A year in books

Another eclectic year in my reading - fewer coaching books and more Japanese fiction.

Orbital — Samantha Harvey

Set over the course of a single day (what ever a day is) this is an award winning, meditative story set in orbit that reflects on humanity, fragility, and the view of life from above.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library — Michiko Aoyama

A heartfelt reminder that the right book, and the right librarian, can quietly reroute a life.

How to Stop Time — Matt Haig

A genre-blending tale about longevity, love, and what it means to truly live in the moments you have.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop — Satoshi Yagisawa

A novel about healing in the quiet corners of a second-hand bookshop.  I want to visit the Jazz cafe sometime!

 In Praise of Shadows — Jun’ichirō Tanizaki

A poetic reflection on beauty, imperfection, and the soft glow of things we’re conditioned to overlook. My favourite non fiction read of the year!

White Holes — Carlo Rovelli

A mind-opening invitation into the cosmic weirdness of time, space, and the edges of modern physics. The closest thing in to a psychedelic experience without the risk of arrest!

Butter — Asako Yuzuki

A sharp, layered novel that explores desire, appetite, and the stories we tell about women who don’t fit the script.

The Eightfold Path — Steven Barnes & Charles Johnson

A sci-fi quest infused with Buddhist philosophy, where adventure meets inner awakening. A great graphic novel

Prophet — Chris Whitaker

A haunting, heart-punch mystery about the weaponization of memory, how we deal (or don't deal) with trauma, and the secrets a small town keeps buried.

Let’s Kill Uncle — Rohan O’Grady

A re-read from my teen years is a darkly playful cult classic that dances between menace, mischief, and childhood imagination gone rogue.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat — Syou Ishida

A charming balm of a book where companionship (and cats) become medicine for modern loneliness. A wonderful read!

When the Museum Is Closed — Emi Yagi

A surreal, quietly rebellious story about identity, routine, and the strange comfort of disappearing from your own life.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop — Mai Mochizuki

A cosy, magical-realist café tale where life’s small mysteries are solved over warm, glowing cups. A reminder that there is magic in every day life if only we look for it.

The Ministry of Time — Kaliane Bradley

A time-bending love story wrapped in wit, science, and the complicated politics of being human. I love the examination of how one era's values sit with another's' a nod to the cultre wars we are seeing today

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop — Satoshi Yagisawa

A warm return to a Tokyo sanctuary where relationships mend as gently as old books. I still want to visit the Jazz cafe sometime!

Goodbye Tokyo — Atsuhiro Yoshida

A nostalgic, lightly melancholic walk through memory, reinvention, and the people who shift our orbit. If you've ever worked night shift this will bring back memories

Yeonnam-dong’s Smiley Laundromat — Emmeline Wang

A sweet, slice-of-life tale where a neighbourhood laundromat becomes a hub of unexpected human moments.

Ten Lessons on the Meaning of Life — Tim Shriver

A gentle guide to purpose, kindness, and living a life anchored in connection and courage.

The Restored Organization — Nitin Goil & Sebastian Anthony

A practical, people-centred roadmap for rebuilding workplace cultures through empathy, structure, and humanised leadership.

Kafka on the Shore — Haruki Murakami

A dreamlike epic where fate, memory, and the subconscious weave a world both haunting and mesmerising. I'm going to read this one again...

The War of Art (Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles) — Steven Pressfield

A fierce, practical manifesto on overcoming resistance and trusting your creative calling. Gift this to the procrastinator(s) in your life

 The Convenience Store by the Sea — Sonoko Machida

A gentle, heartwarming novel about rebuilding life and connection in a quiet seaside town.

The Life Impossible — Matt Haig

Set in modern day Ibiza this is a philosophical, imaginative novel about grief, possibility, and the strange miracles hiding in everyday life.

The Art of Gathering — Priya Parker

A smart, human-centred exploration of how intentional gatherings can transform relationships and communities. A must for event organizers...

The Hallmarked Man — Robert Galbraith

A layered Cormoran Strike mystery where an old piece of jewelry opens up a trail of secrets, class tensions, and the marks the past leaves on people. My favourite detective duo.

Candide, or Optimism — Voltaire

A razor-sharp, darkly funny philosophical romp that skewers naïve optimism while asking what it really takes to live well in a chaotic world. One of those books on a "you must read" list. You must

The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen — Yuta Takahashi

A heartwarming, food-soaked tale where a tiny kitchen, a wandering cat, and a circle of strangers help each other find comfort, belonging, and second chances.

The Longest Afternoon — Brendan Simms

With history often taking sweeping arcs across decades and continents, this gripping, micro-history of Waterloo shows how a single regiment’s - just 400 men - courage shifted a continent.

The Memory Police — Yōko Ogawa

A quietly unsettling, atmospheric novel about a society where memories vanish and the cost of holding on becomes a quiet act of rebellion.

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind — Shunryu Suzuki

A timeless guide to presence, practice, and approaching life with a fresh, open beginner’s gaze.

How to Listen — Thich Nhat Hanh

A gentle, grounding reminder that deep listening is not a technique but a practice of presence, one that transforms relationships by slowing us down enough to truly hear what is being said, and what isn’t.

The Lantern of Lost Memories — Saaka Hiiragi

A beautiful novel that explores grief, remembrance, and healing through small acts of care, offering comfort without sentimentality and insight without force.

Deep Work — Cal Newport

A persuasive case for reclaiming focus in a distracted world, arguing that meaningful work - and meaningful satisfaction - come not from busyness, but from sustained, intentional attention.

The Ritual Effect - Michael Norton

A compelling exploration of how small, intentional rituals create meaning, emotional grounding, and connection, showing that it’s not grand gestures but repeated symbolic acts that help us navigate uncertainty, loss, and change.