Welcome to my annual roundup of my favorite reads from the past year! As usual, I am linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for her Top Ten Tuesday at the start of the new year. Also, as usual, I'm doing two lists: my top ten favorite new-to-me reads and my top ten favorite rereads.
1. Before the King by Heather Kaufman -- Christian fiction, Biblical fiction, marriage of convenience, personal transformation (PG-16)
2. Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks -- Christian fiction, suspense, PTSD, murder, forensic linguistics, limb loss (PG-16)
3. The Golden Road by L. M. Montgomery -- classic, coming of age, slice of life, humorous, friendship (G)
4. The Adventures of Elizabeth in Ruegen by Elizabeth von Arnim -- classic, humorous, travel stories, epistolary (G)
5. The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens -- classic, Christmas, family, friendship (PG)
6. The Silent Night by Sarah Beran -- YA, fairy tale retelling, fantasy, Christmas, romance (G)
7. Shadows of the Valley by Britt Howard -- Christian fiction, suspense, fugitive, found family, romance, limb loss, PTSD (PG-13)
8. Of Clockworks and Daggers by Sarah Everest -- Christian fiction, YA, steampunk, fantasy, redemption (PG)
9. A Run at Love by Toni Shiloh -- Christian fiction, contemporary romance, friends-to-more, horse racing (PG)
10. Hear the Falling Snow by Storm Shultz -- Christian fiction, contemporary romance, Christmas, loss of parent, baking (G)
My Ten Favorite Rereads of 2025
1. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery -- classic, personal growth, the outdoors, romantic love (PG)
2. Persuasion by Jane Austen -- classic, second-chance romance, friendship (G)
3. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell -- classic, enemies-to-more, he falls first, friendship, class strife, loss of parent (PG)
4. The Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett -- classic, culture clash, found family (G)
5. The Railway Children by E. Nesbit -- classic, middle-grade, family, slice of life (G)
6. The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert -- YA, family, Germany post-WWII, animals, farming, growing up, ingenuity (PG)
7. Rowan Farm by Margot Benary-Isbert -- YA, family, Germany post-WWII, coming of age, animals, farming, first romance (PG-10)
8. Eldest by Christopher Paolini -- YA, fantasy, dragons, coming of age, war, friendship, found family (PG-13)
9. Eragon by Christopher Paolini -- YA, fantasy, dragons, friendship, found family (PG-13)
10. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare -- YA, Christian fiction, Biblical fiction, coming of age, found family (PG-13)
How about you? What books stood out to you in 2025?
I've been thinking that I should reread Persuasion, too! The books by Margot Benary-Isbert sound really cute. <3
ReplyDeleteHere's my list!: https://moviesmeetmatch.blogspot.com/2026/01/books-i-read-in-2025-in-which-i-care.html
Ah, you did Persuasion again. : )
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to read North and South! Thank you for visiting earlier. :)
ReplyDeleteNorth and South is really high up my classics TBR!
ReplyDeleteHear the Falling Snow was on my 2024 list! I'm surprised I haven't read more on your list. There are a few I'll have to check out.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I've never read an L.M. Montgomery book before, and I really need to. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI want to reread Blue Castle, too, one of these days. What a lovely read that was!
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long since I read Persuasion! I think I also saw The Blue Castle on someone else's list this week–I still need to read that!
ReplyDeleteI have Woman in Shadow and A Run At Love on my physical shelves and I need to read them! I read The Blue Castle this year for the first time, and enjoyed it as well.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE The Blue Castle but I have not read The Golden Road. I will add it to my list!
ReplyDeleteStrawberry Girl, Dear Mrs. Bird, The Lost Year, Beautiful Blue World, The Key to Everything, and Dombey and Son were just some that stood out to me this year. My only reread was Wives and Daughters, which I loved! Hoping to get to Carrie Stuart Parks and von Arnim this year!
ReplyDeleteBecky