Currently reading…
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
This is a wonderful book set in 1964 South Carolina. It tells the story of a young girl in search of information about her mother, who died when she was young. She runs away from a verbally abusive father and finds a house of sisters who take her in and show her the care that she has longed for. I highly recommend this book because it is well-written, touching, and it reveals what relationships were like between races in the South during that time. It’s also a wonderful movie starring Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning.
Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge
I would highly recommend this book to every woman and many men who want to get into a woman’s head. The book focuses on the way women view themselves. Instead of seeing ourselves as captivating, as God does, we allow circumstances in our lives to alter our perspectives. This book is a great way to show women how to see themselves as God does….as loved, cherished and absolutely captivating to our Maker.
I Don’t Want Your Sex For Now by Miles McPherson
This book was written by my pastor and is focused on purity before marriage. The book is geared toward high school students, but has some useful ideals for many ages. Staying pure can be difficult, depending on the crowd you spend time with, so I believe any additional insight and guidance one can get is helpful. I would recommend it to anyone who desires to save sex for marriage.
The Spiderwick Chronicles
These are 5 children’s books that make up a single story. They’re a quick read and are somewhat similar to Harry Potter without the magic. The Spiderwick Chronicles include invisible creatures, trolls, and other interesting characters. The books were recently made into a movie as well.
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
If you’ve seen The Devil Wears Prada movie, don’t expect this book to have the same storyline. The only thing the book and movie share is a mean boss. Most everything else is different, including the fact that the book contains much more curse words. I highly recommend the movie, but am not as big a fan of the book. It is an easy read, though.
Stand Against the Wind by Erwin Raphael McManus
This is a good, uplifting read. It contains many great moral viewpoints that truly make you think about how you lead your life and what you need to change. It’s an quick, easy read that I think everyone would benefit from.
I haven’t had much time to read regular books lately because I’m studying for the GRE. I would not recommend this book unless you really have to study for the GRE, but it is a great resource. It helps not only with test preparation, which includes a multitude of practice questions and examples, but it also tells helps test takers gear up for test day. I give two thumbs up the Kaplan’s test prep books. My test date is Oct. 25th.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
While reading this book, I came across a Starbucks cup quote that helps summarize my feelings. The way I see it # 169 says “Life’s too short to read a book you don’t love. At age 50 or younger, give a book 50 pages to see if you like it. Over 50, subtract your age from 100 and that’s the number of pages to read before you bail on a book you’re not enjoying. And when you turn 100, you get to judge a book by its cover!” -Nancy Pearl (Librarian and author of Book Lust) Therefore, since I reached page 178 in Wuthering Heights, I think I can put it aside.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography by Maya Angelou and is a great read. It entails her life being shifted between her parents and grandmother and the trials she faces as she is mistreated and forced to mature before her time. The book is filled not only with tragedy, but also has moments of comedy. It’s no wonder this is Angelou’s best known work.
A story of a young man who is transported into a mystical fairy world is the plot of Phantastes. Sound familiar? If you know of C.S. Lewis’ writings, it should. George MacDonald wrote this book in the 1800’s and it turned out to be one which changed the life of C.S. Lewis. In fact, Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia using some of MacDonald’s writing style. It took me months to sit down and read this book because it is fairly complex. Not only the storyline, but the language as well. In the end, I think that it is a very unique text that will cause some people to think a bit deeper. The book is available for free online at the Univ. of Virginia online library, among other sources.
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller is a book of “Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality”. It felt like I was reading the author’s journal or a funny autobiography. There is no plot, but his thoughts ramble in a somewhat orderly fashion. At times, Don Miller’s words made me feel as if he knew me. In reality, many of us have similar ideas and wonder about the same things in life. Though he is more liberal than I ever hope to be, it was a good read.
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis is about a man who embarks on a bus from Hell to Heaven. It is a wonderful story about how the decisions we make on Earth can affect us for eternity. We must be willing to give up those things of Earth in order to accept what is in Heaven. It all comes down to “If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.” I sat down and was able to finish this book in a few hours. It’s fabulous!
Jane Austen was such a gifted writer during her time. Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful book about a mother trying to marry off all of her daughters. Though her goal seems out of reach for some of them and her desire is out of hand, the story shows how finding true love will make one far happier than marrying out of necessity or for money. Jane Austen’s writing style is much like the movies that have been made from her writings. The stories are less of a narrative and more about the conversations between people. It’s definitely more of a woman’s book, but I think guys can gain a lot by reading it as well.
We all know the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I found that I did not know all the important and intriguing details until I read this book. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a fascinating book about a man who desired to live as two separate men in order to indulge himself. It is a great read and quite short, so it’s a quick read as well.
This is the newest book written by Rebecca St. James along with Lynda Hunter Bjorklund. It outlines the type of woman that God has created the female sex to be. SHE stands for “Safe, Healthy, and Empowered”. It covers feeling safe, relationships with others and with God, the flaws of feminism, inner beauty, temptation, emotional healing, mentoring, boundaries, and having a purpose in life. It not only teaches you about better living, but also gives you insight into the author’s lives.
The goal of Boundaries is to help one figure out what to say “yes” and “no” to in life without feeling that we’re letting others down. It outlines the types of boundaries that we are to have. It also gives examples of other’s personality traits and pinpoints the boundary issues they have had to create those traits. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend try to help their readers to see the best boundaries to have in order to let good things in, bad things out and grow into better people through God’s help.
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis is the most difficult C.S. Lewis book I’ve ever read. That’s due to the language he uses and the way in which he explains the four types of loves we, as humans, use. Yet, it’s a great book and well worth another read. I think it’s important for people to know how to express love correctly. It all comes down to using God as our example.
This is a pretty cute book that includes a compilation of letters that Ronald Reagan wrote to his wife, Nancy. He was a pretty emotional guy, which is clearly expressed in the love language he uses. Nancy also wrote about the things that were happening in their lives when he would write to her.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is one to reread. I am continuously amazed at how C.S. Lewis is able to use mere words to fully explain complicated aspects of our relationship with God. From page one, this book takes an amazing look at how we, as Christians in different denominations, get caught up in the details of religion and forget about the building blocks of mere Christianity.
This book is called Define the Relationship by Jeramy and Jerusha Clark. It is a candid look at Breaking Up, Making Up and Dating Well. I think it’s a great book for anyone who wants to begin a relationship, who is in one or who is about to end one. It gives great information on important conversations people must have in each situation. Communication is key in every relationship, so it’s important that people use that outlet to see if they are headed in the same direction in their relationships or if the relationship needs to end. It also provides tips for those who need to have the infamous DTR in order to define boundaries in the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their relationship.
The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey is an eye-opening book about who Jesus really was and how people in His time truly saw Him. He wasn’t always liked and didn’t always try to please others. There was also nothing about His appearance that anyone would have envied. Who was Jesus? This book will give you quite a different perspective.
Pierced by the Word by John Piper is a wonderful book of “31 Meditations for Your Soul”. Reading a portion of this book per day is a great encouragement and has forced me to ponder some deep questions about my own life and how I can become someone seeking entirely after the will of God. One topic that hit home was humility. Others cover prayer and doing EVERYTHING to the glory of God.
This is a quick read (only 53 pages), but is a fabulous book full of insight. C.S. Lewis wrote it after the death of his wife, but I would recommend this to anyone. It not only looks at grief, but asks some tough and meaningful questions about life.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is a great series. I read them in 6th grade, but never realized the Biblical significance of the series. So, I decided to read them again and truly enjoyed the experience. The books are an easy read and not very long. There are 7 in the series. There is a great deal of Biblical significance within the pages. C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe first, even though some publishing companies are now placing The Magician’s Nephew at the beginning of the series.
This book is called What’s the Difference by John Piper. It provides a view of the Biblical roles of men and women in relationships. Society has skewed the way men and women relate to one another and this book helps to bring it back around to the Creation. Woman was created as a companion and helper for man and man is there to love and protect woman, as Christ loves and protects the Church. This book is a small portion from Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism by John Piper and Wayne Grudem. The main book will probably go into more detail about the topic.
These are 2 books that focus on dating relationships and waiting for your future spouse. It asks if we seek dating just for something to do or are we looking for the person we’ll spend the rest of our lives with. It gives alternatives to dating and helps us to wait for our future spouse. It also touches on the guilt felt by those who have not stayed sexually pure before marriage. The titles are I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris and Wait for Me by Rebecca St. James.
This is the follow-up book to I Kissed Dating Goodbye entitled Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris. This book is geared toward those already in a relationship. It helps the reader to see how to relate to the opposite sex during this time, to keep the relationship focused on God and to be sexually pure before marriage. I would not recommend this book for anyone who is not in a relationship. It would cause such a person to desire to be in a relationship. I do not believe that is something we should be yearning for if God has not brought someone into our lives yet.
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer is excellent reading material by a fabulous theologian. He causes his readers to evaluate their relationship with God and see how they can be pursuing Him more fully in their lives. It also shows the profound affect God has on all of us, even if we don’t acknowledge His presence.
It seems that many churches are going through this 40-day book as a congregation. I did it in a girl’s Bible study and enjoyed it immensely. It causes you to look at your life and see if it has a purpose. Are you serving yourself or are you desiring to serve God with your life? It also gives helpful advice on what you can do to have a life driven toward God. The chapters are short and there are questions following each chapter. It’s entitled The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
Jesus Freak and Jesus Freak 2 is a book of compiled real-life stories by DC Talk. It tells the heroic tales of those who have been persecuted for their faith from the time of Stephen to the present day. Some people were martyred and others suffered torture, but they stood up for their Lord and Savior through it all. You may even shed a tear as you read the accounts of people with great faith in God.
This is one of the 12 books that make up the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. This is a fictional account of what could possibly happen when Christ returns and raptures the church. It is the tale of those who did not believe in Jesus at the time of the rapture and were thus left behind. Their journeys take them through the 7 years of the Tribulation as they come to know the Lord and are persecuted by the Anti-Christ, who rules the world. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. I just finished book 12 and my eyes were opened to what the future may hold for Christ’s Church.
This is the 7th and final book of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. These books are extremely well written and are enjoyable to read. The books center on the life of Harry Potter, who discovers that his now deceased parents were witches and wizards. He goes on to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and faces challenges brought by the evil Lord Voldemort and those who look down upon him. I would only recommend this series for children who can differentiate between fiction and real-life. I do not believe in witchcraft nor do I condone it. The author shares the same views. It’s just a fun read.