Tag: 2025

Erica’s Favorite Reads – 2025

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I read 64 books in 2025, I did not break my 2024 record, which I was a little sad about, but that is okay! I got back into crocheting this past year, and so I often found myself doing that instead of reading some of the time.

Here is the breakdown of how many books I read from which genres and my favorites from each:

Thriller – 11

Fantasy – 12

Fiction – 18

Religious/Spiritual – 6

Nonfiction – 16


Thriller



The Thursday Murder Club

I really enjoyed all the Thursday Murder Club books I read this year (I read 3)! I loved that it features an older cast in a retirement home solving murders. I have not yet seen the Netflix movie adaptation, but I have heard it is good.



The God of the Woods

I read this before Taylor Swift made it cool (jk, no shade to Taylor!) I kept seeing this book on so many lists and it lived up to the hype! The Kelce brothers just started a book club on Substack and the first book is this one – check it out if interested!



Fantasy


Theft of Swords

I had seen my husband reading this book in the past, but never wanted to try it. Then a friend gifted a copy to me and so I thought, “hey, why not?” I liked it enough to read all three volumes (they are long!)




Onyx Storm

The third in the Empyrean series, I liked this book just as much as the other two, and it made me want to reread the entire series. This was definitely a hyped-up series, but it lived up to the hype. A great romantasy series! I liked this one better than ACOTAR, although I enjoyed ACOTAR too.


Fiction

The Bookclub for Troublesome Women
Historical Fiction, Feminism

I’m definitely drawn to books in the feminist genre, and this one was great! A group of women in the 1960s read The Feminine Mystique, and it is a catalyst for making changes in their lives. I myself have never read The Feminine Mystique, but it certainly made me wonder about the differences between feminism in the 1960s vs now. I enjoyed the story and the characters and felt it was thought-provoking.


Once Upon a K-Prom
Romance, Contemporary

I was gifted this book by a friend and finished it in a few days. It was a sweet romance story that didn’t get too graphic or explicit (if you’re not into that kind of thing). I love K-dramas, and in 2024 I had the opportunity to visit friends in South Korea – even if you don’t have a connection or interest in Korean culture, I think this would still be a great book to read around Valentine’s Day.


The Giver
Dystopia, Science Fiction

I was drawn to reading dystopian novels this year – it, unfortunately, seems like they might be more and more relevant for our times… I had read this before many years ago, but enjoyed reading it as an adult. I have the second book in the series on the couch in my living room and plan to read it soon!


Religious/Spiritual


The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Spiritual Growth

“Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.”

I’ve been working lately to try and slow down the pace of life, but it’s difficult! My word for the year in 2025 was “Less” and the practice of slowing down and sabbath is still something I want to be intentional about. I read this and also Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer, I recommend them both!


Renewing God’s People: A Concise History of the Churches of Christ
Church history, Stone-Campbell movement, Christianity

Despite growing up in the Stone-Campbell/Church of Christ branch of Christianity, I really never grew up learning anything about Church of Christ history. Ironically I am now working in the archives department at a Church of Christ university and so the opportunity to learn has never been easier! This was a great (and concise, as advertised) explanation of how Churches of Christ were formed and how they have changed and evolved over the years.

Church history is not a topic that interests everyone, but I have found it helpful in my faith journey, especially as I’ve gone though a period of deconstruction recently.

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minimalist room with chair

My Word for 2025: LESS

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Last year was a big year for me – I set a lot of goals for myself and accomplished a lot.

Disneyland half marathon 2024 medals


I ran my first half marathon last year, and I loved the challenge so much that I ran a second one before the year was up!


I decided to try out for a play at one of our local theaters, and I landed a role in a production that was extremely meaningful and powerful and I was super proud to be part of it!


My husband and I had the joy of visiting friends in South Korea and seeing the sights in Seoul and Busan!


I went to the Eras Tour in New Orleans!!!

All in all, it was objectively a pretty awesome year!

Part of why I was so motivated to go all carpe diem last year was because I had been in such a funk over infertility, and I wanted to look back on 2024 and say, “that was a great year!” I recognized that (in part because I don’t have more than one child) I had the opportunity, time, and resources to do more things, and I wanted to capitalize on that.

As 2025 rolled around, and I thought about what I wanted my year to look like, I felt myself leaning in the opposite direction. At one of my recent therapy sessions, I told my counselor that I had been putting pressure on myself to do more and achieve more, simply because I “only” had one child. Like I owed it to myself and the world to do big things… While that is not a bad thing to aspire to, my therapist said something that has stuck with me: “you don’t have to try to earn your worth – you can just be.”

While I wouldn’t trade last year for anything, I do think a part of me may have been trying to prove something to myself and others… even if it was only subconsciously.

All that to say, there are seasons to life. Last year was a season of doing more, and now I want to be in a season of doing LESS.

As I began to think more about the idea of “less,” I initially thought about things I could give up doing: like doom scrolling on social media or watching t.v.

But it became less about that (pardon the pun!) and more about slowing down my pace of life and not needing to “do” anything to feel worthy of taking up space.

I thought about simple things I wanted to make more time for – like reading books, taking my dog Oliver out for walks, and cooking one meal a week for my family. I wanted to have more lazy Saturdays where we wake up and have zero plans for the day, and I can just enjoy being in my home with a nice-smelling candle and a warm cup of coffee, cuddled up next to the people (and animals) I love.

I want to have more margin in my life – to not worry about missing out on fun activities that I “should” be doing… especially when I’m so run down that the activities aren’t even fun anymore.

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