The books the political and policy class are reading on and off Beacon Hill

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“Abundance” seemed to be everywhere this year.

The book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson was the talk of certain political circles, particularly among Democrats as their party took its turn in the political wilderness. The book pitches a “liberalism that builds” in various sectors, housing and beyond. Barack Obama called it a “blueprint for reforming government so it can deliver for working people.”

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll recently quipped that half of Gov. Maura Healey’s cabinet is reading the book. Local elected officials were reading it too: In a social media post, Boston City Councilor Enrique Pepen touted it as his subway read.

After hearing that, I had some trepidation about reaching out to people on and off Beacon Hill about what they read this year. The rules were: It didn’t have to be a book published this year, it didn’t have to relate to politics, and it could be fiction or non-fiction. If "Abundance" was indeed their favorite book of 2025, I asked that the runner-up be included.

Some went with a classic – City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, who is pregnant, touted the guide “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” – while others went with something fresh off the printing press, like Senate President Karen Spilka who chose the latest in a crime fiction franchise, “The Girl With Ice in Her Veins.” 

Healey picked two books: “James,” by Percival Everett, and “North Woods,” by Daniel Mason. “James” revisits Mark Twain’s “Huck Finn,” from the perspective of the fugitive slave Jim. “To me, ‘James’ was a story of connection, resilience, and strength,” she said. “But it was also about how easy human beings can form judgments about others without understanding or knowing the whole person.”

She also picked the historical fiction book “North Woods” partly because it was set in Massachusetts, Healey added. “But it was also a favorite because I grew up in a very old house surrounded by an apple orchard that – similar to the one in the book – had so many stories and ghosts of people who lived there for over four centuries.”

For Driscoll, “Abundance” was indeed her top favorite. “It hits the nail on the head about how we need to focus on outcomes when it comes to policymaking and think about regulation reform as a way to fast-track housing,” she said.

Her runner-up: “The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century,” by Thomas Friedman. “It touches on how globalization has changed the way we talk about the world and how we have to adapt to the idea that the world has 'flattened' making us more economically interconnected than ever before,” she said.

We also asked former Gov. Deval Patrick, Healey’s rivals for the Corner Office, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and others for their top reads of the year. Here’s what they said.

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9:30 | “HERstory: Volume III” exhibit opens for public viewing in Senate President Karen Spilka’s ceremonial office. The exhibit covers the photos of 91 former Senate presidents, who were mostly men, with photos of notable women from Massachusetts. | Senate President’s Ceremonial Office, third floor, State House, Boston

10:00 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will attend the grand opening of Molly Tea in Chinatown. | 67 Beach Street, Chinatown

3:00 | Senior housing developer 2Life Communities holds a groundbreaking celebration for Solimine House, a 150-unit affordable housing community. The development is on the former Union Hospital will offer affordable, "service-enriched" housing for adults ages 62 years and older. Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton are scheduled to give remarks. | Adjacent to Element Care at 235 Woodland North Ave., Lynn

With Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s 2026 inauguration approaching, party planning remains underway, as does fundraising for it. Her inaugural fund filed its first report earlier this month, pulling in $15,000 from an entity linked to Renee Chan, a former management consultant at Fidelity Investments and IBM, and attorney Patrick Mitchell, whose South End building Wu once lived in while at Harvard. Wu is set to be sworn into a second term on Monday, Jan. 5 at Symphony Hall. Her 2021 inauguration fund ended up raising $1.3 million….

…The MBTA released its highly anticipated shortlist of groups to submit proposals for the multibillion-dollar commuter rail contract that is up mid-2027: Incumbent Keolis is proposing a joint venture with Alstom Transport USA Inc.; under the umbrella of “Mass Regional Rail,” Alternate Concepts Inc. (ACI) is in a consortium with TransitAmerica Services Inc. and RATP Developpement S.A.; and lastly, a consortium of Transdev North America Inc. and Transport UK Holdings. The shortlist presents a rematch of sorts between two of the three: French rail firm Keolis won the contract over Jim O’Leary, a former MBTA general manager who runs ACI, in 2014….

….Coalition for Healthy Democracy, which according to filed paperwork has been pushing a pair of ballot questions that set up all-party primaries and public records reform, reported pulling in $2.1 million this year in its initial report to campaign finance regulators. Many of the donors come from the business sector: David Peeler, a senior adviser at Berkshire Partners, threw in $500,000, while Mark Nunnelly, co-chair of Gov. Healey’s Competitiveness Council and a former Baker administration official, donated $250,000. Andrew Balson of Cove Hill Partners also kicked in $250,000, as Frank Laukien, CEO of Bruker Corp., dropped $100,000 into the campaign’s coffers.

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HOUSING AND POLITICS: DraftKings revealed itself as one of the donors to Gov. Maura Healey’s political nonprofit focused on housing issues, called One Commonwealth. But its other funders remain unknown. – WBUR

STEAMSHIP AUTHORITY: The Steamship Authority wasted as much as $4 million in taxpayer dollars on a website development project that was ultimately shelved, according to a new report from the state inspector general, Jeffrey Shapiro. A 59-page report called the affair a “cascade of failures.” – Vineyard Gazette

BALLOT QUESTIONS: Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office said its elections division has certified enough signatures for the first batch of ballot initiatives, including one seeking a rollback of recreational marijuana. The others are ballot initiatives on an all-party primary system in state elections, Election Day voter registration, rent control and reducing the state income tax rate. – State House News Service

MBTA COMMUNITIES: The fight over the MBTA Communities Act will carry over into 2026, with the Supreme Judicial Court set to take the issue up again. Marshfield, one of the small group of communities opposing the law, is arguing that the law is an unfunded mandate. – CommonWealth Beacon 

SNAP SCHEME: The Healey administration and federal officials are pointing fingers over an investigation into a SNAP benefit fraud scheme. Two men were accused in the scheme that involved nearly $7 million. – Boston Herald

SHATTUCK HOSPITAL: State officials acknowledged the death of a plan to redevelop the Shattuck Hospital after placing a pause on it in 2023. Boston Medical Center had led a development team but faced neighborhood pushback over its proposal to turn it into a recovery campus. – Dorchester Reporter

PUBLIC MARKET SUIT: Philip Frattaroli, owner of the Pine Bar inside Boston Public Market, went to court to stop what he called an “unlawful eviction,” and told other market vendors that the attempted eviction is “based on fabricated allegations and personal retribution.” – Boston Business Journal 

MBTA RIDERSHIP: Ridership on the MBTA is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, agency officials said, and partly attributed it to improvements in train service. – State House News Service

RESOLUTION OPPOSITION: The head of the Greater Springfield NAACP wrote to Springfield councilors to say the organization opposes a resolution asking state lawmakers about stronger laws on possession and sale of drugs around schools and playgrounds. – MassLive

Trump executive order seeks to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug

School committee votes to close three Boston schools by summer 2027

Two options for replacing key Morrissey Boulevard bridge in Dorchester

Worcester law firm to merge with smaller Boston boutique outfit

Federal magistrate judge who sits on Springfield bench to retire in January

KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. The station is running an encore edition of the show hosted by political analyst Jon Keller. The guest is GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve. The original interview aired in September, and was scheduled to re-air last Sunday, but was overtaken by live coverage of the Brown University shooting.

@ ISSUE SIT DOWN: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard interviews Mike Kennealy, GOP gubernatorial candidate.

ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. The guest is U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton.

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