Books I Read in 2025

Rating system:

1 = meh, 2 = decent, 3 = good but not great, 4 = definitely worthwhile, 5 = one of the best I’ve read, DNF = did not finish

  1. Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling — book club (4/5) The plot of this book was interesting, but what really set it apart was Kipling’s use of language. But it’s only a 4 because I felt like the ending was a little meh.
  2. The Year of Less by Cait Flanders — audiobook (1/5) I love a good “year-long challenge” book, but I could not relate to the author at all.
  3. The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod (3/5) I really like the premise of this book — waking up early and utilizing that time very intentionally. I tried to put it into practice, but at the time, I just wasn’t in a place to wake up so early — the book does not detail how the people who do a Miracle Morning make up for lost/little sleep. I would try it again though.
  4. For the Family’s Sake by Susan Schaeffar Macauley (DNF) I’ve heard this book and author recommended in homeschool circles, but TBH, this book bored me to tears.
  5. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD (4/5…DNF) This book was super interesting, and even more than that, thought provoking. It made me think a LOT about my own parenting. I plan to finish it… eventually… and would read it again.
  6. The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie (4/5) I love Sarah Mackenzie, and would recommend this book to anyone who likes books. In addition to giving great anecdotes and research about why reading aloud is beneficial at all ages, it also has book lists and discussion questions in the last section.
  7. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (5/5) This book is so amazing. I read this aloud with my oldest daughter and loved how realistic the dialogue and situations are. I would 100% read this book again. And again.
  8. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins — audiobook (4/5) I loved the whole Hunger Games series (though haven’t read the latest 2 books) and think that Suzanne Collins is an amazing writer. But Katniss’ character and lack of growth in this book really bothered me, hence the 4 rating.
  9. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (4/5) I read this book aloud with my two oldest daughters, and we all thought it was well-written and clever. But there were a couple of parts where the plot twists seemed too convenient, so I’m giving it a 4.
  10. The Princess Test by Gail Carson Levine (3/5) Similar in vein to Ella Enchanted. Clever and enjoyable, but not great.
  11. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5/5) Another book series read with my oldest daughters. We loved the whole Little House series, but this book was especially moving due to the reality of the long winter they endured.
  12. The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi (4/5) I discovered Kendra Adachi’s podcast this year thanks to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast, and really love the way she thinks about things and talks, so decided to read her book. It did not disappoint. Biggest takeaways: Establishing house rules to prevent the dominoes from falling, and defining self-care as doing what makes you feel like yourself.
  13. The Tale of Anabelle Hedgehog by Stephen Lawhead (3/5) Read with my daughters. It was a cute story with a good message, but a little juvenile.
  14. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (5/5) I LOVED this book. It was so interesting and well-written, and the ending is superb. Highly recommend for ages 7 (read aloud) to adults. We watched the movie too, and while a little different from the book, it added some interesting angles to the plot.
  15. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins — audiobook (4/5) Same feeling as for Catching Fire (#8 above). Loved this series, but I was very much not satisfied with the ending, especially how things were left between Katniss and Gale.
  16. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy —book club (4/5) I loved all the pastoral descriptions and scenes in this book, and think there was some good suspense and surprises in the plot, but was bothered by the character of Bathsheba. Our book club had a great discussion about her though.
  17. Middlemarch by George Eliot (4/5) Overall, I really enjoyed the characters and plot in this book, and thought it was well-written considering how many story lines it follows. I also watched the BBC mini-series, which was well-done. But getting through the author’s political and social soapboxes requires some slogging.
  18. Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5/5) Any Little House book is a 5 in my opinion, but this one was fun because of Laura’s experiences as a teacher and her courtship with Almanzo.
  19. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers — audiobook & ebook — book club (4/5) This was the first book by Dorothy Sayers I had read. I hosted the book club party for this book, so my friend Nikki and I had fun with the theme. Overall, I really enjoyed the character of Lord Peter Wimsey, thought Sayers’s writing style was unique and interesting, and was left wanting to read more.
  20. Having a Martha Home the Mary Way by Sarah Mae (2/5) I originally rated this book a 3 when I finished it in June, but I don’t remember anything from it. I did write down a few quotes, but it’s still a 2.
  21. These Happy, Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5/5) See #18. Just a great book.
  22. The Call of the Wild + Free by Ainsley Arment (3/5) This book is fun to read because of the colors and pictures. Overall a very encouraging book for homeschoolers. But nothing earth-shattering.
  23. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (4/5) This book was unlike any other book I’ve read, which made it really interesting. It gave me James Bond vibes, but less commercialized. The ending also was surprising.
  24. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll — DNF This has been on my to-read list for a while, and the premise of the book sounds really interesting, but it was too dense for me in this season.
  25. Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey — book club (5/5) This was my first time reading a western, and I loved it. The landscape descriptions got a little much, but the plot was thrilling. I really wanted there to be a sequel, and was jazzed when I discovered there was one (see #29).
  26. The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5/5) This was one of the hardest Little House books to read, just because you want the best for them, and so much hardness happens. But still, so good.
  27. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (5/5) This book randomly caught my eye on Hoopla, and I loved it. It is very stream-of-consciousness, bouncing between stories of the author’s childhood in Iran, his experiences as a refugee, Persian myths and folklore, and “outsider” observations on American life. When a book sticks with me after I’ve finished it, I know it has made an impact, and that was definitely true with this book.
  28. The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery (5/5) My book club recommended this book several times. It was a little hard to get into at first, but once it picked up, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
  29. The Desert Crucible by Zane Grey (5/5) This was the sequel to Riders of the Purple Sage, and it was just as good. I would definitely read more Zane Grey, and it really makes me want to visit Utah.
  30. The Gift of Limitations by Sara Hagerty — DNF (2/5) I love the idea of this book, but more and more, I am finding that I cannot stomach Christian nonfiction books anymore. They are just so similar to each other and meh.
  31. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (4/5) After reading Dorothy Sayers, I felt like I needed to give Agatha Christie another chance. This is one of her most popular books. It was enjoyable. It wasn’t graphic. The ending was surprising. But I just don’t think the murder mystery genre is for me.
  32. Dracula by Bram Stoker (5/5) This book was SO good and yet SO creepy. I was legit freaked out reading it. For that reason, I probably won’t ever read it again, but so well-written, and so engaging. I enjoyed digesting this book and the symbolism with my husband.
  33. On the Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder (3/5) This book is Laura’s diary about her traveling with Almanzo, their daughter Rose, and another family from De Smet, SD, to Missouri. It wasn’t intended to be published, so even though it was interesting, it was also a little boring. The end was written by Rose, and describes how they got their farm in Missouri. Worthwhile for true Little House fans.
  34. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (4/5) This is the first Sherlock Holmes book in the series, and the first I’ve read. I will say, I was a little disappointed. But I think that has more to do with my realizing that I don’t like murder mysteries than anything about the book. I did find the switch mid-book to the background of the murderer to be both jarring, but also incredibly interesting, and definitely changed my view of the culprit. I would like to read more Sherlock Holmes book before establishing my opinion on them.
  35. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (4/5) This is the second book in the Lord Peter Wimsey book series. I liked that this book had more characters involved in the investigation, and that Lord Peter isn’t the only one who has insights.