What We're Reading: 2025 Staff Picks

Ready to curl up with a good book this winter?

Grab your hot cocoa and crack open one of our favorites from this year.

Did you know DCM has a staff book club? We spent 2025 exploring reads across genres, formats, and eras—from sweeping historical fiction, to nail-biting suspense, iconic classics, and more. 

We asked our members which book was their favorite. This is what they had to say. 

“James was my favorite. I love a fresh view on a familiar story.” - Jennifer Root, Compliance and Operations Specialist

“The Warmth of Other Suns should be required reading for all Americans. At a time when some seek to overlook the reality of our country's history, it's increasingly important to understand significant historical events, and the Great Migration is certainly one of them. Isabel Wilkerson is a phenomenal writer and she combines the ability to tell personal stories with incredible historical knowledge and detail.” - Phil Miller, President/CEO

“I loved Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. One of the lighter books on our list, I was fascinated with the historical details about elite life in 15th century China.” - Amanda Zook, Director of Business Development

Full 2025 Reading List

Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women by Maya Angelou
Genres: Poetry, Classics

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Historical Fiction

Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History by PBS
Genres: Documentary*

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe
Genres: Suspense, Horror, Short Story, Classics

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
Genres: Historical Fiction

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Genres: American History, Nonfiction

*For one month, we dared to watch a documentary in lieu of reading a book. Please don’t tell our librarians.