Reading Recap 2025 (Quarter 4)

This has been a busy three months for reading! I’m closing out the year with 148 books read (original goal was 100).

Fiction:

Daniel Plainway: Or The Holiday Haunting of the Moosepath League (Van Reid)

The words charming, funny, romantic, and even creepy come to mind. I so enjoyed everything that made this third Moosepath installment a continuation of what I already knew to be a unique journey!! Mister Walton and Sundry Moss have become two of my favorite literary characters! There are a few rather creepy ghost scenes/references. There was at least one instance of a character taking the Lord’s name in vain. Also, this likely isn’t the author’s fault but this ebook edition had so many formatting errors—lack of capitalization, parts of sentences missing, etc. It didn’t affect my reading other than mild inconvenience—I was so excited to continue the story that I didn’t really care.

The Q (Beth Brower)

This book!!!!!! I love Beth Brower’s writing, and her unique, quirky, lifelike characters. This book had the most interesting premise, wonderful character development, and an ending you don’t expect. I’ll admit: I really did not care for Quincy for parts of this book, but absolutely loved her in the end. This is because of some amazing character development! She’s not a likable character—she has a lot to work through. And she works through it in a frustrating way. But it’s so good!  As a Christian, I loved the emphasis on vulnerability in relationships, the importance of beauty and words and love. I noticed how the MC’s sought perfection—the idea that they would one day be able to attain that in their world and lives. Of course, in real life this is impossible and even unbiblical, but it could start some really interesting discussions! Note-a few instances of language; not taking the Lords name in vain, but still unnecessary

Pilgrim’s Inn (Elizabeth Goudge)

I have mixed feelings about this one (similar to the last Elizabeth Gouge novel I read). First, the writing is absolutely exquisite! Gouge is such a talented writer and her glory is the scenes. The Christmas ending was beautiful and one of the most memorable Christmas themes in a book that I can recall. There were also some really fun characters, although I wish we got to see Sally a little bit more. However, I had two struggles with this book. The first one is that a major part of the storyline includes a married woman in love with another man. SPOILER: the character doesn’t end up committing adultery (although it almost seems like she had an emotional affair in the past?) I was grateful that the character makes the right choice to end her attachment and become re-devoted to her husband. But even though it’s clear that an affair is wrong, I felt that the other characters—especially those who were supposed to be the moral compass of the group—gave way too much pity to her. It really rubbed me the wrong way! And even though the character did the right thing in the end, there wasn’t a clear line drawn between sin and righteousness. END OF SPOILER

This leads into my second point- I’m not sure if Gouge was a Christian—this book has many spiritual elements (sometimes characters pray/quote scripture, a character is a vicar who tries to encourage people and is fairly committed to his faith) but several mystical elements. I would say this is a spiritual book, but not necessarily a Christian book. I’m sad about this because I think the plot and the writing would’ve made a wonderful combination and opportunity to weave the gospel message into the storyline .

Theo of Golden (Allen Levi)

An absolutely beautiful, beautiful book. Wow. This isn’t a book that you can summarize, so I can only describe it as a book that will help you see all people as beautiful image bearers of God. Also, I need to attend a cello concert asap. Note: there were some curse words, including the taking of the Lord’s name in vain. I was disappointed by this since there is a subtle religious theme throughout the book!

Eight Cousins (Louisa May Alcott)

This was such a sweet story, and would make a great read-aloud. Rose has many adventures with her seven male cousins, and they all learn important virtuous lessons along the way about “being good”. A few things that are culturally insensitive descriptions of foreigners, but these are easily passed over. I want to reread Little Women now.

I Cheerfully Refuse (Leif Enger)

3.5 stars. The first sixty pages I was confused and didn’t know where the book was going—thought about giving it up several times. Then the plot kicked in and things took off from there—a unique and intriguing adventure. I had to keep reading to find out what happened. There were a handful of times when God’s name was taken in vain. The book was also very dystopian—not always my thing, but the ending had a ray of hope to it that was somewhat redeeming.

The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)

I absolutely loved this animal adventure book—and you can see why C.S. Lewis loved it, too! There are so many virtues one can learn from Mome, Rat, and Badger—and strong cautions learned from Toad’s escapades. I look forward to reading this to my kiddos when they are older!

Series: Green Ember Archer (S.D. Smith)

The Last Archer

The First Fowler

The Archer’s Cup

Three Green Ember stories told from Jo Shank’s perspective! I enjoyed the character arc and push for true heroism and humility over glory—themes we certainly don’t see in mainstream publishing.

Series: Suitcase Sisters (Robin Jones Gunn)

Tea with Elephants

Gelato at the Villa

Both of these books were a sweet story of two friends and the way travel allows them to process big things in their life. In some ways I felt like the second book was “copy and paste” from the first, but it was still interesting enough that I finished it in a day. Some of the events seemed a bit unrealistic (the baptism) but again, an interesting book with great character development.

Series: The Books of Imirillia (Beth Brower)

The Queen’s Gambit

The Ruby Prince

The Wander’s Mark

I really enjoyed this series! I honestly could not put them down and was so sad when I finished the last one. Tip: You’ll want to have access to all three books when you start, because of the cliffhanger endings. I’m planning to reread these very soon—that’s how much I loved them!

I appreciating how the characters valued wisdom and life. The world building is wonderful, especially in Ruby Prince, which reminded me of “The Horse and His Boy” and almost of an Old Testament Bible story. There were a few instances of language smattered throughout. At the end, I appreciated how everything was not wrapped up nicely worm a bow- it was a very realistic book considering the realities of war and grief. The final book was a sad book; a lot of death. Some of the deaths were described too graphically for me. Most of all, I loved Basaal’s character in this series and his character development throughout.

Series: Miss Marple Mysteries (Agatha Christie)

Murder at the Vicarage

The Body in the Library

The Moving Finger

Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie)

Not much to say about these mysteries other than they were interesting and enjoyable to read!

Mooses with Bazookas: And Other Stories Children Should Never Read (S.D. Smith)

Potentially a good read-aloud when my kids get older. Pretty silly.

Maisie Dobbs: A Mysterious Profile (Jacqueline Winspear)

Read on accident thinking it was the first book in the series, ha.

A Bachelor’s Lesson in Love (Sally Britton)

I didn’t really connect with the characters in this one and I didn’t understand the plot until 70% of the way through the book.

A Sham Betrothal (Jennie Goutet)

Much of the book involved the couple lying to those around them; I guess that’s kind of the premise but the dishonestly just seemed like too much for me to enjoy the book.

Christmas: (mostly fiction!)

Waiting for Christmas: A Story of Hope and the Best Gift of All (Lynn Austin)

Such a sweet and hopeful Christmas story! I appreciated how the book approached issues such as poverty with honesty and love; the sweet story of separated children broke my heart and yet the ending was so beautiful and redemptive. This is a perfect Christmas read. A side note, this novella is apparently a continuation of some characters from another book. Had I known that I would have tried to read it first, but I suspect this book is a perfect stand alone read anyways

Christmas in the Castle Library (Ann Swindell)

This was a really sweet Christmas princess/mystery read with a Hallmark ending.

A Christmas Memory (Richard Paul Evans)

I didn’t love how the book started, but the ending got me! This is a tear jerker, but a hopeful one

Once Upon a Christmas Carol (Melody Carlson)

I loved the premise of this book, and the beautiful descriptions instantly drew me into the snowy northern winter scene. For a novella, there was decent character development but the ending seemed a bit too rushed. Still, a great Christmas read!

On a Midnight Clear (Tracie Peterson, etc.)

Three heartfelt Christmas novellas. All three were a little cheesy but I enjoyed the last one the most. (Note: in one of the books the characters enter a brothel to rescue someone; obviously nothing inappropriate is described but the scene might be a little much for young or sensitive readers

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (Agatha Christie)

Not my favorite Christie mystery so far, but I wanted to read it because it was Christmas themed.

Skipping Christmas (John Grisham)

Absolutely hilarious—I never knew that the movie Christmas with the Kranks was originally based on a book! It is just as funny as the movie. Took a star off for a few curse words, 2-3 brief hints at impure thoughts by the MC (not described), and a few lines that definitely seemed racist (which seemed to be an intentional choice to contribute towards the ridiculousness of the MC’s)

12 Days at Bleakly Manor (Michelle Griep)

Most intriguing! Not what I expected, but a Victorian Christmas mystery was apparently just what I needed. Dickens fans will appreciate the Easter eggs.

C Is For Christmas: The History, Personalities, and Meaning of Christ’s Birth (Warren Wiersbe and David Wiersbe)

I really enjoy this! It’s an alphabetical categorization of different Christmas topics and themes from Scripture. It wasn’t just facts, but was very thought provoking and applicable! I read it in 4 days but this would be nice to savor throughout the entire month of December in the future. Also would be great as a reference for writers/pastors/teachers to look up different topic.

Nonfiction (Motherhood/homemaking):

How Can I Feel Productive as a Mom? (Esther Engelsma)

An excellent booklet that will reframe your view of productivity and offers practical, biblical tips on productivity for moms.

Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship (Ruth Chou Simons)

What I loved- The concept of the book! Each chapter had a “beholding” section about God and a “becoming” section about our transformation. Ruth’s art is absolutely gorgeous!! Even in an ebook version I enjoyed looking at each page of art throughout the book. The chapter on rest was very good and challenged me in a lot of ways.

Other thoughts- While much scripture was used throughout the book, I prefer material that either focuses on one passage or uses expository teaching on a specific part or book of the Bible. The author jumped around from verse to verse a lot to back up her points. That’s fine, but the material would have been a lot stronger if she would have focused on fewer passages and really drawn out their meaning.

How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind (Dana K. White)

I really like her tips for decluttering. However, the book dragged a bit for me, especially at the beginning (several chapters talking about washing your dishes). It was helpful advice but took way too long to get through it. The 28 day guide at the end is a super condensed version of her recommendations

Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and hosting All Year Round (Myquillyn Smith)

Both inspiring and practical! Some repetition from her other books but I also learned some new things.

Every Home a Foundation: Experiencing God through Your Everyday Routines (Phylicia D. Masonheimer)

There are some very practical and helpful suggestions in this book, especially in the chapter on hospitality. As a disclaimer, I don’t agree with all the theology here, but the practical portion was good

Hard Is Not The Same Thing As Bad (Abbie Halberstadt)

Second time through—a challenging message for sure, but this book has brought some good discussions with some mom friends in my life!

Nonfiction: on the Arts/Literature

A Treasury of Nature: Illustrated Poetry, Prose, and Praise (Leland Ryken)

A beautiful and reflective compilation. My only regret is not reading it during the spring—would have been the perfect season

The World According to Narnia (Jonathan Rogers)

This was a great overview of spiritual themes in the Narnia series—of course, they are not hard to find! I appreciated that the author simply pulled out what was there instead of reading a separate theology INTO the text (sometimes we are prone to overspiritualize our favorites!) anyway, it’s a hopeful and reflective work that gets at the heart of Lewis and what he stood for.

On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature (C.S. Lewis)

Some gems here! There was some overlap between this book and “of other worlds”, another collection of his essays; I skipped those since I had read the a few months ago. I think I prefer this collection since it contains more essays

A Year With C.S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works (C.S. Lewis)

I really enjoyed the daily, bite-sized readings from selected CS Lewis writings. It also exposed me to some of his books I’ve not yet read.

The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom (Andrew Peterson)

Absolutely lovely writing in this memoir from Andrew Peterson! There’s a tree theme throughout, which ended up being so much more interesting than I originally thought. On a deeper level, the reader gets a peek into the author’s struggle with depression (appreciated his vulnerability—so much) and some background to his songs and beautiful poems.

Chronicles of Wonder: The Story-Formed Life of C.S. Lewis (Leah Boden)

This was a sweet and concise biography of C.S. Lewis for kids and tween readers! His story-formed life and his heart and personality were captured well.

The Read-Aloud Handbook (Jim Trelease)

The OG book about reading aloud! This movement has had a resurgence in the past decade, and nearly all of that material that I’ve read has referenced this book, which came out in the 70’s. My copy was the second edition from the 80’s so some of the examples, statistics, and chapters were outdated. Still presented a fascinating case for the reasons and benefits of reading out loud for children! The treasury/book lists at the end obviously didn’t contain recently released books (the newer edition may be more updated) but still contained some classic children’s books!

Nonfiction: Other

Holding the Rope: How the Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones (Ryan Martin)

This is a helpful overview of the responsibilities of a sending church to its sent missionaries. I think this would be a helpful framework for church members or missionary committee members, especially those without prior exposure to what missions is. This book focuses heavily on the SBC, IMB, and NAMB as positive examples, which is okay but I would have liked a broader scope of including biblically solid missions agencies, even if they aren’t Baptist.

Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World (Meslissa Dougherty)

A must read for anyone who cares about truth and discerning currently deceptive worldviews. This book traces the history and beliefs of New Thought, and I was shocked to find it at the roots of progressive Christianity and many New Age philosophies. Absolutely fascinating.

Whew! How did you close out your reading year?