The Best Reads of the Year

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If you know me even a little bit, you know how much I love to read. For the second year running, I’ve had the goal to read 100 books in a year and I’m just about to reach that goal as I type this!

How do you get through so many books in a year? Great question, I’d love to tell you. The obvious answer is that I read every chance I get. Rarely do I have the opportunity to read for an hour or two at a time. Most of my reading consists of a few pages here and there. So I bring books to the doctor’s office, the school pick up line, any place where there’s a chance to squeeze in a few more pages. Always with a HB pencil in hand, IYKYK, so that I’m always ready to underline and take notes in the margins. 

There’s something romantic about books. The smell, the feel, the unique covers. The printed word has been a powerful part of shaping our culture for hundreds of years and an awareness of that is really grounding.

I used to be a purist about reading and rejected the notion that listening to audiobooks counts as reading. Until, of course, I read an article about the science behind listening to audiobooks and how the effects of this medium proved to be the same on the brain with regards to retention and comprehension. So that had me converted and now I do both!

Since I do get frequent requests for book recommendations, I thought it’d be fun to have my last post of the year consist of my favorite reads of 2025. These are not listed from most favorite to least, but rather categorized by themes that make sense to me and so I hope they make sense to you, too.

For the most part, I will share quotes from the authors themselves to make the compelling case for why you should check them out as well.

To kick us off: I love to read books. And I love to read the Bible. So books about the Bible is the obvious first category.

Books about the Bible

 The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight is an engaging book challenging readers to rethink the way we approach the Bible and our expectations of it. It’s so good that I have it on my list of re-reads and I know of different authors and speakers who commit to reading it annually. 

Here are some quotes: 

“What we are looking for in reading the Bible is the ability to turn the two-dimensional words on paper into a three-dimensional encounter with God, so that the text takes on life and meaning and depth and perspective and gives us direction for what to do today.”

“God gave the Bible not so we can know it but so we can know and love God through it.”

“Until we learn to read the Bible as Story, we will not know how to get anything out of the Bible for daily living.”

Mere Christian Hermeneutics by Kevin Vanhoozen was the most scholarly book I read this year. It was recommended on a podcast I listen to when the author was a guest and the content had me sold on the book before I realized how much of my brain would be required to read it. 

The title is a play on C.S. Lewis’, Mere Christianity and the word Heremeneutics simply means the study of interpreting the Bible. The author tried to make simple the mere Christian study of the Bible which is where the title comes from. In the end, I did get through it. And not only that, but I learnt so much that quoted the author in a recent sermon and also wrote a whole blog post on a significant theme found in the book that published earlier this month. It’s linked here. 

Here are some quotes to entice you into reading this one: 

“Biblical hermeneutics is not rocket but theological science; the Bible is not a manual for going to the heavens but a story about heaven coming down to earth.”

“The Holy Spirit’s role in interpretation does not consist in giving the interpreter cognition of what the Bible is saying, which would involve dispensing additional information, beyond the historical-grammatical data. Rather, the Holy Spirit’s role is to change the heart of the interpreter, so that he loves the message that is conveyed by the historical-grammatical data.”

God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth by G.K. Beale. Of all the books I’ve read, this is the book I would want to write. I am so fascinated by the idea that God wants to be with us. I can’t get over it. It’s the theology that gets me up in the morning. God wants to be with me…?! Incredible. So this book explores all the ways that God did that throughout the biblical text. Seriously, don’t be surprised if you see my own take on this topic in print on a bookshelf some day!

Here’s a favorite quote regarding growth in a context of suffering: “While the means of growth is the word of God, the context of growth is often suffering.”

Books about People

This category explores the human condition. And though they’re not necessarily from a Christian faith context, the views shared are consistent with my own faith practice.

In How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks, we are invited to truly see others through curiosity, deep listening, and vulnerability. It really made me think about how well I actually show up in my relationships.

Here’s a great quote:

“She who only looks inward will find only chaos, and she who looks outward with the eyes of critical judgment will find only flaws. But she who looks with the eyes of compassion and understanding will see complex souls, suffering and soaring, navigating life as best they can.”

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt absolutely lives up to the hype. Haidt makes the point that we are more isolated than ever in a moment when we are more connected than ever through technology. He observes that kids and teens today are over protected in the real world which stunts their development in problem-solving and critical thinking. But under protected in the online world where easy access to pornography and child predators arguably cause more harm than what they might face in their own neighborhoods. 

It’s such a great read and here’s a great quote:

“This is the great irony of social media: the more you immerse yourself in it, the more lonely and depressed you become.”

Books about Life and Theology

This category isn’t limited to Bible study per se but explores wider concepts that the Bible does address about life and understanding God in all of it. 

Beauty Will Save the World by Brian Zahnd is a book that helped me get beyond the intellectual pursuit of the faith and into the simple beauty of the God of the Bible and his mission to save the world. He makes the case that the way Jesus modelled the life of faith is inherently beautiful and something we’ve lost in our cultural moment. If you want to fall in love with Jesus again. Read this book.

Here’s a quote that really captures the heart of the book’s message:

“In going to the cross, Jesus was not being practical; he was being faithful. Jesus didn’t take a pragmatic approach to the problem of evil; Jesus took an aesthetic approach to the problem of evil. Jesus chose to absorb the ugliness of evil and turn it into something beautiful—the beauty of forgiveness.”

 The Gospel Way Catechism: 50 Truths That Take On the World by Trevin Wax explores 50 essential Christian beliefs in a simple question and answer format. It’s an easy read with each of the 50 topics forming short chapters for each question.

Easy to follow, easy to memorize, and here is my favorite in simple Q&A quote: 

Q. What is the chief end of man? A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

The Familiar Stranger: (Re)Introducing the Holy Spirit to Those in Search of Experiential Spirituality by Tyler Staton

Listening to Tyler Staton’s sermons online got me into reading his books. This one on the Holy Spirit gave a traditional Bible church girl like me a new appreciation for the Holy Spirit without being off-putting or getting overly mystical about engaging with the Holy Spirit. I still have so much to learn and this book was truly eye-opening for me as I seek to engage with the Holy Spirit.

I’ll let his writing speak for itself. Here are two quotes:“Spirit’s whisper is directed at the soul’s depths, while the deceiver’s lies appeal to the shallow waters of the ego.”

“The scandal of the Holy Spirit isn't power. If there's a Creator to be known, power has to be part of the equation. The scandal is the power of God dwelling in and operating through wounded, ordinary people. It's not your gifting that makes you an excellent candidate to be a river of life flowing into the dead places; it's your wounds. It's not the gifting or qualifications of today's church that makes us excellent candidates to reshape history and rewrite the stories of our cities through love; it's our wounds and our ordinariness.”

A Graphic Novel

The last book I’ll share is in a category all its own. It also happens to be the only book of this genre I’ve ever read. I present to you the graphic novel titled,

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix

Perhaps you are not surprised that the first and only graphic novel I’ve ever read is about the life of C.S. Lewis. My kids loved The Chronicles of Narnia series and my eldest is getting into Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, so, naturally, when I came across a graphic novel exploring their friendship and fellowship, I just had to scoop it up. It was gifted to my son last Christmas and he enjoyed it so much I decided to give it a read myself. It is essentially a biography but it’s presented in a way that’s beautifully captivating and engaging. 

A beautiful quote that captures the heart of the piece and its two subjects:

“We write myths… because our hearts were written by a Mythmaker”.

Other note-worthy reads:

How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels by N.T. Wright - Anything by N.T. Wright has been truly formative for my theology and understanding of the world. This one gave me a better understanding of how the coronation of God through the acts of Jesus—especially on the cross—was the climax of human history.

The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr - This one may be controversial for some but it explores the truth about women's subordination in the church, as a historical creation, not a divine ordinance. I found it a fascinating commentary on the experience of women through the ages.

What Is Wrong With the World?: The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller - This book was published posthumously based on the teachings and sermons of Tim Keller and composed by his wife and son. Even more than N.T. Wright, Keller has deeply shaped my faith and theology, so this one was a no-brainer to add to the list. I was disappointed to find that it was on the topic of sin. I mean, who wants to talk about that? But I ended up learning a lot about myself and the nature of sin in the process so in the end—highly recommend.

Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst - If you’re looking for a succinct read about Tim Keller’s views on anything of importance—namely the Gospel— you’ve come to the right place! An excellent read.

Spurgeon: A Life by Alex DiPrima - I’m also into the teachings of the late great English preacher, Charles Spurgeon and this biography of his life brought the man to life for me. A truly engaging story.

What’s in the Ears

This is the part where I share a song or podcast I’m currently into. Seeing as this is a post about the best reads of 2025, I am sharing the best audiobook I listened to this year. It’s titled, Gospel Stories: How the Greatest Story Is Richer, Deeper, and More Wonderful Than We Think by Andrew Wilson - I love any book that clearly articulates the grand narrative of the Bible and this one doesn’t disappoint.

If you’re looking for more printed or audiobook recommendations, reach out to me! I have suggestions for kids, for memorizing Scripture, daily devotionals, and more!

If this stirred something in you, share this post with a friend or drop a comment below. I’d love to hear what small step you’re taking towards the flourishing life today! And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing.