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2025 Book Challenge: January Update

The response to the 2025 Reading Challenge has been overwhelming! What fun chatting books with you all this past month has been.

(Visit the original challenge post if you have no idea what I’m talking about and would like to join us for the rest of the year!) Don’t forget that kids can join us, too. I’ve heard from some of you that you’re including your children, which makes me extra happy!

What people love about this reading challenge is that it is NO STRESS. If you want to participate, that’s fine. If you don’t, you can watch from the sidelines. Some of you have been very active chatting books in our Facebook group and on Instagram. Others observe. (Whatever floats your boat - I’m just happy we’re all reading!)

2025 Reading Challenge Update/January

What I Read in January

Choosing a book with the word “winter” in the title proved to be a bit difficult. There were several suggestions, and I ultimately chose one I already owned and wanted to read - Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher.

My review from Instagram:

As you can tell, this was a five-star book for me. The characters I could fall in love with, a cozy setting, and redemption throughout will make this a favorite of mine for all time.

February Homegrown Book Picks Challenge

In February our challenge is to read a classic. That’s a broad category, isnt’ it?

I’ve decided to read Jane Austen’s Emma. This is a book I haven’t read, and it’s perfect for a month when we celebrate love. A special shoutout goes to a young lady I’ve known since she was little. We talked books as she was growing up, and she is now in college and still an avid reader. She suggested to me that I read this classic!

I purchased this sweet Puffin in Bloom edition at the beginning of the year, too!

February Book Challenge Classic: Emma by Jane Austen

15 Classics You Might Enjoy

I’m including several classics I have read and loved, in case you need to narrow down your options. I’ve found them approachable and enjoyable.

Keep in Touch!

I would love to connect with you! You can leave a comment here, or join me on Facebook or Instagram.

What do you plan to read for our February challenge?

You might also like:

What if my child doesn’t LIKE to read?

How to Set Reading Goals with Children

10 Clean Book Favorites

Do you have difficulty finding books that are just good, clean reads?

I used to struggle a lot with this, but over the past few years, I’ve become “plugged in” to many ways to find interesting, educational, suspenseful, clean reads.

The books I will list here (more than ten because a few are series recommendations) are perfect for adults, but I wouldn’t hesistate to hand them to teens, either. Several of these were recommended by high school and college-age girls I know.

So… get out your TBR (I like to keep track of books I want to read on Goodreads), and I hope you discover some new books in this post!

10 Clean Book Favorites

I love reading across various genres, so hopefully, you will find something here no matter what you prefer!

Historical Fiction Clean Books

The Timeless Series by Gabrielle Meyer

I have read the first two books in this series (the third is coming out soon) and love them because they are strongly based on history and have the element of “time crossing.” Gabrielle Meyer (a homeschool mom) has done a lot of research, and we learn about the Civil War, Pear Harbor, WWI, September 11, and more.

The main character in each book lives in different eras of history and must decide by her 21st birthday which era she wants to remain in! The best thing about these books is that all of the characters are aware of God’s sovereignty and goodness in their lives and listen to Him for guidance.

I’m not one for time travel in books, but I couldn’t read these two books fast enough!

The Swan House Trilogy by Elizabeth Musser

I breezed through all three of these books last summer! They were set at the historic Swan House and were of great interest to me because they were set in and around Atlanta.

The first book, The Swan House, sets the stage by introducing our main character:

“Mary Swan Middleton has always taken for granted the advantages of her family’s wealth. But a tragedy that touches all of Atlanta sends her reeling in grief. When the family maid challenges her to reach out to the less fortunate as a way to ease her own pain, Mary Swan meets Carl—and everything changes. For although Carl is her opposite in nearly every way, he has something her privileged life could not give her. And when she seeks his help to uncover a mystery, she learns far more than she ever could have imagined.”
— book jacket

Through the series, we travel through Mary Swan’s life and witness her faith and resiliency. Her life is far from perfect, but that is what I loved about the book.

The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green

Jocelyn Green is a go-to author for me when I am seeking clean historical fiction.

The Metropolitan Affair takes place during the Roaring 1920s. It is a love story set in the museum, and we get a behind-the-scenes look at museum work and art fraud. If you like a bit of a mystery, this one is for you!

The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

This book is TOUGH. It is based on the true story of Holocaust heroine Stefania Podgórska, a 16-year-old Catholic girl in Poland who not only took care of her younger sister but also hid 13 Jewish people in the attic of her tiny apartment.

If you or the reader you are giving this to is sensitive to violence and suffering, please be aware that parts of the book can be dark. Ultimately, there is a message of hope and love. As noted, the book is YA, so it’s great for your high school readers.

Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce

This is another first in the series… I quickly read the rest of the series when I finished Dear Mrs. Bird! (They made for great poolside reading last summer.)

This book was funny, serious, sad, historical, and full of hope and goodness.

Set in London during the early years of WWII, our narrator is Emmy, doing her best for the war effort and pursuing her dream of being a war correspondent. War is devastating, and life turns out much differently than expected, but the resilience, grit, and humanity shown by all the characters make this a gem of a book.

Literary Fiction and Romance Clean Books

The Incredible Winston Browne by Sean Dietrich

Sean Dietrich (aka Sean of the South") is my favorite living writer. His books are full of humor, warmth, insight, and faith. I’ve read everything he’s written, and I think The Incredible Winston Browne is my top pick.

This is the story of a small-town sheriff, a mysterious little girl, and a community that comes together to help her. The theme of this story (and his others) is that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things.

The Printed Letter Bookshop and Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

It must tell you something that I’ve included two books by Katherine Reay in this list. Her books are a SURE THING and are among the very few books I take the time to reread!

These books are light and sweet but have a deeper meaning simultaneously. Katherine Reay weaves her faith so naturally into her books, and it brightly shines through. You really can’t go wrong with anything she has written.

I’m Not Charlotte Lucas by Kasey Stockton

I love a good romance, and I’m Not Charlotte Lucas is one of them.

“Northern California girl Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Lucas has two great loves: Diet Coke and Pride and Prejudice. But her passion for Regency classics is tempered by a very real fear: Charlie is terrified of having to endure the fate of her namesake—spinsterhood. Despite her best attempts to maintain a modern sensibility, she can’t say no when an elderly neighbor asks Charlie to attend a charity ball with her grandson. Blind date or not, Charlie is powerless to resist the allure of a real-life ball. Soon it’s clear that she will struggle to resist the charms of her blind date too.”
— book jacket

I appreciated the 100% wholesomeness of this book and the celebration of family values - so refreshing for a contemporary romance.

For More Book Recommendations:

Connect with me on Instagram and Goodreads for more book recommendations.

If you’re looking for a community of like-minded readers, check out my private Facebook group, Homegrown Book Picks. It’s my favorite place to be online!

Do you have a favorite clean book recommendation? Please leave it in the comments below… I’m always looking for more books to read!