Why These 8 Books Belong on Your 2025 Reading List

1. The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom by Andrew Peterson

In this book, Andrew Peterson takes us on an emotional journey, as well as one that spans a variety of places, including Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, England, Sweden, and the Holy Land. Through the process, we come away with greater insights into faith and depression, as well as what it means to cultivate places with a Kingdom mindset.   

Without knowing it at the time, Peterson was helping me to remove assumptions I had about living in and caring for the world. For some reason, I had adopted the idea that God was more interested in spiritual matters than in how I cared for a patch of land or stewarded a home. But this book helped me begin to see that there is no separation.     

What stood out to me the most, though, was Peterson’s vulnerability. He shared his heart through stories about his childhood and his experience with depression. As a reader, I felt this openness and rawness. Lots of us are prone to putting up façades, especially within the church, pretending that we are okay when we are not. We cannot do that with God, though, for He sees us and loves us even as we sit in darkness. He is working when we do not see it, like a planted seed that is waiting for spring.  

Bonus:
In addition to being a singer and songwriter, Andrew Peterson has written an engaging fantasy series called The Wingfeather Saga, which is loved by children and adults. His other memoir-style book, Adorning the Dark, is about community and creativity.   

2. This Beautiful Truth: How God’s Goodness Breaks into Our Darkness by Sarah Clarkson  

I have read many books about the problem of evil and suffering that present pat answers and strict theological systems to explain the hurt we experience. Many of these books, despite their orthodoxy, lack life and compassion. This is why Sarah Clarkson’s book was refreshing to me because she approaches theodicy from the perspective of the story – her story and the Great Story of redemption.  

She described her struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with honesty, not being afraid to show how the illness led her to wrestle with God. It was not through having all the answers to her questions that she saw the goodness and love of God. Rather, it was by encountering Him through the beauty that was visible around her.

I gleaned numerous insights about beauty, hospitality, creativity, and the wonder of the church calendar from this book. However, the greatest gift Sarah’s words gave me was the reminder to notice. To notice birdsong, a tree swaying, or the blessing of a book. All of these are ordinary parts of our lives that we too often overlook, but they can serve as windows of God’s love. And we need those reminders when life becomes dark, whether because of a physical or mental illness, the death of a loved one, or turmoil in the world. We need those little gifts that point to the truth that Jesus came to heal us and the world of its brokenness. One day soon, He will return to make all things new.   

Photo Credit: Unsplash/AlexandraFuller 

3. A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter by Miriam Huffman Rockness 

Many people are discovering or “meeting” Lilias Trotter for the first time. I was ecstatic to see her featured in the Christian History magazine in the August 2023 issue. For multiple years, I have been a fan of Lilias’ works, both her art and writings, and I am glad to hear that many more are learning about her life and service to Christ.  

For those who are unaware of Lilias Trotter, I would recommend starting with Miriam Huffman Rockness’ biography of Lilias. As a historian of Lilias’ life, Rockness includes a wealth of historical background information and the societal context of the nineteenth century in which Lilias lived. Rockness also includes excerpts from Lilias’ writings, which are great introductions to this missionary’s other works.  

This book tells the story of a woman who grew up in Victorian society and studied painting under the instruction of John Ruskin, but who used her skills and station in life to serve Jesus – first by helping prostitutes and the poor of London in conjunction with the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and then spreading the gospel among the Arab people of Algeria. Through all of it, she remained aware of the love and beauty of the Lord, which she captured in her paintings and words.   

Bonus:
After reading the biography, I highly recommend Parables of the Cross by Lilias Trotter. Her eloquent prose, paired with her art, is an excellent first choice for one of her full-length works. It is a wonderful read year-round but would also work well as a Lenten companion.   

4. Too Small a World: The Life of Mother Frances Cabrini by Theodore Maynard 

A need in the world today is compassion for others. We need more believers who are willing to love their neighbor regardless of what the person looks like or where they come from (Mark 12:31). And one of the examples from a Christian in the past who can encourage and inspire us in this endeavor is Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini (born Maria Francesca Cabrini). She served in the notorious Five Points of New York as an Italian immigrant, helping other immigrants and refugees – people who were commonly despised and rejected by society. Throughout her ministry, she established hospitals and orphanages around the world to serve the “least of these” (see Matthew 25:40).    

Although some Protestants may be less inclined to read a biography about a Catholic woman who was the first American citizen declared as a saint, there is much to learn from her life, even if the reader does not agree with everything in the book. For example, I was astounded by the power and glory of God in working through this woman who struggled with poor health and who was not of much importance according to the world’s standards. She was a woman, which brought its own challenges, and she was Italian – an ethnic community that was discriminated against in America at that time.  

Yet, Cabrini trusted in the Lord for strength and depended on His grace for carrying out her service. As she said, “I have already learned that whenever I failed in my undertaking, it was because I trusted too much in my own powers. None of us will fail if we leave everything in the hands of God. Under Him, the question of possible and impossible ceases to have any meaning” (Ignatius Press, 2024, p. 85).   

Her love and care for those that the world had labeled as disposable is a shining example that we, as believers, can appreciate and emulate.    

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5. If by Amy Carmichael 

At the beginning of this small book, Amy Carmichael notes that the book is not for everyone. Originally, she had written it only for her “family” at the Dohnavur Fellowship in India, the place where she served as a missionary for a large part of her life. She eventually relented and allowed the booklet to be published for others, specifically thinking of how it would benefit leaders who shepherd others.  

Throughout the book, there are statements about what it means to know Calvary love. If our actions display a lack of love for others, then how can we say we truly know the Lord’s sacrificial love for us? Her words echo the Apostle Paul’s: “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2, ESV).  

For the reader who does pick up this book, which I highly recommend, be prepared to be challenged. Despite its smallness in size, the book contains major insights that will unsettle us if we have forgotten what it means to know the self-giving love of Christ and what it looks like to treat others with that same type of love. I would suggest that readers meditate on the proverb-like sayings slowly instead of trying to finish them all at once. This book spurs believers into greater love if they are willing to examine their hearts and lives.  

6. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller 

Beautiful in message, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 has become a classic devotional book. Keller draws from his experience as a shepherd to provide greater insight into the Lord’s role as the Good Shepherd. We learn the loving care that goes into protecting sheep and guiding them – acts that mirror how the Lord takes care of us. 

Some might think at first glance that the book is only meant to be motivational. It is encouraging, but the book also deals with the harsh realities of life and what it looks like to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Keller shares about losing his wife to cancer. At no point does he gloss over the sorrow and ache that comes with death, but he does direct us to the Shepherd who is with us in those dark moments (Psalm 23:4). He wrote, “As Christians, we will sooner or later discover that it is in the valleys of our lives that we find refreshment from God Himself” (Zondervan, 2015, p. 73)  

For me, the reminder that Jesus is with us when we experience the death of a loved one was the most encouraging part of the book. Whether grieving or longing for a closer walk with the Good Shepherd, Keller’s work can bless us.     

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/andreswd

7. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass 

Searching for books to read during Black History Month? There are many great options to choose from, but a classic read is Frederick Douglass’ autobiography. He brings the reader into the story of his life, helping us see life as he experienced it. Such a perspective can impact and challenge us today.  

Specifically, he includes scathing words for the religion of the slaveholders – who professed to be followers of Jesus but continued to keep people in slavery and supported its institution. Douglass was a Christian and saw the disparity between what people were claiming and how they were living. His observations mirror Scripture’s admonition that a redeemed individual will bear fruit because faith without deeds is dead (see James 2:17, 20).  

His work challenges all believers to recognize the evil of slavery but also of racism – a problem that continues to affect American churches today. His story is as much needed now as it was when originally published. We can benefit from listening to his rebuke of hypocrisy, for if we love Jesus, there will be evidence in the way we act. We will love our neighbor regardless of the color of his or her skin.  

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

8. The Wise Woman by George MacDonald 

Kids will be enchanted by the wise woman who whisks away selfish princess Rosamond by tucking her in the fold of her cloak. Suspense heightens when wolves and hyenas chase the girl, and frightening birds try to get into the wise woman’s seemingly small cottage in the woods. By the end, children will be cheering for Rosamond’s transformation, even as they long for Agnes’ change (another girl who was taken by the Wise Woman).  

But, as implied by the original 1875 title, The Wise Woman: A Parable, there is more to this story than just a tale of a magical woman who lives in the forest and the two girls she steals away to heal. Adults will quickly understand that Rosamond and Agnes go on a physical journey, but also a spiritual one. Readers are brought on this journey as they see their own faults and sinfulness through both girls. Multiple times when reading the story, I was shocked and uncomfortable at seeing myself in some of the tendencies or actions of the girls. Just as the wise woman had enabled Rosamond and Agnes to see themselves for who they were, we also receive a type of mirror by reading the story.  

Through it all, though, the wise woman’s patient work to help the girls reflects God’s loving patience and use of wisdom to bring us to salvation and to grow us. Readers are pointed toward the Lord’s transformative work – for just like Rosamond. We can be made new as bearers of life instead of death and goodness instead of selfishness.  

Bonus:
December marked George MacDonald’s 200^th birthday. His work influenced many other writers, including Lewis Carroll, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien. What better way to honor the legacy of this Scottish minister and father of modern fantasy than by reading his works? If you enjoy The Wise Woman, then I recommend diving into some of his other fairy tales, like The Princess and the Goblin, The Light Princess, and The Golden Key.  

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