Every December since I started writing monthly reading logs (2017), I've considered doing a "Best Of" column, reviewing everything I read over the course of the year and telling you what I liked most. The trouble is, I usually have that idea around December 26 or so, and can't muster up the time, focus, or willpower to hammer out such a column.
But this year, I did something that's normally anathema to me: I planned ahead. Only took me 8 years!
This year I read 58 "real" books—and set a new personal record for pages read, at 18,848—along with 32 comic book trade paperbacks of varying lengths. Genres included books about faith, children's literature, horror, fantasy, literary fiction, the aforementioned comic books, and more. I also regularly read a series of of magazines and online newsletters, including but not limited to The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Texas Monthly, and The Athletic. I like to read :)
So without further ado, here are some superlatives for 2025! Links to full reviews are attached.
BEST ARTICLE OF 2025
This first-person, eyewitness account of the July 4 flood in Texas' Hill Country is both riveting and tragic, which is why it has become, according to Texas Monthly's Editor-in-Chief, likely the most widely read article in the history of the magazine. Writer Aaron Parsley tells the story of how his own family, who had gathered together for the holiday, were swept away by the waters of the Guadalupe River, and how they were changed forever by the experience. When I read this at 5:30 AM in a rental house in Port Aransas, I was in tears—and I'm not talking misty eyes, I'm talking tears streaming down my cheeks. Find some time when you know you won't be interrupted and read this.
Runner Up: The Anti-Social Century by Derek Thompson (The Atlantic)
BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2025
This year my two older kids and I finished working through a boxed set of Roald Dahl's complete works of children's literature, and I learned that you can go home again: my favorite Dahl book today is the same one I loved best when I was Andrew's age. A precocious child, badly behaved adults, and lots of imagination make this the perfect Dahl book.
Runner Up: Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park by Aaron Johnson
BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2025
This love letter to Dirk Nowitzki was just what I needed after the disastrous news of the Luka Trade. Between the Vegas owners, the AAC strife with the Stars, and the eternally injured Anthony Davis, this isn't a fun time to be a Mavs fan—but this book took me back to the franchise's glory days, when a goofy blonde German spent 21 years winning a city's heart forever.
Runner Up: The Only Rule Is It Has to Work by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller
BEST NOVEL OF 2025
I didn't realize it until I was looking at the year's logs, but I didn't fall in love with any new novels this year. So both the winner and the runner-up in this category go to rereads. The Shining is, I think, the first Stephen King book I ever read, and a deserved horror classic. A perfect companion for spooky season this October.
Runner Up: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2025
This book, a gift from my brother Nathan, was one I'd never heard of until he put it in my hands, but I loved it. Part gothic horror, part family drama, the whole thing is an original self-contained story by the all-star team that gave us Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. An easy story to miss, but one I'm glad I didn't.
Runner Up: I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer
BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2025
This collection of interviews with workers of all stripes about their employment is earthy and enlightening. A bit dated now (it was published in 1974), it is nevertheless an insightful look at the relationship Americans have with their jobs, told in their own words.
Runner Up: The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House by John F. Harris
BEST CHRISTIAN BOOK OF 2025
This account of what it means to be a church's shepherd is biblical, theological, and well, pastoral, all at once. Few writers of such books seem to have an idea of what it means to spiritually lead a church, but Willimon does. I learned a lot and appreciated his insights into the task God has given me.
Runner Up: The Cross of Christ by John Stott
BEST BEACH READ OF 2025
This was a perfect read for a couple of long flights, a loving account of all the ins and outs of The West Wing, one of my all-time favorite TV shows. Obsessive fans of the show ("Wingnuts") will eat it up, as I did.
Runner Up: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, edited by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann
BEST COMICS OF 2025
Jason Aaron's seminal run on Thor, featuring everything from the introduction of the God Butcher to Jane Foster wielding the hammer to the War of the Realms, is arguably the best extended run on the character by any creator (only the Lee-Kirby pairing and Walt Simonson have an argument). If only Taika Waititi had borrowed this run's tone, not just its plotlines, for Thor: Love and Thunder.
Runner Up: 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente by Wilfred Santiago
BEST POETRY OF 2025
This slim book of erasure poetry is easy to digest, clever, and illuminating. If all poetry was this enjoyable, I'd probably read a lot more of it.
Runner Up: Forever Words by Johnny Cash
BEST MAGAZINE/BLOG/NEWSLETTER OF 2025
This daily-ish newsletter by my favorite sportwriter runs the gamut from current events in sports to deep dives into baseball history to Posnanski's latest obsession, fountain pens. You never know what you're going to get on any given day, but you always know it will be entertaining and well-written.
Runner Up: Texas Monthly
BIGGEST SLOG OF 2025
Ulysses was written, I am convinced, to punish its readers. It worked. 'Nuff said.
Runner Up: The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
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