March is completely during Lent, so I only read religious books – fiction and non-fiction. Some were more engaging than others. I think it’s interesting that most of my 5-star reads this year so far are non-fiction books. Here’s what I read in March:
Secrets can sometimes only stay hidden for so long. For one family, all the secrets get exposed after moving to Leonard, Texas. The father is a preacher whose childhood was less than ideal, but was a nationally-known protégé. The mother wants to live right, but the pressure of perfection led her to live a lie. The daughter wants to believe in God and her parents’ love, but can’t manage to feel it so she turns away. Surprisingly, what may save them all, is an act of arson at the church’s nativity scene. While I saw the ending coming, Beyond the Farthest Star was interesting and fast-paced. Its message of being honest is a good one.
5 stars
Science, archeology and philosophy all now argue for the existence of God and against atheism. Fact by fact, case by case, Metaxas goes thoroughly through the current evidence that supports faith and the Bible. Is Atheism Dead? is well-documented and up-to-date with things that have been discovered sometimes in just the past few years.
I would encourage anyone who is either solid in their faith or wavering to read this book and let it challenge what you think about the proof of the existence of God.
Lydia is the oldest of five siblings reeling from the death of their mother just a few short years after their father. Their mother’s sister is supposed to have custody of them, but she is a well-off real estate agent who they’re guessing won’t adapt well to their Amish lifestyle. Sarah Cain comes, though, and starts realizing how empty her life has been. The Redemption of Sarah Cain reminded me to take and savor the small, meaningful moments in life and not focus on the stuff around you. I’m curious to watch the movie someday.
I honestly wanted to like this book more than I did. I had a hard time getting into it, maybe because it didn’t really explain anything new to me. The Four Loves goes over the different ways people love – parent/child, friendship, romantic love and love of fellow men. It would be a good book as a group study or a class to have questions to go along with it.
For some reason, I thought this was a religious motivational book, but it’s not really. Oops for my Lenten journey. It can apply to your spiritual life, though, and it was very thought-provoking. I am going to do some journaling on my life goals based on this book. I would recommend it for people looking to get really focused and simplify their lives. The One Thing has very good questions and tips for living a purpose-filled life.
Frankl is a survivor of a concentration camp and Yes to Life is a group of his speeches about what makes life worth living. The answer is because it is life. He addresses why the survivors were not hopeless, suicide and how to think about life when it’s hard. I highly recommend this book and any of his books.
“To say yes to life is not only meaningful under all circumstances—because life itself is—but it is also possible under all circumstances. And ultimately that was the entire purpose of these three parts: to show you that people can still—despite hardship and death (first part), despite suffering from physical or mental illness (second part or under the fate of the concentration camp (third part)—say yes to life in spite of everything.”
The Great Divorce struck me as a slightly odd book. It’s set in the afterlife, but souls have different places where they can land and still have to make decisions about whether truly loving God for God and going to Heaven or staying in an almost purgatory-like state. Heavenly souls would come out to greet souls they know and try to help them make the way to the heavenly mountain. It makes some interesting points about what humans put their faith in.
Father Brown seems to always find himself at the right time and place to solve a mystery. However, he’s not in the business of justice by the world’s standards, but instead, he doles out God’s mercy. The Innocence of Father Brown is a book of short story mysteries that are not easy to guess. I enjoyed meeting this new character and plan to watch some of the TV shows based on Chesterton’s books.
What books did you read in March? Do you have a favorite religious book you would recommend? Share in the comments!
