By Luna Flores ‘26

*Catlin Gabel’s favorite books of 2025, inspired by Barack Obama’s* *2025 book list. Graphic by Krish Caulfield ‘26.*

Through the stress of schoolwork and sports practice, the Catlin Gabel School (CGS) community still manages to find time to curl up with a good book. More than just one good book, according to survey results based on 91 responses among the CGS Upper School, 30% of community members read over ten books this past year.

CGS students and faculty are often forced to read texts, whether classic English literary works or their own student reports. With so many activities, assignments, and things to do on the horizon, it can be hard to stop and take time to do something that's truly just for you. Rest assured, however, that many in the community still read for pleasure.

Nivriti Behera, a senior, explained how her love for reading began when she was a small child who enjoyed escaping into fantasy worlds. Today, she appreciates the storytelling that reading offers through different worldly escapes, “I can just be invested in somebody else's story instead of mine.” Through intentionally making time to read more this past year, some of her recommendations were included in the final 2025 CGS book list.

She added that “if you like reading, prioritize it as self-care because I think reading is self-care.”

From the survey results, genres such as realistic fiction (young adult/drama books), mystery/thriller, fantasy, and romance were among the most popular within CGS. Book types differed by content coverage and character experiences as students reminisced on texts that stuck with them this past year.

As we turn the pages back to another memorable 365 days, let's reflect on the official list of CGS Upper School’s favorite reads of 2025.

1. The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

A book that appeared time and time again within the survey responses was Becky Chambers’s 2014 science fiction novel set on a spaceship, so blast off into the universe of the Wayfarers series. The book, set on the Wayfarer, follows the adventures of its small crew as they travel throughout the universe. The story specifically follows the protagonist, Rosemary Harper, as she joins the group, learning more about herself through her relationships with others on the ship and the importance of love, trust, and found family.

As this is the first book in the Wayfarers series, one student noted that they are currently reading the second book, but having re-read this book last year, they said, “it's one of my favorite books of all time.” Readers also mentioned other books within the Wayfarers series, including the second book, A Closed and Common Orbit. With a solid 4.17 Goodreads rating, the book’s summary and series information can be found here.

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The only "realistic fiction” novel on this list, take a step into the world of being a wallflower through this banned book. This popular young adult novel seems to captivate the CGS community. Through the point of view of high school student Charlie Kelmeckis, Chbosky guides readers through an intimate coming-of-age story that, according to one CGS student, “touches on a lot of difficult topics in a really great way.”

More reflections from community members include one individual appreciating the structure of the book itself: “the formatting of the novel was so unique to anything I had ever read before,” a reference to its diary-entry style writing. Additionally, they felt that the overall message resonated with them because each event felt real and inspiring. They went on to add, “I would definitely recommend this book to any young person.”

The Perks of Being a Wallflower has a 4.24 Goodreads rating; you can learn more about the plot here.

3. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

A prequel to the famous and widely popular Hunger Games series, CGS members appreciated the opportunity to learn the backstory of Haymitch Abernathy, a beloved original character from the trilogy. Collins’s fifth book, set in the fictional dystopia Panem, specifically follows the journey of Haymitch’s experience within the Hunger Games arena, as he takes on new challenges and forms new relationships.

For one student, the wait for Haymitch’s backstory “absolutely delivered,” adding that some elements could be considered “fan service,” but that they were happy about it. The devastation was all a part of the experience, they added, something that invested them more into the story and greeted a foundation to Katniss’s (the protagonist in the Hunger Games series) journey.

Collins’s newest work garnered an impressive 4.50 on Goodreads. Learn more specific information about the book here.

4. Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton

The second nonfiction book in this list, Raising Hare, shows how memoirs/biographies still remain relevant within the CGS community (and beyond Brett’s marvelous senior English elective). This story follows the account of an Englishwoman’s encounter with a tiny abandoned hare, called a leveret. She takes the leveret into her home to heal, and gains a mysterious, up-close look at the borders between wild and tame.

One student reflected on the impact of this story, “I found this book a powerful meditation on rural life, and the mysterious realm of wild animals who live close to us, but whose lives are barely visible.” They recommend this book for anyone who enjoys books that “lure you in slowly and gently.” With its focus on the natural world and 4.36 Goodreads rating, consider checking out this reading here.

5. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

A popular book that's often seen on display in libraries or local bookstores, Lessons in Chemistry has quickly become a new classic book, and CGS members agree. This historical fiction novel follows the story of Chemist Elizabeth Zott in the early 1960s as she defies expectations and breaks barriers through her revolutionary scientific commentary on a cooking show geared towards housewives. Her work inspires housewives to dare and upend the status quo, changing the communities of women around her.

A CGS member exclaimed how Lessons in Chemistry was “one of [their] favorites because of the wonderful characters in it and its theme of women empowerment!” This central theme of women's empowerment underscores its importance within our community and reflects a value that CGS holds today. With the book’s 4.28 Goodreads rating, learn more about her unique approach to reaching audiences using science here.

6. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

With this book title seeming to pop up as an engaging read, this book has captured the attention of plenty of CGS students and faculty. The author, John Green, famous for works like The Fault in Our Stars, tells the story of Henry, a young tuberculosis patient. By weaving scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world, his analysis also explores how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.

For a CGS community member, this book was “engaging, and felt like the tangent-filled writing style mirrored how I think, which also kept my interest.” Its informative nature, embedded within its storytelling, created a unique narrative that left readers feeling impacted and truly educated on the topics discussed.

Everything is Tuberculosis has a 4.35 Goodreads rating; check out further analysis of Green’s work and more specific information here.

7. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

A compelling and dramatic murder mystery, Jackson’s first book in her three-part series seemed to captivate all the wannabe detectives at CGS. Following amateur teen sleuth Pippa Fitz-Amobi, she’s thrust into the center of a cold case as the focus of a final project forces her to uncover truths left and right.

For CGS students and faculty, the book was engaging and, for many, kept them on the edge of their seats. One individual specifically referenced how this particular book was suspenseful, and it “was nice to read all of the books” within the trilogy series.

The book received a 4.28 Goodreads rating. Consider checking out the first book (and others) here.

8. Babel, or The Necessity Of Violence by R. F. Kuang

With so many language-enthused students and faculty at CGS, it makes sense that this book, focused on language and knowledge, is a favorite among the community. The book centers around Oxford University’s fictional, prestigious Royal Institute of Translation (also known as Babel), the world’s central hub for global translation and magic.

A dark academia novel mixing real historical fiction with abstract fantasy, Babel “looks at colonialism and has a language-based magic,” something that stood out the most for one CGS reader. The combination of “fantasy and social critique" is favored, and was evident to critics in its 4.14 Goodreads rating. To look more closely at the summary and other reviews, head here.

9. Misery by Stephen King

The CGS community certainly hasn't been miserable reading this iconic horror novel. Authoring other groundbreaking works like The Shining, It, and Carrie, Stephen King’s ability to create suspenseful, elaborate stories continues to suck readers into twisted plotlines. The story follows main antagonist Annie Wilkes, a deranged nurse tending to her hostage, an injured novelist, whom she keeps prisoner in her home.

One CGS community member reflects how in Misery, there's “a lot of uncertainty in where the story is going, which makes the book hard to put down.” Similarly, another individual believes that King "created such an amazing character out of Annie Wilkes.” With a 4.23 Goodreads rating, it’s worth checking out Misery and similar King works here.

10. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

With Greek references still on many CGS members' minds, whether from the Odyssey English elective, the popular Percy Jackson series, or those who remember the tragic Antigone fall play, this story is very much on the radar of many readers in the community. Miller weaves real Greek characters, such as the cruel sea goddess Thetis or the legendary king Peleus, with assumed dialogue that adds nuance to known mythological beings.

For CGS readers, “The Song of Achilles and Circe [another Madeline Miller novel] focus on characters who were often overlooked in Greek mythology and bring them vividly to life through Miller’s writing.” This vivid retelling not only keeps these stories alive, as seen with its impressive 4.30 Goodreads rating, but is accurately and captivatingly told. Learn more about Miller's Greek adaptations here.

Closing Thoughts

This deeper dive into the CGS community's favorite books gives insight into the type of community that surrounds peers and faculty members day after day. From a journey through space to how everything leads back to a deadly infection, books offer new perspectives and ways of being, granting us opportunities, such as this one, to glimpse how the CGS community thinks about their environments.

Behera commented on the importance of books both for learning and sharing of stories. She touched on more specifically, the emotional resonations she’s had through books, adding “I think book characters can put things like emotions into words that I didn't know I was feeling.” She went on to explain the numerous times she’s had “woah” moments where characters mirror emotions she’s also felt before.

As Elise Kim ‘25 previously reflected on in her CatlinSpeak opinion piece last year, reading, especially reading fiction, increases levels of empathy and improves attention span. Behera believes that “you build a lot of empathy and compassion when you're able to not only see these different perspectives, but see yourself in characters,” solidifying her stance on the importance of character resonance.

Speaking to the health benefits of reading, such as improving attention span, a study found that reading for 30 minutes has the same effect on stress as 30 minutes of yoga. Zoe Shaw, a licensed psychotherapist and author, told TODAY. com that "If you're sitting in a chair or laying in your bed and you're focusing on reading, your body can actually go into a type of meditative state." This meditative state imitates the benefits of pausing to meditate, creating a more accessible alternative if sitting in silence for long periods is a particular challenge.

With this type of “self-care” not only allowing for a deeper understanding of oneself through character resonation and a de-stresser, it's essential to create opportunities to just read.

Behera expresses that “making time for that is important for yourself.” She advises setting calendar reminders for “book times,” or adding them to a list as an assignment that must be “checked” off.

She adds that having others read with you creates accountability when setting reading goals. Joining a book club or even having a book buddy can be helpful to not only get the readings done, but also simultaneously create community through books: “I bonded over reading with a lot of people, and it helped in beginning many friendships.”

As the second semester of the school year begins picking up, finding moments of community and taking care of oneself may fall further down the list of priorities. It's essential in these stress-filled times to not just find moments to read, but to create them. While you're on a roll with an English 11 reading, consider spending 20 or so more minutes reading the romance book that caught your eye at Powell’s.

When you get a lighter load of homework from ninth-grade teachers, consider allowing yourself to be transported to another world instead of scrolling through Instagram Reels.

Asking the knowledgeable CGS librarians for book recommendations, perusing the aisles of Powell’s or Barnes & Noble, and getting a library card for your county library (links to Washington County Library card, Clackamas County Library card, and Multnomah County Library card sign-ups) can not only help you step into another character's shoes, but also open you up to new perspectives that change your view on the world around us.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on any of the books mentioned on this list, check out the book display that’s currently at the front of the US Library.

The Catlin Gabel Upper School’s favorite books of 2025