The Top Six Books I Read in 2025

I like to share the top six books I read each year, so I have compiled a list of the top six I read in 2025. As usual, they are not presented in order of preference but do represent my top six overall. If you want to keep up with everything I read, please subscribe to my newsletter below. I always highlight the top three books I read each month, so even if some are not quite good enough to make this list, I try to provide reasonable recommendations.

Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

I did not really expect to love this book as much as I did because it seems relatively dry, despite the tense subject matter. It essentially reads as a procedural of what would happen in the event of a nuclear attack on the United States. This portrayal is based on real-life interviews and reports, and I think that is what drew me to it. In some ways, it is ridiculous to even think about the implications of a nuclear world war. Still, the fact that it has essentially been war-gamed out makes you reflect on the fragility of basically our entire world.

Everything Is Never Enough: Ecclesiastes' Surprising Path to Resilient Happiness by Bobby Jamieson

I just read this book, and I am happy I was able to finish it before compiling this list. So many people struggle with dissatisfaction. They are frustrated with the way their lives and the world are, and as Christians, we sometimes struggle to articulate why the world is the way it is. Ecclesiastes presents a teacher wrestling with the same problem thousands of years ago, and this book is a very useful guide not only for working through what some people consider a challenging book of the Bible but also for many issues in our contemporary world.

The Sweaty Startup: How to Get Rich Doing Boring Things – A Practical Business Roadmap for Entrepreneurs Building Wealth Through Proven Ideas by Nick Huber

I love a good, practical business book. I get frustrated when I see people making giant, complicated business plans that are impossible to implement. It is a waste of time and money. This book reminds us that, in business and in everyday life, there is a lot of value in doing something simple efficiently and better than the incumbents. If you can do that, you have a very good chance of being successful. This is the kind of book I would give to a new college graduate who has big dreams but needs to be tethered to earth for fear of floating away into space.

Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy by Patrick Bet-David

I will add one more business book for you. This book focuses on decision-making and return on investment. Again, these are basic concepts, but so many people think with their hearts and not with their heads. They also get wrapped up in decision-making so much that they are functionally paralyzed. This book points to the importance of making decisions quickly. I have been working on this, and I think that most of us could use work in this area.

Spiritual Game Plan: Competing with Joy and Godliness by Graham Daniels

I love books about worldview and bringing together the sacred and the secular. I am so grateful that this book does that for sports. As a Christian athlete, I often wonder how much God cares about sports, and this book reminded me that sports are a gift we are meant to enjoy. We can have fun and be creative, but we also have the responsibility to be a good testimony in the way we compete. I don’t know if this was objectively the best book I read this year, but I think that it stuck with me the most.

The Storied Life: Christian Writing as Art and Worship by Jared C. Wilson

This is a practical book about writing, but it is specifically pointed toward Christian writers. It is not just about theological or devotional writing; it applies to any Christian who writes anything. This is another book that really embraces worldview thought, not just talking about “Christian writing” but how a Christian writes. I feel like we forget so often that our art, whatever that may be, can speak volumes about our worldview, even if it is not explicit.