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Tobi’s 2025 Book Awards

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It’s that time where I look back over the books I read the previous year. I’m giving out five awards of my own making, followed by a list of five additional favorite reads. At the end of the post you’ll see the complete list of 27 books I finished, plus a few that I read parts of.

The Favorite New Author award goes to Rachel Naomi Remen. Her book, Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, surprised me with its depth. (Free printable quotes available here and here). I couldn’t quite put a finger on why I kept wanting to turn the pages and read more, but I did. Her stories are powerful in their simplicity, beautifully painting a picture of human healing and wholeness. I’m now halfway through another of her books, My Grandfather’s Blessings, and find it equally satisfying.

The Most Underlined Book award goes to Good Inside, by Dr. Becky Kennedy. Never has a complete stranger seemingly looked into my soul and given words to my experience in the way that Dr. Becky did, particularly in the first half of this book on parenting. I experienced it as a get-your-hands-dirty guide through story work, attachment, belonging, and how we communicate those things to our children. Her clarity of thought and wisdom are fitting of a person decades older. 

The Most Fun Read award goes to Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Captivating, pithy, funny, challenging. (Free printable quotes available here and here). I cut out the excerpt on the back of the dust jacket and it hangs on the door of my office:

“Creativity is sacred,
and it is not sacred.
What we make matters enormously,
and it doesn’t matter at all.
We toil alone, and we are
accompanied by spirits.
We are terrified, and we are brave.
Art is a crushing chore and
a wonderful privilege.
The work wants to be made, and
it wants to be made through you.”

The Practical and Impactful award goes to Writing Alone and With Others, by Pat Schneider. This was my guidebook for leading creative writing groups, an incredibly rewarding endeavor that took flight in 2025.

The final award, Best Story, goes to The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown. Brown skillfully weaves together the stories of the men who made up the University of Washington rowing team that would win the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany. It schooled me in rowing, the Great Depression, and Nazi Germany—a worthwhile education on all counts. Most of all, it’s a story of deep and lasting kinship. 

Five additional favorites:
The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff, which I read for the second (or third?) time (Free printable quotes here)
The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany, by Frederick Buechner
The Art of Memoir, by Mary Karr
Circle of Grace, a book of poetry by Jan Richardson
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, by Ben Montgomery

I read for much the same reason that I go on coffee dates and volunteer in the community. I want to see and I want to be seen. And the more I see and am seen, the more I am aware of our interconnected universe, the more I am challenged to hold both joy and pain, and the more gentle I become. For my fellow readers, may you be fed and fueled by the words you read this year, and may you become fiercely kind.

COMPLETE 2025 BOOK LIST

STORIES

Puck Farkinsons: A Parkinson’s Memoir, Mike Justak, 91
14:19:22 audio book, The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, Ben Montgomery, 268
Parkinson’s Humor, Beverly Ribaudo, 212
Four Against the Wilderness, Elmo Wortman, 210

FICTION

The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family, Joshua Cohen, 237
On The Brink, Michael E. Cafferky, 320

SPIRITUAL/CREATIVE

Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers, Anne Lamott, 102
The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff, 158
Wake Up Laughing: A Spiritual Autobiography, Pat Schneider, 197
Writing Alone and With Others, Pat Schneider, 361
Etty Hillesum: Essential Writings, Selected with an Introduction by Annemarie S. Kidder, 157
Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert, 272
The Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris, 382
The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany, Frederick Buechner, 123
Invitations to Rest Right Where You Are, Alicia Worley Palacios, 125
Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., 333
Loving the Present: Sufism, Mindfulness, & Recovery from Addiction & Mental Illness, Sarah Huxtable Mohr, 152
Write for Life, Julia Cameron, 181
The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr, 218

POETRY

Given: Poems, Wendell Berry, 147
Circle of Grace, Jan Richardson, 180
Same, Hannah Rosenberg, 215
Prayer Poems From a Reluctant Disciple, Anthony Pfannenstiel, 73

OTHER

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, Mary Roach, 327
Good Inside, Dr. Becky Kennedy, 303
Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk, 246

PARTIAL READS

The Second Brain: Your Gut Has a Mind of Its Own, Michael D. Gershon, M.D., read over 200 pages
How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage, Milan and Kay Yerkovich, read sections as assigned by our marriage counselor, probably about half the book
Mistress Pat, L.M. Montgomery, read less than two chapters

Books I Read In 2024

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I read 26 books last year. Let’s look at the boring category first: SELF HELP. (I won’t tell if you skip down the page)

Two of these books were suggested by friends, who read them with me. I’ve copied a favorite quote from each book.

“People who don’t know what they find satisfying generally struggle to know who they really are. Our identity and our passions are intimately connected.” (page 168)
The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled People, Marcus Warner and Chris M. Coursey, 179

“… if we are to stay connected with our soul, we will need to have the capacity to sometimes be dreadful, objectionable, or offensive.” (pages 64-65)
The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire, Lisa Marchiano, LCSW, 249

“Other people’s frustrations won’t kill you. Their opinions can’t take you out. You can indeed choose a new yes, or a continued yes. You can keep at the thing you love, even if it isn’t producing results yet. You can say yes to what you want to say yes to. … Are you just into it? That is reason enough.” (page 129)
Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You, Jen Hatmaker, 221

“There is a season between deliverance and dominion that is called dependence.” (page 193)
She Is Free: Learning the Truth About the Lies That Hold You Captive, Andi Andrew, 203

FICTION. In 2023 I read only one work of fiction—I edited it for a friend. I determined to read more fiction in 2024, and I did! I enjoyed, but didn’t love, these reads. Maybe 2025 will be the year I find a fiction book to love.

The Innocents at Home: Children of the 1940’s, Mary Stone, 241

Facing the Dawn, Cynthia Ruchti, 310

Love, Jacaranda, Alex Flinn, 356

All Other Nights, Dara Horn, 363

One Corpse Too Many, Ellis Peters, 275

The Minister’s Restoration, George MacDonald, edited by Michael R. Phillips, 207

POETRY. I had the privilege of joining the book launch team for Marla Taviano’s book whole: poems on reclaiming the pieces of ourselves and creating something new (268 pp.). It’s a quick, fun read, and Marla’s authenticity creates space for a whole range of questions and “questionable thoughts” about Christianity/religion.

Made of Rivers by Emory Hall (68 pp.) is fabulous. It was recently re-released with thirty additional poems. Go buy it.

OR, if you can only buy one book of poetry today, you might consider All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living, by Morgan Harper Nichols (182 pp.). My dream as a writer is to create spaces with my words that allow folks to breathe, allow their souls to sit down in peace. This collection of poems did those exact things for me. It’s a wonderful read for a quiet hour on the weekend, or a way to rest your spirit when you climb in bed at night.

CREATIVITY AND WRITING. I’ve read some pretty amazing books by writers, about writing. Lots of people write about things they know about, and the books are good, but reading the words of a skilled writer is always more fun. Maybe I’m biased, but I think the best how-to books are about writing, because writers wrote them. Am I making any sense?

Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (235 pp.), would fall in the category of excellent-book-about-writing, written by an excellent writer. And if you like The Artist’s Way, she has perhaps a dozen more books with related content. Take a deep dive.

The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul With Monastic Wisdom, by Christine Valters Paintner (162 pp.), is an invitation to embrace the intersection of the spiritual and the creative—or, in her words, your inner monk and inner artist. I loved every page, had a lot of fun with the writing prompts, and tried some new things, like wabi-sabi photography.

Mark Yaconelli’s book, Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us (183 pp.), is a compelling showcase for the power of story. It reignited my passion for storytelling and story-listening as community activities.

STORIES. All good. Of course the one about Gregory Boyle (G-dog) was a favorite, along with What My Bones Know. My daughter picked up The Invisible Thread at a used book fair. It’s the memoir of a young second-generation Japanese American who lived in a U.S. concentration camp during World War II. I read it because I knew nothing about the experience of Japanese Americans during the war, and to see if it was appropriate for an 11-year-old to read (in my opinion, it is).

G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles, Celeste Fremon, 314

Happy Trails: The Story of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, with Carlton Stowers, 207

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou, 289

Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir, Rebecca Carroll, 318

A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash, Sylvia Nasar, 390

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma, Stephanie Foo, 321

The Invisible Thread, Yoshiko Uchida, 133

SOUL FOOD, my favorite! The books in the CREATIVITY AND WRITING category would fit here as well.

Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (331 pp.)—it’s popular for a reason. The blend of delectable writing with deep insight and the permission to be human made it a special occasion each time I sat down to read. I celebrated these good feelings by taking the book to a coffee shop a few times, to revel in the experience.

Here’s a favorite passage from Somehow: Thoughts on Love, by Anne Lamott (191 pp.). I don’t know how I got by with reading only one Lamott book in 2024, and I plan to partake of at least a few this year.
“When we screw up … it is never the final word. The fact that this happens to all of us allows us to have a tenderness about the broken places. … hope is believing this one thing, that love is bigger than any grim, bleak shit anyone can throw at us. And I believe. Also, my experience is that grace bats last.” (pages 85-86)

And, without planning it, the first book I read in 2024 is last on the list: Running to the Mountain: A Midlife Adventure, by Jon Katz (242 pp). Here’s a quote.
“Spirituality is usually presented in terms of the Big Payoff—Merton finds faith sitting in a church one day. I’d expected something similarly dramatic. It took me weeks to grasp that this was going to be painstaking and meticulous work, hand-to-hand combat of the most intensely personal sort—with myself. Day by day, chore by chore, I’d know more in six months or a year—if I were lucky—than I did now.” (page 83)

And that concludes my reading for last year.