A 2025 wrap-up of book and film recommendations
As 2025 comes to a close, we have been reflecting on the stories that stayed with us this year. The books and films below are ones our consultants returned to, re-read, and carried with them through different moments, offering comfort, challenge, and perspective. Together, they form a wrap-up of a year shaped by learning, growth, and reflection.
Pitch Perfect
As communications specialists, we all read books about comms and keep up with the latest industry reports throughout the year, but this is a book that is still being constantly recommended to master the art of pitching. After buying and struggling through six different books on pitching, this was the only one that truly stuck.
Bill McGowan’s advice covers a wide range of scenarios where you need to present yourself, from sales pitches to media appearances, networking situations, and even moments in personal life. It offers no-nonsense, sensible advice to help you say it right the first time. One clear takeaway runs throughout the book: preparation is key.
Good Will Hunting
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Good Will Hunting is one of those films that stays with you long after you’ve watched it. While it’s often talked about as a story about intelligence, what really stands out is how honestly it looks at fear, self-doubt, and the ways people hold themselves back.
At its core, the film is about what happens when someone is pushed to believe they might be capable of more than they allow themselves to imagine. It reminds you that growth doesn’t happen in isolation, and that sometimes it takes another person to challenge you, support you, and help you move beyond what feels safe.
The Sun and Her Flowers
This book stood out for its balance of poetry and illustration, including hand-drawn sketches by the author, who portrays topics such as womanhood, sexuality, and relationships through powerful artistry.
Reading The Sun and Her Flowers helped one consultant move through grief and better understand behaviours in relationships, especially intimate ones, while also finding deeper appreciation for existing in this universe as a woman. Our consultant discovered the book by chance in a café in Málaga, and later bought it and along with other books from the same author. This book is a go-to every time new inspiration is needed and it offers new meaning and perspectives.
Flow
Directed by Gints Zilbalodis
Flow is an animated film told entirely without dialogue, relying instead on music and sound to guide the viewer through its world. Watching it feels immersive, as though you are moving alongside the animals rather than simply observing them.
Through their journey, the film invites reflection on power dynamics and vulnerability in our society, using animals as an effective and empathetic lens. Without words, it creates space for interpretation, allowing each viewer to bring their own experiences and emotions to the story.
The experience is almost cathartic. As the film unfolds, it encourages reflection on meaning and purpose, and on our relationships with others and the world around us, leaving a sense that lingers long after it ends.
The Alchemist
This is a book one consultant finds themselves re-reading throughout the years. A favourite line that continues to inspire is:
“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to see the good things.”
It is a simple, but powerful reminder of how gratitude and perspective can transform everyday life.
Slay in Your Lane
Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
Slay in Your Lane was first read a couple of years ago and left a lasting impression. More recently, there was the opportunity to meet Yomi Adegoke, one of the authors, whose support of the children’s charity Theirworld was part of what inspired the initial read.
The book is full of inspiring role models and shows how Black women have succeeded across all walks of life, defying the expectations of a society that underestimated them. In a world where you are often told you have to work twice as hard to be considered half as good, Slay in Your Lane is full of pep talks and “you can do it” encouragement.
It is a book regularly recommended to young women, especially young Black women, though there is something in it for everyone. With a foreword by Karen Blackett, whose public speaking also made a strong impression this year, it brings together good people, good advice, and great role models.
Turning Red
Directed by Domee Shi
Turning Red explores identity, emotion, and self-acceptance in a thoughtful and relatable way. One line from the film captures its core message:
“We’ve all got an inner beast. We’ve all got a messy, loud, weird part of ourselves hidden away, and a lot of us never let it out.”
It can be hard to embrace your full self, especially the messy inner panda parts. This story is a powerful exploration of that struggle, and of the consequences we fear might come from letting those parts show.
The film follows Meilin Lee, a confident, dorky thirteen-year-old torn between staying with her mother’s dutiful daughter and navigating the chaos of adolescence. Whenever she expresses strong emotions, she turns into a giant red panda, creating a playful but meaningful metaphor for growing up.
The Great Mental Models, Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts
Shane Parrish with Rhiannon Beaubien
As life and work progress, it becomes clearer how important frameworks and models are in helping repeat successes and avoid rehashing mistakes. When you place an action within a system, you can better anticipate its consequences. This is as true for communications strategies as it is for wider life decisions.
General Thinking Concepts is the first in a strong series of books on mental models. It explains ideas such as Circles of Competence, knowing the limits of your own knowledge, and Second-Order Thinking, asking “and then what?” before acting. It is a great reference book and one that always offers new perspectives to better understand the world.
Snow Bear
Directed by Aaron Blaise
Snow Bear is a hand-written ten-minute short film reflecting on our impact on the planet through one of the animals most affected by climate change: the polar bear.
Slow and contemplative, it explores solitude, resilience, and the search for hope and purpose in a changing world, while remaining gentle and accessible for both children and adults.
Atomic Habits
Reading Atomic Habits felt less like being told what to change and more like being invited to look honestly at how everyday choices shape the person you are becoming. What stayed with the reader most was the reminder that progress is often invisible in the moment, that consistency matters more than intensity, and that identity is built quietly through repetition.
One quote that really landed was:
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
It prompted reflection on how often we wait for motivation or the right time, rather than honouring the small actions that build trust with ourselves. The book leaves you feeling calmer and more accountable, with a renewed sense that change does not require pressure or perfection, just patience, self-awareness, and the courage to keep showing up.
As you close out the year with your own stack of stories, books you’ve underlined, films you’ve replayed and/or lines you’ve carried into daily life we hope this list offers something that meets you where you are. Sometimes the right story doesn’t change everything at once, but it can shift the way we see the world, and ourselves.
If you’re thinking about how to communicate your impact with more clarity and intention in 2026, take a look at our Communications and Strategy services. And if you’d like to explore how AMS can support your organisation’s goals, contact us or reach out on LinkedIn.
