Subscribe to my newsletter!
Sign up with your email address
My annual roundup of the best content I came across this year. Every year I keep a running list of the books, shows, movies, podcasts, and music that stuck with me. Some of these were released in 2025; others I just discovered this year. Here’s what made the cut.
📚 Books
- Good Energy — Casey Means
- 5 Types of Wealth — Sahil Bloom
- Nuclear War: A Scenario — Annie Jacobsen
- The Splendid and The Vile — Erik Larson
- Sprawlball: A Visual Tour of the New Era of the NBA
- What’s Our Problem — Tim Urban
⭐ Favorite: Good Energy fundamentally changed how I think about health. Casey Means breaks down how daily lifestyle choices — what you eat, how you sleep, when you move — directly impact your mitochondrial function, blood sugar stability, and chronic inflammation. It’s not another diet book; it’s a systems-level look at why we’re sick and what the upstream levers actually are. The core argument is that most chronic disease stems from metabolic dysfunction, and that dysfunction is largely driven by choices we make every day without realizing the downstream effects. If you read one book on health this year, make it this one.
📺 Shows
- Severance Season 2 (Apple TV) — Everything got bigger this season — the stakes, the world-building, the character depth. The finale was a spectacle and one of the best episodes of television I’ve seen in recent memory. Lived up to the hype and then some.
- The Pitt (HBO Max) — Best new drama of the year. Noah Wyle is back in the ER, and it’s everything you want it to be. Grounded, intense, and surprisingly emotional.
- Stranger Things Season 5 (Netflix) — I was skeptical, but genuinely impressed. It’s turned what I thought was simple ‘kids fight the monsters’ sci-fi plot into a complex, intriguing story with layered characters and Hollywood-level production.
- Paradise (Hulu) — Sterling K. Brown leads a twisty dystopian thriller set in an exclusive presidential community. Starts slow, then the reveals start stacking. Don’t read anything about it beforehand.
- Adolescence (Netflix) — A gut-punch limited series about a family unraveling after their teenage son is accused of a violent crime. Filmed in long single takes that put you in the room. Brutally honest about how online culture shapes kids in ways parents don’t see.
- Task (HBO) — Under-the-radar gem. Mark Ruffalo plays a burned-out task force leader investigating cold cases. Quiet, character-driven, and surprisingly gripping.
- The Studio (Apple TV) — Seth Rogen’s love letter to Hollywood. Funny, self-aware, and packed with industry cameos.
- The Challenge Season 41 (MTV) — My guilty pleasure, still going strong.
⭐ Favorite: Severance Season 2 — the finale alone earns this spot.
🎬 Movies & Documentaries
- One Battle After Another — A non-linear war epic that plays with time and perspective in ways I haven’t seen before. Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro give outstanding performances. The storytelling format is genuinely innovative.
- Sinners — Southern gothic horror with a killer soundtrack. Worth the theater experience.
- Marty Supreme — Timothée Chalamet as a 1950s ping pong hustler. Weird premise, excellent execution. Very ‘Uncut Gem’s meets sports movie.
- F1 The Movie — Brad Pitt in a cliche action movie that totally delivers. Pure spectacle, incredible racing sequences.
⭐ Favorite: One Battle After Another — Leo and Del Toro are magnetic, but it’s the structure that makes it unforgettable.
🎙️ Podcasts
- Invest Like the Best — Consistently the best long-form interviews in finance and tech. Patrick O’Shaughnessy asks the questions I’d want to ask.
- BG2 — Bill Gurley and Brad Gerstner on markets, tech, and policy. Always sharp.
- Odd Lots — Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway make macro topics accessible and interesting.
- Plain English — Derek Thompson’s takes are always worth hearing. Fact-based and thorough.
- Dwarkesh Podcast — The best interviews on AI progress and frontier research.
- Mind The Game — LeBron and JJ Redick break down basketball. Required listening if you care about the NBA.
⭐ Favorite: Invest Like the Best — if I could only listen to one podcast, it’s this one.
🎵 Music
Songs
- “Which One” — Drake & Central Cee
- “So Be It” — Clipse
- “Band4Band” — Central Cee & Lil Baby
- “Just Keep Watching” — Tate McRae
- “Halo” — Quevedo
- “NUEVAYoL” — Bad Bunny
⭐ Favorite Songs (Tie):
- “Which One” by Drake and Central Cee — Drake summer anthem + UK connection. Say less.
- “So Be It” by Clipse — Hardest rap song of 2025 NO DOUBT.
Albums
- Can’t Rush Greatness — Central Cee
- F1 The Movie Soundtrack
- Luther — Kendrick Lamar
- Let God Sort Em Out — Clipse
- $ome $exy $ongs 4 U — Drake & PnD
⭐ Favorite Album: Can’t Rush Greatness by Central Cee — UK drill’s best artist delivered the up-tempo classics you’d expect, but with more range than anticipated.
What did I miss? Reply or DM me your picks. Always looking for recommendations.
For more monthly updates on what I’m reading, watching, and listening to, subscribe to The Balance.
Copy link