I read a record-breaking 206 books in 2025. Two hundred and six. Even I had to sit down when I counted them up. Relatively few books earn top marks from me. I’m selective; in fact, my average rating is 3.77. If a book made this list, it did more than entertain—it lingered, stirred something, or flat-out impressed me. This year delivered—historical fiction, thrillers, literary standouts, faith-centered reads, and stories that stayed with me. I even ventured into a couple of memoirs, which isn’t typical for me. Growth! Below are my five-star reads of 2025, listed alphabetically. Across the Ages — Gabrielle Meyer Genre: Historical Fiction | Time-Slip | Christian Romance […]
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A Bold, Beautiful Shift for Baldacci
Strangers in Time is a refreshing change of pace for David Baldacci—and an absolute triumph. Best known for his pulse-pounding thrillers, Baldacci trades high-tech espionage for wartime Europe, and the result is a deeply human, emotionally rich novel that’s hard to put down. Set during World War II, this story isn’t just about battles and strategy. It’s about people—flawed, brave, complicated people—thrown into impossible circumstances. Baldacci’s gift for plotting is still here, but this time he leans hard into character. The relationships feel real, the dialogue is sharp, and the stakes are personal in all the right ways. He doesn’t just recreate the era—he brings it to life with skill […]
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A Masterpiece of Prose and Friendship: Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety
Few authors write with the grace of Wallace Stegner. Crossing to Safety isn’t just a novel—it’s a masterclass in storytelling, a beautifully crafted portrait of friendship, marriage, and time’s passage. Stegner’s prose is luminous, his sentences so exquisitely structured I often reread them just to savor their rhythm. If hard writing makes for easy reading, Stegner must have worked tirelessly to create a novel that feels effortless. The story follows two couples—Larry and Sally Morgan, Sid and Charity Lang—whose lives intertwine over four decades, from Depression-era Wisconsin to Vermont’s rolling hills. While Larry, an aspiring writer, finds success, his life is marked by hardship as Sally battles polio. Sid, […]
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Your Next 5-Star Read Is in Here ⭐ (Plus a Few to Skip)
Welcome to Amy’s Picks and Pans – Issue 40, where my reading life has clearly been living its best, most dramatic, globe-trotting existence. This batch took me from 16th-century France to the Canadian wilderness, from small-town courtrooms to Nazi Germany, and even into the delicate (and sometimes chaotic) corners of childhood and faith. In other words—no passport required, just a comfy chair. What struck me this month was the sheer range. I found myself completely swept away by a few unforgettable five-star reads (the kind that make you cancel plans and ignore laundry), while a handful of others didn’t quite stick the landing. There are powerful stories of resilience, richly […]
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Penguins, Personal Growth… and a Plot You’ve Seen Before
How the Penguins Saved Veronica is one of those light, feel-good reads that’s easy to pick up—but a little harder to fully love. The story alternates between Veronica, a wealthy, prickly loner, and Patrick, a directionless young man. For much of the book, neither is especially likable. Veronica is sharp-tongued and judgmental; Patrick is immature and self-absorbed. It takes a while—honestly, about two-thirds of the way through—before either begins to win you over. The premise is undeniably charming, even if it stretches believability. Antarctica makes for a fresh, icy backdrop, and the penguin scenes are the highlight—sweet, informative, and often the emotional glue holding the story together. You’ll even come […]
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Small-Town Secrets, Big-Time Twists—Slaughter Dials It Back (Just Enough)
In We Are All Guilty Here, Karin Slaughter kicks off her new North Falls series with a story that’s intense, twisty, and—dare I say—slightly less disturbing than some of her recent work. Either she’s easing up… or I’m getting used to it. (Also, I still can’t get over that’s her real name.) Set in a seemingly tight-knit Georgia town, the novel opens with the disappearance of two teenage girls during a Fourth of July celebration—an event that fractures the illusion that everyone knows everyone. Officer Emmy Clifton takes the case personally, and what unfolds is a layered mystery spanning years, riddled with secrets, guilt, and long-simmering resentments. What worked for […]
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Laugh-Out-Loud Wisdom from Washington’s Most Quotable Senator
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I don’t usually reach for overtly political books, but this one was the exception—and I’m so glad I listened to it. How to Test Negative for Stupid isn’t a policy deep dive; it’s more like pulling up a chair while Senator John Kennedy spins stories, cracks jokes, and quietly lands a few punches along the way. It’s no surprise this book became a huge bestseller—readers clearly can’t get enough of his brand of humor and straight talk. Kennedy has a gift. His one-liners are legendary, his metaphors are downright hilarious, and his observations about Washington are as sharp as they come. He doesn’t just aim across the aisle—he takes a few […]
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Justice, Redemption, and a Race to Save What Matters Most
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Saving Emma is a first-rate legal thriller that delivers both pulse-pounding suspense and a strong emotional punch—classic Allen Eskens. Boady Sanden, a law professor and former Innocence Project attorney, takes on what seems like a long-shot case: Elijah Matthews, a man confined to a psychiatric hospital after being convicted of murdering a megachurch pastor. Elijah claims innocence—and insists he’s a prophet. But as Boady digs in, he uncovers unsettling connections to a tragedy much closer to home: the death of his best friend, Ben, in Boady’s own house. At the same time, Ben’s teenage daughter, Emma—whom Boady and his wife have raised as their own—is slipping away, manipulated by […]
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A Fearless Life Lived on the Front Lines
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5 stars) Erika Robuck brings to life the extraordinary true story of Dickey Chapelle in The Last Assignment, and what a life it was. Chapelle’s daring career as a war correspondent—charging straight into combat zones when most would run the other way—makes for a fascinating and often humbling read. It’s the kind of story that leaves you looking at your own life and thinking… well, maybe I’ll just stay safely on my couch with a good book. Robuck does a wonderful job capturing both the grit and the inner drive of a woman who refused to live small. There’s a strong sense of purpose woven throughout the narrative, a reminder […]
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A Beautifully Written Journey That Takes Its Time
⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5 stars rounded up to 4) Nathan Harris’s Amity is a gripping story about a brother and sister, emancipated from slavery but still searching for true freedom, and their odyssey across the deserts of Mexico to reunite—all while fleeing a former master who refuses to let them go. Set in 1866, the novel follows Coleman and June, siblings separated when their former owner hauls June off to Mexico chasing silver and control. When Coleman is later summoned to follow, what unfolds is a sprawling adventure filled with shipwrecks, captivity, desert crossings, and a relentless chase. Both siblings must wrestle with a hard truth: freedom isn’t always given—it’s taken. Harris […]
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