile devices.
• Mentions exploring new genres, including comic books, for the first time.

James Ellroy's The LA Quartet [0:54]

• Introduces James Ellroy as a legendary noir crime fiction writer.
  • Focuses on "The Black Dahlia" [1:09], the first book in his acclaimed LA Quartet.

    

    • The novel is set immediately after World War II in Los Angeles.
    • It's based on the real and famous unsolved murder case of Elizabeth Short.
    • Ellroy's writing is described as brilliant and on par with masters like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
    • Characters are not necessarily likable but are deeply flawed and realistic portrayals of police officers and detectives of that era.
    • The book features an unconventional structure, dedicating a significant section to character development, including a vividly described boxing match, before the murder occurs, creating a kinetic, cinematic reading experience.
• The speaker looks forward to reading "The Big Nowhere" in 2026, noting that Ellroy's later writing becomes even more distinctive, stripped-back, and punchy.

Clarice Lispector's Near to the Wild Heart [2:10]

• Discovers Clarice Lispector, a Brazilian novelist experiencing a popular resurgence.
  • Highlights her first novel, "Near to the Wild Heart" [2:23], written when she was in her early twenties (22 or 23).

    

    • Her writing is characterized as very modern, impressionistic, and sensory, focusing on subjective reality rather than a shared objective one, drawing comparisons to James Joyce.
    • The story follows a woman's life and marriage, including an affair, presented as a richly personal melodrama.
    • The chapters are notably short.
    • Although translated from Portuguese, the English version successfully captures Lispector's unique, lyrical style, which can be halting and grammatically unconventional yet remains compelling.
• Recommends the book for readers seeking a fresh linguistic experience and a departure from traditional narrative modes.

Ernest Hemingway [3:32]

• Discusses Mary V. Dearborn's biography, "Ernest Hemingway" [3:27].

  

  • Praises the biography for deeply connecting Hemingway's life to his semi-autobiographical literary works.
  • The speaker read many of Hemingway's short stories for the first time, gaining new context from the biography.
    • Mentions iconic stories like "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro."
    • Notes the widespread consensus that Hemingway's short stories, especially his early ones like "The Big Two-Hearted River," are fantastic.
    • Appreciates the refreshing clarity of Hemingway's language and his immense influence on 20th-century literature.
• Explores Hemingway's complex and often sad personal traits:
  • His self-destructive tendencies and mental health issues.
  • His charisma that attracted many friends, who he often betrayed or resented for their kindness (e.g., F. Scott Fitzgerald).
• Learning about his political involvement, particularly in the Spanish Civil War, alongside his stories, offered a broader understanding of 20th-century history.

Mark Waid and Alex Ross's Kingdom Come [5:38]

• Discusses the DC comic book "Kingdom Come" by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.

  

  • Alex Ross's artwork is highly praised as "incredibly good" [5:50].
    • The art consists of detailed, realistic watercolor paintings, described as unique for a comic book.
    • The speaker regrets buying a compact edition and recommends a larger, glossy version to fully appreciate the art.
  • The story's premise involves a future where new superheroes lack the noble values of their predecessors.
    • Superman must re-emerge to guide them towards being "good guys" again.
    • Despite some "silly" elements, the narrative contains deeply heartfelt and sincere moments, questioning the presence of kindness and goodness among heroes.

Lawrence Block's A Ticket to the Boneyard [6:48]

• Continues reading Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder private detective series.

  

  • Matthew Scudder is a classic New York-based private detective, a former policeman, and an alcoholic.
    • He is haunted by guilt from accidentally killing a child in the line of duty.
    • The series tracks his life, from active drinking in the first five books to becoming sober in "Eight Million Ways to Die."
    • It portrays New York City evolving and Scudder building new relationships, including an unlikely friendship with an Irish gangster.
  • Specifically highlights "A Ticket to the Boneyard" [7:00].
    • This book features an unhinged killer pursuing Scudder, a classic pulpy plot executed in Block's distinct style.
    • The books are surprisingly philosophical, dry, restrained, cynical, and possess a dark humor that resonates with the speaker.
• Recommends starting the series with "The Sins of the Fathers" [8:31].

Donald E. Westlake's The Ax [8:35]

• Discusses "The Ax" by Donald E. Westlake, which was adapted into the movie "No Other Choice."
  • Donald E. Westlake is celebrated as a prolific and wonderful writer of crime novels, using multiple pseudonyms like Richard Stark (known for the hard-boiled Parker series).

    

  • "The Ax," written in the 1990s, is described as still highly relevant and powerful.

    

    • The plot centers on a laid-off paper company employee who decides to murder his competition for a job position.
    • It explores an "ultimate defeatist mindset" or "grindset mindset" [9:44].
    • The protagonist creates a fake job advertisement to identify his strongest competitors, then systematically kills them.
    • His self-justification for these murders is depicted as "upsetting but so real," and the level of violence escalates throughout the story.
    • The character exhibits a fascinating delusion: he recognizes societal problems (CEOs, stockholders) but shifts his focus to eliminating his immediate "personal problem"—his job rivals.
• The speaker praises both the book for its brilliance and the movie adaptation for updating the themes effectively for the modern era, touching on concepts like AI and automation.