What I Read in 2025 (+ Favorites)

 

2025 was a good reading year overall. According to Goodreads, I read 54 books, though I think I read a few more if I am counting all the chapter books I read to my son (Peter Pan and two of the Paddington books made the list, but I guess I didn't add Pinocchio, Boxcar Children, and the My Father's Dragon trilogy to my Goodreads). I haven't been reviewing my books here on the blog all year and only sometimes would write a review on Goodreads, but after seeing other bloggers, recap of their reading year, I was inspired to spend a little time reflecting on my reading year as well.

I always enjoy the Goodreads Year in Book's recap (click HERE to get a closer view of all the books)

I didn't have a number of books I wanted to read in 2025. Rather, I focused on the actual content/subjects I was hoping to read. Here are the areas I focused on. Some have my linked reviews on Goodreads and others don't because I stopped reviewing books at some point this year. You'll know which are favorite by the five stars I gave them in my rating. 

FORMATION: Faith, Self-Discipline, Growth

1. Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions About Life and Sexuality by Nancy Pearson ★★★★★ (Explains the Biblical worldview of many controversial topics like abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and transgenderism succinctly and powerfully)
2. Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul by Hannah Anderson ★★★★★ (I learned so much more about what humility looks like and how much I need it)
3.  Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention by Sarah Clarkson ★★★★☆
4. Landscape of Hope: An Illustrated Journey into the Psalms ★★★☆☆
5. The Armor of God Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer ★★★★★
6. Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies that Sabotage Your Peace by John Mark (Did not finish since I wasn't really enjoying it and had read other books this year that were similar)

Didn't get to these ones on my list:

1. Attributes of God by A.W. Tower 
2. The Life of Prayer by Edith Schaefer 
3. Mother Culture by Karen Andreola 

PARENTING & MARRIAGE

1. M is for Mama: A Rebellion Against Mediocre Motherhood by Abbie Halberstadt ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
2. Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
3. The Shaping of a Christian Family: How My Parents Nourished My Faith by Elisabeth Elliot ★★★★★  (my review HERE)
4. Parenting, A House United: Changing Children's Hearts and Behaviors by Nicholeen Peck ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
5. Awakening Wonder: Opening Your Child's Heart to the Beauty of Learning by Sally Clarkson ★★★★☆ (my review HERE)
6. Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood by Rachel Jankovic★★★★☆ (I preferred her earlier book, Loving the Little Years)
7. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas ★★★★☆ (helpful with the Participation Guide to process)

Didn't get to these ones on my list:

1. The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson 
2. Missional Motherhood by Gloria Furman 
3. Foundations by Ruth Chou Simons 

CLASSICS

I have been reading lots of classics the last 5 years since I was trying to complete my Classics Club challenge to read 75 classics from 2020-2025. I finished right at the end of 2025! HERE is the list of classics I read in the last five years 

1. Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti ★★★★★ (definitely one of my favorite poets)
2. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell ★★★★★ (hilarious and fun!)
3. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie  ★★★★★ (read it to my son; different from the Disney version, but still SO good!)
4. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
5. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen ★★★★★  (my review HERE)
6. The Holy War by John Bunyan ★★★★☆ (my review HERE)
7. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell ★★★★☆(my review HERE)
8. My Man Jeeves by P.J. Wodehouse ★★★★☆ (my review HERE)
9. Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers  ★★★★☆ (great mystery; similar to Agatha Christie)
10. At the Foot of the Rainbow by Gene Stratton Porter ★★★★☆ (one of my favorite novelists)
11. Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery ★★★★☆ (I enjoyed this second one more than the first in the trilogy)

RE-READS

1. A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
2. The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield (my review HERE)
3. Leul, Vrajitoara, și Dulapul (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in Romanian) by C.S. Lewis ★★★★★  (my review HERE). I have only read this in English, so it was a challenge but also a delight to read it in my native language. 

Lent and Advent Re-Reads:

1. Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul David Trip ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
2. Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always by Ruth Chou Simons ★★★★☆(my review HERE)
3. The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus by Daniel Darling ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
4. Shadow and Light: A Journey into Advent by Tsh Oxenreider ★★★★★  (my review HERE)
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ★★★★★ (illustrated version by Jill de Haan)
6. Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional by Asheritah Ciuciu ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
7. Bitter and Sweet: A Journey into Easter by Tsh Oxenreider (my review HERE)

JUST FOR FUN

And here are some of my favorite books that just kinda snuck in on my to-read list this year. Some are book club reads and others are books that were just plain fun and I had no goal or reason for choosing other than sheer delight (which is a good reason in itself, right?). 

1. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
2. Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions with Handel's Messiah by Cindy Rollins ★★★★★ (my review HERE) 
3. My Beloved (Mitford #15) by Jan Karon ★★★★☆ (my review HERE)
4. The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay  ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
5. Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bergatze (my review HERE)
6. The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke (my review HERE)
7. The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
8. Safe All Along: Trading Our Fears and Anxieties for God's Unshakable Peace by Katie Davis Majors ★★★★★ (my review HERE)
9. The Worlds of Tommy dePaola: The Art and Stories of the Legendary Artist and Author by Barbara Ellen  ★★★★★(my review HERE)
10. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan ★★★★☆ (my review HERE)

I won't list all of the books I read since this would end up being a much longer,  but you can see them HERE. I am still working on my 2026 literally life goals, but will maybe blog about it soon.

What have been YOUR favorite books of 2025? Which ones left an impact on you, taught you something important, or were just fun?