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.ย There were a couple of books I ended up scratching off my list, a personal reminder that if a book isnโt 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, donโt overlook the influenceย that modelingย 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 โ 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*.
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.