As I gathered my old journals to compile this reading list, I was reminded of the joy that comes from having a hobby. Reading is a delight to me. I enjoy learning new things and experiencing different perspectives. I had a harder time reading and keeping focus last year, but I greatly enjoyed what I read.
Below is a list of the books I read in 2025. There were a couple of books I ended up scratching off my list, a personal reminder that if a book isn’t keeping my attention, I close it and begin something new. No guilt!
If you are looking to incorporate more reading into your personal routine, or perhaps to grow as a household, don’t overlook the influence that modeling has on a family.
Reading is the gateway to learning! We keep books (shelves or baskets) in every room of our home, and my children maintain a rabbit trail of bound books. If you create opportunities throughout the day and week for your children to read, I’m confident they will pick up the habit :)
Books are also a great tool for developing their artistic skills (drawing, painting, building tree forts, etc) and pursuing personal hobbies. I cherish our local libraries and the inspiration they bring.
Scroll on for the books I read in 2025!
BOOKS I READ IN 2025:
- The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig | fiction
- Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins (re-read) | homeschooling
- Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck | memoir
- Susanna – Mother of the Wesleys by John Kirk | Christian living
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, A Family Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder | biography
- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd | fiction
- The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon | historical fiction
- Being Elisabeth Eliot by Ellen Vaughn | biography
- The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern | memoir
- The Color of Water by James McBride | memoir
- The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom | fiction
- My Dear Hemlock by Tilly Dillehay | Christian living
Two books from 2025 that were outstanding:
The Whistling Season and The Color of Water.
The writing style in The Whistling Season was a lovely mix of curiosity and western-living narrative. This is my first book of Ivan Doig’s, but I am hooked. If you’ve read anything by Wendell Berry, you’ll enjoy Ivan Doig’s writing style.
The second, The Color of Water, is a memoir about a man whose mother was white (Jewish) and father was black, and the experiences and complexities his family endured growing up as a large family in New York in the 1920s to the present day. It was a total page turner for me.
PS. I also GREATLY enjoyed The Meaning of Maggie and The Kitchen House. Even though I was slow to read last year, I greatly enjoyed each book I read. I loved the variety and the personal application I gleened from each title.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
- What I Read in 2024
- What I Read in 2023
- What I Read in 2022
- What I read in 2021
- An Update on My Reading List
- Working in 20-Minute Increments (also applies to reading books :))
Share with me a favorite book you’ve recently read?
xx, Maggie
You’re such an encouragement that we can still learn and grow *in the thick of it*.
This! Yes! (Here you go again living up to your nickname: champion!) I love you! :)
I’ve read a lot of memoir style writings on Substack but with so much going on at the end of last year and into the winter. This year I am going to have a time set aside to go to the library each week and for just reading at home.
Hey Heather! This sounds like the right reading plan for you! Do you have anything on the docket? :)