Kevin D. Hendricks's Blog

It’s been nine years since new U2 music, and then we get two EPs only 40 days apart, with Days of Ash and now Easter Lily.

I’m not going to go song by song, but it is quintessentially U2, from Bono’s soaring lyrics to that signature guitar. There’s even a song with Edge on vocals that sounds so much like Bono you might not notice at first. It’s unabashedly religious (I mean, with that title, duh).

“In a Life,” “Scars,” and “Resurrection Song” jump out at me as the best songs, though “COEXI...

Recently I’ve been reading about Civil Rights hero John Lewis. I read his weighty biography, Walking With the Wind, as well as a couple shorter, kind of “rah-rah” books that collected some of his inspiring wisdom. It felt timely on the heels of the ICE surge in Minnesota.

What did I learn?

A reminder that the Civil Rights Movement is recent history. Math, obviously, but plenty of people lived through it and are still alive. They saw ‘White’ and ‘Colored’ drinking fountains in their da...

U2 surprised everyone with new music this week. They released a six-track EP (five songs and one poem) called Days of Ash on Ash Wednesday.

The Discovery

I didn’t even hear about it until Thursday morning.

And even then, I didn’t believe it. I saw a photo post on social media set to music, with the name “American Obituary” by U2. I thought, that’s odd, I don’t know of any U2 song by that name. Often social media sites license music so people can add it to their posts, so I thought this ...

I hesitate to post this, but I want to give people around the country a glimpse of what Minnesota is going through right now in the midst of an ICE surge and after the killing of Renee Good. I’m a middle-aged white guy who lives in a first-ring suburb of 20,000 people. Minneapolis is miles away and we don’t go there often. My family is not suffering like some are, but it’s far from normal.

Here’s what I’ve experienced:

ICE is everywhere. Seriously, they’re all around town—Target, Wal...

So I already ran my total books in 2025, top 10 fiction, and top 10 nonfiction. Time to talk stats.

Total Reads

As noted before, I hit 211 total books this year. That’s my second highest all time.

How is that possible? I wrote a whole book about it, so it gets tiring answering that question. You have to love it and then make time for it. It’s not that hard. Put your phone down, shut off the TV.

Audio: And yes, listening to books is reading. This is a silly thing to fight over. Audiob...

While I read a lot in 2025, nonfiction only accounted for 23% of my reads. Not as many to pick from, but still some good ones.

You can also check out my top 10 fiction and my reading stats/goals.

Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley – Really solid and meaty writing advice. Used it with my intern this summer.A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings – I thought this would be one of those w...

Another big reading year in 2025 (211 total books!), which makes it hard to compile a best-of list, but here we go.

You can also check out my top 10 nonfiction and my reading stats/goals.

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley – Sort of a romance with song-writing thrown in. Best example I’ve seen of a book about a writer where they show you their writing and it’s good. Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor – I’ve soured on Nnedi Okorafor’s stuff lately, but this is her best yet. Really fascinati...

Another big reading year with 211 books. Not as high as last year, but second highest overall.

You can also check out my top 10 fiction, top 10 nonfiction, and my reading stats/goals.

You can also check out my previous reading lists: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001.

If you want to read more, check out my booklet 137 Books in One Year: How to Fall in Love With Reading Again...

I love this take. Charlotte Swasey, a self-proclaimed political data nerd, says Democrats need to get weird:

“Maybe what your district needs is an entirely row-boat-based campaign. There’s essentially no downside here. If you’re running in an R +20 district, that marginal 10 votes from a careful, ordinary campaign is just not going to matter. It should be hail-mary all the way.” –Charlotte Swasey

She’s arguing that campaigns for state legislature are a great place to experiment and t...

This year I listened to 41,063 minutes of music, accounting for 5,413 songs and 2,625 artists. Less than last year all the way around.

Here’s 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 data to compare.

My Top 5 Songs of 2025

Lots of girl-powered punk/pop vibe in my top songs, with some harmonies and Lizzo:

“Table for Glasses” by Joseph (44 times)“Love in Real Life” by Lizzo“Don’t Tell the Girls” by BIZZY“Don’t!” by L0L0“Your Story” by Millie Manders and the Shutup

That top spot ...