More people should publish lists of what they are reading, what books they have abandoned, and what they hope to read next:
2025 Reading List
The Everlasting Man by GK Chesterton - CS Lewis called it “The best popular apologetic I know”. Consider me with CS Lewis.
Favorite Quote: A man can not make statues without rejecting stone.
The Tusculan Disputations by Marcus Tullius Cicero - One of Cicero’s finest in my opinion and the English translation on Standard Ebooks is solid. Would recommend to anyone grieving the passing of a loved one. I re-read this again, in honor of my mother.
Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace by Scott Hahn - Opus Dei through the eyes of Scott Hahn. A humanizing take on an organization that seems to have more rumor about it than honest observation.
The Way by Josemaria Escriva - Pithy prayers organized by topic. Would recommend for anyone looking to pray concise and effective prayers.
Merlin by Stephen Lawhead - Started but didn’t finished. Talesin was fantastic but the Daily Wire’s botching of this series snuffed out my excitement for it. I hope to return to Merlin at another time.
City of God by Saint Agustine - Absolute massive work. I’ve taken chunks out of it but definitely haven’t finished. Still this ancient work about the fall of Rome and the roll of Christianity after it, helped me process my own exodus from California as it became the hell the Spanish prophesied it would be.
The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy - Listened to this one as an audiobook and would recommend for anyone who likes history.
The Innocence of Father Brown by GK Chesterton - Finally got into Chesterton’s Father Brown Series. This was fun and easy to pickup and put down as each chapter is quite episodic.
The Notebook: A History… by Rolland Allen - I bought the book and the audiobook as I enjoyed the stories of people writing through history more than I thought. Was one of many inspirations to do more notebook and journaling content on my youtube channel
The Spanish Civil War by Hugh Thomas - This book changed my life. After tracking part of my family’s history to Spain I wanted to learn more about what happened and why they may have left our home country. What I got was a history of the start of WWII that I was never taught, that I think most people were never taught. And it all looks too eerily like our modern age. If you are even mildly interested in History this is a must read book.
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway - Short and Brilliant, this helped me get out of my reading slump somewhere in the first months after my mother passed. A good old book that will always be to me like a friend.
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway - Started after reading both Old Man and the Sea and the Spanish Civil War. Will report back once complete
The Killer Angels by Michael by Michael Shaara - I have had this on my list for years. I think I remember reading it in High School. Civil War books aren’t supposed to be this good, but if you only read one, this is it.
Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod - I have been following Craig’s work for over a decade but this latest work of his is beautiful and heartbreaking. I didn’t think I could care about some pilgrimage located in a remote region of Japan but Craig made it feel like a long walk with a friend that I never wanted to end. The imagery in this book alone is on another level.
Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly - Another long time writer I have followed. One of the early internet pioneers in online writing and making a living on the internet. This collection feels like a mix between Rick Rubens Creative Act and perhaps a bit of The Way by Escriva
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge - Required reading for men in the 21st Century. And any woman who wishes to understand a man. The question every man is asking is answered in this book. Wild to think this volume is already 20 years old. Definitely one that got better with time and proved much of Eldredge’s insights hauntingly right.
Experience Jesus Really by John Eldredge - Eldredge’s most recent work. It has been interesting to watch the English speaking world wake up to Christian Mysticism. A very accessible look at that beautiful and ancient tradition especially if you are not yet well versed in the Latin Mystics.
Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII - Writing near the end of the 19th Century, a haunting analysis of the coming industrial revolution. The clear dissection of both Communism and Capitalism are unmatched and birth the best untried option in human existence. A must read regardless of one's religious beliefs.
Antiqua et Nova by Pope Francis - Written by several positions within Francis’ Pontificate, this may be the best essay on AI and its impact that I have read. Another must read for the burgeoning AI age we are in.
What’s Wrong with the World by GK Chesterton - Chesterton’s work on Distributism as inspired by Rerum Novarum. About half way through but think Everlasting Man for Social and Economic structures.
The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga - Got about half way through and had to abandon it. The book is a strange dialog about a philosophy that sounds good if Adlerian Psychology was exported directly to Japanese society in isolation from the rest of the world. The fundamental problem I have with it is that in Christianity we believe trauma can be, must be, has been, and will be transformed, not gaslit. Deny trauma just isn’t for me and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else.
The Burnout Society by Byung-chul Han - Roughly 50 pages of perhaps the concise philosophy on one of the most prevalent conditions in modernity. The references to Bartleby the Scrivener make this accessible.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - When my wife and I learned we were having a daughter I knew I needed to learn more about what it takes to raise a little girl. I was going to read this and go on quietly never mentioning it, but after finishing it not only is this one of the books to read for girl dads, it is a must read for anyone looking to enjoy simpler living.
The Martian by Andy Weir - Haven’t yet seen the movie but thoroughly enjoyed this book. An approachable sci-fi that will be enjoyable for those who have smiled at the 500 mile email.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Everyone who recommended the Martian, recommended this book. I finished it but not the same home run The Martian was. I could not get into the characters but the mystery of how the story unfolds was enjoyable.
White Mirror by Tinkered Thinking - From my understanding, O'Shaughnessy Ventures via Infinite Books produced this with AI about AI trying to be optimistic about AI. It was fun but shallow. Perhaps I’m a too old, homesteading solar punk for this book. Still on the look out for fun AI fiction but would recommend to anyone who is interested in AI Fiction.
To Be Read in 2025:
Living in Wonder by Rod Dreher
Foster by Claire Keegan
The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc
The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton
After Stoicism by Thomas Ward
Trafalgar by Benito Perez Glados
Living the Faith by Tom Monaghan
Wonderful list, I will be looking some of these up to check out. Have you read any Albert Camus? One of my favorites is The Fall. (Theres no formatting on mobile, i cant underline) It might be of interest to you.
I love this idea of books read through the year, it's a great way to find new authors and reads. ✨️
Good list indeed. I noted down a couple I’m interested in. Thank you