At the risk of sounding like a “hater,” I have no temptation when it comes to Goodreads‘ challenge of reading more books each year (they’re owned by Amazon, so their incentive is plain). I just want to read good books. Often I lean toward bigger books over smaller ones. This usually results with me reading a smaller number of books but, hopefully, finding joy in the ones I choose. With that said, here are my favorite books of 2025:
Best Christian Ministry/Theology – Retrieving the Tradition & Renewing Evangelicalism by D.H. Williams. Williams, former patristic professor at Baylor University, has written a work for skeptical Protestants about the role of tradition as it relates the early church. Indeed, the book’s subtitle is “A Primer for Suspicious Protestants” because not only does Williams, a Baptist minister, dutifully acknowledge the struggles Protestants have with Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and other non-Protestant streams of Christianity as it concerns the meaning of “tradition” but makes a case as to why all believers should enthusiastically embrace the tradition framed within the apostolic age. In the last couple of years I’ve taken a keen interest in reading the Church Fathers (e.g., this year I read The Apostolic Fathers in English, Michael Holmes, Editor) and studying the development of Christian doctrine over the centuries, especially in the early church. Williams’ work served as a perfect companion for me. It was a grace to hear an expert in the field who shared my theological convictions and Free Church background be so bullish about the treasure we find in the patristics. His statement that the “issue is not whether we believe the Bible or whether we will use the Tradition – the real question, as the patristic age discovered, is, Which tradition will we use to interpret the Bible?”(234) will stick with me for a long time. I’ve posted additional reflections about Williams’ work here and here. Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism is a book I will return to time and again.
Best Classic – The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Yes, it was 1150 pages long (I always try to read the unabridged version of books). Yes, it took me awhile to get through it. But man, it was a beautiful story. Betrayal, bitterness, revenge, forgiveness. Dumas wrote in installments for a periodical and got paid by the word (no, for real). So, The Count of Monte Cristo is wordy but frankly, that gives the book the style that’s part of its charm. If you want a classic adventure tale that’s endured time to become one of the great novels which makes almost every greatest literary works list, then follow the journey of Edmond Dantès to Monte Cristo. There’s even lost treasure to be found!
Best New Fiction – Laurus by Eugene Voldolazkhin. I dig Russian novels. A couple of years ago I decided to spend the first half of my year only reading Russian classics and was deeply enriched by it. There is something, for a Westerner, other-worldly about the land of Rus. Something that intersects passion, mysticism, tragedy, philosophy, and Christianity. Laurus isn’t an 19th century classic. It’s a 21st century book about a 15th century Russian Orthodox monk/healer whose travels resurrect themes of love, redemption, and the tireless pursuit of calling. Winner of two major Russian literature awards, Laurus has become an international best seller. It was my favorite modern fiction of the year!
Runner Up: Angel Down by Daniel Kraus. Voted by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2025, Kraus’ book is the best one-sentence-long novel I’ve ever read. Indeed, it’s the only one-sentence-long novel I’ve ever read (and 285 pages at that). This offering of speculative fiction is fast-paced, brilliantly-descriptive, violently graphic, and totally unique as a war novel. It’s a wild ride, but one with a moral aim to it!
Best Horror – House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. This is the horror version of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. It’s complex, erudite, and filled with so many footnotes which are books unto themselves. Someone had said House of Leaves is a smart man’s horror book. While I don’t know about that, I do know that Danielewski’s story about a house bigger on the inside than on the outside was fascinating. It’s no small story. At over 700 pages, and some of the pages are arranged in all kinds of ways (solitary word, zigzag lines, crossed out paragraphs, etc.), House of Leaves is a journey itself. It’s developed a cult following not merely because of its length but its depth. There are references to chase down, codes to break, and a storyline that you’re not sure that you’ve zeroed in or not. It’s a novel that asks more questions than it answers and presents more mysteries than solutions. I had my eye on this book for quite some time, but I’m not a horror fan. I’m glad I finally opened the door and stepped into the house on Ash Tree Lane.
