Books I Read in 2025
- Brandy Gainor
- 17 hours ago
- 10 min read
My disclaimer - I don't read fiction - I explain more here! I give this disclaimer every year....but actually, it is such a lie! I do read fiction with my kids. I have thought about this and need to correct this. We have read SO MUCH Classical and wonderful literature for 20 years. Reading aloud fiction is one of our favorite times of the day. I have read fiction to my kids for 20 years. So, that counts a WHOLE lot. Just not included in these blogposts. Even in high school, we continue to read good books aloud. One day I will dedicate a whole post to Gainor family read alouds through the years.
For most of these, click on the picture of the book to go to Amazon (or the site where it can be found for more information or purchasing). If you purchase from my amazon link, I do get a tiny bit of commission - it's like cents guys. But I endorse these books because I have purchased them and have read them - not for the $, but hey, if I get some change to go towards more books - Let's Go!
Also, they are not really in any order at all. I used to put them in order of reading, but even that is hard because I forgot some, pulled my amazon in UK order list and US and kindle and then stuff on my shelves I forgot. And definitely not in order of recommendation, preference, or anything else. I have quit superlatives (did you see my post on transition?).
But all of these books - I like and recommend. Here is the truth - I don't just LOVE reading. I read because I love growth (personal development, courses, good things I sign up for) and when it is highly recommended and I already know I can trust it. There are only 2-3 books on here that I was like, "could've done without," but I kept them on here because they are still good...just not my fav!
Punk Monk - this is a unique read. I read this as I was preparing for vows with The Order of the Mustard Seed. This is for understanding the practices of prayer, creativity, hospitality, justice, mission, and learning. This book tells more of the 24-7 story and helps you understand the heart and vision behind prayer rooms and how to live out certain spiritual practices.
Sacred Rhythms - I loved this book so much! This is the first book I have truly read by Ruth Haley Barton. Though I have loved her teachings, quotes, and learned a lot from her for a while already, first book. It was great to sit with this book. The two chapters that were most amazing and impactful for me were 3 - Scripture and 8 - Sabbath. I have gone deeper in both of those areas I already loved so much! I actually think this is a great RHB intro book - where she writes full books on Sabbath, Retreats, Solitude, etc...this book has chapters on each of those topics - so a great starting point and then you can spring and dive in to her bigger, longer books on those topics.
Lord of the Ring - A very specific book about Herrnhut, Germany and the journey to get there. This book gives a great history of Zinzendorf, the Moravians, and The Order of the Mustard Seed. Gray and I went to Herrnhut in May 2025 - a wonderful pilgrimage, and this book was a great companion for that trip. My favorite chapter was 9 - it has been so impactful for me loving some of my roots and "remaining."
Even the Sparrow - what a beautiful memoir and story written by and about a woman of prayer. While I lived in England, I had a great privilege of being in this Jill Weber's presence, praying with her, and learning from her a handful of times. It was so wonderful to also read her book. I recommend reading and certainly if you ever get to spend time with her - take it up!
The Familiar Stranger. - I knew I would need this and love this when it was first announced. I would describe this book as truth and it wonderfully discusses and corrects extreme views of the Holy Spirit. I have often prayed Come, Holy Spirit. I read most of this after Easter before Pentacost in 2025 - what a fun time to reflect and go deeper on this topic.
What's Your Decision? My husband and I made a very big decision in 2025 - whew. Not sure I'll ever be able to write about this or sum this up in a public space...but a big decision to leave our life overseas and a identity. This is one of the reasons I sought out a spiritual director. She recommended this book and it was a wild book and new and wonderful concepts for decision making. I also loved having her to journey with and process in discernment for this decision. I remember reading a lot of this at the pinnacle and resolution of our decision - it was so confirming, good, and helpful.
Grandy's Stories - well you cannot find this book or buy this book! It is a very special one to our family. We gave a subscription to Gray's dad in 2020 for his birthday. He wrote a chapter each week - we decided the topics and chapters together. It is such a gift to us and our children to have this story and legacy written out. I am SO thankful for this. I read this with my kids as a read aloud in the afternoons. We laughed and cried and reflected. I highly recommend Storyworth!
Restoring the Woven Cord - I love me some Celtic Christianity - thank you, UK. Thank you, OMS! This book is full of Celtic stories of faith, the Gospel, boldness, generosity, and hope. I love learning from these ancient roots. My 2 favorites are Patrick and Brendan. One of these stories is the inspiration of my car's license plate!
What a classic and the first book I read as I began my journey of becoming a spiritual director. This is a book full of wisdom of how to journey with others, listen, and seek the presence of the Holy Spirit with another. It was a different book for me and stretched and grew me!
David Benner is a new favorite of mine. In this book, I especially benefitted from how he as a spiritual director and a psychiatrist described the differences between the two practices (helpful for me as a therapist and spiritual director). Gray and I also read the chapter on couples together. I loved the examples of how he journeyed with people over email and in-person. I also learned how to help some people that I journey with consider their dreams - what a unique chapter.
You can certainly tell by now that the year of 2025 was the year of growth and learning and a deep dive into spiritual direction. Spiritual Direction is a LOT of holy listening - a lot. This book was great - all about how to listen. I certainly need that! My favorite chapter was about Job's friends and how the best thing they did was listen. It also had some really great points on how to listen in groups to each other.
I have long agreed with the concept that when you learn more about God you learn more about yourself and also as you learn to be you (who God made you to be), you also learn more about God. Many people give some pushback on this, but I think they are pushing back on semantics and not quite understanding the concept. I get the dont be selfish, self-focused, and our "call to die to self." But God also made us and values his creation. Each person is unique image and reflection of God in a unique way - that truly does glorify God, creator. This book helped me clarify and grow stronger in my beliefs of this, and in turn I also got to know God a little more. I remember one chapter in tears in an airplane after a rough security experience of which I was really learning about myself and as I sat in the reflection questions honestly, I learned so much more about the Gospel applied to me and about God and His grace!
I enjoy the enneagram! It has been a great tool for me to know myself and my husband more and how we relate to each other. This has been one of the greatest gifts knowing the enneagram has given me. This book helped me understand some of my friends more - and my children! I laughed while listening to this book and also listened to many of the chapters multiple times. It helps understand our wounds and core beliefs. It can also help us know how to encourage others when we know their enneagram.
I have not finished this one - it's long. It may be a while. But what I have read so far gave a great history of the enneagram and helped me understand more about it. This book really helped me see how the enneagram can deeply show us our sin. I like it and recommend it, but I'm reading a lot of other books and this reading in 2025 was suffice and it's "back on the shelf" for a while.
Crafting a Rule of Life - My Spiritual Director also encouraged me to read these next two books. Another reason I began my journey of spiritual direction was my pursuit of writing and crafting my rule of life. In some ways, I have had a sort of rule of life since 2017...but 2025 was a year I got super intentional, finished, and began living and following a rule of life. This book kind of rounded out and helped me have another well to draw from in considering my rule of life (I also used practicing the way resources and the OMS practices).
Right off the bat of talking about a rule of life, my spiritual director recommended this whopper of a book. I love that she knew my personality - I love resources and I also love to be exhaustive and thorough in my pursuits! There are more than 80 spiritual disciplines in here!!! This is quite the handbook for Spiritual Disciplines - full of ideas and ways to consider and live them out.
Wingfeather Series - This one was fiction - gasp!!! I read this with my boys and cried, cried, cried in a few parts. I loved this story so very much. One - it is beautiful and funny and weird - I like all of those things. Two - it is an allegory. Three - there were some parts that felt so strong I could identify with - some of the characters. I was all caught up with the Wingfeather kids and felt like we were living the story with them.
The Fix & The Fix Workbook - Hello, Addiction! I would say this was "all for my clients and for my profession" except that I agree with Gerald May, "that all of us humans are all addicted to something!" So, yes, I read for my clients with addiction disorders and I also read for myself with my own addictions! Ian Morgan Cron is a great writer and storyteller. This book will convince you of the goodness of the 12 Steps! I came to love them in grad school, and I try to tell people all the time how good they are!
Anatomy of the Soul - Curt Thompson's book of goodness! I love anything from Curt Thompson. My favorite concept from this book is the goodness of souls in the presence of each other in the midst of pain, suffering, and especially shame. This leads to healing. This is powerfully demonstrated in all kinds of wonderful relationships where people are welcome to bring their shame, sin, and pain and they find love and as therapists say, "unconditional positive regard." This book is so much more than that, but that is STRONG in it.
Will I Ever Be Good Enough - hmmm. For my clients or for me? This is a painful book to read, but it has healing. It has validation. It has direction and hope for change. I actually read this first in 2024, but I could not put it on my list last year after painfully losing my mom. In 2025 and 2026, I have journeyed through multiple times with others. Too often I am in painful conversations about damage done by mothers - it's one of the most damaging and painful relationships when a child has a narcissist mom. Adults - you can heal from it! It is really, really, really hard to recommend this book in real life or even put it on here. But, it's a needed conversation. Many people do not even know this is what it really is...until I actually say, "give this book a read, and we don't even need to call your mom a narcissist...but perhaps you will be able to identify with some things" ...and then the healing journey begins.
***I try to stay away from calling anyone a narcissist - even narcissists have much pain and it comes from somewhere deep
These 2 are Great Resource and "Practice Books" I love using these for myself and with others:
Breath Prayer - full of short breath prayers. This is a book to be DONE! Sure you can merely read it, but you would miss out on so much goodness. If you have anxiety, this book will help in a beautiful way. If you don't have anxiety, this book will usher you into more peace and calm in a beautiful way.
Present in Prayer - somewhat of a similar book as above, this book also has short short lessons/teachings - not sure what to call them. This book journeys with you through Philippians 4:8 to call you to think on what is good, right, true... This is a pursuit that is actually harder than it seems. The negative and bad, lies, false... grab our attention. This book helps us train our brain and rewire our brain for goodness!
These 2 are Liturgical Prayer Books I bought in England (harder/more expensive to get in the US - sorry). They are also more practice/reference books, but I love them:
I wonder how many years in a row these 2 books will stay on my reading list.
I will keep mentioning them!
I actually "know" this book really well at this point. I still list it yearly as I love leading others through it and it is as if I am re-reading and re-reminding myself to stay in it! If you want to get free & obedient in your food and/or fitness--get this! I would be SO honored to journey with you!
I lead this at least one time a year. Sometimes I skim. Sometimes I read. I definitely recommend you read this book, and I would be honored if you'd go through it with me. This is a book you read and also "do." It has great exercises to help you work through pain! I love this - "your body is not a problem to be solved, but it is part of the solution."
Enjoy!!! And if you have non-fiction books you highly recommend, send them my way!