2025 TBR List
In my 2024 year end wrap up post, I shared how I was considering making some changes to my reading goals in the new year. For as long as I can remember, I’ve given myself a goal of reading x amount of books in a year and I measure my success by whether or not I read that many books. Some years I pass, some years I fail. This type of goal setting has served me well as I worked to establish a consistent reading habit, but as I rushed to finish my last few books in December and noticed myself passing on books I dubbed too long, I wondered if there was another way to approach reading that would keep me reading without feeling so restrictive.
My friend Valerie shared this post right around the time I was having these thoughts and it opened my mind to possible reading goals I might make for myself. After considering various options, the one I landed on was reading for 20 minutes a day. This goal stays true to my desire to read more without the requirement of a set number of books. I could read 10 long books or 100 short ones and it won’t matter come December, as long as I read every day. (Or most days, because let’s be honest, I’m not an every day type of gal for anything except eating and sleeping.)
While I was looking ahead and reimagining my reading goals for 2025, I also decided to start working my way through the ever growing pile of books on my nightstand to close out 2024. Reading Valerie’s post in December and then these lists from my friends Laura Bass, Laura Rennie, and Kristina Tucker, inspired me not only to continue working my way through my nightstand pile, but also books already living on my shelf.
What I love about these lists is how they chose 12 books with the intention to read 10, allowing for some wiggle room, which I love (re: I don’t like restrictions). So if you’re like me and love to see what other people are reading, without further ado, I present my own list of 12 books I already own that I want to read this year.
From bottom to top:
Create Anyway by Ashlee Gadd: As an unofficial member of the Ashlee Gadd fan club, I’m almost embarrassed to admit I have not read this yet. The truth of the matter is, I’ve been waiting for the perfect time. For anyone not familiar, Create Anyway is an encouraging love letter to mothers pursing creativity in the margins of motherhood. As my creative aspirations have taken off in the throes of toddlerhood, I think the perfect time for reading this book has finally come.
Courageously Soft by Charaia Rush: I found Charaia on Instagram years ago and every single word she writes, even on Instagram, is beautiful. She has a talent for taking ideas and feelings I could spend a lifetime searching for the right words to describe and effortlessly capturing the sentiment in a simple paragraph. The whole premise of this book is learning how to not let your heart harden in the midst of heartbreak and to be honest, I haven’t been ready to hear that message yet, which is why I’ve started and stopped this several times. This year, I’m finally going to finish. I’m ready.
Everybody Always by Bob Goff: I’m sensing a theme here—I have so many unread books by people I love, and this is no exception. Love Does is one of my favorite books, so I remember anticipating the release of Everybody Always. My friend Amy owned it but loaned it to her sister, promising to lend it to me next. As book lending often goes, it took awhile to make its way to me and once it finally did, I was in the middle of something else so this found its way to my shelf never to come back off. 2025 is the year it does, though. Everybody Always provides encouragement, in Goff’s endearing way, to love everyone, even the difficult people in your life, with abandon.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Won’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain: I purchased this years ago when I was going through what I will dub my “introvert awakening”. I’ve always known I am introverted and quiet, but growing up, I always felt it was something to overcome, to be ashamed of. As an adult, once I started to come into myself more, I realized introversion and quietness are not problems to be solved, but traits to be embraced. I don’t know why I never fully dove into this book, but I’m excited to do so now and show all you extroverts who’s boss. Just kidding, I would never say that out loud.
November Road by Lou Berney: As I was perusing my shelves for books to add to this pile, I came across November Road and realized it was my BOTM pick from 2018. I’ll be honest, in reading the description, I’m not entirely sure what possessed me to pick it back then. BOTM’s “quick take” reads: “A New Orleans mobster who knows too much, a young mother on the run, and the daring escape that might get them both killed.” In reading the jacket description, it sounds like part thriller, part historical fiction, and part love story? I don’t know, but I’m willing to try it out this year.
The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk: This is an example of a book I didn’t make it through in 2024 because it was so dense and taking too long, therefore, derailing my reading goals. While it was published in 2014, I feel like it really gained popularity in the last few years, at least in my circles. TBKTS is packed so heavily with information that while I no longer feel the rush to finish ___ number of books, I still think it will take me awhile to get through because I’ll need time to digest what I’ve read. Nevertheless, I’m excited to pick it back up this year.
Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt: If I had to guess, I probably purchased this during a late night nursing session when my daughter was a baby. Bless my heart, when she was first born, I read so many parenting books that I should have saved until like, now, when I could actually implement and remember them. Instead, I should have read this one because it’s never too early to start praying scriptures for your children, but alas, I did not. It’s never too late to start, though, so start I will.1
The Club by Ellery Llyod: This kicks off the next section of books titled “books I acquired from book swap.” A few years ago, my shelves were overflowing with books, leaving no room for new ones in the proverbial book inn. This coincided with my resolution to spend less money on books, so I decided to start hosting a book swap with some friends. While it DID (minimally) cut down what I spent on books, it had the opposite effect on my bookshelves. I encouraged people to bring extra books to give out after the formal swap, but if those books weren’t claimed, they ended up getting left at my house and taking up residence on my bookshelf. The Club is one of those books. Goodreads describes this as “a smart and sinister murder mystery set in the secretive world of exclusive celebrity clubs.” I’m a sucker for books with the word “celebrity” in the description, so we’ll see if this one is all it’s cracked up to be.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver: This one wasn’t accidentally left after our last book swap, I willingly accepted it. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t read this when it came out in 2020, I suppose I had other things on my mind besides reading…. If you’re like me and missed this one, Lydia Bird lives two versions of her life at once—one where the love of her life tragically dies in a car accident and she tries her best to continue living her life, and one where the tragedy never occurred and he is still alive and well. I love magical realism, so I’m excited to dive into this one.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston: The Seven Year Slip is about a woman who falls in love with a man she one day finds standing in the kitchen of her late great aunt’s apartment. The only problem is, he is from seven years in the past. This is another one I asked my friend to leave for me after our last book swap and one I’m not quite sure why I haven’t read before now. It also, clearly, has elements of magical realism. Mental note: do not read these books back to back.
The Anthropocene Revisited by John Green: This was actually a book swap book I rightfully ended up with. In John Green’s nonfiction debut, he explores the Anthropocene, our current geological age, in which human activity has significantly shaped the planet, and rates various “facets of the human-centered planet” on a five star scale, according to Goodreads. I feel like this description is confusing, but basically this book is a collection of personal essays in which Green reviews various aspects of our existence in an uplifting and novel way. Examples include rating the game of Monopoly, air-conditioning, and Lascaux cave paintings. I started this right after the book swap where I received it, but once again, never finished, so I’m vowing to pick it back up this year.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson: TBH, I don’t remember if I chose this during a book swap, if it was left at my house, or if I asked my friend Mackenzie to leave it for me. As I started to type this description, I assumed it was fantasy, because Mackenzie is one of two resident fantasy aficionados in our book swap group, but I was surprised to learn this book, in fact, is not fantasy. It’s about a teenager who enrolls in a famous Vermont private school and attempts to solve the decades-old murder and kidnapping mystery of the school founder’s wife and daughter. Her plans are complicated when “Truly, Devious”, the pseudonym left in the old a riddle ridden murder note, makes a reappearance. Consider me intrigued.
So there you have it, 12 books from my bookshelf I plan to dive into this year. I feel like I have a good mix of fiction and nonfiction, thriller and rom-com, trauma healing and feel good. I’m not sure where I’ll start. If you’ve read any of these, I’d love to know. If you have books collecting dust on your shelf at home, I’d also be curious to hear if you plan to read any this year.
May 2025 be our best reading year yet!
I feel the need to clarify, I DO pray scripture over my child, I just haven’t read this book. My favorite scriptures to pray over her are Numbers 6:22-26 and Romans 15:13.
What a great list! I’m an extrovert and found Quiet to be so helpful in understanding introverts. I’ve read praying the scriptures for your children on kindle and recently got a physical copy and am exited to reread it. I love the goal of reading 20 minutes a day! Great goal.
I’ve been wanting to read Quiet, too! And you are going to love Create Anyway!!