Chartwell's Best Books of 2025
As so many outstanding books were published in the last year, here is our ‘pick of the crop’ for your reading pleasure.
It’s not just our view, all books below were cited as best books of the year by media outlets as The Financial Times, Forbes, The Economist, Bloomberg and Amazon.
How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations
Professor of AI and Work at the Oxford Internet Institute, Carl Benedikt Frey explores why technological progress so often stalls, revealing how the balance between innovation and bureaucracy has shaped nations for a thousand years and will determine who prospers in the age of AI.
The World at Economic War: How to Rebuild Security in a Weaponized Global Economy
Leading independent economist and authority on global trade and geopolitics, Rebecca Harding explores how economics itself has become a battlefield, as trade, finance and technology are weaponised in a fracturing global order. As great powers clash, she shows how this economic war threatens security, supply chains and the institutions of the post-war system.
The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters
Co-Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, Diane Coyle explores how outdated economic statistics distort our view of today’s digital economy and argues for new ways of measuring progress that reflect what really matters for living standards, inequality and democracy.
King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World’s Dominant Currency
One of the world’s leading economic journalists, Paul Blustein, explores why the US dollar is likely to retain its role as the world’s dominant currency and what its enduring power means for American policy, global markets and the future of economic conflict.
Consumed : How Big Brands Got Us Hooked on Plastic
Consumer goods journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter, Saabira Chaudhuri explores how global brands made single-use plastics an engine of profit that reshaped everyday life, and what it will take to break our dependency.
A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How To Get It
Leading authority on sustainability and climate change, Mike Berners-Lee explores why honesty in politics, business and media is the missing ingredient in tackling the climate crisis, and what each of us can do now.
The Let Them Theory
NY Times bestselling author, podcaster and speaker, Mel Robbins explores how learning to “let them” stop dictating your emotions helps you break free from insecurity, regain your energy, and build stronger relationships, confidence and everyday joy.
Gambling Man: The Secret Story of the World’s Greatest Disruptor, Masayoshi Son
Former Editor in Chief of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber explores Masayoshi Son’s high-stakes bets and influence, and what his pursuit of the next big thing reveals about risk, power and hyper-globalisation.
Bluebook: How Bold Leadership Unlocked a $27 Billion Success Story
Former founding CEO of Refinitiv, David Craig charts the $27bn Refinitiv–LSEG deal and shows how data, leadership, and nature-positive finance are redefining risk, value, and the future of global markets.
Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It
Global thought leader on digital privacy and open source technology, Cory Doctorow explains how online platforms systematically “enshittify,” luring users and businesses before degrading services for profit, and what it will take to rein in Big Tech and reclaim a healthier internet.
The Hour of the Predator: Encounters with the Autocrats and Tech Billionaires Taking Over the World
Leading analyst of power, propaganda and data-driven politics, Giuliano da Empoli explores how autocrats and tech billionaires are reshaping the global order, revealing a world where strongmen, cyber trolls and would-be monarchs test the limits of democracy.
Speaking My Mind
Former Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar reflects on his unlikely journey as the country’s first openly gay and multiracial leader, offering candid insights into steering Ireland through Brexit and the pandemic, driving social change, and the personal costs of high office.
The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan
BBC Chief International Correspondent and senior presenter, Lyse Doucet explores five decades of Afghanistan’s turbulent history through Kabul’s finest hotel, revealing the resilience and everyday lives behind the headlines.
Can We Be Great Again?: Why a Dangerous World Needs Britain
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt explores whether Britain can still be a force for good in an increasingly dangerous world, and how its enduring strengths and influence can help shape a safer, freer future.
Statecraft 2.0: What America Needs to Lead in a Multipolar World
Former US Middle East envoy and senior White House adviser, Dennis Ross examines how America can relearn the art of effective statecraft in a multipolar world, marrying its objectives and means to lead wisely amid rising competition from China, ongoing threats from Russia and Iran, and new global challenges from climate, pandemics and cyber insecurity.