Although the first few months of 2025 for me have been packed with busy schedules and piling assignments, I always try to find time to sit down with a book. I usually read more easy-going books, but many were for a specific class (see if you can guess which one!).I’ve taken an interest in the historical aspect of my major, and I bought quite a few books on my trip to London over spring break! Here are all the books I’ve read so far, and am currently reading, in 2025.
Have Read
“The Trial and Death of Socrates” by Plato
Summary: This philosophy classic by Plato compiles four of his works: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo, which describe events leading up to the execution of Socrates by the Athenian government. Unfortunately, Socrates never published anything himself, so Plato’s texts are one of our main sources for the account of his life and his philosophical beliefs. Plato utilizes these dialogues (which may or may not be entirely accurate) to convey his own beliefs on the matter, and also to explore subjects of political philosophy.
Rating: 5/5
My thoughts: I loved this book. I’ve been really into philosophy since taking the class “Knowledge and Reality” last semester where we read “Crito” as a part of the course. I wanted to see the story in its entirety, and learn more about Socrates. To people not interested in philosophy or politics, I know it sounds incredibly boring, but the dialogue Plato writes is absolutely gripping and if you find the right translation it’s really not so dense to read. I’d recommend this book particularly to anyone interested in philosophy, politics, or some combination of the two, but I also think it’s short enough for anyone to pick it up and learn something new!
“Beowulf” by Unknown
Summary: This Old English poem, one of the oldest known works of literature, is from around 1000 A.D., and tells the story of a classic hero warrior Beowulf, who fights the evil monster Grendel and saves the Danish kingdom from destruction. The story is broken up into three parts: the fight with Grendel, the fight with Grendel’s mother and Beowulf’s return home. It’s an epic story which tackles complex ideas of what it means to be a hero, the sinfulness of pride, blood feuds, the treatment of women and so much more. The author of this poem is still unknown, as it had been recited and passed down through families and communities for ages before finally being put into manuscript form. There’s only one surviving manuscript of “Beowulf,” and it’s kept in the British Library.
Rating: 5/5
My thoughts: At first, I found this poem hard to read because I’d never read anything like it before, but the slower I read and the more I thought about it, it continued to grow on me. Every time I re-read it I feel like I find something new. Reading Old English poetry definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you’re looking to dip your foot in old literature, I think “Beowulf” is a great start.
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by the Gawain Poet, translated by Simon Armitage
Summary: This poem from the late medieval period was written in the northwest of England, and the author (still unknown) is referred to as the Gawain Poet. In this poem, Sir Gawain, a noble knight of King Arthur’s court, takes up the challenge of a mysterious Green Knight who interrupts their holiday celebrations with a challenge. The Green Knight challenges someone in the room to cut his head off with his axe, and then seek him out again a year later to have their own head chopped off. Gawain courageously accepts, and the rest of the poem details his conquest to find the knight.
Rating: 5/5
My thoughts: This is by far my favorite book, poem, article, any form of writing I’ve read this year. I read one of the “easier” translations, and the poetry still flowed with such an impressive and beautiful rhythm and language. The story itself is also really enjoyable to read, and the descriptive imagery the poet uses makes you feel like you’re going on the journey with Gawain. I can’t recommend this poem enough, no matter how hard it may be to understand as a first-time reader!
“Mythology” by Edith Hamilton
Summary: This relatively long book works through a lot of the primary Greek, Roman and some Norse mythology. It describes the deities of the different belief systems and chronicles many classic stories in good detail, such as “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad.”
Rating: 5/5
My thoughts: I’ve always been a huge fan of Greek and Roman mythology, but I’d never delved into it so deeply as I did when reading this book. Even though it was long and dense at times, I felt like Hamilton did a good job of explaining everything in easily understandable terms. At the same time, it was still a really engaging read, and it had me adding a lot of Greek and Roman classics to my summer reading list. I’d 100% recommend this book to anyone interested in mythology, literature or history from Ancient Greece and Rome.
“White Nights” by Dostoyevsky
Summary: This short story follows a very interesting character, a young man in St. Petersburg who suffers from loneliness and tends to spend most of his time daydreaming. He meets a young woman on a late-night stroll, and they quickly form a unique connection. Much of the short story is sets of dialogue between the two, which deal with romance in the light of loneliness.
Rating: 4.5/5
My thoughts: This was a great short read! I’ve been reading a lot of classical stories lately (as listed above), and I enjoyed such an unconventional and unique character. When you have a character with such a unique look on the world, bringing it alive in ways the average person couldn’t, you start to view the world in a bit of a different light yourself. As long as you have a tolerance for long monologues and dialogue sequences, this short story is a must read!
“Medieval Britain: A Very Short Introduction” by John Gillingham and Ralph A. Griffiths
Summary: This book is part of a large series “A Very Short Introduction” by Oxford University Press, which offers short and concise information on a given subject by experts in the field. This book details many different aspects of Medieval Britain, such as the monarchy sequence beginning in 1066 with the Norman conquest (William I), the economy, the culture, and the politics. While it doesn’t delve too much into any specific topic, it acts as a good basic overview for anyone interested in the time period.
Rating: 4.5/5
My thoughts: This was another great short read! For me, I found it especially helpful to understand aspects of the time period like economics, politics and agriculture, which I wouldn’t usually have learned about. It provided a sort of context for the medieval literature we’ve been reading in my contexts, and for a lot of the societal hierarchies and structures we see today. I’d recommend this simple guide to really anyone, as it covers so many different subjects during the time period which are made even more intriguing by comparing it to modern day.
“The Fair Folk” by Su Bristow
Summary: This book combines elements of modern fantasy novels with classical fairytales, following the story of a girl named Felicity whose life becomes entangled with faeries in the woodlands of her hometown, and continue to follow her beyond her childhood. It jumps from her childhood to her time as a student in Cambridge, as she reflects on the events of her childhood in a new light and encounters people interested in her past.
Rating: 3/5
My thoughts: I really wanted to love this book. It got fantastic reviews and it seemed like a great fit for my interests in both the fantasy genre and old fairytales, but something about it just didn’t click. I literally just finished this, so I haven’t had as much time to reflect on it, but I think the story dragged on quite a bit in the beginning, and I had a hard time really connecting with any of the characters. It was still quite good at some parts, with great visual imagery and storytelling, but overall I just personally found it a bit boring. It felt like the entire story hinged on the mystery of these faerie creatures, but there wasn’t enough intrigue about the characters presented for me to be interested.
Currently reading
“Femina” by Janina Ramirez
Summary: This historical book retells the critical points of medieval period by telling the stories of some of the different women who lived during it.
“Sacred Britannia” by Miranda Aldhouse-Green
Summary: This (other) historical book is about the world the Romans encountered when they conquered England, specifically pertaining to the ancient mythology and culture, which was described by many of the Romans as barbaric.