The Best Books I Read in 2025
For a complete list of what I read, view these posts:
As I close out a great year of reading many wonderful books, I’ve found it challenging to narrow my list down to my favorites! The following list—five fiction books and five nonfiction books—don’t include several books that were rereads, such as the Narnia series and L’abri by Edith Schaeffer. If I included these books, this post would be MUCH longer! Without further ado, here are the books I’m naming as my favorites of 2025!
Top Fiction:
Books of Imirillia (series) by Beth Brower
I honestly could not put this series down and was so sad when I finished the last one. (I’m already 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. 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, grief, sadness, and death. Most of all, I loved Basaal’s character in this series and his character development throughout. (Note: There were a few instances of language smattered throughout and the final book had a few death scenes that were sad and a bit graphic; I skipped over these.)
Why these stories are staying with me: The world building combined with the sweet romance between Eleanor and Basaal!
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
A mysterious elderly man brings friendship, hope, and beauty to the city of Golden. It’s a book that will make you think, provides mystery, and will show you what it means to long for heaven. 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!)
Why this story is staying with me: It is an absolutely beautiful book that helped me to see all people as beautiful image bearers of God.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
I greatly enjoyed this! The characters were hysterical, yet so real life (we all know a Mary). I think Anne Elliot has become one of my favorite Austen heroines. We can learn many admirable lessons on true character from her.
Why this story is staying with me: As Jane Austen’s final novel, it is full of satire, tender second chances, and a perfect balance of pain and peace.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I’m glad that I finally got around to reading this book! It was not only sobering and sad, but a complex celebration of righteousness. Though long, the multiple storylines bring great character development.
Why this story is staying with me: It is a fascinating description of human nature, answering more deeply the question of the meaning of life.
The Secrets of Ornmdale (Series) by Christina Baehr
Jane Austen meets dragons meets mad scientist lab. I kept seeing Wormwood Abbey (book 1) pop up on my Goodreads app, so it was on my reading list because of the good reviews, as well as the cover! This indie book quickly drew me in and I loved the entire series. There are so many different ways to categorize this series, which makes it really unique (mystery, gothic regency, fantasy…) The characters were fun with wonderful character development. Riveting and charming are two words I used to describe these books!
Why these stories are staying with me: I appreciated the underlying worldview the author has written from; the author was able to guide me to suspend my disbelief with the fantastical details—not an easy thing to do considering the subject matter!
Top Nonfiction:
Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World by Melissa Dougherty
A friend loaned me this book immediately after I helped with an apologetics women’s conference. I wish I would have read it two years earlier! This book traces the history and beliefs of New Thought, and I was shocked to find it is at the roots of progressive Christianity and many New Age philosophies. Absolutely fascinating.
Why this book is staying with me: A must read for anyone who cares about truth and discerning current deceptive worldviews.
Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child’s Heart to the Beauty of Learning by Sally Clarkson
I listened to the audiobook version and am very ready to purchase my own paperback so I can read through this wonderful book more slowly and take notes. Sally said in the beginning that this book wasn’t necessarily a homeschooling book, but more of a parenting/philosophy of education type of book. It gave me so much to think about in terms of vision and goals before I even start homeschooling. I really enjoyed and appreciated her emphasis on Godly character and literature when it came to her children.
Why this book is staying with me: It gave me so much to think about in terms of vision and goals before I even start homeschooling.
Make the Most of Your Productivity: A Guide to Honoring God with Your Time by Ana Avila
This is one of the BEST books on productivity that I’ve ever read. It is revolutionary—because it doesn’t fall into either pitfall of promoting hustle culture or its extreme opposite, “me culture”. The author takes care to build a theological foundation on time, purpose, Christian character, etc. and uses that as a springboard to talk about principles and practices of productivity. The practical advice is simple, doable, and easily adaptable to any situation. In fact, I think this book could apply both to a working woman to think through her job and tasks, and also to a stay at home mom and her job/tasks at home. I could continue, but I really did enjoy this book. I borrowed it from Hoopla but I’ll be looking to purchase my own copy.
Why this book is staying with me: It helped me to frame productivity, goals, and how I spend my time in a Biblical and God-honoring way.
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Gregory Koukl
Books like this are a gift to the church. This book is one of the most practical and equipping of any book on apologetics that I’ve read (and I have many). One of my most helpful takeaways is the importance of reason—you can and should be able to reason out the many arguments against Christianity, but to do so in a graceful and winning way. Many people make that statement but Greg puts much thought and effort into showing you how to be graceful and winning in your approach. This was immensely helpful to me. I borrowed this from the library but plan to get my own copy so that I can study it more in-depth and reference it in the future.
Why this book is staying with me: After reading it, I felt equipped and prepared to engage in conversations with unbelievers and to tackle difficult topics.
The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends by Humphrey Carpenter
This was a fascinating look at the famous literary group “The Inklings”; really, a biography of Lewis, Tolkien, and Charles Williams. Their friendship and the creative genius that they inspired in each other is unlike anything else.
Why this book is staying with me: I love learning about the Inklings, and find their creative friendship to be inspirational.
Now that I’ve shared my top ten books from 2025, I would love to hear from you! What books were your favorite reads from the past year, and what about them is staying with you?
Photo by Gülfer ERGİN on Unsplash
