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In keeping with our family tradition, we present the best books we read in 2025…

I read 65 books this year. (Goodreads thinks I only read 63, but they aren’t counting the two times I read my oldest daughter’s manuscript!)

For the most part, I read on my Kindle Paperwhite via Kindle Unlimited, Libby through our local library, and NetGalley for review copies. But I also splurged on a Kindle Fire this year so I could enjoy books from Hoopla and Everand as well. My eyes still prefer the reading experience of the Kindle Paperwhite, though!

Top 7 Fiction:

Here are my top seven fiction titles, in alphabetical order by author.

1. Through Water and Stone by Karen Barnett: A split-time novel so beautifully woven I couldn’t guess what lay in the next chapter. In a tale both intriguing and heartbreaking, Barnett explores themes of heritage and loss through the story of a Zion National Park ranger and his granddaughter.
2. Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham: Everything we love and expect from Pepper Basham—but in a regency setting. There’s a lively heroine and a reluctant (even slightly rakish!) hero, a faithful friend of a cousin as a side character, and a precocious child to bring comic relief. And in this particular book, there are opinionated aunts enough to make even P.G. Wodehouse proud.
3. The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt: This Pride and Prejudice retelling did not disappoint. Lizbeth and Jayne Bennet are daughters of a geologist in a coal mining community. Their noisy, busy family might look and sound a bit different set in Appalachia, rather than in the English countryside, but much remains the same. I was delightfully surprised at all the unexpected twists and turns in a retelling of a classic I’ve read and watched many times.
4. Atlas of Untold Stories by Sara Brunsvold: Three women, with three very different perspectives—on a literary road trip that will either bring them closer or destroy the tenuous threads holding their relationship together. This mother-daughters tale digs deep into generations of assumptions and hurts. It’s not an easy read, but there is some comic relief along the way. (Consider reading along with The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel.)
5. The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay: Pride and talent, suspicion and scandal, isolation and relationships—there are many layers beneath the surface of this tale of art intrigue set in London in the 1970s. Katherine Reay has an uncanny ability to make you look in the mirror of your own soul through her storytelling. (Pairs well with Beyond the Far Horizon by Carolyn Leiloglou.)
6. Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin: From the mythical selkie to MI5 agents, you’ll find secrets and ciphers enough to make the book feel mysterious but kilts and dances enough to satisfy your desire for romance. The themes of redemption and forgiveness make for a powerful piece of historical fiction. The hero’s strength of character was reminiscent of George MacDonald’s Scottish heroes.
7. Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh: Real, believable main characters and such charming (and yes, quirky) side characters. But the best part was the setting that took the heroine quite by surprise! Despite the romcom feel, there are also important discussions about the intersection of dreams, jobs, talents, and calling. (This book reminded me a bit of another favorite, Positively, Penelope.)

Top 2 Middle Grade:

My favorite middle grade fiction is that which features delightful but wholesome characters, wherein important life lessons are conveyed without feeling forced or moralistic. Exactly the kind of books I love to have my daughters read!

• The Blossoming Summer by Anna Rose Johnson: A celebration of family relationships and the beauty of gardening. It’s a tribute to the time-honored tradition of the county fair and a gentle lesson in Ojibwe culture. As the big sister, Rosemary is anxious to make everything perfect when her family finally gets back together after the challenges of World War II have separated them. But the violet she rescues from a victory garden in England becomes a symbol of her own life, unable to flourish until it could put down roots. 
• Beyond the Far Horizon by Carolyn Leiloglou: A beautiful conclusion to The Restorationists trilogy! Ravi’s perspective was especially poignant, as he felt so alone and without a real family, even as The Restorationists tried to make him feel welcome. I love how the nuances of the paintings minister to his heart just as much as the story of those who are welcoming him into their family. I learned so much about art from this series,, but like good art, the beautiful truths of the story are what will remain long after the facts are forgotten.

Top Biblical Fiction:

• The Pharisee’s Wife by Janette Oke: It’s been many years since I’ve read a book by Janette Oke. But this was unlike any of her other titles I’ve read. And it became clear why she felt compelled to come out of retirement to write this book at almost 90 years old! The Pharisee’s Wife is a fictional account of a young Jewish woman whose family is searching for Jesus of Nazareth. It’s not a story that ends with Oke’s typical happily ever after. But it’s a book with a powerful message—a story that points to the Savior.

Top 3 Christmas Fiction:

• About Last Christmas by Rachel Scott McDaniel: This book brought all the holiday feels—and then some. I really appreciated how we’re given an authentic look at how it feels to be a caretaker for someone you love. Naturally, I loved the fact that our heroine also owned an antique store.
• Just One More Christmas by Jaycee Weaver: I have loved every book in the Sinclair Sisters trilogy. Jaycee Weaver does such a good job creating relatable and genuine characters while making them fun and goofy, too. Her books don’t feel like a predictable Hallmark movie—but they have all the “feel good” factor. This goes back to where it all began: Cole and Amy’s own whirlwind relationship and marriage. Re-reading the entire Sinclair Sisters trilogy may have to become an annual Christmas tradition much like some of those Cole and Amy created.
• The Christmas Book Flood by Roseanna M. White: Delightful! Set in Iceland during WWII, this tale features all things bookish and creative, with important themes of family relationships, too. The perfect Jolabokaflod read!

Top Picture Book: 

Because in our house, picture books are for all ages.

• Painting Wonder by Katie Wray Schon: If you love C. S. Lewis, you’ll love this picture book biography of Pauline Baynes who illustrated The Chronicles of Narnia. 

Merritt’s Top 2025 Audiobooks

A few of Merritt’s favorites from the 80+ audiobooks he listened to this year on Everand…

• Father Brown series by G.K. Chesterton
• Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs by Buddy Levy
• The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
• Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
• Mr. Mulliner series by P.G. Wodehouse (narrated by Jonathan Cecil)

Our Children’s Top Books of 2025

Our children use Audible for the audiobooks they listen to over and over again, as well as the Loyal Books app for copyright-free audiobooks from Librivox. 

Ruth Anne 

Visit Ruth’s Substack for her full Best Books of 2025 post!

Mary Kate

You can also find Mary highlighting her monthly favorites on her Substack, but some highlights were:

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama
  (Mary notes that she did not listen to the P&P drama because she read it)
• The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

Daniel

• Little Britches series by Ralph Moody
• books by Agatha Christie

Sara

Some of Sara’s favorite audiobooks this year included:

• Winnie-the-Pooh (narrated by Peter Dennis)
• Little House on the Prairie (narrated by Cherry Jones)
• Little Britches series by Ralph Moody
• Little Princess (narrated by Virginia Leishman)
• Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Mary Poppins series (narrated by Sophie Thompson)
• books by Louisa May Alcott
• books by L.M. Montgomery
• books by S.D. Smith
• Penrod by Booth Tarkington (as read aloud by Daddy!)