BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR
As the rush intensifies and shelves groan under Christmas tat, think about a gift that endures – books. One year on from last year’s roundup, economic turbulence persists, inflation is still here, crypto continues to surge and fall, and demands for climate action persist.
Greed-driven bestsellers continue to exploit our anxieties. So, let us focus on thoughtful picks blending timeless wisdom with 2025 insights for sustainable living, investing, and habits.
We are urged to “go green,” but holiday chaos makes it tough. Nancy Birtwhistle’s Green Living Made Easy was my pick last year, but for 2025 add An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us by JP McMahon. Published in late 2024, this book traces Ireland’s history and culture through one hundred iconic foods from ancient staples like seaweed and wild berries to modern favourites. It blends storytelling, nostalgia, and insights into how these ingredients shape identity.
Crypto’s 2025 rollercoaster soared. Bitcoin topped $126,000, market cap hit $4 trillion, Ethereum surged 65% in Q3, though volatility lingered with corrections. Siam Kidd’s The Crypto Book demystified basics last year, but now try Lyn Alden’s Broken Money: Why Our Financial System Is Failing Us And How Bitcoin Fixes It. It traces money’s history, sets out flaws in traditional systems, and highlights blockchain’s resilience, with safe investing tips amid Bitcoin’s growth.
John C Bogle’s The Little Book Of Common-Sense Investing endures. Low-cost index funds like S&P 500 trackers for steady wealth via dividends, growth, and valuations. With the AI boom and geopolitics, check out Morgan Housel’s The Art Of Spending Money. From the author of The Psychology Of Money, it balances saving and spending, using stories to avoid emotional pitfalls and build resilient portfolios for retirement.
You cannot get better that John Kay’s Obliquity. It shows that indirect paths yield success; pursue purpose, not profits. James Clear’s Atomic Habits stresses systems over willpower: tiny changes compound for unbreakable financial routines.
John Lowe’s The Money Doctor offers plain-English budgeting, pensions, and tax advice with checklists and www.moneydoctor.ie. Reinforce with Charlie Weston and Karl Deeter’s This Book Is Worth €25,000: hacks for slashing bills on energy and insurance, PRSI tweaks and €25,000 lifetime savings.
Finally, mentioned a couple of years ago, but worth another mention, A Christmas Omnibus by the late, great John B Keane. Once again be enthralled by Canon Coddle who “routs scoundrels” who are trying to take the Scouts collection box on Christmas Eve from the wall of the church and Masterman, a seasoned traveller who finds salvation at Christmas time. In the words of John B himself: “The Spirit of Christmas has survived Stalins, Hitlers and the Mussolinis and those who have perpetrated injustices since the birth of Christ. It has survived human greed and human jealousy and every human failing one cares to mention.”
So, amid the chaos and fun of Christmas let these books help you relax and invest in 2026. Ditch the fear-mongers. Choose empowering reads.
And may you all have a peaceful and happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
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