What we're reading this year!

Everyone is sharing their 2025 reading goals — so here are mine!

One of my current favorite social media pastimes is reading the 2025 reading lists that many of my favorite writers, bloggers, and creators have put together. I love to see the ambition, the logic behind the choices, and the goals of the reader in question. So, I'm adding my list, too!

“Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys” requires a ton of research. For any given episode, I'm referring to at least one physical copy of a published book, and there's a good chance I'm flipping through a few other books to check facts or look for key quotes. And that's not even taking into consideration the hours I'll spend in the archives of newspapers and magazines, the other podcasts I'll listen to, the opinion pieces I'll read…

It can get overwhelming — and so, before I really kicked off this season in earnest, I actually sat down with my episode plan and pinpointed the specific sources I planned on citing. These books, as well as the books we're reading for the DPTJ book club, will form the backbone of my reading plans this year. Plus, I'm working on a book proposal, which means I'll be doing plenty of market research reading comp titles!

I thought I'd share this list with y’all. Maybe you want to read along! Maybe you want to try to predict what episodes are on the docket this year. Maybe you're thinking about putting together your own history podcast but are low-key afraid of the work it'll take. Whatever you're here for: welcome!

DPTJ Book Club:

• The Sebring Story by Alec Ulmann

• Cars at Speed by Robert Daley

• The Last Lap by Peter Kries

• AJ Foyt: Survivor, Champion, Legend by Art Garner

• A. J. by AJ Foyt

• Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best by Neal Bascomb

• My Two Lives by René Dreyfus

• Shadow: The Magnificent Machines of a Man of Mystery by Pete Lyons

• A Life at Full Throttle by Janet Guthrie

• The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue

• Fast and Furious: The Story of the World Championship of Drivers by Richard Garrett

• The Chequered Year: The Story of a Grand Prix Racing Season by Ted Simon

• Don't Thank God, Thank the Crash Test Dummies That Came Before You by Frank Allison

DPTJ references:

• Texas Legend: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals by George Levy

• Driven to Crime: True stories of wrongdoing in motor racing by Crispian Besley

• A Race with Love and Death: The Story of Richard Seaman by Richard Williams

• Francois Cevert: A Contract with Death by Jean-Claude Hallé

• Enzo Ferrari by Brock Yates

• Enzo Ferrari by Luca del Monte

• Alberto Ascari by Karl Ludvigsen

• The Man with Two Shadows by Kevin Desmond

• Indy Split by John Oreovicz

• Jochen Rindt: Uncrowned King by David Tremayne

• Caesars Palace Grand Prix: Las Vegas, Organized Crime, and the Pinnacle of Motorsport by Randall Cannon

• The Limit by Michael Cannell

• The Brothers Rodriguez by Carlos Eduardo Jalife-Villalon

My market research:

• F1 Racing Confidential by Giles Richards

• Remarkable Motor Races by Andrew Benson

• Growing Wings: The Inside Story of Red Bull Racing by Ben Hunt

• Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane by Matt Whyman

• Grand Prix: An Illustrated History of Formula 1 by Will Buxton

• How to Win a Grand Prix by Bernie Collins

• How to Read F1 by Jennie Gow

• On the Grid: Life Behind the Scenes of Formula 1 by Luke Smith

• The Grand Prix Year: An Insider's Guide to Formula 1 Racing by Phillip Horton

• Life in the Pit Lane by Calum Nicholas

Things I have in my collection and have been dying to read but never do because I never make a list of them and then forget about them:

• We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron