Tops of 2025
My top posts from 2025, and my favourite reads!
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I’ll be the first to admit that 2025 has not been an easy year for me. I’ve had some large, looming experiences that added some real darkness to my year. I guess I’m sharing this because I want you to know that if your year wasn’t what you hoped for, you’re not alone, and it’s okay to look forward to 2026.
Despite the downs, there’s a been a few ups that I’d like to share with you today. With the first one, I’d like to share my thanks to anyone who opens my emails, reads my posts, subscribes, or follows me. You helped bring smiles to my face all throughout the year.
Without further ado…
My Top Five Posts
5 - A reflection on Mary, Martha, Jesus, and Lazarus.
4 - Reviewing the book Better Ways to Read the Bible
3 - It’s not that I’m against “Bible in a Year,” it’s just that
2 - Reflections on the impact of Christian Nationalism in Canada
1 - Sharing why I don’t like the English Standard Version
My Favourite Reads of the Year
If you know anything about me, you know I have a book in my hands, my purse, or nearby at any given time. In 2025 I read 50 books! When I went through the list on Good Reads, I had a pretty good split of 24 fiction books and 26 non-fiction books. Since I have a good split, I’ll share my top three from each one. If you want to see all the books I read, you can find them here.
Fiction
I read (or listened to) some really great fiction this year. It was hard to narrow them down. These aren’t in any order.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klume
I listened to the audiobook version of The House in the Cerulean Sea and I really enjoyed the experience. I liked it so much that I went and picked up a hard copy of the book. The premise of the story is that a straight-laced case worker from the Department of Magical Youth is sent to a group home where he encounters some children with very unusual backgrounds, as well as their caretaker Arthur Parnassus.
I loved the whimsy of this story, but I realize it’s not for everyone.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt
This book blends interesting perspectives - an octopus and an elderly aquarium cleaner - as they go about their lives at the aquarium. Marcellus, the octopus, is trying to help Tova Sullivan because he has learned through her talking to him while she cleans that he may know what happened to her missing son.
This is such a beautiful story. I never expected to enjoy reading the perspective of an octopus but it was fantastic.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
This may be a bit of a cheat because I had read it before but it’s one of my favourite books. I recommend it to everyone that is looking to get into fantasy. In desperation Addie LaRue makes an agreement with a dark stranger. As a result she’s now immortal, but no one can remember her until one day 300 years later, when a young man does.
I love this book so much but, once again, I realize it’s not for everyone. I love how Addie makes herself known over the 300 years even though no one can remember her. It was the first book by VE Schwab, but it definitely wasn’t the last!
Non-Fiction
I read a lot of non-fiction related to a few different areas - school texts, spiritual direction, and research. Once again, these are not in any order.
Shaped by the Word: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Formation
by M. Robert Mulholland, Jr.
If you’re looking for a way to really engage Scripture instead of just reading it, then this book is a must read!
Something I’ve noticed, and Mulholland points out, is that we read to control the text - it’s not our fault, it’s the logical culture we live in - which is called informational reading. So we’re reading but not actually being formed spiritually. Each chapter builds on the last to help you understand the implications of what this means for your spiritual life, and when he’s finished helping you understand he shares a few methods to get you reading formationally. Don’t skip ahead though! That defeats the whole purpose!
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
It was a year of wadding through grief for me, and this book really helped! It opened my eyes to just how much God works in darkness, both in the Bible and today. Even when we feel far away from God, shrouded in darkness, God is there. She builds on the work of The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross with this book and it was fantastic.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human
by Cole Arthur Riley
I refer to this book all the time. It has so much wisdom in its pages, and it’s outside of the “normal” white theologian authors. Her prayers are raw and relatable. The contents are filled with different liturgies based on topics, and through the liturgical year. I highly recommend this book because it’s so eye opening.
How was 2025 for you? Did you read any good books, or have some recommendations? I’d love to hear them!