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Whether you’re curating a summer reading list or just love a good book recommendation, this episode is for you! I’m sharing my 7 favorite nonfiction book releases of 2025 – 2 of which are going on my favorite-books-of-all-time list! From happiness and health to aging, friendship, and the finance book that shifted my perspective on spending – if you’re looking for thought-provoking, life-enhancing reads to add to your summer stack, this episode is packed with inspiration.
I’m Mindy Peterson, host of Enhance Life with Music podcast, where we explore all the ways music can make our lives better. And this is Microhance, a micro-dose of musical enhancement.
If you’ve listened to this podcast for long, you know I LOVE reading and books. And for many of us, summer is prime time for reading, with slower schedules, vacation days, and maybe even a little more margin to sit outside with a great book in hand. So today, in anticipation of summer reading season, I’m sharing my top favorite books that released in 2025. These are all non-music books because you already know I bring you the best music-related books through my author interviews here on the podcast! Consider these my bonus favorites for holistically enhancing life in a cross-training, cross-disciplinary sort of way. One other note: I rarely read fiction, so these recommendations are all non-fiction.
I’m going to start with 5 favorites, then tell you about 2 additional favorites that were not only favorite releases in 2025, but some of my favorite books. PERIOD. Here are the first five – and since I also love a good quote, I’ll include a favorite quote from each book:
- Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives, by Gretchen Rubin. I love all things Gretchen Rubin: I’ve followed her books and podcast for years. Gretchen studies happiness, habits, and human nature, and she has such a gift for distilling profound truths into memorable one-liners. One of my favorite Secrets of Adulthood from this book is: If you’re not sure how to have fun, ask yourself, “What did I do for fun when I was ten years old?” Unsurprisingly, I loved to read for fun when I was ten years old! I also loved rollerskating, and one day I am going to buy myself a pair of roller skates (not roller blades, roller skates)!
- Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things, by Jeff Krasno. A favorite quote from this book: [I]n short, doing hard things makes doing other hard things easier. Through adversity, you build resilience—in both body and mind.
- Age Like a Girl, by Dr. Mindy Pelz. Similar to Gretchen Rubin, I love all things Mindy Pelz: her books, podcast, and Instagram content. Yes, this book is written primarily for girls who are aging, but here’s a favorite quote that applies to us all: Living in congruence—where your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions align—isn’t just a nice idea or spiritual concept; it’s actually wired into your brain’s reward system. Neuroscience shows us that when our actions align with our values and internal compass, our brains release feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin… Living in alignment quite literally feels good to your brain… From a brain-based perspective, congruent living strengthens neural networks associated with self-awareness, confidence, and resilience.
- Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection, by Dr. Ben Rein. If this book sounds familiar, it could be because it inspired a recent Microhance episode (58). One thing that stood out to me from this book is Ben’s summary of the research showing that social connection and gratitude are among the most effective ways to boost happiness – even above things like exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature. Ben goes on to summarize: So what does all this research from the field of psychology tell us? Here it is in one sentence: Social contact makes people feel good. Whether our interactions happen organically (like bumping into a friend at the store) or are more forced and “artificial” (like approaching a stranger on a train or bus), they always seem to provide a boost in mood.
- Metabolic Freedom, by Ben Azadi. This book offers a comprehensive and accessible explanation of how metabolism works and how to optimize it. I’ve been learning a lot over the past year about gut health, and one thing that stood out to me in this book was this astounding fact: 90 percent of the feel-good chemical serotonin is created in the gut.
OK, on to the two bonus books. Last May, I did a Microhance episode featuring 10 of my all-time favorite non-fiction books – covering life topics from marriage and communication to friendship and spirituality. These next two books are absolutely joining that list! The first one is on the topic of aging:
- Aging: Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half, by Dr. Kerry Burnight. As a gerontologist, Dr. Burnight was accustomed to a focus on lifespan (how long we live) or healthspan (how many of those years are in good health). But in her practice, she increasingly recognized that, if you’re not enjoying those additional years – even if you’re in good health – what’s the point? This led her to coin the word joyspan and write this book about vitality and flourishing in life’s second half (or, as my dad likes to say, the fourth quarter). While I am just into my 50s, I absolutely loved this book and found it full of insights for building the infrastructure to support vitality for what I hope to be the second half of my life. I also recommended it to my Dad, who is in his late 70s, as I thought he would also love it. Sure enough, he did and has found it immensely useful and inspiring personally and in his interactions and mentoring with others.
Here’s a favorite quote from the book: Growing older can be a time of contribution, growth, and joy. Every choice you make today, every act of generosity, contributes to your joyspan. Your joyspan legacy challenges the narrative of aging and redefines it. By embracing aging as a time to give of yourself, to live with purpose, and to experience joy, you set an example for those who follow you… Your joyspan will inspire your children, grandchildren, and even strangers to view aging not as an ending but as a rich and vital continuation—a time to live fully and give generously. - And finally, my new favorite book on the topic of…. [drum roll] Finance: The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life, by Morgan Housel. One of the greatest gifts that both my husband and I received from our parents was a childhood of living well within our means. Saving and frugality were never difficult for us. But this book completely reframed the role of spending in a meaningful life. One quote I loved: There are times when the stuff you buy can help produce memories and foster quality time with friends and family. But the people, not the stuff, are what are actually meaningful. And one more: “Rich” to me used to mean having lots of fancy toys. Now it means not being hurried, spending time with my family, control over my schedule, and intellectual independence. Doing life my way. Independence. That’s true rich.
I just love that definition of wealth. Because in the end, the richest lives are not necessarily the most impressive from the outside – they’re the ones most aligned with meaning, connection, growth, and joy.
The books we read shape the lives we build; every great book is an invitation to become a wiser, fuller, more deeply alive version of ourselves.
If you’d like more book ideas, I’ll include a link in the show notes to Micro 35: My Favorite Books Across 10 Life Topics and The Music Shelf page of my website listing all the incredible music-related books that have been featured on this show.
If you have a favorite book released in 2025, I would love to hear about it!
I’m Mindy Peterson, and I hope this inspires you to enhance your life with music.
In-Episode Promo
LIVING WELL WITH DR. MICHELLE: If you’ve listened to this podcast for long, you know that, in addition to being passionate about music, I am also passionate about natural health and wellbeing. So I was intrigued to learn about an all-natural toothpaste developed by a biologic, holistic dentist to effectively clean and protect teeth and strengthen enamel without fluoride or the many chemicals that are ubiquitous in the commercial toothpastes that I’ve always used without a second thought. What really caught my attention was that one of these dentist’s products was specially formulated for sensitive teeth, which I have thanks to gum recession. I was a little skeptical that an all-natural product would provide adequate sensitivity protection, but after trying it for several months, I am a fan. What clinched the deal was going to my 6-month dental cleaning and having my hygienist rave about the whiteness of my teeth. To learn more about the Living Well Sensitive Tooth Powder and other products – and get 10% off your order – check out the link in the show notes (or use Coupon Code: musicenhances10 at livingwellwithdrmichelle.com). (Or buy on Amazon.)
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