Slightly Mid City-related books from my 2025 reading list
This year was a big reading year for me because it's been my first complete year (technically) without any school at all since I started kindergarden.
Scrolling through my reading list on Storygraph, I'm pretty happy with the variety of books I consumed. I made an effort to read different genres that are a step outside my comfort zone. I started a fantasy series that I'm excited to continue and even read a couple science fiction novels. The books on this list, however, are mostly non-fiction.
If you like Mid City, I think you'll probably like these! Each of them taught me things I didn't know and made me think about my city in a new light.
The Tenant Class by Ricardo Tranjan
| Genre | Page count | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Non-fiction | 144 | Between the Lines |
I really think all tenants and homeowners in Canada should read this book! It's so phenomenal and I'm glad it has such a strong Canadian focus. I picked this up at the library while wandering the aisles and then bought a copy for myself so I could highlight, lend it to friends and revisit it.
The Keeper by Kelcey Ervick
| Genre | Page count | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Memoir, graphic novel | 336 | Avery |
I almost always love a memoir, but I especially love how Ervick connects her own story to the history of women in football and how her role as a goal keeper relates to her interest in literature and memoir-writing. The visual storytelling blends Ervick's illustrations with magazine clippings and collage. It feels very "zine"-like, which I love to see!
We Do This 'Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba
| Genre | Page count | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Essays | 240 | Haymarket Books |
I finished this book over the summer and have been recommending it to people ever since. Throughout Kaba's essays, I learned what police abolition can look like, what it means for your daily life, and how to strive for a better world. Abolition isn't just a policy or a budget decision, it's so much bigger than that.
The Book of Disappearance by Ibtizam Azem, translated from Arabic by Sinan Antoon
| Genre | Page count | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Novel | 266 | Syracuse University Press |
This is the only novel on this list but I really wanted to include it because I was so fascinated by how their city Jaffa, absorbed by Tel Aviv, is characterized by the novel's two key narrators. The city is rich with history and emotional significance, but it's also a setting for colonialism and occupation. This novel is beautiful, eerie, and thoughtful--a captivating read.
Mood Machine by Liz Pelly
| Genre | Page count | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Novel | 288 | Atria/One Signal Publishers |
I saw this at a bookstore and immediately put it on hold at the library. Pelly recounts the history of Spotify, from where it started as a "solution" to widespread music piracy to its current AI-overrun landscape. Pelly interviews former employees, dives into the archives, and speaks with many musicians, producers and others who have been impacted by Spotify and music streaming. The chapter about Spotify pushing background music was so telling. They don't care what you listen to, as long as you're listening to SOMETHING. They would rather feed you AI slop lo-fi than promote artists. One former employee said Spotify doesn't compete with other streaming platforms or physical media, Spotify is competing with silence.
If you read any "Mid City" adjacent books this year, please share! I'm always happy to add new titles to my reading list.