Tess Holbrook

I read many good books last year, but there are a few that I’d like to talk about.

1. The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield. A valuable read for artists. His main thing is resistance, how resistance is a living beast sent to get in your way. Artists have always struggled to create, and today, when one wonders why we should bother creating fine art, this book is ever more inspiring. The War Of Art continues the theme I’ve come across in books by artists – they see creativity as something outside of them, while also being inside them. Confused? Read this book. 

The War Of Art was short, chopped up into bite-size pieces, something you could read in a weekend or spread out to savor over a longer period of time. I will note that Pressfield’s main art form is writing, so much of his advice lends itself to writers.

2. Putafeminista by Monique Prada. One of the most consequential books I read all year. This book is exactly how the cover describes it, “A manifesto on sex work and feminism.” This is a must read. As a sex worker and activist, Prada takes you into the tangled web of sex work, sexism, and feminist movements. For some people, this book will be like jumping into the deep end of feminist conversations. For others, like myself, this was a victory read. Sometimes it is hard to describe the sexism you see around you. Not everything is two dimensional, so when I read this I felt as if I had finally found the words needed to help build a more loving world. We find ourselves thinking back to the speech Fannie Lou Hamer gave in 1971 at the founding of the National Women’s Political Caucus, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” If we want gender equality then we cannot continue to criminalize sex workers – it’s as simple as that. Sex work is one of the oldest occupations. It has always been a part of the human experience and it always will be, and rather than continuing to use it as a weapon against women and the LGBTQ+ community, we should make it a safer.

Putafeminista is a short, recently translated, manifesto. Prada gets straight to the point, she doesn’t waste your time. Read it in a weekend.

3. So What If I’m A Puta by Amara Moira. Hot on the heels of Prada’s manifesto, I continued into the world of sex workers and recently translated non-fiction. So What If I’m A Puta is a collection of essays and stories from Moira’s experience becoming a trans sex worker. When people read stories about sex workers there’s a bit of voyeurism in there, a peek behind the curtain. Moira’s stories give us that, but not how we would wish. Her journey is honest and it leaves you feeling vehemently determined to make sex work a safer avenue for all. Her life is worth reading about.

4. The Sound Of Waves by Yukio Mishima. This was a book club pick. I knew from the cover that it would be a book for me so I bought a copy and joined the book club. The Sound Of Waves is a fairy tale and love story. The writing sometimes felt like a meditation on nature, as if the writer was sitting there in a boat with the people of a fishing village and just writing what he saw. I enjoyed the language and the fairy tale pacing of the plot. Of course, after I read the book I realized that I’ve read Mishima before. Duh! I’ve absolutely heard of this controversial figure! The year before, I had read Life For Sale, which was one of his last books and I loved it! Life For Sale is unhinged. Unknowingly, I had read one of Mishima’s first books and one of his last – I found it quite poetic to book end his body of work.

I often believe that books come to you when you need them, and this little oopsydaisy only reenforces my woo woo beliefs.

5. Girl Warrior by Joy Harjo. This is Harjo’s memoir, written in the way of advice for indigenous girls and women. I found myself needing to take breaks as I read it due to the weight of her words. Every other page was like a grandmother bestowing me life’s wisdom and I needed the space to reflect or risk bursting into tears. While this was written for indigenous girls and women, I’d suggest everyone read it. Its advice is universal and that’s unsurprising coming from the Poet Laureate of the United States.

6. The City Of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty. Fantasy! Although a fantasy lover, the genre has left me with a recurring sense of ennui. I’m constantly yearning for the next Game Of Thrones. The City Of Brass, the first book in a series, takes place in the Middle East during the Ottoman Empire. You follow a thief as she accidentally summons her own enemies. I loved the world building, the characters, and the political intrigue! The plot is so character driven, and the politics of the world so ensnaring that maybe I have found my next Game Of Thrones? My only criticisms were the time jumps. I’d be enthralled in the drama and then all of a sudden two months would have gone by – I was cheated two months!

I really enjoyed this book and I’ve heard the second is even better!

7. When It All Burns by Jordan Thomas. This was my number one book from 2025. When It All Burns is under the category of nature (totally not my thing) but it reads like fiction. Follow Thomas as he becomes a Hot Shot in California during the historic megafires of 2021. At the same time, Thomas is in school to be an anthropologist, and his big question is: what is fire? Thomas makes for an endearing main character. He has to prove himself among the other Hot Shots as he learns about nature, history, and his own limits. You care about Thomas and you care about the other fire fighters. Somewhere in my brain, I knew that fire was life, that fire is everything, but I didn’t fully understand that idea until I read When It All Burns. The scope of topics discussed in the book, all pertaining to fire, consume everything. It delves into politics, gender, climate change, the birth of American, you name it. I know people will be hesitant to read this for two reasons: 1) They don’t want to read anything political – my response being, well it’s a nature book. 2) It’s going to be sad because anything about climate change is a bummer. My response to that is, don’t give up hope and read the damn book.

Words cannot express how much this book affected me. We have inherited this land and we have the power to care for it. It does not have to be a burdensome responsibility but rather a tender love that we give willingly. 

8. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. This book isn’t out yet, so I’ll write a real piece when it comes out in April. This book will be perfect for book clubs because it will divide the room, you’ll either love it or hate it – and I loved it! What’s it about? Trad wives.