Three Books I'm Reading Now, 12/29/25 Edition

The Books I'm Reading Now

I'm listening to my book club's January read, Richard Powers's sweeping story Playground; I'm reading and listening to Allen Levi's novel Theo of Golden; and I'm savoring Niall Williams's gorgeous Irish tale This is Happiness.

What are you reading, bookworms?

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01 Playground by Richard Powers

Four people are connected across time and geography in Richard Powers's sweeping story of their lives and unlikely interconnectedness.

Evie Beaulieu becomes obsessed with marine life and diving when as a young girl she tests her father's invention, the first aqualung; Ina Aroita grows up moving from naval base to naval base in the Pacific, crafting art as her only constant; two friends at an elite Chicago high school, a privileged young man and a scholarship student, bond over an ancient game while one leans toward literature and one toward AI development.

Powers explores issues around technology, ecology, humanity, responsibility, and interconnectedness. I'm listening to this novel as a library audiobook.

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02 Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

An elderly stranger appears in the small town of Golden, Georgia, recognizing and appreciating locals' gifts, making them feel seen, sometimes for the first time.

He admires the various portraits of locals decorating the coffee shop's walls, soon buying those that intrigue him and gifting to them to their subjects, welcoming the strangers' life stories and connections with them.

This book was originally self-published, then picked up by Atria Books. Many people have passionately recommended this heartwarming book to me this year.

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03 This Is Happiness by Niall Williams

In the rural Irish village of Faha, the years-long rain (whether sprinkling, torrential, misting, steady dripping) is stopping, and electricity seems poised to finally move from "the notional" to "the actual," as Father Coffey proclaims.

Young Noe ("Noel" never really suited him) is running from the seminary but unsure of his next steps, and he takes refuge at his beloved grandparents'.

A stranger arrives to begin installing the electricity, and he boards with Noe at Ganga and Doady's home--and he changes their lives forever.

For my review of Niall Williams's wonderful Time of the Child, please click this link.