Top Reads from 2025

For well over a decade now (13-14 years?), I’ve been posting my top books and reading list as an end-of-year tradition.

Much of this year had me focused in on the book of Romans, as our church spent 30 weeks walking through what I would argue is the most impactful letter written in world history(!).

It was also a year for making some great headway in the research and writing component of my PhD, getting around 75,000 words onto paper for my dissertation: “Theological Convergence in Martyn Lloyd-Jones: A Paradigm for the Biblical Synthesis of Reformed and Charismatic Christianity in the Twenty-First Century”.

Between Romans and Lloyd-Jones, I didn’t get around to nearly as many novels and “fun reads” as I would have liked to… but with all that said, here are my Top 10 non-fiction books and favourite 3 novels that I enjoyed most from 2025!

TOP 10 NON-FICTION BOOKS

FAVOURITE NOVELS 

See below for full reading list.  

Non-Fiction

Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity (Paul Kingsnorth)

The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics (Collin Hansen)

No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)

*A Failure of Nerve (Revised Edition): Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix (Edwin Friedman)

The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World (John Stott)

*Leadership Mosaic: 5 Leadership Principles for Ministry and Everyday Life (Daniel Montgomery)

*Learning Leadership from Nehemiah (Dave Kraft)

Romans 8-16 for You (Timothy Keller)

For Calvinism (Michael Horton)

*Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith (Iain H. Murray)

Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3 (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Invisible Grief: An Honest Conversation on the Pain and Loss of Unrealized Hopes, Dreams, and Good Desires (Drew Hensley)

*Baptism with the spirit: Teaching Of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Michael A. Eaton)

Baptised With Heavenly Power: The Holy Spirit in the Teaching and Experience of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Philip Eveson)

Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 12 Christian Conduct (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Friend of a Friend: Introducing your Friends to Jesus (Peter Sondergeld)

Joy Unspeakable (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

*Martyn Lloyd-Jones: A Family Portrait (Christopher Catherwood)

Miraculous Healing: Why does God heal some and not others? (Henry Weston Frost)

God the Father, God the Son: Great Doctrines of the Bible (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

*Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Chosen by God (Christopher Catherwood)

The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20 (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

What is an Evangelical? (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Romans 1-7 for You (Timothy Keller)

The Sacred Anointing: The Preaching of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Tony Sargent)

A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption (Becket Cook)

Romans: Exposition of Chapter 1 – The Gospel of God (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Romans: The Story of God Bible Commentary (Michael Bird)

Justification by faith: A matter of death and life (Gerhard Forde)

Romans: A Theological and Pastoral Commentary ( Michael J. Gorman)

Romans: Righteousness from Heaven (R. Kent Hughes)

Exalting Jesus in Romans (Tony Merida)

Furnace of the Lord (Elisabeth Elliot)

Ancient Wisdom for the Care of Souls: Learning the Art of Pastoral Ministry from the Church Fathers (Coleman M. Ford)

*Gospel Patrons (John Rinehart)

Good News at Rock Bottom: Finding God When the Pain Goes Deep and Hope Seems Lost (Raymond C. Ortlund Jr)

Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest (Stephen E. Ambrose)

The Psalms (Volume 1, Psalms 1 to 41), Volume 1: Rejoice, the Lord Is King (Preaching the Word) (James Johnston)

What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church (Gavin Ortlund)

Igniting His Church Through Prayer (Rob Godard)

Preaching Christ from Psalms: Foundations for Expository Sermons in the Christian Year (Sidney Greidanus)

The Art of Disagreeing: How to Keep Calm and Stay Friends in Hard Conversations (Gavin Ortlund)

Don’t Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully (David Platt)

Home with God: Our Union with Christ (Kyle Worley)

Witness: Loving Your Church by Sharing the Gospel (Jonathan Dodson)

The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again (Justin Brierley)

The Elder-Led Church: How an Eldership Team Shepherds a Healthy Flock (Murray Capill)

A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America (Philip Rucker)

Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling (Matthew Dicks)

Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect (Will Guidara)

When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus’ Vision for Authentic Christian Community (Joseph H. Hellerman)

At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor (Carey Nieuwhof)

*The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

*The Cross and the Machine (Paul Kingsnorth)

*Lloyd-Jones on the Christian Life: Doctrine and Life as Fuel and Fire (Jason C. Meyer)

*Prove all things: The sovereign work of the Holy Spirit (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

*Honour: Loving Your Church by Building One Another Up (Adam Ramsey)

*The Resilience Factor: A Step-by-Step Guide to Catalyze an Unbreakable Team (Leonce Crump, Warren Bird, Ryan T. Hartwig)

The Procrastinator’s Guide to a PhD: How to overcome procrastination and complete your dissertation (Edwina Murphy)

The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality (Glen Scrivener)

*Things My Son Needs to Know About the World (Fredrik Backman)

*Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You (Adam Ramsey)

*Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory (Tod Bolsinger)

*Humble Calvinism (J.A Medders)

*Authority (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

*Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Christopher Catherwood)

*Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election (Sam Storms)

*PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace (Daniel Montgomery)

In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God (Colleen Chao)

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (Daniel James Brown)

Novels

The Strength of the Few – Hierarchy series, #2 (James Islington)

The Will of the Many – Hierarchy series, #1 (James Islington)

Conqueror – Conqueror series, #5 (Conn Iggulden)

Khan: Empire of Silver – Conqueror series, #4 (Conn Iggulden)

Bones of the Hills – Conqueror series, #3, (Conn Iggulden)

Genghis: Lords of the Bow – Conqueror series, #2 (Conn Iggulden)

Wolf of the Plains – Conqueror series, #1, (Conn Iggulden)

Theo of Golden (Allen Levi)

My Friends (Fredrik Backman)

*Nathan Coulter (Wendell Berry)

*The Warden and the Wolf King – The Wingfeather Saga, #4 (Andrew Peterson)

The Terminal List (Jack Carr)

*Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories (Dr. Seuss)

Dawnshard (Brandon Sanderson)