Lent ended on April 17! I actually enjoyed several of the religious books I read during the Lent, especially Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews and Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. I had several books come available from the library holds right after Lent and I’ve dug in to several of those already.
Here are the books I read in April:
Biblical historical fiction can be hard to write, but Mesu Andrews creates a fascinating story in Isaiah’s Daughter. Ishma is a refugee and an orphan who is adopted into Isaiah’s family. Her relationship with the king’s son starts off as a friendship while they are children, but grows into something more. Their relationship is set among the struggles of Israel and Judah. The author is clear on what from her story is found in the Bible and what is added to it. I really enjoyed this book and plan to read more by the author.
Ransom is kidnapped by a former college friend and is taken, along with another man, to another planet. The other two men have been before and are planning to give Ransom to the alien life they found before as a sacrifice. However, Ransom runs away and starts exploring the new planet, eventually finding spiritual life as well. The story reminded me of Project Hail Mary. I plan to read the rest of the trilogy. (You probably need to at least enjoy science fiction to enjoy Out of the Silent Planet.)
The Problem of Pain is a very academic work where C.S. Lewis talks about the theology of the pain we experience in life. He takes the different ideas people may have about why we do or don’t suffer pain and addresses them with life experience, reason and Scripture. This book would be good to read as a book study or with a class.
The Abolition of Man is about childhood education and the beginning comes across like an angry parent at a school board meeting. Lewis is critiquing the common works used in his day for education and how children should best be educated. Although highly academic, it makes several good points that would be useful to teachers and parents of young children.
Memento Mori (Remember Your Death) is the spiritual practice of remembering your death. I used this devotional during Lent and really enjoyed the insights it offered. I would highly recommend this and their Advent devotionals for any Catholic to use.
Creative minds can rest easy knowing that God is on their side as He’s also a creator. The Mind of the Maker goes over different characteristics of God and how they are similar to the attributes of God, specifically the Trinity. This was a good book for a writer to read and I would recommend it to anyone in the arts. Sayers writes in a way that’s easy to understand.
Should we really ever get angry? Unoffendable explores the idea that we should rarely allow ourselves to get angry and that by doing that, we should rarely get offended. The concept is very applicable to the times we are in today. Realizing that our duty is to love each other and let God be the judge and the one who gets angry lets us let go of caring so much about how we’ve been wronged. I would encourage this book for Christians to read and consider.
I didn’t enjoy Eva Luna as much as I hoped I would. I’ve read one other book by Allende and enjoyed it. Eva Luna seems to be a whimsical story tied deeply into the history of South America. There were times it read like a history novel and times where it read like a romantic fantasy. The ending didn’t leave me feeling resolved.
Lonely? Much of America is. We don’t live in community with other people for the most part. However, we were made to live with each other and not alone. Find Your People encourages people to find their people – their friends, church, community and family. Allen encourages honesty and offers suggestions on how to both make friends and create deep relationships.
One afternoon, Hannah’s husband disappears, leaving behind his 16-year-old daughter. Hannah’s always had a rough time connecting with her stepdaughter, but now they are thrown together in a situation where they both feel lost and abandoned. As they try to track down why he disappeared instead of facing his company’s possible charges against him, they find out nothing was as it seemed. The Last Thing He Told Me thriller kept me up late reading to the ending.
What books did you read in April?
