Great Reads From 2025

I’ve read fewer books this year compared to most. And many of them were about ancient Jewish religious evolution—not generally the sort of topic most people are interested in. But never fear, there were some other fascinating books in my reading this past year. Here’s ten of them! The first three, by the way, are all old classics well worth the effort of finding in a used bookstore or ordering online. 

A Wizard of Earthsea. (Ursula LeGuin): This is science-fiction classic first published over fifty years ago. A young wizard, over time, learns all about wisdom and his own personal demons. The emphasis is on how much he had to learn. Along the way, besides describing the world of Earthsea, Le Guin explores racism, ambition, and (I’d say, though it wasn’t a thing when she wrote it) systemic evil. The story moves at a fast pace, is written with great clarity—and best of all, invites the reader to fall in love with its hero, Ged. 

Doctor Glas. (Hjalmar Soderberg): I picked this one up in Sweden, visiting a cousin who pointed out that, “yes, there is great Swedish literature.” And well, this is a fine book. In it, a rather jaded doctor is moved by the tragic marriage of a female patient. And ultimately, he solves this lady’s problems—in the most unexpected manner. It’s a study of life’s meaning, medical ethics, and abusive relationships. The church doesn’t come in for any accolades here, either. I’d especially recommend it for doctors and people interested in denominational politics. 

A Lost Lady. (Willa Cather): Here’s another oldie but goodie. The lady in question is a study in contrasts. I couldn’t help but think of The Great Gatsby as I read it. Marian attracts many suiters, but some-how I don’t think that she finds what she is looking for in any of them. Its setting is the West just after the transcontinental railroad was finished. She’s surrounded by wealthy old men who have made their money cashing in on America’s manifest destiny. Tightly written, stylistically amazing, and a case study in why you should never presume that the answers of the day are necessarily the answers that will make the world, or you, a better person. 

James. (Percival Everett): Everyone seems to agree that this is one of the best books of 2025. I wouldn’t disagree. What if Huck Finn’s story had been told by Jim? It would be both the same and completely different. Twain was an early advocate for Black equality. And yet, his ideas are dated by his era and social milieu. James, however, gets what it means to be Black from the inside—and perseveres. 

Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany. (Norman Ohler): This is a book about the war on drugs—that is, how the Nazis fought WWII on drugs. Not a new book, but for me it was a new window into both Nazi Germany and Hitler. The Nazi’s massive use of drugs to bolster both the troops and the Fuehrer isn’t exactly old news. However, Ohler tells a riveting story that adds both color (not nice ones) and a deeper understanding of the depth of Nazi folly. A page turner. 

The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries. (Donald Prothero): I’ve been fascinated by evolution ever since I served as a student member on the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship in 1984-85. Our topic was Creation and Cosmogony. We set out to understand how current scholarship would deepen our understanding of Biblical texts. Our focus was on cosmic evolution, but one of my assignments was to read and review several new commentaries on Genesis 1-11 and Psalm 104. That meant thinking hard about my presuppositions about Adam and Eve. I finished the year with a life-long habit of staying current on all kinds of evolution. This book, told in an entertaining voice, was a real pleasure to read. Perfect for anyone who wants a sense of why, if evolution is a theory, it’s a theory only to the degree gravity is a theory too. 

Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global. (Laura Spinney): Here’s a history of the Indo-European language from ancient (proto) times to the present. Spinney is a good writer, and when you’re done, you will have a deeper understanding of how (for example) we came to speak English, and where it and many other languages came from. Her research is up to date on the many factors that influence language change through time and space, the archaeological evidence, and the genetic evidence. It does get a bit dense sometimes, but the characters, civilizations, and turning-points you encounter along the way are fascinating. 

An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence. (Zeinab Badawi): In spite of knowing better, a lot of us still think of Africa as a dark continent lost in problems of its own making. The truth is quite different. Badawi explores the rise and fall of Africa’s great civilizations, the horrific toll of Western violence through colonialism, empire building, racism, sexism, the clash of religions, and of course, the slave trade. Badawi is optimistic about Africa’s future, though cautious. My only wish is that she might have spent more time on Bantu expansion. But her book is a tonic for those of us schooled in the old missionary stories about bringing the gospel to (so-called) savages. A welcome historical paradigm change. 

Who Really Wrote the Bible: The Story of the Scribes. (William M. Schniedewind): So, one of my current projects is to understand the evolution of Judah’s and Israel’s religion, and particularly the evolution of their ideas about God (or, more usually, the gods). Schniedewind, like most current scholars, believes that Deuteronomy (or at least an early version) came together near the end of the Judean monarchy, and that the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures followed. The stories, myths, and ancient written records that comprise those scriptures were curated for hundreds of years by scribes—in Samaria, the countryside, and in Jerusalem itself. This book explores who they were, what they did, and how different historical events such as the destruction of the temple, exile, and return from exile all impacted the process. I would have wished for more background on the ur-myths, stories, and how they were first brought into the scribal process. Still, it’s a book packed full of information—even if the writing is a bit dull sometimes. 

Inyoni and the Pale Man (John Suk): Okay, so this is a book I’ve written myself. It’s a historical novel set during the Boer (Anglo, African) War in Southern Africa. Pieter Ryken is a young Dutch teacher who wants to be a good man, but isn’t sure that it is possible. The novel moves from rural Netherlands to the brothels of Cape Town to Boer farmsteads in Transvaal, to the Siege of Mafeking. Along the way readers are invited to reflect on sexual violence, racism, orthodox religion, and how one deals—or doesn’t—with moral temptation. Okay, it’s the best book in this list. A real page turner! You can order it from my publisher, Archway Publishers, a subsidiary of Simon and Schuster; or, you can get it from Amazon.ca (or .com) or Indigo. Would love it if you left a review on Goodreads or any of the platforms mentioned.