{"id":3399,"date":"2025-12-30T12:40:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/?p=3399"},"modified":"2025-12-30T12:41:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:41:29","slug":"books-i-read-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/?p=3399","title":{"rendered":"Books I Read in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Awards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Book of the Year: Harris, <em>Mr. World and Miss Church Member<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Surprise of the Year: Hugo, <em>Les Miserables<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Worst of the Year: Thomas, <em>When to Walk Away<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scoring<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book was notable for lacking this category repeatedly.<br>1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book dipped into this category at times.<br>2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book consistently demonstrated this category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Non-Fiction Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>W<\/strong>eight: Did the book ask and answer the most germane questions about an important topic?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>R<\/strong>esearch: Did the writer demonstrate a thorough command of the subject?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>S<\/strong>tyle: Did the theme, vocabulary, and composition represent an enduring standard?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>L<\/strong>ogic: Did the book model logic in definitions, formatting, and focus?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A<\/strong>ffections: Was some truth presented powerfully to the affections?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><td><strong>NON-FICTION: Annotated Bibliography<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>W<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>R<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>S<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>L<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>A<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Score<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Milton, John. <em>Paradise Lost<\/em>. 1674, reprint 1935. 412 pp. Book of the Year 2023. 3<sup>rd<\/sup> Reading. <br>Satan fell to Hell then raised himself to conquer new-made man. \u00a0 Heaven, angels, demons, and our glorious Creator come to life wonderfully. It is hard to find a more glorious painting of the Son of God in human writing largely because so many, many Scriptures are used. Unique insights to human nature and sin abound. <br><br>Best of the best: <br>Book 3\u2014Covenant of Redemption <br>Book 6\u2014War in Heaven (Rev. 12) <br>Book 9\u2014The Fall (Gen. 3)<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ryle, J. C. <em>Holiness<\/em>, 1879, 324 pp. Read with Amy. <br>Author\u2019s point: True Christianity is a lively rejection of sin and an active clinging to holiness.<br><br>My evaluation: I want my life and ministry to sound and smell like this.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Thomas, Gary. <em>When to Walk Away<\/em>. 2019. 240 pp. <br>Author&#8217;s main point: Some people sap our time and heart without any evidence that they will respond wisely or humbly and therefore, we should leave them and serve others. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: The appendix was eye-opening as he listed more than 20 Scriptural examples of our Lord ending relationships to serve others, but there are several important theological errors.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>5<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>The Psalms of David <\/em>(Scottish Psalter). 1650 <br>These are all 150 psalms of David versified and rhyming. Prepared for the Presbyterian church in Scottland. I had expected them to be my favorite poems, but rarely did my heart rise when reading them.<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Murray, Douglas. <em>The Strange Death of Europe. <\/em>2017, 352 pages. Audio. <br>Author\u2019s point: Europe is losing its glory because its culture is diluted and deranged by Islamic immigration. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: Europe\u2019s leaders clearly hate its ancient Christian heritage, and so they are perpetuating any change from it, even to barbarous Islam.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>9<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Edmonds, Christopher. <em>No Surrender<\/em>. 2019, 347 pages. Audio. Author&#8217;s point: A young US military officer stands up for Jews in a German concentration camp risking his own death, and saving scores of Jews. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: A stirring story, yet stretched too long and including too many crudities, especially since the author is a Baptist pastor.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>7<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Tyler, Bennet. <em>Asahel Nettleton<\/em>. 1854, reprint 1975. 454 pages. Author\u2019s point: God powerfully used Nettleton through his serious, searching preaching to bring thousands upon thousands to Christ. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: As an evangelist, this account makes my own soul long for more rain on my field.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Moody, Ralph. <em>Kit Carson<\/em>. 1955, 184 pp. Read with Amy. <br>Author&#8217;s point: Kit Carson helped shape the west in America during its formative years.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>8<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Johnson, Ken. <em>Wildlife in the Kingdom Come<\/em>. 1993, 126 pages. This is a humorous collection of drawings and descriptions of theological terms and positions as if they were all animals on a safari. Interesting and often insightful, it is a profitable way to introduce many theological categories. Read with the boys.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>0<\/td><td><strong>7<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Platt, Richard. <em>As One Devil to Another<\/em>. 2012. 184 pp. Read with Colin. <br>An update of Lewis\u2019 <em>Screwtape Letters<\/em>.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>7<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Nathan, Adele. <em>The Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad<\/em>, 180 pp. Read with Carson. <br>Author&#8217;s point: The building of a railroad across North America in the 1800\u2019s was a massive, manly, amazing engineering feat.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>9<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rice, John. <em>What\u2019s Wrong with the Movies<\/em>. 1938, 112 pages. Author\u2019s point: The movie industry promotes fornication, greed, and violence while hurting faith and evangelism. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: His examples of sinful movies are even more striking because they are all before 1950, and his lively zeal for conversion, evangelism, and the Lord Jesus is inspiring.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>7<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u00e1 Kempis, Thomas. <em>The Imitation of Christ<\/em>. Ca 1470, reprint 1980. 383 pp. Read with Thabiso. 3<sup>rd<\/sup> reading. Book of the Year 2021. <br>Stirring, cutting, insightful, sweet.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Gibbon, Edward. <em>The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire<\/em>. 1776-1787. 3,928 pages. Audio. <br>Author&#8217;s point: Writing elegantly, Gibbon records hundreds of stories that show through the rulers of the Roman empire, man\u2019s inherent greed, ambition, and immorality while also presenting though much less frequently, remarkable virtue and providence. <br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/?p=3388\">Fuller review here.<\/a> Longest book I\u2019ve ever read.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>0<\/td><td><strong>7<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ryle, J C, <em>Thoughts for Young Men<\/em>. 75 pp. 1888, reprint 2015. Read with boys. <br>Author\u2019s point: Young men have special value and temptations requiring special advice. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: The lively, pointed, Biblical writing is planned to make serious, evangelistic Christian men.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stephens, Randall. <em>The Devil\u2019s Music. <\/em>2018. 317 pages. 2<sup>nd<\/sup> reading. Read with Colin. <br>Author\u2019s point: All the Christians hated rock music for several decades until it became so popular that they nearly all decided to change their position. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: Believers\u2019 dual hunger for entertainment and fame overpowered their hatred of sin.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>8<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lamb, Harold. <em>Genghis Kahn<\/em>. 1954, 182 pages. Read with Carson. <br>Author\u2019s point: The great kahn was an amazing organizer, strategist, and human lightning bolt. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: Genghis stands with few other leaders in history like Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar who dominated much of the world, and yet he simply shows the same dominating spirit of his father, Satan. A cruel and violent man.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>0<\/td><td><strong>8<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bunyan, John. <em>Pilgrim\u2019s Progress<\/em>. Read with kids and church members. 4<sup>th<\/sup> or 5<sup>th<\/sup> reading. <br>Spiritual matters are made visible, and Heaven appears real and lively in this book. Perhaps it is better than <em>The Holy War<\/em> because of its emphasis on perseverance.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Spurgeon, C. H. <em>Spurgeon\u2019s Forgotten College Addresses<\/em>. 2016 from 1870-1892. 313 pp. <br>Author\u2019s point: 16 lectures to the Pastor\u2019s College, 6 communion sermons, and 3 sermons in France. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: 4 of the 25 messages are worth the whole book \u201cStand Fast\u201d, \u201cTaking Stock\u201d, and \u201cGifts Neglected and Stirred Up\u201d, and \u201cYoung Preachers Not to be Despised.\u201d These carry the power and grace of Spurgeon at his best. Insightful, Biblical, and practical. He includes comments about reading, evangelism, prayer, and spirituality. \u00a0<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td>Harris, W. S. <em>Mr. World and Miss Church Member<\/em>. 1901. 315 pages. Read with kids and church members. 3<sup>rd<\/sup> reading. <br>Author\u2019s point: A foolish church member compromises with the world again and again until she has lost Christianity and then her own soul in a tragic death. \u00a0 <br><br>My evaluation: Worldliness appears in its terrible, incremental, and devilish colors as one deception follows another in this story.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td>Dante, Aligeri. <em>The Divine Comedy<\/em>. 2<sup>nd<\/sup> reading. \u00a0 <br>The Biblical and creative images quicken the heart for the next life either of eternal torment or eternal glory. \u00a0 <br><br>Far too little Christ, and too much Mary.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>8<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fiction Categories:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>B<\/strong>iblical: Did the author honor Scriptural truth or a Christian worldview even if unwittingly?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>C<\/strong>reative: Did the author grip the imagination by inventing characters, situations, or other aspects of reality?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>S<\/strong>tyle: Did the theme, vocabulary, and composition represent an enduring standard?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>C<\/strong>redible: Were the characters, plot turns, and relationships believable?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A<\/strong>ffections: Was some truth presented powerfully to the affections?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><strong>FICTION: Annotated Bibliography<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>B<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>C<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>S<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>C<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>A<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Score<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td>Hugo, Victor. <em>Les Miserables<\/em>. Second time reading. Read with family. <br>There is no greater image in the world of the tension between Law and Grace than the scenes of Jauvert opposing Val Jean. <br><br>Fantine\u2019s acquittal overwhelms my soul with the wonder of justification. Val Jean at the trial amazes my heart at free grace. Cozette\u2019s rescue from the Thenardier\u2019s does the same with adoption. Val Jean in the sewer pictures salvation more brilliantly than Bunyan\u2019s <em>Pilgrim\u2019s Progress<\/em>. Those scenes, and a few others, strike deeper than Tolkien. \u00a0 <br><br>After reading, I reviewed and marked each paragraph if it were worthy to be read. Next time, we will read 500 of the 1,300 pages. The book falls short of 10 because of those extra pages.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>8<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td>Austen, Jane. <em>Emma<\/em>. Read with family. <br>By her own blindspots and silly judgment, a good girl can make a mess of her own life as well as hurt others, but if she has a loving man in her life and a willingness to listen to him, she can grow into a crown of glory even if it is painful.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td>L\u2019Amour, Louis. <em>Jubal Sackett<\/em>. Read with family. 1985. 368 pp. Read with family. <br>A man in 17<sup>th<\/sup> century America sets out somewhere around Missouri marrying an Indian and building a life in a very difficult place.<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>6<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td>Graham, L B. <em>The Binding of the Blade<\/em>. Read with family. <br>All the free peoples must bind together to destroy Malek and thus enter an age without weapons or demons. The dialogue is modern and stretched. Miracles must save the heroes several times. The faith and endurance of the heroes is inspiring.<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>1<\/td><td><strong>7<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Awards Scoring 0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book was notable for lacking this category repeatedly.1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book dipped into this category at times.2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book consistently demonstrated this category. Non-Fiction Categories NON-FICTION: Annotated Bibliography W R S L A Score Milton, John. Paradise &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/?p=3399\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[599],"class_list":["post-3399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","tag-books-2025"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3QrZa-SP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3401,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3399\/revisions\/3401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}