My life was more in 2025 than just reading more books. Really. It’s just that I never got around to writing new posts. Will try to do better in 2026. My 2025 reading was down 10% from 2024, but in my defense some books took much longer to read and re-read (and footnotes to read, Scripture to fact-check, and marginalia to add). All book ratings are based on a 5-point scale. “Started & Stopped” books are not rated. With apologies to Solomon, “The writing (and reading) of many books is endless.”
THEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY
That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation, by David Bentley Hart | Jan | 5 (2nd read)
A More Christlike Word: Reading Scripture the Emmaus Way, by Bradley Jersak | Jul | 5 (2nd read)
Invention of the Inspired Text: The: Philological Windows on the Theopneustia of Scripture, by John C. Poirier | Aug | 5
The Love of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy for Theologians, by Andrew Davison | Sep | 5
Come to the Table: Revisioning the Lord’s Supper, by John Mark Hicks | Mar | 4
A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel, by Bradley Jersak | Oct | 3.5
A More Christlike Way: A More Beautiful Faith, by Bradley Jersak | Dec | 3.5
SCIENCE & HISTORY
Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science, by Dennis R. Venema, Scot McKnight | Nov | 3.0 (Venema), 4.0 (McKnight)
Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (Ham, Ross, Haarsma, Meyer), ed. by Gundry, Stump | Dec | 4.5
XN LIFE & DEVOTION
Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep, by Tish Harrison Warren | Apr | 5
Love Remembers: Holding on to Hope and Faith in the Face of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s, by Kathe Ambrose Goodwin | Feb | 4
A Lover’s Quarrel with the Evangelical Church, by Warren Cole Smith | Jun | 3.5
Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World, by Mike Cosper | May | 2.5
ARTS & FAITH
An Axe for the Frozen Sea: Conversations with Poets about What Matters Most, by Ben Palpant | Nov | 5
The God of Story: Discovering the Narrative of Scripture Through the Language of Storytelling, by Daniel Schwabauer | Apr | 4
Steering the Craft: A 21st-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story, by Ursula K. Le Guin | Apr | 3.5
Charitable Writing: Cultivating Virtue Through Words, by Richard Hughes Gibson and James Edward Beitler III | Mar | 3
GENERAL & FICTION
Brightwing Tales: Mole’s Misadventure, Ben Palpant | Nov | 5
The Hidden Habits of Genius: Beyond Talent, IQ, and Grit—Unlocking the secrets of Greatness, by Craig Wright, PhD | May | 5
STARTED & STOPPED
Wisdom of the Heart: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful at the Center of Us All, by Peter Kreeft | May | x.x