Top Must-Read Books of 2025

Posted byKelsey GietlPosted inMain Newsletter (Monthly Updates), Top Ten Tuesday

2025 was a great year for reading! I finished 77 books with many wonderful 4 and 5 star selections. As the year comes to a close, here are my Top 10 recommended reads, listed first by genre, then by author’s last name. Have you read any of these? Which books should I add to my must-read list in 2026?

(Note: I receive no compensation for featuring the books below.)

This year, my reading list was light on Historical Fiction (surprising I know), so it was pretty easy to choose my Top 10. Historical Fantasy and Time Travel are included in the Speculative category below.

Tri-Timeline: Splinters and Seams by Courtney Rivera, Dual Timeline 1920s/1960s: The Bootlegger’s Betrayal by Tanya E. Williams, Protestant Reformation: Secret Dwellings by Angelina Salvaggio (1st in series), American Revolution: Perpetual Rainbows by Jessika Caruso (1st in series), American Frontier: On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1830s: Some Melodious Sonnet by Jennifer Q. Hunt (1st in series), 1850s: The Bachelor and the Bride by Sarah Eden (4th in series, but I read as a standalone), 1910s: Hope Like Wildflowers by Pepper Basham (3rd in series, but I read as a standalone), 1920s: Whispers of Her Worth by Tanya E. Williams, World War II: The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn (2nd in series, Note for clean readers: There is one open door sex scene.),

I read way more Contemporary Fiction this year, so narrowing the choices was more difficult. These are mostly romances with a few exceptions, such as The Fire of Your Love which is centered around religious vocations.

Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox, For Eden’s Sake by T.M. Gaouette, The Crafted With Love series by Maddie Evans (Book 3 was my favorite, but the entire series was great), The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson, Summer Ever After by Kortney Keisel, The Fire of Your Love by Erin Lewis (3rd in series, I recommend reading in order), A Name to Remember by Hannah Hood Lucero, Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker (1st in series)

I’m smashing all these genres together as I didn’t have enough in any one for a Top 10.

Paranormal: The Curse He Chose by Sr. Allison Regina Gliot (1st in series, I don’t usually enjoy paranormal, but I’ve already pre-ordered book 2), Time Travel: Braving Strange Waters by Sarah Hanks (1st in series), In this Moment and For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer (2nd and 3rd in series), Dystopian: Scythe by Neal Shusterman (1st in series), Historical Fantasy Re-reads: Sorcerous & Treacherous by Susan Laspe (1st & 2nd in series), Afterlife Fiction (because I don’t know what to call it): A Hiker’s Guide to Purgatory by Michael Norton, The Historical Fiction/Dystopian/Magical realism/Romance series I didn’t know I wanted to binge read and then loved: The Land Uncharted series by Keely Brooke Keith (15-book series, I never start a series this long, but it was well worth it. Book 1 & 15 are pictured. Book 16 coming soon.)

I have to give an extra special shout-out to my fellow Catholic Christian authors. My Catholic reads were extremely varied this year from historical to fantasy to contemporary to paranormal with all but two being new to me authors.

Historical Fiction: Perpetual Rainbows by Jessika Caruso (1st in series), Secret Dwellings by Angelina Salvaggio (1st in series), Contemporary Romance: The Crafted with Love series by Maddie Evans, Pro-Life Romance: For Eden’s Sake by T.M. Gaouette, Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker (1st in series), Paranormal: The Curse He Chose by Sr. Allison Regina Gliot (1st in series), Historical Fantasy Re-read: Sorcerous by Susan Laspe (1st in series), Religious Vocations Fiction: The Fire of Your Love by Erin Lewis (3rd in series, I recommend reading in order), Afterlife Fiction (because I still don’t know what to call it): A Hiker’s Guide to Purgatory by Michael Norton, Non-Fiction: Near Death Experiences by Scott L. Smith, Jr.

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Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

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Published by Kelsey Gietl

I’m Kelsey Gietl, a Missouri native, Catholic Christian, cover designer, and award-winning author of historical fiction with a dose of romance and a dash of intrigue. Connect with me on my website (kelseygietl.com).

13 thoughts on “Top Must-Read Books of 2025”

  5. I don’t think I even got in five historical fiction books in 2025. Odd, because I love them but I was on a suspense kick. I haven’t read any of these but there are a few I’ve wanted to.

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  6. Wow! Great lists! I love all the fleshing out of your different genres and such. I think the only book on here that I have read already is On the Banks of Plum Creek, but I have read other things by a lot of these authors, like Sarah Hanks, Hannah Hood Lucero, Jennifer Q. Hunt, and Pepper Basham.

    Here’s my TTT this week, if you are curious 🙂

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