Between now and the day before Christmas Eve, I’ll be posting about the best books that I’ve read (or the best audiobooks that I have listened to) this year, just in case you need any last minute present ideas. Today, I’m focussing on the non-fiction books that I’ve read or listened to this year. All of these are books that I have awarded five stars on Goodreads.
The links below to buy the books are all sponsored links to Amazon, but you’re welcome to borrow these from your local library, or buy them from an independent book shop.
‘You Don’t Have to be Mad to Work Here’ by Dr Benji Waterhouse
Released last year in hardback, You Don’t Have to be Mad to Work Here is written by psychiatrist Dr Benji Waterhouse. He writes about his first few years in psychiatry, both in hospital and later in community roles. We are introduced to some of Dr Waterhouse’s more notable patients and their struggles with poor mental health. It’s funny and heartwarming, but also lays bare some of the challenges in psychiatry and health and social care as a whole. I really enjoyed it, although my wife, a healthcare worker, found it hit a little too close to home in places.
I picked this up as an Audible daily deal back in July; Dr Waterhouse narrates the audiobook himself and does an excellent job of it too. I also listened to this Richard Herring interview with him back in January.
‘Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things’ by Pierre Novellie
A second mention for this book this year, as we went to see Novellie discuss this book with Robin Ince at the Bradford Literature Festival this summer. I have now finished this book (it took me from June to November), and have shared many quotes from it with friends. The book is subtitled ‘A comedian’s guide to autism’, and it follows his diagnosis of being autistic in his thirties and how this has informed his comedy.
As you’d expect from a comedian, it’s a funny book, but I also found it useful too. I’ve previously blogged about how I’m (probably) neurodivergent, and reading this book has certainly reinforced that.
I’ll also offer an honourable mention for Robin Ince’s Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal, which Christine and I listened to as an audiobook whilst in Wales and enjoyed. It gets a strong recommendation from me, especially as Robin was forced to quit the BBC’s Infinite Monkey Cage as studio executives were not happy about his views on social media about trans people being deserving of dignity, respect and inclusion.
‘My Thoughts Exactly’ by Lily Allen
Another Audible Daily Deal, but one I picked up way back in 2019 shortly after the paperback was released. I now regret that I left it six years before I read My Thoughts Exactly, because it’s excellent. It covers Allen’s early life – I had no idea that Harry Enfield was essentially her step-dad for a while – and how she was one of the first major artists to use MySpace to break into the mainstream.
There’s also a lot about her personal life in here, including how she handled a stalker (subsequently convicted) and her relationships. Indeed, I finished it just before she released her latest album, West End Girl, with some very raw lyrics about her latest partner.
‘Brutally Honest’ by Melanie Brown
This isn’t the first book from Mel B from the Spice Girls, but Brutally Honest is a really important read. It’s her account of her relationships with Eddie Murphy, and her second husband, Stephen Belafonte, who she accuses of emotional, financial and physical abuse.
Mel B wrote the book in conjunction with Louise Gannon; she mentions a midlife diagnosis of dyslexia, and the audiobook is also read by a professional voice actor, albeit one with a Leeds accent. The audiobook also features a bonus interview with Mel and Louise at the end. Anyone in a relationship needs to read this to know what not to do.
‘Tits Up’ by Sarah Thornton
Yes, a book about breasts is in my top five best books that I consumed in 2025. Tits Up starts with a discussion about Thornton’s own breasts; removed to avoid breast cancer, and replaced with prosthetics that ended up being larger than her previous natural breasts. There’s also a discussion about the phrase ‘tits up’; Thornton is Canadian but has spent time in the UK, and it means different things on either side of the Atlantic. In the UK, if something has gone ‘tits up’, it means it’s gone wrong, but in the US, I gather it means something on the lines of ‘put your big girl pants on’.
What is notable is that almost everyone interviewed for this book is a woman – you won’t find anything about men publishing topless photos or producing porn in here, although there are interviews with sex workers themselves.
Honourable Mentions
As well as Robin Ince’s and Mel C’s books above, I also enjoyed these books this year:
- Humble Pi by Matt Parker – when problems with maths has real world consequences
- This Way Up by Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones – I went to the book launch in October but listened to the audiobook.
- A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders by Jonn Elledge – I bought this for my Dad for his birthday last year and listed to the audiobook earlier this year.
- Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have by Deborah Frances-White – host of The Guilty Feminist podcast
- Get Divorced, Be Happy by Helen Thorn – one half of the Scummy Mummies, and no, I’m not planning to get divorced.
- You Are Not A Before Picture by Alex Light – another Audible Daily Deal that was better than expected.
- Life Lessons from Historical Women by Eleanor Morton – another in the ‘history, but made funny’ genre that platforms women from history
- Small Talk by Richard and Roxanne Pink – some useful coping strategies for people who have (or think they may have) ADHD.
Next time, I’ll be writing about the adult fiction books that I’ve most enjoyed this year.
