The Best Books of 2025
The Best Books of 2025: My Top 20ish Favorites
By: Brittany Shields
The first ‘Best of’ list that I put together in 2021 I was able to narrow down a list of 80 books to my top 13. What a magical ability I once possessed. I’ve pretty much lost that skill by now. This year I read 83 and my list of top reads exceeds 20. So sue me.
I’ll never be good at favorites, but since everyone asks about it, I’ve done my best.
As usual, I read across many genres and authors, discovered some new authors, started more series that I’ll never have time to finish, and eagerly picked up books from my auto-read authors. Most of these were published in 2025, but not all. I pick the best of what I read, not the best of what was published in the entire world.
I hope this list can help you find some new great options to read in 2026. Feel free to comment your favorite books from the year!
There is a brief description next to the book cover, but click my review links to get more details and my thoughts on each book!
ALSO……….
Follow me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with what I’m reading and recommending. You’ll also see some book giveaways I do and more. I’m a pretty fun person, so hang out with me via my website and social media.
AND FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS LIST TO YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA! (I don’t do Tiktok or Instagram so I rely on other methods of sharing)
Other things to check out:
Shelf Reflection Reading Challenges
Shelf Reflection’s 2025: Year in Review- soon to come!
Most Anticipated Books of 2026
AND NOW… the best books I read in 2025 in absolutely no particular order.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2025
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel
“Diamonds have witnessed the past, and they will witness a future we can’t begin to imagine.”
At this point I’ve read five of her books and loved them all. Harmel just has a way of storytelling that is so compelling and touches on all your emotions. She has a knack for finding and creating unique WWII stories around regular people doing heroic things to help others.
In The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau Harmel explores how people stole from the Nazis in order to help the Resistance. In this particular dual-timeline story, Colette Marceau is a jewel thief, taught by her mother before her mother was betrayed and arrested during the war, which led to the death of her sister. Now 89, Colette still wonders what happened all those years ago. A bracelet resurfaces that might bring her answers.
I loved the themes she explores in this book: How is right and wrong determined? Is our identity more than what we do or more than our ‘destiny’? Can a lifetime of good wash away a long-ago sin? How and to what extent do we let our history shape our future?
Lots of layers of themes and emotions yet easy to read and enjoy with likeable characters and a great ending!
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Published: 2025
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
It’s a little strange putting this one on the list because after reading Wrong Place, Wrong Time, I wasn’t sure if I would read any more of her books because of all the f-words, but here I am reading and enjoying another one of her books.
Getting past the swearing, I was able to enjoy (as usual) the way Gillian combines both mystery/suspense with the emotional mom/wife stuff in her books.
Famous Last Words is described (by her) as “a love story set in a hostage situation.”
In both books, she does a good job of drawing you into the character’s dilemma and emotional struggle with the conflict at hand and the internal risks of coming to terms with reality. In this book we have a wife (and mother) trying to figure out why her husband sieged three people, killed two (unidentified), and disappeared after leaving a note that simply says- “It’s been so lovely with you both.”
I guess read at your own risk, but to quote myself from my review of her other book: “Swearing aside, I can’t think of a reason not to read the book.”
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2025
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
“to tell your story was to experience a kind of freedom…”
“This was the true miracle of life, he thought. No so much to be born as to bear up under what comes your way. To find a way forward. To embrace what was good.”
This one was hard to put down. It is a well-crafted story that explores grief and trauma and the way family history shapes our identities.
There have been many books written to explore the lives and treatment of African American slaves, but Wilkerson wanted to touch on a couple areas of labor that are not often talked about in other books: pottery and sailing. She fuses them together in the Freeman family history.
At the center of this book is a cherished family heirloom, broken during a home invasion that also killed Ebby’s 15 year-old brother. Now as an adult, unfortunate circumstances force Ebby to confront the past in more ways than she anticipated: her family tragedy, the jar, and her ruined wedding vows all clash and Ebby has to find a way to move forward.
This is definitely a book worth reading. Wilkerson gives readers a lot to think about and threads the themes together in such a compelling way. I also think this would make a good book club book and included discussion questions in my full review.
Genre: Non-Fiction/ Christian Living
Published: 2025
The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God by Seth Lewis
“Nature gave the word ‘glory’ a meaning for me. I still do not know where else I could have found one.” —C.S. Lewis
If you are not already a nature lover, this book just might turn you into one. And if you already feel the wonder when you sit in nature, this book is going to strike all the right chords!
I knew the Bible talked about a variety of nature-related things, but I feel like this book illuminated a lot of those passages (and more) for me in a new way.
Why do we experience awe and wonder at the roaring waterfalls, majestic mountains, the infinite stars, the unique array of creatures? Because we were created to. We are the only created things that notice and are mesmerized by its beauty.
In this wonderful little book, Seth takes the seven days of Creation (including the day of rest) and looks at how each thing God created communicates something to us about who God is and who we are.
He articulates so well things we probably sense every day but don’t know what to do with. He reveals our Rosetta Stone and connects us to the source to interpret what God has made plain. It will make you feel awe, and thankfulness, and stability, and hope.
Seriously. Pick up this book!
Genre: YA/Dystopian
Published: 2025
Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins
“That’s part of our trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.”
This is the second prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, the sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
BoSaS was kinda a weird prequel because it was President Snow’s ‘origin’ story and so you aren’t sure how to feel sometimes while reading, knowing what he turns into.
But Sunrise on the Reaping is Haymitch’s story— a beloved character— and so there are no mixed feelings, just rooting for him. And I liked it more for this reason. Everyone wants to love the hero.
Again, we know he doesn’t die and that he wins his Hunger Games, but we also know he turns into an aimless drunk. So what happened to him that leads to that? This book shows you a whole new side of Haymitch, yet one you knew was there all along.
One of my favorite things about this book were all the familiar faces showing up! It’s set 24 years prior to the first Hunger Games book and 40 years after BoSaS but there are crossover characters from both segments. I also enjoyed seeing the parallels between Haymitch and Katniss.
There is just something about the world of Panem that somehow has a beauty to it even amidst the tragedy and the violence. Somehow Collins keeps us coming back for more, even though we know we’re in for feeling sad and angry.
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2025
The Other Sister by Jessica R. Patch
“I assumed I was walking into a happily-ever-after, but now… now I can’t help but think I might have walked into a horror film.”
Gasp. That was intense! What a brilliantly crafted thriller!
I loved this book. Although it had dark themes, I thought Patch did a great job shaping it into a redemption story and bringing the light into the darkness (just like she did with The Garden Girls). And the twists were spot on!
The title is perfect, the premise compelling, and the execution thrilling.
After her mother’s death Charlotte discovers she has a twin (Acelynn)! They meet up in Chicago where everything goes horribly wrong. Charlotte witnesses Acelynn’s murder and is in danger herself. Her only escape route is to lay low at Acelynn’s house until she can find a better way to disappear. This requires her to pretend to be Acelynn, living the dream life Charlotte had always wanted.
Until things begin to go wrong in Acelynn’s life too— a serial killer is on the loose nearby and Acelynn had gotten herself into some trouble before visiting Charlotte. Charlotte’s abilities and street smarts are put to the test as she maneuvers a life and circle she doesn’t know with a target on her back.
The web woven in this book was phenomenal and strong. I wish I could read it for the first time again!
Genre: Memoir
Published: 2024
Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
“When I left Rio, I thought I was leaving behind the biggest challenge of my life. I had no idea that the next two years would be even harder. And to reach joy, I had to go through trials too big for me to face on my own.”
I wouldn’t be caught dead running on a track.
Scratch that, I would most definitely be caught dead if I was running on a track because I’m a firm believer that running— especially my hardest— would kill me.
So no, I didn’t read this book to help me get off the starter blocks better or get my legs over hurdles in a graceful way—I pulled a hamstring just writing that sentence—but her story did really resonate with me and it was a true joy to read.
Because even though she’s a 4-time gold medal Olympian with world records, she’s just like you and me. She struggles with fear, anxiety, identity, and the desire to find meaning and purpose in life.
This book chronicles not only her literal races and Olympic experiences, but the race the author of Hebrews refers to: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (12:1)
Far Beyond Gold is Sydney’s story that beyond her gold medals, she found freedom and life she never knew existed and now could never live without. And she wants you to know about it too.
It’s genuine. It’s real. It’s hope. It’s truth. And I think we could all use a little bit more of that!
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Published: 2025
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
“His father had once told him that there was only one measure of how well a person spent his day. It depended on how much of the day you spent pining for the future or regretting your past.”
Somehow this book was both dark and whimsical!
I really enjoyed this story. It has deep themes, imaginative world building, suspense, tragedy, and even a glimmer of hope. It’s not a complete happily ever after for everyone; it holds some tension with the idea that our choices have consequences and we can’t just write them all better by the end.
It explores themes like sacrifice, contentment, freedom, choice, desire, and regret.
The story revolves around a magical pawnshop in Tokyo. Clients might think they are about to enter a restaurant to eat ramen, but instead find themselves in a pawnshop where Hana and her father are there to help them pawn off a choice they’ve hated living with.
The main conflict in this story is the disappearance of Hana’s father the morning after he retires from the shop and a missing choice from their inventory. Hana, with the help from a customer, will go to the ends of her world to find her father and the missing choice and set all things right.
It was such a creative and imaginative story! A story where someone ‘folds time’ is not a new concept— even Matthew McConaughey can fold a piece of paper in half and stick a pencil through it— but I haven’t seen anyone do it with an origami crane made from minutes from another world under a night sky lit up with kites made from people’s hopes.
I think this book’s value is in the escapism nature of fantasy and magic, the creativity in the world building, and in the pondering of its themes— an invitation to explore an imaginative world that actually speaks about the real one.
(I also include book club discussion questions for this one!)
Genre: Memoir/Humor
Published: 2025
Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze
This book is part memoir, part funny story-telling. Nate says from the very beginning that there is not really an overarching message:
“This book is never trying to say anything even close to important… you can open it to any random chapter you want and you’ll be just fine. There isn’t any real order. No rhyme or reason behind much of anything.”
And I would say he delivered on that. In a good way! It’s an easy, enjoyable read that will make you smile. It’s something you can come back to and read part or all of again whenever you just want something light and funny to escape from the chaos of the day.
There is a little bit of overlap with what has been in his shows but there were lots of new stories or details and background to previously mentioned moments that kept it fresh. There are even pictures— although I wish they would have been in color so you could see them better.
If you’ve seen him live or watched one of his Netflix specials (do it) then reading this book will feel a lot like the show. You can hear his voice and delivery as you read, the same straight-faced humor about weird jobs, his dad being a clown, the dynamics between him and his wife, and his love of McDonald’s.
I totally recommend it.
Also, shoutout to P.P. Hopefully I can hear the story behind your name sometime.
Genre: Theology
Published: 2025
The Steadfast Love of the Lord by Sam Storms
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (Jn 6:68) If God’s love isn’t real and steady and ultimately steadfast, what hope do any of us have? To what philosophy of life will we turn?”
Sam Storms begins his book by confessing that he doubts the love of the Lord. He sees the tragedy and evil in the world and he, like I think most of us, wonders where God is and what he is doing. Is his love for us real?
We might never be able to explain all the evil or the tragedies and hardships we encounter, but I love what he says here:
“I cannot, I will not, allow my intellectual shortcomings to account for the problem of evil to blind me to the bright light of the everlasting, unchanging, soul-saving, steadfast love of God.”
And so this book looks at what Scripture tells us about who God is and how he loves us from talking about ‘love is love’ to what ‘steadfast’ means, to suffering, to knowing if our salvation is secure or in how to experience God’s love.
If we have lost our hope, then we need to do a better job of calling to mind the truths that God has revealed to us about himself. And Sam Storms does a wonderful job clearly communicating, even hard truths, and reminding us of so many different facets about God’s love.
I found this book to be very encouraging, giving me lots of truth to meditate on.
Truly, we can’t fully comprehend God’s love, but he has given us minds and hearts to know him in some capacity and this book brings to the forefront some very comforting truths— the Lord’s love is steadfast and gives us assurance in salvation and in the blessings that come with abiding in Christ.
Genre: YA/ Historical Fiction
Published: 2022
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
“His words still haunt me. ‘You’re Cristian Florescu and I know what you’ve done.’”
This was a good but hard to read book.
‘Good’ meaning: very compelling, fast and easy to read story about a character you instantly love and feel for.
‘Hard to read’ meaning: eye-opening to the way of life and terrible happenings in Romania under the totalitarian government of Nicolae Ceaușescu (1989).
“Nicolae Ceaușescu. Our beloved leader. Our hero. Maverick of the grand Communist Party of Romania and vampire to the necks of millions.”
Goodreads describes it correctly like this: “A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation”
I think this is a must-read book. Cristian’s story and the things he was forced to endure, even being asked to betray his own family, remind us of the atrocities done to humanity and help us never to repeat them.
Based on the author’s note, this book is well-researched, and though it’s historical fiction, there’s a lot pulled from people’s true stories. You’ll feel a lot of feelings in this book and it won’t take you long to become invested in Cristian’s story.
I think this book is good for young adults or regular adults and will hopefully inspire readers to understand the importance of critical thinking and courage to stand up for truth.
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2025
A Killer’s Code (Daniela Vega #3) by Isabella Maldonado
“If you’re watching this, I’m dead. And others will be soon if you don’t act fast.”
Maldonado is an auto-read for me. I’ve really enjoyed this Daniela Vega series: A Killer’s Game took Dani into an undercover ultimate escape room style only one person gets out alive situation; A Forgotten Kill has Dani simultaneously chasing down a serial killer and getting to the bottom of her father’s murder.
A Killer’s Code brings back the man she went undercover with in book one (Gustavo Toro). As a hired assassin he kept an ‘insurance policy’ on those who hired him, a treasure trove of evidence and information the FBI would love to get their hands on. With his final days he set up a ‘treasure hunt’ of sorts with clues and puzzles to lead the FBI to the stash in an effort to keep it safe from those who don’t want to be exposed. From New York to Las Vegas to Arizona’s Superstition Mountains, the hunt is on for the prize.
Like most of her books, this was a fast-paced read and full of action. I would definitely recommend this book; there are no caveats. Maldonado is just a great author! (For best reading experience, though, read the series from the beginning.)
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2024-2025
Out for Blood/ Gone Dark (Matthew Redd Thriller #3-4) by Ryan Steck
“This wasn’t a rescue mission anymore. It was a crime scene.”
I didn’t read the first two in this series, but didn’t find it hard to get into these two books. These were great action-packed thrillers with a Bourne Identity type of main character.
Matthew Redd is the epitome of a hero character. Someone who protects and sacrifices himself for others. He is an ex-Marine with a particular set of skills that enables him to be outnumbered and still come out on top.
These books have tactical maneuvering, danger, shootouts, and seemingly-impossible-to-survive-lone-man scenarios, and they take place in Montana.
These books read like movies moving from one dangerous scene to the next.
It’s nice to read a book where everyone isn’t dysfunctional and a plot can revolve around positive heroism instead of figuring out which dysfunctional person is the worst of the bunch.
The book ends on a cliffhanger and I’m already itching to get my hands on the next installment!
Genre: Nonfiction
Published: 2024
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell
“We’re living in what they call the ‘Information Age’, but life only seems to be making less sense. We’re isolated, listless, burnt out on screens, cutting loved ones out like tumors in the spirit of ‘boundaries’, failing to understand other people’s choices or even our own…
Faced with a sudden glut of information, cognitive biases cause the modern mind to overthink and underthink the wrong things. We obsess unproductively over the same paranoias, but we blitz past complex deliberations that deserve more care.”
I enjoyed Montell’s book, Cultish, even though there were some problematic areas because I thought there were some really interesting and important things to think about. I think my conclusion for this book is about the same.
It reminded me some of The Coddling of the American Mind (which I loved) as both talk about cognitive biases.
I think the idea that people are irrational overthinkers intrigued me because I like to try to understand why people reach different conclusions or decisions than I would, especially when the choices don’t make any sense to me.
Some of the biases she talks about are the halo effect, proportionality bias, sunk cost fallacy, zero-sum bias, survivorship bias, the IKEA effect, and more.
There was mixed reviews on this book, and I address them in more detail in my full review; even though I don’t share the same worldview or theology of Montell I can still benefit by putting my own thoughts and beliefs under the microscope of these cognitive biases. It never hurts to recalibrate our thought process and evaluate our methods of knowing truth.
I’m a big fan of finding truth and I think this book helps to that end. (I’ve also included book club discussion questions for this one!)
Genre: Mystery
Published: 2023
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham #2) by Benjamin Stevenson
“Seven writers board a train. At the end of the line, five will leave it alive. One will be in cuffs.”
This is my third Ernest Cunningham novel— yes I read the Christmas one out of order. That being said, I would definitely recommend reading them in order. Especially the first two.
This series has a very consistent tone and writing voice that I love. They’re all told first person from the perspective of Ernest Cunningham, a writer who keeps having murders happen around him that he just so happens to be good at solving.
The schtick of the series is that these are all ‘Golden Age’ mysteries. He describes it in detail in book one, but basically it’s supposed to be like an Agatha Christie novel where all the clues are available to the reader to solve the mystery, the narrator doesn’t lie, there is nothing supernatural, and no secret twins.
As the narrator, Ernest gives us hints and tells us when we should pay attention, but even then I think it would be hard for a reader to solve the mystery in its entirety.
The setting of this particular book takes place on a cross country luxury train that spans Australia north to south (learned some fun facts about this). The context is a crime-writing conference. And the conflict: someone is murdered on the train.
It’s got the mystery, the likeable characters, and the humor. It’s a unique take on a murder mystery with creative writing and an interesting setting.
Somehow these are ‘feel good’ books even though there is death and murder and body pieces to collect and I’m here for it.
Looking forward to the next one that comes out in March (I have an ARC and will be writing a review).
Genre: Nonfiction/ Cultural
Published: 2024
Walking in Unity: Biblical Answers to Questions on Race and Racism by Krista Bontrager & Monique Duson
I heard Duson & Bontrager discussing their book on a podcast, and I went and bought the book because I wanted to hear more. I’ve done a lot of reading on the topic of race since 2019 and am interested in how people have actually lived out what the authors call ‘biblical unity’ with people of other ethnicities.
What I loved most about this book was that it was written by friends— one white, one black— who had to wrestle through all the questions because they valued their relationship. They are both followers of Christ, yet were approaching these issues with very different viewpoints. They had to look at what the Bible said and see where each of them needed to adjust their framework and understanding.
The title is perfect because they had all of these conversations while they were literally on walks together. The Bible uses this type of terminology regularly in regards to our faith journey— walking with the Spirit, running a race, etc— and so we understand that it’s an ongoing process. It’s not one day, one action, or one decision that accomplishes unity. It’s a daily, active walk.
What makes this one helpful are the real life examples of their conversations. They share their conversations, sometimes verbatim, in a transparent and honest way, showing how each of them responded strongly at different things.
They point out where the popular process of racial reconciliation falls short and offer a more biblical model that defines and differentiates creation identity, salvation identity, matters of providence, and walking in unity and apply these principles to concepts like intersectionality, colorblindness, definitions of racism, intention and impact, microaggressions, systemic injustice, reparations and redistribution, representation, multiethnic churches, and multiethnic families.
This is an excellent resource that I think we could all benefit from!
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2020
Odriel’s Heirs (Odriel’s Heirs #1) by Hayley Reese Chow
“Light the darkness, Dragon.”
I read the third book in this series (Time’s Orphan) a couple years ago and liked it so much I planned to go back and read the earlier books. I probably should have read this one sooner than now because I already forgot most of book three… it ended up not spoiling anything I guess!
Odriel’s Heirs is a compelling young adult fantasy series full of magic and courage and sacrifice. It’s a classic story of good vs evil.
I loved the depth and distinctness of the characters. The danger was real and the enemies formidable, and the character development was great! The epilogue nicely sets up the next book and I think you’ll want to race through the whole series once you read one.
In this series Okarria is protected by the Dragon Heir, the Shadow Heir, and the Time Heir:
“To the bravest, he gave the power of the Dragon— of fire… He cloaked the cunning in shadow— to walk unseen. And to the kind, he gave his healing touch.”
Their role is to work in tandem to fend off the necromancer (Nifras) who is the commander of a ‘dead’ army (think zombie-like) who has his sights set on conquering Okarria.
The main character is Kaia, a seventeen-year-old girl training to be the next Dragon Heir, but when her father goes missing and an attack is looming Kaia (with the help of a talking cat) goes on a journey that forms her identity, helps her harness her gift, and solidifies her role in protecting her country.
Genre: Memoir/ Humor
Published: 2013
Sparkly Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn by Melanie Shankle
“Every mother knows the reason Robert Frost took the road less traveled is because he wasn’t traveling with children who needed to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes.”
Melanie Shankle reminds me how precious it is to be a mom and that the years are indeed short and I can already feel them slipping by.
This was such a fun, entertaining, and relatable book! I read it in only two days because I didn’t want to put it down. I was sad when it was over.
She has a great sense of humor and style of writing. I like the stream of consciousness and parenthetical asides way of telling stories— similar to Jenny Lawson’s book Broken (in the best possible way). I felt inspired reading this book because I’d love to write a funny memoir and Lawson and Shankle’s style is what I would want to do.
Melanie had first started a blog called Big Mama when her daughter, Caroline, was three years old. That was the catalyst that led to this book. She has since written a few more books (a friendship one and a marriage one among others), and her latest one is about parenting in the teenage years. She does a podcast with Sophie Hudson called Big Boo Cast. (Their blogs are Big Mama and Boo Mama).
One thing I love about this book is that it’s not just funny stories and it’s not over-spiritualizing everything so that it’s a ‘Christian’ book. It’s an honest and sarcastic look at the ups and downs of motherhood while at times recognizing that God designed our lives to require caring for others because it grows us and teaches us things about him and about ourselves.
It’s an uplifting read that makes you both laugh and cry those ‘they’re growing up too fast’ kind of tears.
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2025
Nobody’s Fool (Detective Sami Kierce #2) by Harlan Coben
“Did it all go wrong the moment I saw you?”
I thought this was a standalone book but it turns out it’s a sequel to Fool Me Once, which I read way back in 2016 and virtually remember none of. Even if you go back to read that book’s summary it doesn’t really give you much information about Sami Kierce and it doesn’t seem like he’s much of a main character.
This was a really good, fast-paced thriller. I read it in two days, somehow. But I’m not surprised because I’ve always liked Harlan Coben’s books. And I haven’t read one in awhile so it was fun to get back to one of his.
I will say, though, that I had to keep telling myself I wasn’t reading a Myron Bolitar novel. For some reason Sami Kierce felt like the same person.
In Nobody’s Fool, Kierce is a bit of a disgraced police officer, thrown off the force for a mistake on a different case. He spends some of his time teaching a somewhat ‘off the books’ criminology class to an eclectic bunch.
It’s in one of these classes that his past comes back to haunt him. A woman shows up that looks an awful lot like a girl he had a fling with in Spain on a backpacking trip many years ago. A girl he thought he had killed. Well… killed as in: he woke up from a drug and alcohol infused night to see her dead beside him and his hands covered in blood.
This shocking cameo (and then quick departure) sends Kierce on a new mission— to find her and find out what happened to her all those years ago.
This book had great characters, lots of action and suspense, and even some twists and turns I didn’t see coming!
Genre: Nonfiction/ Christian Living
Published: 2020
Broken Bread: How to Stop Using Food and Fear to Fill Spiritual Hunger by Tilly Dillehay
“God cares much more about how we eat than he cares about what we eat.”
This was written in 2020 but still feels very applicable to the ‘food climate’ today and does a lot to look at how perception of and interaction with food has become complicated— broken. Tilly restores these perceptions and interactions, offering a balanced look at the ‘food pitfalls’ we all find ourselves in and how Jesus speaks into them.
I admit, while reading this book I did have some moments of self-righteousness— ‘At least I’m not like those people!’, ‘At least I’m not doing that!’, ‘Oh good, I’m doing the “right” thing!’ but then I’d get to the next chapter and get my own dose of conviction and recognition of a different food-related sin that I DO need to own.
That’s what I mean by balanced. No one gets a free ride in this book. Which is important because there has been a lot of judgment towards others regarding their food preparation and food eating habits or practices. I see it everywhere, and I confess I am part of it— maybe not online or to someone’s face, but I feel it in my heart.
The push of this book is not to argue for a specific diet or food preparation method. It’s to help us understand that what we eat is not the ultimate thing. It’s our heart and our treatment of others while we’re eating that matters. Our diets or food restrictions often keep us from being with others. The way we eat often keeps us focused on ourselves instead of serving others. It may isolate us or prevent us from creating a welcoming environment where all can come and eat and build relationship.
There is freedom and redemption in this book. But it’s a biblical freedom that promotes building up our neighbors and using food to the glory of God.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2023
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
I thought this book was very compelling, but even more so when I found out this book was inspired by the life of the historical woman, Martha Ballard, and events she chronicled in her diary. (She was the great aunt to Clara Barton!)
This novel is set in Maine during the late 1700s.
Martha Ballard is one of the midwives in town. This fact alone already gives me anxiety— I am fully onboard with hospital births. But I will say that it was interesting and… right… for me to read about her practice during this time. Just the knowledge that had to be taught and handed down to other women to aid in birth is amazing! According to the historic diary, Martha never lost a mother in any of her deliveries which is also a feat in and of itself.
I read this book and I am reminded of the wonder and the gift of giving birth.
Now this book is not just about midwifery, though that’s an essential piece. There is tragedy and there is murder.
The main conflict of The Frozen River is the claim of Rebecca Foster, the wife of the recently ‘removed’ preacher, that two men raped her. One of which is the main ‘law guy’ in town. The other man was found dead in the partially frozen river looking like he’d been hanged. Martha is one of Rebecca’s primary witnesses, but the time period adds many obstacles for Rebecca and Martha to find justice.
I loved the character of Martha and her commitment to helping the women in her town, even ones that didn’t treat her well. I also loved the themes surrounding the river-- of the opening and closing, new life and new beginnings, the washing away of winter.
There are definitely hard and tragic parts to read in this book, but overall it’s a book about the vulnerability and the resilience in life and I enjoyed it.
Genre: Historical Fiction/ Crime/ Legal Thriller
Published: 2025
A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni
I have read over ten books by Robert Dugoni. I like his work. And A Killing on the Hill fit the pattern!
This was a fun read because it took place during Prohibition. It had all the theatrical Great Gatsby vibes. The fedoras. The cigars. The speakeasies. The ear trumpets. Everything costs five cents. What an era!
It’s set in Seattle and is inspired by some true events that occurred during that time. Apparently Seattle was basically the Gotham City of the 30s. The corruption ran so deep into the legislative bodies and law-enforcement that not even Al Capone wanted to mess with it.
If Seattle is Gotham City, then our main character, William ‘Shoe’ Shumacher, is a naive and eager Joseph Gordan-Levitt (that’s how I picture him) encountering the city for the first time. He’s a reporter trying to make his way during the Depression and send some money back to his family in Kansas City.
When Shoe gets a tip about a murder of a gangster on Profanity Hill (a real place) and breaks the story, he must navigate all kinds of corruption and decide what truths he exposes and when he must be silent.
I think the strongest parts of the book are the moral dilemmas Shoe faces throughout the book and how he deals with them. I think we see a shadow of ourselves in Shoe and would like to think we would always do the right thing, but this book causes you to think about the capacity for evil we have in our own hearts and what we would actually do if we knew we could get away with it.
Between the likeable main character, the theatrical setting, the legal thrills, and the deeper reflection, I thought this book was a big win.
Genre: Non-Fiction/ Cultural
Published: 2020
Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
I read Alisa Childer’s book Live Your Truth (and Other Lies) and I’ve listened to her podcast quite a bit. Another Gospel? is her first book and tells the story of her crisis of faith.
Alisa Childers grew up in a Christian home and was part of the Christian music group ZOEGirl (2006-2010). But later in life she encountered a pastor that made her question everything she thought she knew about God and the Bible.
As the subtitle of the book notes, this pastor adhered to what is identified as ‘Progressive Christianity.’ Childers shows throughout her book the subtle changes that churches have made to their theology that are sometimes hard to detect but actually really change the gospel.
The cover of the book was designed well, showing the ‘Gospel’ being gradually watered down, which is the natural result of Progressive Christianity.
I would encourage you to read this book and follow along on Alisa’s journey because she is naturally a skeptic. She wasn’t just going to let someone tell her what to believe, she was going to do her own research, to get to the source, to challenge the ideas and see if they held up to scrutiny.
The questions she asks in this book, the ideas she challenges, are not straw men. They are real questions and ideas that I see all over the place. I’ve seen people espouse them and defend them and they are central to the ‘Christianity’ that too many people hold to today.
My full review lists the main points of Progressive Christianity that she challenges. I believe Childers is carefully and rightfully exposes the hidden lies of false teachers that undermine who God is, how authoritative his Word is, and the atoning work of his son Jesus. These are not small matters and I hope you are a reader who is willing to read this book and others to see why historic Christianity is true.
“We don’t get to completely redefine who God us and how he works in the world and call it Christian. We don’t get to make the rules and do what is right in our own eyes and yet claim to be followers of Jesus. Our only option is to do it his way or not at all. He is love. His name is truth. His gospel is bloody. His way is beautiful. For God so loved the world.”
Honorable Mentions
Honest Prayers for Mama Bears by Hillary Morgan Ferrer & Julie Loos (this completely elevated and helped my prayer life!)
Heist Royale (Thieves’ Gambit #2) by Kayvion Lewis (this is Ocean’s Eleven meets 21— a lighthearted but action-packed YA novel)
Holier than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him by Jackie Hill Perry (very good and convicting book— I also enjoyed her Bible Study on Jude this year)
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas (I’ve only read two of the series so far and I can’t say for sure how I will like it all by the end, but so far it’s trending in the right direction.)
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