My TOP FIVE BOOKS of 2025

 Well, this may tell you something about the year I’ve had. Last year I read almost 50 books. This year — nineteen.  That’s what two weddings, a funeral and a home remodel will do to a person! ;-)  

As I looked over that (short) list in search of my top five for this post, I realized this has been one heck of a year! Of those nineteen books I only read eight fiction novels (two being read aloud to my 8-year-old). So, it’s been a year of challenge, growth and…a lot of nonfiction.

With that said, here are my TOP 5 BOOKS of 2025 

#5 The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

A dear friend gave me this book after my mom’s passing in May. What is beautiful about this book is that it’s basically Didion’s jumbled thoughts after the death of her husband. I remember thinking, “This is exactly how it is when someone dies.” Thoughts are jumbled. Life feels different, but there’s not real way to describe the feelings you’re having. 

Favorite quote: 

“We are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push i away, failed by our very complication, so wired that when we mourn our losses we also mourn, for better or for worse, ourselves, as we were. as we are no longer. as we will one day not be at all.” 

#4 The In-Between by Hadley Vlahos, RN

I read this one reluctantly for a book club. I wasn’t able to attend the discussion, but am so glad I read this book. At first I thought it would be a near death experience book (not my cup of tea). That is not what this is at all. Vlahos is a nurse for hospice and she shares endearing stories of her patients as they near their deaths. I read this one a few months before my mom’s passing, so it felt especially familiar.

 

Strange confession: I am actually fascinated with the process of dying. Years ago I listened to a talk by Frank Ostaseski, What the Dying Teach the Living where he shared his own experiences of comforting others as they transitioned to the other side. Since then I have been intrigued with the lessons we can learn from those as they near death. I experienced some poignant moments with each of my parents as they neared death and I am forever grateful to have had them. 

Favorite Quote: 

[From one of the patients] “I always thought I would have more time. I wish I would have spent more time with my loved ones. I wish I’d just eaten the damn cake.” 

#3 Learning to Walk in the Dark

I’m not sure how I stumbled upon this book, but it was one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. Over the years and through my own dark moments, I have come to understand that that Law of Opposition is a true principle from God. It’s not just a “fact of life,” it is a necessity for gaining knowledge and understanding of God, ourselves and His plan. We don’t need to be scared of the dark, Taylor surmises; we can embrace the darkness as a part of God’s glorious creation. 

Favorite quote: 

“What if I could learn to trust my feelings instead of asking to be delivered from them? What if I could follow one of my great fears all the ay to the edge of the abyss, take a breath and keep going? Isn’t there a chance of being surprised by what happens next? Better than that, what if I could learn how to stay in the present instead of letting my anxieties run on faith-forward?” 

#2 The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Okay, first and foremost, Henri Nouwen has become one of my great spiritual thought teachers. His writing is so lovely and full of complex thought. This was my second time reading this book. Using Rembrandt’s artwork entitled Prodigal Son, as the background Nouwen picks apart the Biblical story of the same name. He walks through each character and details how we can personally relate to each one.  He brings to life God and our relationship with Him in such a way that feels honest, true and loving. This may become one I read once a year…at least for awhile, until I have his words ingrained into my soul. 

Favorite quote: 

“When I look through God’s eyes at my lost self and discover God’s joy at my coming home, then my life may become less anguished and more trusting.” 

#1 Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr

This one really is a tie with Henri Nouwen’s. I only placed this as number one because I read it twice in a row — I literally started reading it a second time after I finished it the first time. Rohr walks us through the Hero’s Journey in relation to a spiritual life. Just as we have physical development, Rohr teaches that we also develop spiritually. It’s in our second half of life that we have the opportunity to deepen our spiritual relationship with God by coming to our True Self. 

Favorite Quote: 

“Setting out is always a leap of faith, a risk in the deepest sense of the term, and yet an adventure too. The familiar and the habitual are so falsely reassuring, and most of us make homes there permanently. The new is always by definition unfamiliar and untested, so God, life, destiny, suffering have to give us a push — usually a big one — or we will not go.”

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There you have it! My year in books. It was introspective, to be sure, and enlightening.  I went on such a great journey of personal growth and discovery. However, my goal for 2026 is to read just a little more fiction! ;-)