The Year So Far (In Books)!

Before 2025, it was a hot minute since I was actively reading books. It's sad, I know. I was sad whenever I thought about it! I knew, something has to change. I used to love reading. Why can I never find the time? 

So, I set an ambitious goal for myself. "I, Amaris, WILL read 25 books in 2025". 

I am proud to say that, according to my Goodreads data, I am "2 books ahead of schedule" so far this year!

Below are the books I've read so far, and my thoughts on them. I hope you are inspired in your own reading journey!

Liturgy of the Ordinary | Tish Harrison Warren

Finished: January 1st, 2025 (most of the reading was done in 2024, and I was surprised by finishing it on the 1st of the year, to give myself a head start on the count!)

My Rating: ★★★★★

This book is so golden. The perfect read for slowing down and appreciating life and all the presence of GOD it contains. The author walks through various hum-drum ordinary life occurrences, habits, and rituals and views them through the lens of God's perfect love and plan for us. When I'm tempted to be bored, I will remember this book and that boredom is where GOD can be seen and heard the most! It had me tearing up at it's beauty. 

The False Prince | Jennifer A. Nielsen

Finished: February 17th, 2025

My Rating: ★★★★☆

I thought this was a second read-through, but after looking at more data on Goodreads, apparently this was my THIRD read through. That should tell you at least that it's good enough for a second read! I think, at my age, the teenage suspense doesn't quite hit the same as it used to, but I still really enjoyed it. And it's still has one of my favorite plot twists!

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold | C.S. Lewis

Finished: March 9th, 2025

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I couldn't get behind this book. I had heard so many good things about it, even from some that it was Lewis' "best work ever" and I couldn't agree at all! It was too weird, too unsatisfying, I even tried to do some internet searching to find out more about the original myth to try to get some context, but it didn't help things. I don't know how true it is, but I heard that Lewis' friend Tolkien tried to convince him to not publish it, and I can't help but agree. I can't say it was all bad. Honestly the first half of the book was very promising, but the second half fell so short of that it was like a different book. 

The Rosie Project | Graeme Simsion 

Finished: March 17th, 2025

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

This was such a fun read! I read this book with a friend of mine. We meet on Monday evenings and read through books together. This one had us captivated, laughing, and even almost tearing up with the romance at times! There are two caveat's to this: I (my friend and I both) HATED the conclusion! It was so confusing unnecessarily! We even tried to Google more info after the book was over to get more info, and the internet is annoyed as we were. The other note is, this book is a very easy fun read. As in, light reading or Hallmark Channel vibes. But, it wasn't completely cheesy and the characters I felt actually had some decent depth. It really depends if that's your thing. All in all my friend and I really enjoyed. 

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times | Katherine May

Finished: March 19th, 2025

My Rating: ★★★★★

Review from my Goodreads: I adored this book. It nourished my mind the way a breath of fresh air heals my soul. How much more poignant were her chapters that I was able to read each one according to the season it was written for! The book goes through chapters of September through late March and I managed to read each one during it appropriate time. This book carried me through winter in many ways. “Nature shows that survival is a practice. Sometimes it flourishes—lays on fat, garlands itself in leaves, makes abundant honey-and sometimes it pares back to the very basics of existence in order to keep living. It doesn't do this once, re-sentfully, assuming that one day it will get things right and everything will smooth out. It winters in cycles, again and again, forever and ever. It attends to this work each and every day. For plants and animals, winter is part of the job. The same is true for humans.”

Relational Intelligence: How Leaders Can Expand Their Influence Through a New Way of Being Smart | Steve Saccone

Finished: March 22nd, 2025

My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

This book was, in a word, unhelpful. Insightful? Perhaps, a bit. But really unhelpful. He has great ideas but doesn't talk very much about how to implement them. There is zero practical help and no "how" to be found. Fun fact about this book in the challenge, I've actually been reading this book since 2021! That's how "bad" my reading had gotten. So as much as the book was not helpful, at least it felt satisfying to finish it once and for all!

Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? | Timothy J. Keller

Finished: May 1st, 2025

My Rating: ★★★★★

This was such a helpful and good book in so many ways. I personally picked up this book as recommended by a friend after I went no contact with a narcissistic family member. I had prior understanding of the basic doctrines of the concept of forgiveness, but this book made it all so much clearer to me as well as validated my decisions while helping me to search my heart to ensure I had actually forgiven. This is one of those books that I know I will return to again and again throughout my life as various things happen in which forgiveness is warranted. 

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth | Ina May Gaskin

Finished: May 8th, 2025

My Rating: ★★★★★

If I could go back in time and finish this book before I had my baby (who is almost two at this point in time), I know things would have been vastly different as far as my birth experience. This is a part of my life that I am grieving still, and learning to forgive myself and the people in my life at that time who contributed to the outcome of my birth experience. All that to say, I highly recommend this book to any and all childbearing age women who hope to birth, or are in a season of currently having children. Ina tackles every part of the birthing process in a way that is not fearful or daunting - but empowering and educating by sharing science backed research and history about the female body and it's amazing design to birth! Despite the birth trauma from my son, I am looking forward to rather than fearing my next birth!

Every Woman a Theologian: Know What You Believe. Live it Confidently. Communicate it Graciously | Phylicia D. Masonheimer

Finished: May 13th: 2025

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

I should correct the title to say something more like: "Every Woman a Theologian: Learn What You Believe, So You Can Live it Confidently and Communicate it Graciously" which I think would be more in line with what the book actually covered. It's a great reference point for the various fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, which the author communicates in a concise and digestible way! It is a great starting point for any newer Christian. The book didn't cover much of the applicable, practical ways of "living out the theology" as her title suggests. I expected the book to cover first what the Christian life entails (theology wise), and then showing what that looks like in real life. I think if this was the case I would have liked it better and felt it more relevant to me. 

Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier

Finished: May 22nd, 2025

My Rating: ★★★★☆

From my Goodreads: I liked this book for the most part. At times it dragged with the main character’s constant inner thoughts, misgivings, and insecurities which could be frustrating… BUT it was written very beautifully and with the feeling of such delicious suspense that I felt ultimately paid off.

My main disappointment was the lack of a more satisfying aftermath or conclusion, as well as most of the characters annoyed me and felt one dimensional (Maxim, I REALLY wanted to fell head over heels for Maxim’s character… how much better would this book have been if the author could’ve shown us more to love in him like the main character saw - ***SPOILER*** all of this with the murder aside of course*** END OF SPOILER***). 

What’s more, even the main character’s “depth” was really just layers of self-pity and low self-esteem.

I actually liked her a little toward the end of the book, when she finally showed some boldness and spoke her mind “after all, I am the new Mrs. de Winter”. But alas, that version of her only appeared for such a short time that it hardly made a difference in helping me like her.

All in all it was a pretty OK book and I would recommend it as a classic read.

The Bridges of Madison County | Robert James Waller

Finished: May 28th, 2025

My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

BOOOOOooo cheating! This book was just bad. It was like the author decided to publish his personal journal fantasy in order to imagine himself as a hunky photographer stud that makes love to random lonely and bored housewives on road trips who regret their life (and husband) choices. It was basically a romanticization of cheating. Moving on.

Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers | Karyl McBride

Finished: May 28th, 2025

My Rating: ★★★★★

From my Goodreads: When I told my friend that I had gone no-contact with my narcissistic mother and how hard that journey was for me, she handed me this book and said “read this, I’ve cried many tears onto the pages of this book, and I hope it will help you as much as it helps me.” my response: “I will add my tears on top of yours!” And that’s exactly what happened. 

This book is by far one of the best things that has helped me heal as an adult daughter of an emotionally immature mother. If I could take the face of every struggling adult daughter in this same situation in my hands and tell them “you are good enough, you can do this!” And hand them this book I would. I would tell them you deserve so much more, you deserve to heal for yourself and you deserve to heal for your family. You are not your mother and you can get past this!

The author leaves no aspect of our complex and emotionally difficult situation untouched. She covers the relationship between daughter and mother during childhood, the effect of the mother’s behavior on the rest of the family, different types of resulting adults based on childhood (the high achieving daughter, self sabotaging daughter, etc.). How to begin recovery, how to go through the grieving process, how to avoid becoming like your mother, and ending the narcissistic legacy. 

I wish I had had this book a year ago when I first went no contact, it would’ve helped so much with my feeling of loss, grief, and struggle of how to proceed in that new beginning. Going through the activities in this book might be one of the hardest things you do, but it would be so worth it. 

My plan is to immediately start the book again with highlighters, pens, and a journal to get the absolute most out of this wonderfully validating and helpful book!

Well, there you have it folks! The Year So Far in Books! Please let me know if you have read any of the above works, and if you agree or disagree with my thoughts on any of them! 

I didn't plan to take such a long hiatus from blogging (last post being January and it's now May), but I hope to post some life updates soon. Farewell in the meantime!

- Amaris ☆ //