2025 in Books

Thirty-Nine Completed Titles

At the end of the year, I enjoy pulling up the summaries of my reading stats and reflecting over my reading journey: the slumps, the tear-jerkers, ideas that changed the way I think, and the books I could not put down to go to sleep. There is just something so satisfying scrolling through my Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Fable book cover graphics and seeing them all lined up there together! For 2025, my goal was to finish 30 books but I was actually able to finish 37 books (thanks to a very supportive husband who would happily watch our energetic toddler on Saturday mornings to give me some extra bandwidth). 

I thought it might be helpful to list my books from the year to steer people in the right direction of their potential next read. For context, you may enjoy some of my favorites if you find yourself with similar tastes to me. You will notice too that I read a lot of “backlist titles” and not as many recent releases so you may discover some books here that are not currently circulating on “BookTok”.  Without further adieu, here are the books I read in 2025: 

• The Worry-Free Parent by Sissy Goff ★★★★★

  • As someone who has been told that “to be a mom is to be anxious”, I actively want to pursue living a different way. This book was a great start to learning how to do just that! I love Sissy Goff and David Thomas on their parenting podcast, Raising Boys and Girls, and I could imagine Sissy reading the words to me from the page since I listen to her voice every week. Sissy is an expert on kids with anxiety and offers so much wisdom here! 

• The Gold in These Hills by Joanne Bischof ★★★

  • A historical, Christian fiction about the gold rush in California with a dual timeline plot. It checked a lot of boxes for the type of books I like, but my interest lagged some in the plot and parts of it felt a little “preachy”. 

• A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang ★★★★

  • This young adult fantasy novel is based on a Chinese legend about an incredibly beautiful woman named Xishi, who is given the opportunity for revenge as a spy in the palace of an enemy king.

• Tried & True by Daniel Coupland ★★★★★

  • A short, concentrated read full of practical help for teachers!

• We Solve Murders by Richard Osman ★★★★★

  • I have read The Thursday Murder Club series and love Richard Osman’s sense of humor in his mystery novels. This book did not have the same charm to me as The Thursday Murder Club, but it did keep me at the edge of my seat to find out what would happen next.

• The No-Show by Beth O’Leary ★★★

  • A rom-com about three women (Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane) who have all been stood up by the male man character. An easy read but a little predictable!

• The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix ★★

  • I had high hopes for this fantasy novel because, like a lot of readers, I love books about books! The unique magical creatures in this book were refreshing as the author branched out from the typical werewolves, fairies, and dragons in many tales. However, the fast plot and interesting creatures were not enough to assuage my sensitivity towards dark themes, like the blood-binding magic.

• How I Built This by Guy Raz ★★★★

  • I started listening to the How I Built This podcast back in 2020 while starting out in my garden so I have a fond affection for it! This book is chock-full of inspiring examples of entrepreneurs who had the courage to risk and persevere.

• Little Fires Everywhere by Celete Ng ★★★★★

  • This contemporary fiction title tied for my favorite read of the year! I absolutely could not put this book down and finished it in two days, which is pretty quick for a mom whose baby was not sleeping through the night at the time. The themes of motherhood hit home with me in a way that they may not have if I have read it sooner; the timing was perfect!

•  The God of the Woods by Liz Moore ★★★★★

  • A mystery drama that brings up themes of family systems and grief as a family deals with not one but both of their children having disappeared from the campgrounds where they live.

• Here be Dragons by Melanie Shankle ★★★★★

  • Melanie Shankle cohosts one of my favorite podcasts, The Big Boo Cast, so when I heard that she had a new book releasing about moms and daughters, I could not wait! This is her real-life background about her relationship with her mom, how she has sought to break out of generational patterns, and her redemptive mothering of her daughter, Caroline. She writes with honesty, humor, and hope.

• Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst ★★

  • Honestly, I attempted to listen to this audiobook about eight years ago after a mentor had gifted it to me, but I just could not get into it. I gave it the benefit of the doubt that maybe I had simply struggled because this had been my very first audiobook and was not used to listening. However, my second attempt was not much more encouraging sadly: I finished but did not glean much.

• Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros ★★★★

  • The third installment of The Empyrean packed in action, romance, and lots of dragons!

• The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill ★★★

  • Cute but short and weird: I am not sure what age range the intended audience is. Good animation though! 

• Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan ★★

  • A romance novel about an audiobook narrator critical about romance novels and romance in general.

• Cultish by Amanda Montell ★★★

  • An interesting look on what makes up a cult and different organizations that qualify as one.

• The Will of the Many by James Islington ★★★★★

  • This sci-fi/fantasy book tied for my favorite book of the year, and I cannot wait to (finally) read book two! The Roman Empire-inspired culture of this world was right up my alley and made for a rich world to explore. There were a few parts that were suspenseful and creepy but there was enough action and world-building in between that it did not bother me too much. Lots of though-provoking points addressed through a fantastical storyline!

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer ★★★★★

  • John Mark Comer is one of my favorite Christian teachers and leaders! His book, Garden City, changed the way I live my life and this one did not disappoint either! In fact, it has been so impactful to my thought life that my husband and I are now reading it out loud together as a couple so we can talk about its application in our family’s life.

• Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland ★★

  • A family drama about an aging, dated hotel in the Catskills; I read this during the summer as an “atmospheric read”.

• The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther ★★★

  • I definitely appreciated all of the Taylor Swift references sprinkled throughout the chapters- cute and clever! The ongoing game of water-gun assassin added some fun to a standard romance novel, and I enjoyed the strong sense of place in Martha’s Vineyard. I read this during the summer as an “atmospheric read”.

• Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones ★★★★★

  • Annie B. Jones is a bookstore owner from a small town in Georgia and hosts a podcast I love called From the Front Porch about bookish things. You may notice a theme here. This important book discusses the power of staying and being rooted in a small town when the prevailing narrative of the world encourages people to leave it all behind.

• The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle Jensen ★★★★★

  • A romantasy about a princess trained as an assassin to make an enemy king fall in love with her! I loved the geography, the characters, and the suspense!

• The Traitor Queen by Danielle Jensen ★★★★

  • The compelling sequel to The Bridge Kingdom! As much as I loved this romance, I do not plan to continue with the spin-offs- there was enough closure to finish with this book and I did not feel as attached to the characters featured in the follow-ups.

• I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist ★★★

  • Shauna Niequist is a poetic, witty writer who has such a knack for putting feelings into words. I enjoyed her earlier personal essays in Cold Tangerines.

• It’s in His Kiss by Julia Quinn ★★

  • Listen. I am a determined gal. I started the Bridgerton series soon after the first season released on Netflix, setting out to finish the whole series. However, many of the plot points and rhythms across the series became repetitive; I finished this book out of sheer will.

• On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn ★★★

  • Same as above.

• Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly ★★★

  • A romance which transported me to the Amalfi Coast to hold me over until I can actually travel there one day.

• Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear ★★

  • I thought I would enjoy this historical mystery more but my attention waned.

• Laundry Love by Patric Richardson ★★★★★

  • Wow! What a treasure to have on my bookshelf! I highly recommend this practical how-to to everyone who does their own laundry, which is everyone. I have this stored on my laundry shelf for easy access to reference for stain treatment remedies.

• The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie ★★★★

  • I am slowly making my way through all of the Agatha Christie novels, and I especially love the Miss Marple mysteries. The Queen of Mystery always stumps me!

• Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney ★★★

  • This thriller kept me turning the pages to figure out the mystery, but mostly because I was just so scared that I needed to get some closure. I did like it better than the other Feeney book I read, Sometimes I Lie. 

• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry ★★★★

  • An enemies-to-lovers/grumpy-sunshine romance mixed with some mystery as two writers compete for the rights to a sensational story.

• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan ★★

  • I started this romance during my trip in Scotland for a reading-on-location immersive experience. When I returned from my trip, it felt like I brought back a piece of Scotland with me through Colgan’s descriptions of the Scottish countryside. Because of the title and the cover art, I kept waiting for the protagonist to open a physical bookstore in a corner shop and felt a little misled. The romance was also not very satisfying.

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff ★★★★★

  • This is the kind of book that I want to reread to take notes, because it was insightful and inspiring! Jon Acuff knows his stuff and has done his research, armed with lots of examples and experience. I have already been on the hunt for my new soundtracks to replace old thought patterns. I listened to this on Audible, which I recommend, because it is narrated by the author and he includes some bonus content.

• My Friends by Fredrik Backman ★★★★

  • Fredrick Backman is an instant “yes” for me- he has a skill for handling grief and pain in the darkest places with a sense of humor that does not disrespect the situations but adds to them and accentuates them.

• The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman ★★★★★

  • As stated earlier, I love The Thursday Murder Club series! This murder mystery is the fifth of the series and brought about more depth and character development to the beloved senior protagonists.

• Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson ★★★

  • This is maybe a coffee-table-style book, but the size and content makes it seem like a strange choice for displaying. It was humorous but also a little darker than I originally thought it would be! I would not recommend placing this on a surface within reach of a kid because the illustrations are also a little gruesome.

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ★★★★

  • I had previously watched the AppleTV series and really enjoyed it. The emotional punches of the story still hit home as I read it, propelling me forward. I felt attached to the characters, celebrating and grieving with them, and was thoroughly invested as they faced many challenges. The author raises a lot of questions to consider about science and faith; however, I disagree with her conclusions that faith and science are different and separate. Most of the Christians depicted in her book are secretly atheist, keeping up appearances to blend in with the greater culture. I wish there could have been a perspective from a chemist Elizabeth Zott respected who could offer the perspective of someone who loves God and believes in the science he/she is studying. I did appreciate looking through the lens of a historical fiction at what it would have been like to be a woman in the 1950s and 1960s!

• Hello, My Name is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the Scoop: A Cookbook by Dana Cree ★★★★★

  • For Christmas, I received this cookbook along with the KitchenAid ice cream attachment set. I learned so much from this book that I cannot wait to put into practice! One of my biggest complaints about the homemade ice creams I have tried in the past is that they tend to be icier, more freezer-burned than the commercial alternatives. This cookbook addressed that concern with detailed, science-based solutions. I appreciated how thoroughly the chef explained the science behind making ice cream; equipped with this knowledge, I can charge forward with confidence as I begin my homemade ice cream journey!

Favorite Quotes of the Year

“To a parent, your child wasn't just a person: your child was a place, a kind of Narnia, a vast eternal place where the present you were living and the past you remembered and the future you longed for all at the same time. You could see it every time you looked at her: layered in her face was the baby she'd been and the child she'd become and the adult she would grow up to be, and you saw them all simultaneously, like a 3-D image. It made your head spin. It was a place you could take refuge, if you knew how to get in. And each time you left it, each time your child passed out of your sight, you feared you might never be able to return to that place again.” Little Fires Everywhere

“In a world of cynicism, earnestness is crucial. I want to be the kind of person whose mouth sits open at a sunset; who notices new rosebuds planted in a neighbor’s yard. I don’t want to be known for my eye roll but for my awe. I want to love and lean into the wonders we often take for granted: spring basketball games and the smell of burgers on a grill, sprinkler water and dancing yellow leaves and waves crashing on the shore, puppy dog breath and baby giggles, and good books that end with just the right sentence.” Ordinary Time

2026 in Books…

Let me know some titles you enjoyed this year so I can add them to my TBR!!