Great Reads of 2025: A Reading Year in Review

Oh, how I love this year-end look back at all the books that kept me company during the year! In a year when the world felt more tenuous than ever, you will notice my shift toward fiction. It’s my Calgon, taking me away. I hope my Great Reads inspire you to add some new titles to your 2026 reading stack.

As always, I struggled to choose my favorites, because for the most part, I loved them all. In addition to choosing only a few from each category, these criteria guide my Top Picks winnowing:

• Did the book stay with me long after I turned the last page?
• Did it reframe my thinking on a topic or change my mind?
• Did I find myself recommending it to complete strangers?
• Did I find the writing itself so compelling it stopped me in admiration?
• Was the topic particularly resonant to this era in history or this season of life?

Before I reveal my favorites, let’s talk about book clubs. Do you belong to one? I belong to two. My Habibi Book Club sprang organically from a trip to Egypt, and five new friends from that trip are still reading together two years later. And this year I joined the Renovaré book club, which I understand has been around for many years.

There’s something about reading in community that makes the experience richer. First, it’s illuminating to discover how another reader’s interpretation of a text varies so much from your own. Seeing a text through different lenses broadens the experience. Secondly, you end up reading books you wouldn’t normally read. The two books to which I gave a 3-star rating this year would have earned five stars from my fellow readers, so don’t let my ratings dissuade you. Reading pleasure is highly individual, so you do you! And if you aren’t part of a book club, you might consider joining or starting one.

Top Picks

Without further ado, then, these are my 2025 Top Picks. My review of each follows in their respective categories.

Fiction

For the first year ever, I don’t have to apologize for my scant reading of fiction! It was a banner (i.e. stressful) year!

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. There’s nothing quite like being sucked into an alternate universe in the opening lines of a fantastic book. That’s the feeling I got on page one of Demon Copperhead. I knew we were going to some dark places, but I was helpless to resist. The book tells the story of a boy, Damon, born to a drug-addicted single mom in a wretchedly poor Appalachian coal-mining town. His father died before his birth and his mom dies when he’s very young, leaving him to survive an abusive stepfather and the foster care system. This is a hard read, precisely because every word rings true.

Kingsolver is a master storyteller, and this book is deeply resonant and relevant. Toward the end, when I was completely wrung out emotionally, I started bracing myself for a tragic ending. I was already prepared to be mad if it ended badly, but thankfully, Kingsolver rewards the reader’s patience in the end. You won’t be the same after reading this book.

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (audio) ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Cozy mysteries are my secret indulgence. I save them for times when my brain is frazzled and/or my heart simply cannot take one more thing. I am just getting started in the Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, and this is the second book. Set in the sleepy burg of Three Pines, near Montreal, Penny weaves a complex plot through a colorful cast of characters. This one kept me company on a 2-day road trip and made the hours and miles fly by.

James by Everett Percival ⭐⭐⭐. When one of my author friends raved on social media that this might be the best novel she had ever read, I bought it that day and talked my book club into reading it. Because I hold her in such high esteem, I kept wondering what I was missing as I plodded through the book. Maybe it’s me. My assessment of this book is “Meh,” a solid three stars, but it’s possible I somehow missed its brilliance. Other readers obviously loved it.

The novel is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the slave. But while Percival writes dialogue well, he’s no Mark Twain. His writing lacks the keen wit and understated social commentary of Twain’s masterpiece. In retrospect, maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to attempt a retelling of an American classic.

I have several critiques of Percival’s depiction of Jim, but one in particular did me in. Spoiler alert — stop reading here if you plan to read this book. Toward the end of the novel, Jim reveals that he is Huck’s father, and that was the last straw for me. No. Just no. With that change, Percival besmirched Jim’s character and sucked all the joy out of Huck and Jim’s unlikely friendship. What a disappointment.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (audio) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. This book is what you’d get if you merged two popular television series: The Big Bang Theory and Mad Men. Set in my mother’s era of the 50s and 60s, its the story of a brilliant woman determined to pursue a career in science at a time when men ruled the world and women had babies and kept house. As a fervent feminist, I loved it. Apparently a lot of other people loved it too, since it’s sold more than 8 million copies worldwide!

I credit the book’s appeal to three qualities: 1) a highly relatable topic, 2) colorful, three-dimensional characters, and 3) writing that simply sparkles.

I can’t think of a single woman who hasn’t faced discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. The scenes rang true not only from my own experiences, but from my mother’s stories of things she encountered during this era. Every woman who has ever had a man take credit for her work, who has been talked over in a meeting, who has been expected to get coffee or take notes, or who has been made to feel small by an inept male co-worker will stand up and cheer for Elizabeth Zott in every scene of this book.

More than just a feminist screed, however, this story reminds us that for all the laws of science, life defies predictable formulas. Our choices, our human flaws, and random events disrupt even the best laid plans. Along the way, that unpredictability forges strength, resilience, and unbreakable bonds.

On Kaw Butte by James Parker Knoch ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2. It’s hard to believe this book is the author’s first! He had me from the very beginning, effortlessly weaving a historical chronicle with such skill, you can’t tell where the history ends and the fiction begins. (Fortunately, he included an addendum of historical background on all the key characters.) The story follows the life of Henry Wilkins, a Civil War medic, whose post-war rambles land him in Council Grove, Kansas, where he operates a lucrative business outfitting wagon trains. I love Western history, but the focus on Kansas was a new angle for me.

Knoch’s meticulous research makes every paragraph ring true. His characters have depth and dimension, and the story moves along at an engaging clip. I truly had a hard time putting it down.

My one small criticism belongs to the editor. Knoch is quite fond of the “em dash” — a long dash set off with a space before and after. (See what I did there?) Throughout the book, the dash is incorrectly formatted identical to a hyphen, causing the reader to have to interpret every dash by the context. I share Knoch’s love of the em dash, but believe it should be used sparingly and always formatted correctly. That being said, this is a wonderful story, and I highly recommend it. Knoch set the bar very high for his next book!

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (audio) ⭐⭐⭐. Have you ever wondered how your life would have turned out if you had taken a different path at key junctures? If you had chosen a different major, married a different person, made better life choices? This book’s main character, Nora, is a woman who tries to commit suicide, but instead finds herself in a fantastical library at midnight. Guided by a philosopher librarian, she learns that she can pull a book off the shelf and step into another version of her life. And she does. She samples myriad versions of her life, including as a rock star, a scientist, and an Olympic athlete. Each time she returns to the library for a new book when she concludes this one isn’t the life she wants.

I applaud the author for his writing craft. In each version of Nora’s life, he picks up the threads of previous versions, deftly weaving them into the new scenario. I imagine his storyboard looked like a plate of spaghetti, as he mapped the characters and every small detail through multiple plot lines.

Confession time. I read about 80% of this book when it first came out, and I finished it this year because my book club chose to read it. I’m glad I finished it, but it also reminded me why I put it down the first time. It’s a heavy topic, and I grew weary of Nora’s dissatisfaction with every version of her life. But I also got to experience what it’s like inside the mind of someone who suffers from depression, and I found real value in that. Read it for the excellent writing and the way it will make you reflect on your own life choices. But maybe read it in small doses at a time when you’re in a good mental head space.

Fiction – Classics

Most years I try to add a few classics to my reading list, either old favorites or well-known authors I just never got around to reading. This was my year for Wendell Berry and Willa Cather.

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. In an amazing coincidence, I read Demon Copperhead and Jayber Crow back-to-back. The central character in both books is an orphaned child who suffers various degrees of neglect, abuse and societal dislocation until well into maturity, ultimately finding peace and love, but not without a great deal of struggle. Both books are set in the Appalachian region, but decades apart. For all the similarities of plot, however, the books are starkly different. If I were to illustrate the comparison with paintings, Demon Copperhead would by The Scream by Edvard Munch and Jayber Crow would be Boys in a Pasture by Winslow Homer!

Whereas Kingsolver’s writing sucked me in from the first paragraph, it took much longer to appreciate Berry’s more sedate and understated style. By the end, I was a raving Berry fan. Berry weaves the stories of the very ordinary residents of Port William with such care and attention, you know them intimately and share his affection for them, in spite of their foibles and folly. Berry’s themes of belonging and grace and forgiveness resonated with me deeply. By the final page, I was completely undone.

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Cather’s novels, written more than 100 years ago, celebrate the West in simple stories of everyday characters. I first read My Antonia many years ago and still remember the book’s vivid descriptions of the prairie landscape. Unexpectedly, I found myself with a hankering to revisit Cather’s work.

Set in New Mexico, this book tells the largely historic story of two French priests who served as missionaries to the Mexican and indigenous people of the Southwest in the mid 1800s. Cather employed an unusual structure for this novel, choosing to tell the story in episodes devoted to different characters rather than the typical narrative arc. The relationship of the two priests, friends since boyhood, provides the golden thread that unifies the narrative.

This book took me back to my first love of reading. A truly great story transports us to another time and place, then returns us gently to earth wiser and wistful. Throughout the day, I would find myself wondering when I could steal a few minutes to read the next chapter. Having found this old friend again, I promptly ordered a trilogy of her best-loved novels.

My Antonia by Willa Cather ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. After re-discovering Cather, I had to go back to my first encounter with her. My Antonia was just as wonderful the second time, a good story told with evocative language and complex characters. Set in the earliest days of white settlement on the Nebraska prairie, Cather tells the story of a melange of scrappy immigrants struggling side by side to eke out a living, sheltering from the elements in crude sod houses.

As if it weren’t hard enough to tame the prairie, Antonia’s Bohemian family must also fight language barriers, cultural differences and exploitation. The story is spun by an aged narrator, looking back on his childhood friendship with Antonia. Time and chance pull them apart as adults, but the joys of friendship forever shape and sustain them.

Non-Fiction – General

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. This is the book I didn’t know I needed. Parker, whose background is in conflict resolution and whose clients span the globe, lays out a thoughtful approach to making every human connection meaningful. Whether it’s coffee with friends, a wedding, a funeral, or a diplomatic convention, every successful gathering begins with a well-defined purpose. Who to invite, who not to invite, choice of venue, and a host of other details all turn on that well-defined purpose.

Parker believes anyone can host a thoughtful, meaningful gathering, with attention to a few key details. She illustrates her points with amazing examples from her work as a facilitator, making this a highly engaging read. I think about my gatherings differently now, and have already put her sage advice into practice several times.

If you don’t have time to read the book, listen to this interview on Kate Bowler’s podcast “Everything Happens.”

History

Esther Hobart Morris: The Unembellished Story of the Nation’s First Female Judge by Kathryn Swim Cummings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Two particular details of this book impressed me. First, Cummings is meticulous in her documentation. Clearly this book endured a long, arduous labor before its birth. As a family historian myself, I applaud the rigor of Cummings’ research and her commitment to setting the record straight, even if it calls into question some cherished priors. She is no slouch.

Secondly, Cummings published this book at the age of 75! After years of research, she finally started writing the book at age 72 and finished at age 75. Enormous respect! With her as my muse, I have ten more years to get my book written!

A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park by Randall K. Wilson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. You know I love me some Yellowstone. Our frequent vacation destination through childhood, our honeymoon getaway, and our favorite winter destination today, Yellowstone’s magnetic appeal has never dimmed for me. Wilson loves Yellowstone like I do, but his love comes from an intimate knowledge of all that makes it remarkable.

From the earliest white explorers to present day, Wilson tells the story of discovery, development and near-destruction of this most unique wildnerness habitat. Thoroughly documented and highly engaging, Wilson’s book is a must-read for anyone who cherishes our wild places.

On the Big Sandy River by Ann Chambers Noble ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I first met Ann Chambers Noble when I stayed at her bed and breakfast in Pinedale, Wyoming on a family history research trip. Little did I know that Ann is a local historian and a prolific author! From our first meeting, she’s been a mentor, an inspiration, and a friend. You can learn more about Ann in this blog post I wrote shortly after our first encounter.

We reconnected by Zoom this fall to discuss the research I’m doing for my family history book — a project completely derailed by our home construction this year. To help me get back on track, Ann sent me this book, her latest, about a ranch just about 30 miles from my great grandfather’s homestead. Instead of telling the history of a family, this book covers the history of a place, from the first Native American inhabitants to the present owners.

The book is meticulously researched, with primary attention to the Leckie family, Scots-Irish immigrants who first settled the ranch in 1895 under the U.S. government’s Homestead Act. The Leckie’s family story follows a trajectory similar to my own family — years of struggle, hardship, and tragedy, but also of enduring family ties rooted in a sacred, beautiful place. Under her skillful pen, Ann drew me irresistibly into the Leckie story. I’m forever intrigued by the brave souls who first settled Wyoming’s wild, isolated places, and I absolutely loved this book.

1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History by Andrew Ross Sorkin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. The product of eight years of research, this book is a triumph of storytelling. We tend to think of the 1929 stock market crash as one sudden catastrophic event, but the alarm bells sounded long before and the effects rippled for decades afterward. The parallels to our current national climate are unmistakable and unsettling.

Sorkin weaves the personal histories of several major characters into the cultural and institutional context of the time. Yes greed, incompetence and corruption played a role in the Wall Street collapse, but less nefarious factors also contributed. The Federal Reserve was in its infancy, and we were calibrating the levers of national financial management through trial and error.

Sorkin’s research included personal correspondence and board minutes not previously made public. These details take us inside the minds of the individual players and inside the board rooms where deliberations led to fateful decisions. These new insights combined with skillful storytelling make this book a fascinating read.

Memoir

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May ⭐⭐⭐⭐. We all face seasons of disruption, dislocation, isolation, illness, depression, or general malaise. In this beautifully reflective work, May invites us into several of her winterings with a tender honesty. She draws wisdom from the natural world, spiritual seeking, sustaining friendships, and the help of experts. Reading this book made me think of the quiet strength I observed in my mother and grandmother, whose many winterings had made them strong, wise and unafraid.

The Bat House: A Montana Memoir by Michael B. Riley ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Michael Riley grew up in eastern Montana on the Yellowstone River. Years later, when he was teaching high school in Cody, Wyoming, he had a chance encounter with an old man and found himself the unlikely owner of a historic ranch house on the Yellowstone, just miles from his childhood stomping grounds. What he didn’t know, because he had done no due diligence before offering to buy the place, was that the house had been infested with bats — many, many bats — for years.

As Riley recounts the trials and frustrations of his years-long renovation of the home and his ongoing battle with the bats, the story unfolds slowly. We learn of his difficult childhood, his struggle with addiction, his bent to anger. We also learn of the redeeming love of his wife, Theo, his devotion as a father and grandfather, his caring investment in the lives of his students. The house is so much more than a house. It’s a metaphor for his life, the struggle of personal renovation and the people who shared a part of his story through that process. It’s about the making of a good life, and keeping your heart open even when it breaks.

I loved the gentle unfolding of this story. The unlikeliness of a poker-playing school teacher who practices yoga and battles bats turned out to be a darn good story. And of course he makes peace with the bats in the end.

Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (audio). Y’all, I don’t even know where to start with this one. I followed the news of Navalny’s poisoning and arrest for the last several years of his life as he stood up to the murderous, corrupt Putin regime. I marveled at his courage. He always appeared calm and in surprisingly good spirits, considering all the ways Putin tried to break him. In 2024, Putin finally killed him. But he didn’t silence him.

This book is Navalny’s own story of his life, most of it written while he was in prison. He cleverly devised ways to get his diary out of the prison by smuggling it to his lawyers. It’s deeply moving — and convicting — to hear his story in his own words, to see how he processed the outrageous injustice perpetrated against him, and to see his deep resolve for a cause worth dying for. I could write pages of commentary on this book, but I’ll pare it down to three insights.

First, Navalny is a modern-day hero. In our jaded age, the very word “hero” bears a tinge of snark. Do we even believe in heroes any more? We should. And we should study men like Navalny. Perhaps courage has always been a rare quality, but it seems in decidedly short supply in our era of American corruption. Navalny refused to accept the corruption of the Russian government, and he called it out loudly and persistently in the face of constant threats. Even after he nearly died from Putin’s poisoning, he came back to Russia to continue his protest against the regime. He knew it would likely cost him his life, and he considered it a cause worth dying for. In America, we’ve become quite skilled at rationalizing evil. Navalny did not.

Secondly, I was struck by Navalny’s steadfast insistence that Putin’s regime would fail. He believed to his core that goodness and right would eventually prevail, in large part because he believed in the Russian people. He loved his country to the end, always believing in her better self. He opposed Putin’s government with every ounce of his being, but he never equated Putin with Russia. He believed in his countrymen.

Lastly, Navalny did not consider himself extraordinary, and he seemed genuinely baffled that people who shared his convictions could nonetheless “stare at the table” instead of confronting lies with truth. In one particular chapter he addresses how Putin uses lying as a source of state power. He blatantly lies, and people look at the table instead of confronting the lies. They say we get the government we deserve. If America continues its descent into autocracy, it will be because too many people stared at the table.

Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I can certainly understand why you wouldn’t want to read this book. It’s painful. But I think everyone should take a deep breath and read it anyway. Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s memoir, published after her suicide, was her final act of bravery. Her story would be utterly heartbreaking if it were the isolated experience of one unfortunate girl, but it’s one of thousands of similar stories by girls caught in Jeffrey Epstein’s snare.

I have followed Epstein’s criminal history for years, and I applaud Julie K. Brown and the other intrepid investigative journalists who exposed his crimes at great personal cost. If you’ve followed my writing for long, you know that I care deeply about how we in America treat the sexual abuse of children. It’s a heinous evil that ought to spark more outrage than it does.

And never has this evil been more urgent than today, as we are still waiting for the full release of the Epstein files while our Department of Justice, in direct contravention of the law, continues to stonewall and circumvent justice.

I could go on a full rant here, but I’m going to exercise some restraint. Jeffrey Epstein operated an international child sex trafficking ring for decades because powerful people participated in his crimes and/or covered it up. His many co-conspirators in law, banking, business and government facilitated his crimes by looking the other way. Many in Congress today, at Trump’s behest, continue to support the cover-up. The victims cry out for justice, and we should not be silent on this issue until all the guilty have been exposed and prosecuted. We as citizens have the power to demand justice. Silence is complicity.

Faith – Christian Living

Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. A friend in my Habibi Book Club recommended this book, and honestly, I approached it with a bit of dread. Usually books about prayer make me feel guilty and chastised. Not this one. The book’s subtitle “An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer” is exactly the way Staton approaches the topic. His message is “Come see what you’ve been missing.” I came away with a fresh perspective, renewed faith, and a clear path for building a rhythm of prayer into my daily routine.

Let God: Spiritual Conversations with François Fénelon by Winn Collier ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. One of the selections in my Renovaré book club, this is the most unusual little book. It may not look like much at first, but give this one a chance. If you know who François Fénelon was, I’m impressed! He was French bishop who lived from 1651 to 1715, during the reign of the infamous Louis XIV. For a while, he even served in the court, as a tutor to the king’s grandson. Many of Fénelon’s letters were preserved, and in 1853 a collection was translated into English. Winn Collier studied these letters and found them so compelling, he compiled his own paraphrase of the letters, organized thematically as conversations.

While we don’t have the letters to which Fénelon was responding, it hardly matters. Remarkably, the concerns about which his friends sought his advice in the 18th century remain just as relevant in the 21st century! Fénelon is often very direct in his advice. I cannot even imagine myself giving such blunt advice to a friend! But at the same time, his counsel is deeply wise, loving, and full of grace. Not every conversation will resonate, but the ones that do will make your hair fly back. Keep this book beside your reading chair and digest it slowly, a few letters at a time. There’s so much depth in this little volume, you’ll want to savor it slowly.

In Search of God’s Will: Discerning a Life of Faithfulness and Purpose by Trevor Hudson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Another selection from the Renovaré book club, I thought this one might not be particularly relevant for me. After all, at my age most of life’s important decisions are behind me. I was surprised, then, to find that this book was highly relevant and deeply engaging. The subtitle is key, as Hudson’s focus is not just on big decisions, but on the daily choices that make up a life of faithfulness and purpose. And even at my age, I care very much about living faithfully and purposefully.

Discernment is a key word throughout the book. The ability to discern God’s will in a specific circumstance, Hudson advises, comes from cultivating a relationship with God. Consequently, trusting God’s love for us and learning to listen to his voice are key in knowing His will. I loved the gentle tone of this book.

This would be an excellent book to study with a group, as there are discernment exercises throughout. Check out this podcast interview with Hudson, or if you prefer video, search for his video teaching on YouTube.

Faith – Theology & Culture

The Biblical role of women continues to be a hot topic in our culture as certain strains of fundamentalism are gaining new followers. No longer are we simply debating whether women should be allowed to hold church leadership positions, now certain prominent voices question whether women should be allowed to vote! Never has it been more important to understand what the Bible teaches about gender roles, and fortunately, there’s a growing body of scholarship to meet that need.

Becoming the Pastor’s Wife by Beth Allison Barr ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. In this her second book examining evangelical teaching on women, Dr. Barr draws on her expertise as a historian and her 25-year experience as a pastor’s wife. Barr directs much of her attention to the Southern Baptist Convention and the “conservative resurgence” that recently led the SBC to expel member churches who had ordained female pastors. Armed with documentation gleaned from hundreds of hours of research in the SBC archives, she soundly refutes Albert Mohler’s assertion that “for nearly 2,000 years, the Christian church has limited the office of pastor to men.”

While making a strong case for female ordination, that isn’t Barr’s primary concern. The problem is broader than ordination. She argues that church teaching on male headship, whether strict patriarchy or its softer cousin “complementarianism,” stifles women’s voices and prevents them from using their God-given gifts to benefit the body of Christ. It also makes them vulnerable to abuse. She argues that such teaching is neither biblical nor consistent with church history.

We are seeing a resurgence of fundamentalism in America, fueled by our political shift toward Christian nationalism. Barr broadens her scope to address the strict patriarchy taught by Doug Wilson and his followers. As both a cause and effect of shifting political power, Wilson’s teachings have evolved from fringe extremism to mainstream in a few short years. That makes this book extremely relevant for our times.

With her rigorous research and clear writing, Barr has now firmly established herself as a leading voice for women in the church. Highly recommend this book!

Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Aimee Byrd ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. If you don’t come from the Southern Baptist or Presbyterian/Reformed faith tradition, you’ll need this bit of context. In 1987, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted the Danvers Statement which, among other things, defined its stance on biblical gender roles and established a governing body called the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW). What came to be known as “complementarianism” holds that, while men and women have equal value, the Bible establishes distinctly different “complementary” roles for the genders. In short, men lead and women submit. Other evangelical denominations also subscribe to this bedrock doctrinal position. Prominent Presbyterians John Piper and Wayne Grudem authored Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the definitive treatise on this doctrinal position. Got that?

Steeped in complementarianism, Aimee Byrd witnessed firsthand how this position has limited and harmed women. This book is her refutation of Piper and Grudem’s treatise. She introduces the metaphor of yellow wallpaper at the beginning of the book, illustrating how complementarian thinking is so engrained in our church traditions at this point, that it has become like the wallpaper. It colors everything in the room but we don’t even notice it.

With careful scholarship and clear writing, Byrd makes a compelling case that complementarianism is not biblical, departs from early church practices, harms women, and handicaps the church. This is one of the best books I’ve read on this subject, as chapter by chapter Byrd peels back the yellow wallpaper. I particularly appreciate Byrd’s tone. She refutes poor biblical interpretation with solid scholarship, and she does not flinch from taking a strong position on how complementarianism hinders the church and harms women. But she makes her case respectfully, leaving space for some difference, and with a clear love for the church.

Redeeming Eden: How Women in the Bible Advance the Story of Salvation by Ingrid Faro with Joyce Koo Dalrymple ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. If we want to understand God’s design and heart for women, we should look to the women who are highlighted in Scripture. Dr. Faro is a Hebrew scholar who takes us deep into the language and culture relevant to an accurate understanding of women’s stories in the Bible. She challenges some embedded interpretations in the way these women’s stories have been told, causing us to see them in an entirely different light. One by one she makes the case that women like Eve, Rahab, Tamar, Deborah, and so many more “are not just accessories, but primary instruments in God’s plan for redemption as narrated in Scripture.”

I’ll touch on three things I particularly liked about this book. First, deep scholarship delivered in a clear and compelling narrative. I learned so much! I’ll never look at Eve the same way, now that I understand the Hebrew meaning of “tsela” (commonly translated as “rib”) and “ezer” (commonly translated as “helper”). So much of church teaching on gender roles is rooted in the creation story, and it has been badly skewed by poor interpretation.

Second, I love the kaleidoscope of personalities revealed in these stories. Reading about Deborah, described as a “fiery woman” leading Israel in battle, followed by Ruth, whose noble character and quiet ways earned her respect in a foreign land, drove home the point that God weaves the tapestry of humankind with threads of all colors. Women who have been described as having “big personalities,” take heart! You don’t have to make yourself small to be a vessel used by God! Each woman met her moment with boldness fueled by unwavering faith.

Lastly, I loved the questions at the end of each chapter that encouraged deeper reflection, discussion and application. I highly recommend this book for a small group study. And you know what would be REALLY cool? Studying this book with a group of women AND men.

Faith – Theology & Church History

Unraveling Revelation: Hope, Wisdom, and Mystery in John’s Apocalypse by Larry Pechawer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Full disclosure: Larry Pechawer is a close personal friend, and I have watched him labor over this book for years. As an accomplished PhD biblical scholar, he synthesized years of deep research and disciplined inquiry in this book, and he managed to make it accessible for lesser scholars like me. And when I say “accessible,” I don’t mean easy. This is a book of rigorous scholarship and should be approached with the attention it demands and deserves.

For years I have consciously ignored the book of Revelation. It’s just so stinking confusing. And does it really matter? I mean, things will play out the way they play out, right? But I decided it was time to tackle Revelation this year, and I’m so glad I did.

What I most appreciated about this book is the way it’s organized. It’s hard to know where to begin with such a complex topic, and one could easily get lost down dozens of rabbit trails. But Pechawer starts with an overview of six major categories of interpretation and how those views evolved throughout church history. With that framework established, he then tackles the specific prophetic images of Revelation and how those fit into each interpretive viewpoint. He wisely segregates the “rabbit trails” into appendices, not because they are less important, but because he’s guiding the reader down a clear path.

Although he certainly has a point of view as to which interpretation he finds most credible, he presents each school of thought fairly and provides numerous references for deeper inquiry into each.

We will never fully understand John’s revelation this side of glory, but I came away from this book with a much greater understanding of it. Pechawer’s goal for this book is found in the subtitle, “Hope, Wisdom and Mystery,” and I found all three. I highly recommend this book because, as it turns out, it DOES matter that believers understand all they can about how the world’s story ends. Mystery remains, but one thing is clear: God will return to judge the earth and establish his eternal kingdom.

Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I started this hefty volume in December and quickly realized that it would be a longer commitment than just the Christmas season! Instead, I’ll be using this book as a devotional throughout the coming year.

Fleming Rutledge is an 88-year-old Episcopal priest, and this book is a collection of her writings and sermons on Advent. The 33-page introduction gives a history of how Advent has been viewed and practiced through church history. Far more than preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth, historical Advent focuses heavily on the second coming of Christ.

I’ll let Rutledge herself explain what you can expect from this book:

I have enormous respect for Rutledge, and this book is a treasure trove of her wisdom. I’m very much looking forward to continuing this book.

Politics

Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (audio). In my lifetime, no election has been more fraught with peril and anxiety than the 2024 presidential race. Until very late in the game, Americans faced a choice akin to “Would you rather be shot or poisoned?”

On one hand, Trump — a former president peddling a stolen election lie whose rap sheet included two impeachments, an attempted insurrection, one 34-count felony conviction, several pending criminal trials, and a civil trial where he had been adjudicated a rapist. On the other hand, Biden — the oldest president in history, whose shuffling walk, vacant gaze, reedy voice, and frequent memory lapses caused considerable concern about just who was running the country. None of us will ever forget watching the first (and only) presidential debate, where Biden’s decline was so obvious, even his opponents felt sorry for him. At a time when the stakes could not have been higher, Americans had no good options.

Tapper and Thompson faced heavy criticism for laying bare the delusion, complicity, cowardice, ambition and scheming that enabled Biden to stay in the race so long. I am not among those critics. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering needed to be exposed, and I think Tapper and Thompson did it in a mostly responsible way, although they abandoned any pretense to journalistic neutrality, clearly taking a side and assigning motive.

Partisans will be tempted to use this material as vindication for their tribe, but no such vindication is warranted. Biden and his people were wrong to misjudge his competency and then gaslight the American people. But we are witnessing similar physical and cognitive decline in Trump, with the same gaslighting and cover-up currently underway.

We desperately need term limits for both congressional and presidential offices, and we need some process to ensure voters receive a thorough and transparent assessment of a candidate’s health. Unfortunately, the incentives favor continued gaslighting and cover-up.

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 (audio). Abundance is foremost a book of big ideas. It’s also a critique of Democrat policies that choke progress with bureaucracy. On both fronts, this book sparked a national conversation that hopefully will lead to lasting change. I applaud the authors for their gumption to speak uncomfortable truths to their progressive counterparts, and for offering solutions for a better way forward. Some of their ideas feel idealistic, but it’s high time we started dreaming big dreams again. This book has staying power. Expect to hear it referenced for years to come.

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 (audio). As a historian, Heather Cox Richardson provides critical context for our current national upheaval. We all recognize that we’re in the middle of cataclysmic change in our country, but most of us won’t fully understand it until we have the clarity of hindsight. It’s a lot to digest in real time. Richardson is one of the few voices helping us make sense of it now. She is that rare academic who writes with clear simplicity to make complex topics accessible to the lay reader.

I have one critique of the book. In a few places, Richardson uses “loaded” language that reveals her personal bias. Just when you come to trust her dispassionate, professorial voice of reason, she veers into pundit speak. For example, she refers to the six conservative Supreme Court justices as “extremist” judges, which is neither accurate nor helpful to her analysis. Based on their voting records, Thomas and Alito are the only two justices who can accurately be described as “extremist.” The other justices don’t always fall neatly into ideological camps. Her argument would be stronger is she let the facts speak for themselves.

In addition to this book, Richardson writes a daily newsletter called “Letters from an American” that summarizes the day’s news and provides historical context. If you’re not following her on Substack or Facebook, you should be. Future historians will mine these daily missives to dissect our current tectonic shift in American values, identity and governance. Count me solidly among Richardson’s millions of fans.

Thanks for hanging with me through this long post, and thanks for being faithful followers of my blog for another year. I appreciate you more than I can express. Let me know what books you loved this year!

As has been my tradition, I’ll be doing a Great Reads Giveaway on January 15th. Two lucky subscribers will win the free book of their choice from any of my Great Reads posts. If you read my blog through links on social media but have never subscribed, you’ll need to subscribe (see the green box in the right margin) AND leave a comment to be entered. Good luck and happy reading in 2026!

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