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Woman films herself being fired by HR to expose how cold U.S. corporate culture can be

Even the CEO called the video “painful.”

cloudflare, laid off, brittany pietsch
via brittanypeachhh/TikTok and Ana Shvets/Pexels

Brittany Pietsch documetns being fired from Cloudflare.

A video making the rounds on TikTok is a prime example of how American corporate culture can be downright cruel. Even the company CEO said it was “painful” to watch. The video was posted on TikTok by Brittany Pietsch, who was fired from her job as an account executive at Cloudflare just 3 months after being hired.

Cloudflare is an American company that provides content delivery network services and cloud cybersecurity, based in San Francisco, California.

After hearing her coworkers were getting fired through video calls, Pietsch prepared herself to push back against the bad news, when one was scheduled for her. But she had very little ground to stand on in the conversation because the HR people doing the firing had little knowledge of her situation and all of the answers sounded scripted.


The video, titled "POV: You're about to get laid off," featured Pietsch looking at her computer screen and although you cannot see the people firing her, their voices can be heard.

@brittanypeachhh

Original creator reposting: brittany peach cloudflare layoff. When you know you’re about to get laid off so you film it :) this was traumatizing honestly lmao #cloudflare #techlayoffs #tech #layoff

"We finished our evaluations of 2023 performance and this is where you've not met Cloudflare expectations for performance and we've decided to part ways with you," the HR representative can be heard saying.

Pietsch was shocked that she was being laid off because she had just started the job in October and her 3-month ramp-up was interrupted by the holidays. "I'm going to stop you right there,” she said. “I've been on a three-month ramp, and then it was three weeks of December, and then a week of Christmas and here we are. I have had the highest activity amongst my team."

The 3-month ramp-up is the allotment of time a company gives a salesperson to get up to speed on their new assignment. She also thought that she was meeting expectations at her new job.

"Every single one-on-one I've had with my manager, every conversation I've had with him, he's been giving me nothing but that I am doing a great job,” she said.

Even though Pietsch may have a case for keeping her job, she soon realizes she has no chance to save it because the HR people know very little about her performance. The HR representatives say they aren't giving her any "clarity or answers” that will “meet the expectations that you're communicating to us." The HR people add that they are happy to follow up with her about her performance, but Pietsch doubts that will ever happen. "But then when?” she asks. “If it's not as I'm getting fired, it's certainly not going to be after when I'm no longer part of the company." Eventually, the exchange ends when the HR representative concludes that there is nothing they can do for her.

"So I don't think there's anything we can say in this moment or today, Brittany, that's going to change the way that you feel,” the HR representative said before moving the conversation toward the next steps of the firing process.

The video has been seen over 4 million times on X, so the CEO of Cloudflare Matthew Prince, responded to the video on the platform. He admitted that the video was painful to watch but reiterated that Pietsch was let go for her performance.

The positive takeaway is that the CEO noted the process wasn’t “kind” or “humane” and that he will look into “improving” it “going forward.” The video is also an excellent example for other companies on how not to let someone go, especially at a time when people are very sensitive about workplace behavior on social media.


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All In
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5 ways people are going "all in" this week

From the silliest to the most sentimental, there are so many ways people are going “all in” on the internet this week. Here are our five favorites.

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There's something truly special about watching someone go "all in." This could mean throwing an elaborately themed birthday party for a Chihuahua (see below) or something a little simpler, like surprising someone with a long-anticipated birthday present. Whatever it is, going "all in" means total commitment—no holding back, no second-guessing, just passion and full-throttle enthusiasm. It means being fully present in the moment and creating something truly special as a result.

In this roundup, we’ve scoured the internet for the best examples of people going all in—those moments where passion, creativity, and total commitment take center stage. Some are silly, some are sentimental, but all of them are a reminder that giving 100% is the only way to truly leave a mark on this world. Buckle up—these folks didn’t just show up, they went all in.

1. The guy who learned Mandarin to propose

@yinrun_hello He secretly learned Chinese to Propose 😭😭😭 #fiance #proposal #engagement #love ♬ pluto projector - ☆

Talk about commitment. Getting married is the ultimate example of being "all in," but this guy takes it to a whole other level. Shared to social media by content creator Yinrun Huang, the emotional video captures a marriage proposal that's completely in Mandarin from a non-native speaker. That's right—this guy learned a whole language (and executed it pretty well) to win his girlfriend's hand in marriage. Not only are the words beautiful, his dedication is, too.

2. Kid-approved snacks that help local communities  

It’s scientifically proven that kids are brutally honest, unfiltered, and don’t hold back—which is why our friends at All In couldn’t resist sitting down with this group and getting their honest opinion. Are these snack bars really that good?

The Bite Size Board has spoken—and they’re all in. Not only are these snack bars delicious, they’re also an easy way to help people in need: Every time you buy a bar, 2% goes to a community to help them get fresh food.

Want to try these Board-approved treats? Snag a free box by signing up with your phone number on Aisle. Then grab two boxes of All In bars at Sprouts, snap a picture of your receipt, and text it through Aisle. They’ll Venmo or PayPal you back for the cost of one box. Easy and delicious.

3. This Chihuahua’s extravagant birthday bash

@phoebeparsons__ Tell me you’re a DINK family without telling me #chihuahua #dink #mexican ♬ EVERLASTING LOVE - GROWS

Do you love your dog? Would you throw a birthday party for them? How about a full-out celebration in a Mexican restaurant that includes banners, party hats, and the entire restaurant serenading him? Yeah, we thought not. These pet owners are absolutely "all in" on this dog's birthday, and we love to see it. Not only is this celebration extravagant and clearly well thought-out, people in the comments section are jokingly pointing out that taking a Chihuahua to a Mexican restaurant is a nod to the dog's cultural heritage. If that was intentional, this might be the best dog birthday party we've ever seen.

4. Truly unhinged (and maybe true?) Taylor Swift theories

@grindcitymedia did taylor swift drop super bowl hints? 😲 #swifties #nfl #taylorswift ♬ original sound - grindcitymedia

OK, whether you love Taylor Swift or not, you have to admit that her fans (known as “Swifties”) have an incredible commitment to the fandom (and an eye for detail). Case in point: Last week on her boyfriend’s podcast, Taylor announced the upcoming release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The news was responsible for breaking the internet, and also for spurring a ton of fan theories about the future album and her future performances. In case you didn’t know, Swift is famous for dropping “Easter eggs” that hint at things she’ll be doing in the future, such as when she kept flashing peace signs and dropping the number 2 in her instagram posts in the weeks leading up to her double album “The Tortured Poets Department” in April 2024. This time, Swifties have taken to social media to discuss potential Easter eggs that were hidden throughout her podcast appearance. The latest theory? Her constant references to sourdough bread were actually Easter eggs hinting at a 2027 Super Bowl Halftime performance. Only time will tell if that's accurate, but the enthusiasm, the attention to detail, and the hours of research that must have gone into all these fan theories is truly something to behold.

5. This dirt bike birthday surprise 

@dmndboys_

This is why I look forward to fatherhood 🔥

♬ original sound - dmndboys_

These parents didn't give their kid a birthday present—they gave him the best birthday present of all time. Not only did the setup require a lot of thought and planning, but check out this kid's reaction. You can tell this was something he'd been wanting for a long time. Going "all out" and getting such a great response in return—it's something amazing to see.


Snag your free (!!) snack bars here while this deal lasts.

Science

Couple plants real-life 'money tree' and its first seeds are worth over $6,700

The species is at least 200 million years old.

via Daderot/Wikimedia Commons and C T Johansson/Wikimedia Commons

A Wollemi pine and one of its cones.

As the old adage goes, money doesn’t grow on trees. However, what if you had a tree that was so rare that people would spend good money for its seeds? Then you could honestly say that you have a money tree growing in your yard. Such is the case for a retired couple in England, Pamela and Alistair Thompson, both 75, who in 2010 paid £70 ($98) for a 46cm-tall Wollemi pine sapling that a friend bought on the Shopping Channel. It’s believed that it was the first ever endangered tree species to be protected by making it available to the general public.

What is the Wollemi pine?

The Wollemi pine is valuable because it appears in the fossil record as far back as 200 million years ago and was thought to have gone extinct about 70 to 90 million years back. However, in 1994, a bushwalker in Australia came across a Wollemi pine in a secluded gorge. Biologically, it was a discovery as significant as coming across a living dinosaur in a hidden part of Australia in the ‘90s.

Wollemi is an Australian Aboriginal word that means "watch out—look around you."

wollemi pine, endangered trees, australian trees, seattle, washington, rare trees A Wollemi pine in Seattle, Washington. via Brewbooks/Wikimedia Commons


The tree may have made its way to Eurpoe, but the wild trees are under threat from wildfires and climate change. It’s believed that only about 90 exist in the wild today. In 2006, it made its European debut when Sir David Attenborough planted one at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. “How exciting we should discover this rare survivor from such an ancient past,” Attenborough said.

After 15 years of special care, the Thompson’s tree began to bear fruit for the first time in August 2025. “This year has been so ­unusually dry, it happened earlier,” she said, according to The Times. The couple now plans to package the valuable seeds from the tree and give the money to the National Garden Scheme. The National Garden Scheme is a government program where people open their gardens up to the general public, and the money that is generated is donated to the Queen’s Nursing Institute.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

How much does a Wollemi pine cost?

“I saw a small tree for sale for more than £1,000 ($1352), which shows how rare they are. We’re planning to package the seeds five or six at a time and sell the bundles online for £5 ($6.76). We’ve seen some retailers sell them for much more, but we want to make them accessible for people, as well as raise money for charity. We don’t yet know how many will be healthy and produce trees. Only time will tell.”

"We have around five large cones, which have produced about a hundred or so large seeds each. It would be lovely to see just how many seeds we can produce, but I have been very surprised by the numbers so far this year,” she said, according to Unilad. So, if you do the math, 100 seed packs at $6.76 each would go for $676. Not bad for just collecting seeds.

But they could make a lot more money off the seeds if they chose to do so. It’s believed that one seed can go for as much as £10 ($13.52). If they sold all 500 seeds produced by the five cones, they'd make $6,760.

This tree could net them thousands of dollars a year in perpetuity. “It really does prove that money can grow on trees,” Mr. Thompson said, according to The Times.

wollemi pine, endangered trees wollemi pine cone, australia trees, money tree, dinosaur tree A female Wollemi pine cone.via Adrian198cm/Wikimedia Commons

Preserving the Wollemi pine for the future

In 2023, over 170 young Wollemi pines grown by the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, in Australia, were shipped to be planted in 28 botanic gardens with climates that could support the pines, across the UK and Europe. One Wollemi was sent to Atlanta, Georgia, in the U.S.

“Discovering the lost Wollemi pines in the wild was a truly astounding moment for international tree conservation, and to be a leading partner nearly thirty years later in launching this important new metacollection on UK soil is an exciting moment for Forestry England,” Mike Seddon, Forestry England Chief Executive, said in a press release. “As we care for the Wollemi pines we plant today, we’ll be able to study the way they grow, learning with the other botanic gardens how they flourish outside Australia. The climate crisis means that across all continents, many trees like Wollemi pines are facing urgent threats to their survival. We know that 34 per cent of conifers are now endangered, and our ongoing work to research, propagate, and save tree species is more vital than ever.”

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Pets

Veterinarians explain the mystery over why makes cats literally flip out over aluminum foil

It's like water.

Photo credit: Canva

Vets explain what makes cats literally flip out over aluminum foil

Cats really are strange creatures sometimes. We joke about them being liquid because they attempt to find a way to sit in the smallest, most awkward spaces for seemingly no reason. They can also be menaces to society, knocking things off of shelves, dipping their paws into whatever you're eating, or pouncing on your head while you're trying to sleep. There seems to be no end to their categorically weird behavior; they're even scared of strategically placed inanimate objects.

There are tons of videos showing cats practically leaving their body when they come face to face with a stray cucumber or orange. This is something that seems to have been repeated with aluminum foil. For some reason, a lot of cats simply can't stand the shiny stuff if it's not in the form of a ball with a bell inside. So what is it about the food wrap that causes felines to flip out if they encounter it? According to Forever Vets, the answer is simple–sensory overload.

cats; aluminum foil; cats scared of foil; foil on counters; cat deterrent Cooking up charm: kitchen cuddles and culinary creativity.Photo credit: Canva

Aluminum foil is shiny and smooth so when a cat's paw touches it the texture is foreign to them and may seem dangerous. But the real challenge comes when they put weight on the paw touching the foil. The noise foil makes when manipulated in any way can be uncomfortable or overwhelming to a cat's sensitive ears.

"Cats are highly particular about the surfaces they walk on, and many prefer soft, stable footing. Aluminum foil is the opposite — it's crinkly, slippery, and unpredictable. Cats rely on their paw pads to gauge texture and stability, and aluminum foil creates an unsettling sensation that they are not used to. The instability beneath their feet makes them feel unsafe, prompting them to jump away," Forever Vets writes in a blog post.

@paws.of.tiktok Cats discovering aluminum foil for the first time are some of the most hilarious moments lol #cat #catsoftiktok #catlover #foryou #funnycat ♬ original sound - .

One school of thought is that aluminum foil resembles water due to its reflective surface. Purrfect Fence says, "If a cat had not been exposed to foil before, and suddenly there was a large 'puddle' of it on the floor or countertop, it’s possible that it could be mistaken for water at first glance. In general, it’s safe to say that cats prefer to stay dry. So if the foil is initially perceived to be water, then most cats would likely be hesitant to walk right onto it."

Whether cats believe foil is a slippery sheet of ice or a suddenly appearing pond, it can be used as a short-term deterrent. Short-term, because while it may work great to keep cats from jumping onto counters or stop them from scratching furniture, it won't change their instinct to do so. That means as soon as you remove the foil deterrent, the unwanted behavior will surely return just as fast as it stopped. It also doesn't work for the long term because some cats are braver than others. Eventually, a brave kitty will figure out the foil isn't scary and test it out until they've become used to the sensations the aluminum foil brings.

@phanthavongrisugl Cat vs Aluminum foil #cat #catsoftiktok #funny #pets #funnycats #funnyvideo #foryou ♬ original sound - Cat Tales

This doesn't mean it doesn't have its place in deterring felines from unwanted behaviors. If you're attempting to keep cats out of a Christmas tree until presents are snuggly fitted beneath the branches, foil is a cheap and easy solution. The same goes for when you're preparing for a birthday party or holiday meal. Placing foil on the counters and table for a few days before the event will likely deter the furry roommates from adding their hair as seasoning to whatever dish you're preparing.

Cats are smart, determined little creatures, so the majority of deterrents used will have a shelf life of effectiveness. According to the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, the use of positive reinforcement is the best way to train animals...yes, even cats.

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Mom shows 9-year-old how to leave uncomfortable conversations and it's advice everyone should hear

You don't need to let someone make you uncomfortable.

via Canva/Photos

A young girl with her hand over her mouth.

Few things are more uncomfortable than sitting like a deer in the headlights while someone pushes you into an incredibly awkward conversation. Whether it’s a TMI (too much information) conversation or they want to talk about politics or religion, it’s hard to tell someone that a subject is off-limits.

However, in a viral Instagram post, Charisse Sims makes an essential point about these awkward situations: it will be uncomfortable whether you tell them to change the subject or if you have to sit through the conversation. So, it’s better to take the option that’s less hurtful to you. Sims is a mother of six and the host of the Parenting for the Culture podcast. She is also an awarded Educator by PBS and PBS Kids and founder of The Sims Library of Poetry.

How do you leave uncomfortable conversations?

She shared the advice while talking to her nine-year-old daughter, who she could tell felt very awkward about a recent conversation. “Immediately, when she started having that conversation, I could see on your face that you felt uncomfortable,” Sims told her daughter in an Instagram Reel. “When you have that feeling, your response to them should be, ‘I feel uncomfortable in this conversation. Let's talk about something else.”

Sims then asked her daughter to repeat the phrase a few times to burn it into her brain for when she needed it. Her daughter then admitted that telling someone to change the conversation would be difficult. Most people probably agree that telling people you’d like to change the subject is uncomfortable.

However, Sims makes a great point: you will be uncomfortable both ways, so choose the one that best suits you.

“Which one is a longer discomfort, taking 10 seconds to say, ‘I feel uncomfortable in this conversation. Can we talk about something else?” Sims asked. “Or, sitting in a 20- to 30-minute conversation that you feel uncomfortable in?”

stop, woman, woman says stop, talk to hand, hand out, stop hand, conversation, awkward A woman holding her hand out saying "stop." via Canva/Photos

“It is uncomfortable telling people stop. It is uncomfortable being like, ‘I don't really like what you're doing,’ because you're worried you're going to hurt their feelings, and you want them to like you,” Sims continued. “But it's also uncomfortable to sit there and be uncomfortable for a long time. So choose your discomfort, and choose the one that's going to help you, not hurt you.”

Candace Smith, an etiquette expert, says it’s also helpful if you have another topic on deck that the person may be interested in to make the transition smoother for both parties. “When you think it’s time to let the other person know you will change the subject, be positive, and smile. Keep your eye contact warm and direct,” she says, before giving an example: “I’m going to change our subject here. Let’s talk about something cool like the Marvel movie!”

shhh, shush, finger over mouth, girl saying quiet, end of conversation, finger over mouth A young girl making a "quiet" motion. via Canva/Photos

Sims' advice is important because it’s something that all of us, adults included, could use next time they are forced into an uncomfortable situation. Her advice is a great tool for making sound decisions when we feel awkward and unable to think on our feet. “I wish when I was growing up, I was taught more how to navigate tricky situations rather than just being told to stay out of them,” Sims wrote in her post. “As simple as that is, It’s not always that easy. Our children need more support and actual practice navigating these awkward situations.”

This article originally appeared in April.

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People rally behind woman who attended 'anti-loneliness club' only to find out it wasn't real

The cruel prank turned into an affirming moment.

Photo credit: Canva

Woman stood up at 'anti-loneliness club' people rush to support her

There's no definitive handbook on how to make friends as an adult, so most of us are out there winging it. Becoming friends with coworkers can be ill-advised, but often they're the only ones with whom adults spend the most time, so friendships naturally form. But those friendships can quickly sour with office politics or abruptly end when someone leaves the company. It's for that reason, many are told to avoid getting too close to people within the workplace.

This leaves people racking their brains for other ways to meet people they have things in common with. Josie, a woman who goes by the name pastacoma on social media, recently put herself out there in an attempt to meet new people. Things didn't go as planned. Josie saw an event in her area for an "anti-loneliness club" at a local sports bar. The event was shared on Eventbrite, a digital platform that allows people and event coordinators to list events and patrons to purchase digital tickets.

anti-loneliness club; lonely; meeting friends; making friends; adult friendships; social anxiety Quiet contemplation at a cozy night café.Photo credit: Canva

The anti-loneliness club was shared on the platform. Josie snagged her ticket, got dolled up on the night of the event and showed up ready to mingle with other 20-somethings who are hoping to avoid loneliness. Except, the server she encountered hadn't heard the sports bar was hosting an event. Undeterred, Josie showed the server the ticket before he went to ask another server about the event. Neither server knew what Josie was talking about, which is when they called in the owner, hoping to get a definitive answer as to when this event was supposed to take place.

The more Josie had to explain she was there for an anti-loneliness club meetup, the more the discomfort settled in. Unfortunately, the discomfort started to morph into embarrassment when the owner shared the news.

@pastacoma this is the saddest thing ever
♬ original sound - ASMR icons

According to Josie, he says, "I was introduced to the owner, who asked to see the ticket, and he called it the cruelest prank he had ever heard of in his life. He said that if it was a real event that he would've had to approve it and like he's done events with Eventbrite before and like he would've known if it was real."

Though Josie was now sure the event wasn't real, she decided to stick around to see if anyone else "got scammed" and showed up to the faux event. The owner of the bar sat the woman at a six-top table in the middle of the bar so she could wait to see if any other anti-loneliness club members arrived. They didn't. People in the comments cannot believe someone would do this to someone else and offer her words of encouragement, as well as permission to enter her villain era.

anti-loneliness club; lonely; meeting friends; making friends; adult friendships; social anxiety Relaxing on the couch with a phone after takeout.Photo credit: Canva

"Lady you are now the president of the anti loneliness club, and you get to create the club you want it to be! let me know when it's up and running and I'll join you!" one person says.

"I would never trust another event in my life," another writes.

"This should be your villain origin story. And honestly everyone would understand," someone else jokingly encourages.

@pastacoma Replying to @ganondorfwick i hate u @Eventbrite ♬ original sound - josie

One person turned it around saying, "Look the worst possible thing happened to you and you survived to tell about it. That’s pretty awesome."

A common theme begins to emerge within the woman's comment section, people want to be Josie's friend. They also are advocating for her to start her own anti-loneliness group with one person sharing, "Hey, you made the initiative and that’s all that matters. If I lived near you I would love to be your friend. You seem like such a fun person with a fantastic personality!"

"This is your sign to start a group, because there ARE people out there who would appreciate you. You are now the president of the anti loneliness club, find your people."

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These are the 10 very best books of 2025 so far, according to voracious readers

"It's the perfect balance between lovely prose and addictive plot."

Credit: Amazon

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman.

Look, I get it. Your reading list is longer than a CVS receipt at the moment. And the idea of adding 10 fresh, new titles? That makes you want to hide under a weighted blanket until you can figure out how to make your Kindle do the reading for you. But trust the Internet on this one—these aren't just any books.

We're talking about 10 literary earthquakes that are shaking up the online world, sourced from Reddit's r/suggestmeabook forum. This list has everything, from poetic climate fiction to historical romance. These are the kind of stories that make you text your friends at 2 a.m. saying, "You have to read this right now."


best, books, 2025, charlotte mcconaghy Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.Credit: Amazon

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Picture this: you're stranded on a remote island near Antarctica, tasked with protecting the world's last seed bank while sea levels rise around you. That's the captivating premise of Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore, a novel that reads like climate fiction meets psychological thriller.

McConaghy, an Australian author who has already proven her mastery of environmental storytelling with Migrations and Once There Were Wolves, brings readers to Shearwater Island, where Dominic Salt and his three children remain—the final inhabitants of what was once a thriving research station. When a mysterious woman named Rowan washes ashore during a fierce storm, the family's fragile existence becomes even more precarious.

Wild Dark Horse has been heralded as "Amazon's Best Book of the Year So Far for 2025," and represents McConaghy at her most ambitious. This novel asks: What impossible choices would you make to protect those you love while the world itself is disappearing?

On Reddit, one user wrote about Wild Dark Horse, "LOVED this one! The way she made the landscape come to life!"

Another hailed McConaghy, writing, "Her books all hit a perfect balance between lovely prose and addictive plot."


best, book, 2025, alison goodman The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman.Credit: Amazon

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman

If you think the Regency era was all tea parties and beautiful gowns, Australian author Alison Goodman has a wakeup call for you. The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin is the second installment in her Ill-Mannered Ladies series. It transforms two supposedly "useless old maids" into the most formidable amateur detectives you've ever encountered.

Lady Augusta "Gus" Colebrook and her twin sister Julia are 42 years old and invisible to Regency society—the perfect, undetectable cover for two women fighting injustice. When Lord Evan, an escaped convict who has captured Gus' heart, needs help clearing his name of murder, the twin sisters dive headfirst into a world of Georgian gentlemen's clubs, spies, and ruthless bounty hunters.

With a PhD focused on Regency-era research and multiple award-winning fantasies under her belt, Goodman brings impressive credentials to this work of feminist historical fiction. The Wall Street Journal praised her Ill-Mannered Ladies series as "delightful company," and it's easy to see why. By subverting the typical "spinster" narrative, rather than pitying them, Goodman celebrates their freedom and intelligence.


best, book, 2025, john green Everything is Tuberculosis by John GreenCredit: Amazon

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Leave it to John Green to take the world's deadliest infectious disease and craft a profoundly human story that will fundamentally change how you view global health inequities. Everything is Tuberculosis marks Green's return to nonfiction—and it's one of his most essential works yet.

The book centers on Henry Reider, a spirited 17-year-old Green met in Sierra Leone. Reider suffers from drug-resistant tuberculosis. Through his story, Green explores how tuberculosis has become "a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it".


- YouTube www.youtube.com

Green's unique position as both a bestselling YA author (The Fault in Our Stars) and global health advocate gives him an extraordinary point of view. His YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers , and his work with Partners in Health have raised over $30 million for maternal mortality efforts in Sierra Leone. When he spoke at the United Nations in 2023 about tuberculosis eradication, it wasn't just celebrity advocacy—it was informed passion backed by years of research. As Green puts it, the real tragedy isn't the bacteria themselves, but that "the cure exists where the disease does not, and the disease exists where the cure does not".


best, book, 2025, stephen graham jones The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham JonesCredit: Amazon

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones crafted what many are calling his masterpiece—a chilling historical novel confronting one of America's most brutal chapters—all while reimagining the classic vampire myth through Indigenous eyes.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter tells the story of Good Stab, a Blackfeet man who turns into a vampire seeking justice following the 1870 Marias Massacre, where the U.S. cavalry slaughtered 217 women, children, and elderly Blackfeet people. The novel unfolds through diary entries and transcribed confessions, creating an epistolary structure that feels both intimate and haunting.

Jones, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe and professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, brings profound, authentic gravitas to this narrative. NPR called it "gorgeous prose" with a "complex, engaging, and multilayered" plot. The novel doesn't just use vampirism as horror. It transforms vampirism into a metaphor for survival, resistance, and the ways violence echoes through generations.



best, book, 2025, omar el akkad One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against It by Omar El AkkadCredit: Amazon

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against It by Omar El Akkad

Occasionally, a single tweet can capture the moral crisis of a generation. Omar El Akkad's viral tweet about the bombing of Gaza has been viewed over 10 million times.

"One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." – El Akkard on Twitter/X

Now, that tweet has turned into a memoir about Western complicity and moral awakening. Born in Egypt and raised in Qatar, El Akkard brings unparalleled credentials to this literary reckoning. As a journalist for The Globe and Mail, he's covered some of the most significant events of the war on terror.

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This represents what El Akkard calls his "heartsick breakup letter with the West". The book explores "what it means to live in the heart of an empire that doesn't consider you fully human" and chronicles "the deep fracture that has occurred for Black, brown, Indigenous Americans" who had "clung to a thread of faith in Western ideals".


best, book, 2025, taylor jenkins reid Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReidCredit: Amazon

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Reid Jenkin's Atmosphere takes readers to 1980s NASA, where Joan Goodwin discovers that space travel might be possible for women scientists. But this is about more than just rockets—it's a tale about love, ambition, and finding your place in the universe, literally and figuratively.

Reid, whose previous novels include The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & the Six, spent months in Houston researching this specific space program. Reviewers are calling it "both vast and intimate—like looking up at the sky and somehow finding yourself in it," which is precisely the kind of beautiful, devastating description that makes you add a book to your cart immediately.

"LOVED this on audiobook," wrote a Reddit user. "I think the narration made the science and technical stuff more accessible and interesting."


best, book, 2025, V.E. Schwab Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. SchwabCredit: Amazon

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

V.E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil uses vampirism to explore the stories of three women across different centuries—Maria in 1530s Spain, Charlotte in Georgian England, and Alice in contemporary times—who turn to the undead to escape patriarchal oppression.

Schwab, who has 25+ books under her belt, is "at her most raw, her most autobiographical and maybe her most damning". It's vampire fiction for people who thought they were over their vampire fiction phase.


best, book, 2025, nikki erlich The Poppy Fields by Nikki ErlichCredit: Amazon

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlich

What if you could sleep away your grief? That's the haunting question at the heart of Nikki Erlick's sophomore novel, The Poppy Fields, which follows four strangers on a journey to a controversial treatment center in the California desert.

What makes Erlick's work so powerful is her ability to tackle profound questions about healing and human resilience. As one reviewer noted, the book "explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person". The central question at the heart of this novel—how far are we willing to go to be healed?—resonates deeply in a world where mental health struggles are more visible than ever before.


best, book, 2025, chuck wendig The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck WendigCredit: Amazon

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig, the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents, returns with The Staircase in the Woods, a horror novel that transforms childhood friendship into something far more sinister.

The premise is deceptively simple: five high school friends are bound by a mysterious oath. During a camping trip, they discover a strange staircase leading to nowhere—when one friend climbs up and never returns, their lives are shattered. Twenty years later, the stairs reappear, and the remaining friends must confront what really happened all those years ago.

Vulture named it one of their Best Books of the Year (So Far), and it's easy to see why—Wendig has created a horror story that's more interested in the monsters we carry within us than the ones lurking in dark corners.


best, book, 2025, colum mccann Twist by Colum McCannCredit: Amazon

Twist by Colum McCann

Irish literary master Colum McCann returns with Twist, a stunning novel that plunges us deep beneath the ocean's surface to explore the fragile cables that connect our digital world—and the equally fragile bonds that connect us to each other.

The story follows Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist who joins a cable-laying ship to write about submarine communications cables. What begins as a straightforward assignment becomes something much more complex as Fennell encounters Conway, an enigmatic operations manager whose mysterious past drives the narrative into unexpected territory.

Why these books matter

These aren't just ten great books—they represent literature's response to our current moment with urgency, empathy, and unflinching honesty. In a time when the world can feel overwhelming, these authors offer something precious: proof that stories can still surprise, challenge, and ultimately change us.

So yes, add these ten essential books to your accumulating reading list! And really prioritize them—the conversations they spark today will be the ones that matter most tomorrow.

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