In keeping with our family tradition, we present the best books we read in 2025…

I read 65 books this year. (Goodreads thinks I only read 63, but they aren’t counting the two times I read my oldest daughter’s manuscript!)

For the most part, I read on my Kindle Paperwhite via Kindle Unlimited, Libby through our local library, and NetGalley for review copies. But I also splurged on a Kindle Fire this year so I could enjoy books from Hoopla and Everand as well. My eyes still prefer the reading experience of the Kindle Paperwhite, though!

Top 7 Fiction:

Here are my top seven fiction titles, in alphabetical order by author.

1. Through Water and Stone by Karen Barnett: A split-time novel so beautifully woven I couldn’t guess what lay in the next chapter. In a tale both intriguing and heartbreaking, Barnett explores themes of heritage and loss through the story of a Zion National Park ranger and his granddaughter.

Our year has been made up of many moments and memories. Library book sales, thrift shopping, and farmers market. Precious moments with siblings, cousins, and friends. Visiting graves and remembering grandparents we’ve said goodbye to for now.   

When my cousin-in-law asked me to share at my sister-in-law’s baby shower last August, I said “yes”–and then I thought of the fact that my own three daughters would be sitting there in the room listening! They know better than anyone else that I’m not a perfect mother. But they read and gave their blessing over the following before I shared at the shower. In honor of Mother’s Day, now I’m sharing it with you too! From one reader to another…

Here are four lessons I’ve learned about raising daughters, with a few bits of literary wisdom, too…

1. Your daughter is not your “mini-me.”

As a mother of three girls, I can tell you that when you raise a daughter, you are not raising a miniature version of yourself.

Yes, she may be the spitting image of you as a little girl.

We share our very favorite books in our annual Christmas letter each year. But sometimes it’s hard to limit ourselves to just a few titles. So here are our top picks for the year…

We’ve watched loved ones walk through diagnoses, treatments, and life challenges this year. But in the midst of the grief, the Lord gave us reminders of His faithfulness.