My 2025 BestStack! 📚🎤📺📽️

Books, Podcasts, Shows, and Movies I've loved in 2025

Before I get to my 2025 BestStack…

…I’ll share reviews of books I’ve read over the past two months. As usual, I have a mix of genres, but surprisingly, only one (and a half?) fiction book.

Note that two of the books below are by Treasure-Island-Retreat friends of mine, Elizabeth Renicks and Sue Donaldson. I am so proud of their accomplishments in writing these beautiful faith-based books!

You might also notice two unusually “light” (a.k.a. short) reads on my list. On December 30, when I thought I had to finish just one more book to reach my 2025 goal of reading 36 books, I realized Goodreads had counted three books TWICE! (Note to self and others who set goals on Goodreads, this happens when you read books on Kindle. 🙄) I was going to be three books short of my goal! 😤

So…I was forced to get creative, LOL. 🤔 I perused my shelf of Christmas books and chose two super short ones. The third book I added to reach my goal was Empty-Nest Joyride! Trust me, I read it—like, a thousand times—before I published it last spring.

With no further ado, I give you the final BookStack of 2025. But don’t stop there. Read on for my Best of 2025 lists! (Just in case you haven’t seen enough “best of” lists yet!)

*BookStack, vol. 12, November-December, 2025.

Fully Known, Fully Loved: A 30-Day Journey of Your Identity in Christ (Elizabeth Renicks) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly Recommend. In this inspirational yet down-to-earth accessible devotional guide, Elizabeth Renicks walks the reader through the process of understanding their identity in Christ. On days 1-7, through scripture-based truths, she lays out the foundation on which our identity stands. On each of the next 14 days, she examines one aspect of this new identity, with characteristics like “beloved,” “chosen,” “restored,” and “seen.” Each facet feels like a hug for the soul as the author’s words are deeply moving and encouraging. In the third section of the book, days 22-28, Renicks explores how we are to live out who we are in Christ. And in the final section, days 29 and 30, she challenges the reader to put all they’ve learned into action through self-examination and living out these truths in a personal way.

“Fully Known, Fully Loved” is well organized and scripturally sound. It’s an easy-to-read 30-day devotional that will bless Christians at any step along their faith journey. (Kindle)

Never Alone: Stories of Invitation & Connection (Sue Donaldson) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly Recommend. Sue Donaldson is a treasure and has written a gem! Through personal stories, Biblical connections, and her often self-deprecating humor, she had me tearing up and laughing out loud. Her stories are so engaging that it's hard to put the book down mid-chapter. The truths she conveys—on loneliness, invitation, hospitality, and showing the love of Christ—make the reader feel, think, and hopefully act differently.

Through her example, Donaldson challenges us to invite neighbors, acquaintances, and even strangers into conversation and connection, into our lives and homes, and eventually into our hearts. Her kindness and hospitality often result in Christian witnessing, and lives are changed when lost souls discover the love of Christ.

Each chapter includes questions for the reader to respond to, a prayer, and an action step. "Never Alone" is a great book for anyone wondering how to be a better witness for Christ. It would make an excellent resource for churches and Bible study groups as well. (Kindle)

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year (Margaret Renkl) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly Recommend. A delightful read! In 52 brief chapters, Margaret Renkl helps readers reconnect with nature—plants, insects, birds, and animals—as we consider seasonal and life transitions. Through her tender and often humorous descriptions, she increases awareness of our impact on the environment. We also learn about the intricacies and symbiosis of God's creation, while gaining appreciation for quirky and frequently disdained creatures.

The book would be perfect if read as a weekly reflection on nature, corresponding with the seasons. Unfortunately, I had it on my Kindle and often forgot it was there, so I crammed it into the last couple of months of the year. I also missed out on some beautiful illustrations (by Renkl's brother Billy), which were only in black and white on my device. So, I bought a print copy (for my husband and me) for Christmas, and intend to read it again in 2026—one chapter each week—while enjoying the full-color illustrations.

Shepherds Abiding (Jan Karon) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly Recommend. It's probably been 25 years since I read the first five books in Jan Karon’s Mitford series. She is now 88 years old and has recently released #15 (My Beloved), eight years after her previous book was released. Recalling how much I loved the series back in the day, I was motivated to visit the charming town with its lovable characters once again.

Even though I skipped over books #6 and #7, Shepherds Abiding (#8) seemed the perfect read to start on Christmas Eve. Karon quickly brought me up to speed on the characters and town landmarks I had forgotten. In this endearing story of secret gifts being fashioned for loved ones, of farewells and new beginnings, Karon made me feel at home in Mitford once again. I'm sure 2026 will bring more of the series my way. (Hardcover)

Just Making: A Guide for Compassionate Creatives (Mitali Perkins) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly Recommend. After hearing Mitali Perkins speak at the Festival of Faith and Writing in 2024, and then listening to a recent podcast interview about her latest book—Just Making—I knew I wanted to read it. Perkins beautifully reminds all creatives, including writers, why we do what we do; essentially, to bring beauty, truth, and goodness to a hurting world. She then discusses the barriers we face in our calling, and—in the most practical portion of the book—outlines ten practices for overcoming those barriers.

Perkins vulnerably shares the frustrations and humiliation she's experienced in her writing journey. I could identify with several struggles I've faced as a new and independent author. The practices she outlines for combating these external and internal enemies are worth revisiting. I marked up and highlighted nuggets of wisdom in every chapter and will refer to them often!

The Joy of a Peanuts Christmas: 50 Years of Holiday Comics! (Charles M. Schulz) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fun collection of classic Christmas comics featuring Charlie Brown and friends.

The Mitford Snowmen (Jan Karon)⭐️⭐️⭐️

A heartwarming winter short story from the town of Mitford.

Drumroll, please! 🥁 My favorite BOOKS 📚 in 2025, a.k.a the Pick Six:

You can find links to these winners and my past reviews below:

Fiction:

Time of the Child by Niall Williams (my review)

Historical Fiction:

The Women by Kristin Hannah (my review)

Non-fiction:

Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green (my review) AND The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl (review above)

Historical Non-fiction:

The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon (my review)

Faith:

Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere by Savannah Guthrie (my review)

But wait! There’s more.

If you’re looking for non-book entertainments, here are more bests to check out:

My Favorite Podcasts 🎤 in 2025:

Letters from an American with Heather Cox Richardson (history and left-leaning politics)

No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp (exploring what it means to live a good life)

The Subtext with Lee C. Camp and Savannah Locke (blending pop culture and theology, as well as the voices of two generations)

Points North from Interlochen Public Radio (about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes…these stories will make you laugh and cry)

Women in the Middle: Loving Life After 50 with midlife coach, Suzy Rosenstein. (I’ll be on one of her shows in the new year!)

Sandwich Season Sanity with Ruthie Gray. (Check out this interview with yours truly.)

My Favorite Shows 📺 & Movies 📽️ in 2025:

I’ve been watching most of my favorite shows over multiple years, but there are a couple of new ones this year (noted by a **)!

Netflix: Call the Midwife (community, faith, and lots of babies), Emily in Paris (just finished watching season 5 with my daughter—steamy!), Wednesday (creepy!! but fun!), The Great British Baking Show (Yum!), **Nobody Wants This (romance, religion, and complicated relationships)

Apple TV: **Severance (weirdest, but most suspenseful series we watched this year), The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy (a modern, humorous travelogue that will tug at your heartstrings)

Hulu: Abbot Elementary (comedy about teachers in low income Philadelphia school), Only Murders in the Building (comedy/mystery with Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, and many others!), The Bear (explicit) (intense drama around a family-owned restaurant in Chicago)

Movies: I can’t remember most of the movies we watched this year, LOL, but recent ones that I enjoyed and highly recommend are: Wicked: For Good, and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (this murder mystery/comedy delivered surprisingly deep messages about faith).

Coming next week…

I love seeing what resonates most with my readers, so I’m compiling a list of my best 2025 Substack posts which I’ll share next week.

Don’t miss it! Subscribe today and you’ll also get my regular BookStacks and other content delivered right to your inbox or Substack feed.

For now, I think I’ve given you enough (too much? sorry!) to add to your TBR, TBLT, and TBW lists! Hint: Pick ONE suggestion from each list that piques your interest and open your horizons to something new in 2026.

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Did any of my favorites make your lists too? Which ones might you read, listen to, or watch in 2026? Leave a comment, or let me know you were here by “hitting the 🖤.”

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