A brief summary of what I’m currently reading or have recently finished, why I read it, and whether I’d recommend it. Although really, it’d have to be truly terrible for me to bother writing about a book I wouldn’t recommend……
Hearts of Fire (Voice of the Martyrs) – eight women in the underground church share their stories of being persecuted for their faith and how they stood firm. Despite the subject not really being light reading, it’s not heavy. The joy and delight these women found/find in Christ in the midst of suffering is evident even across time and ink. I picked this up because VOM sent it to me for free and I needed something to take on an airplane, but it was especially relevant as I read it in light of beginning a study of 2 Corinthians just a few weeks after that.
Whose Waves These Are (Amanda Dykes) – A Maine fisherman builds a memorial to his brother fallen in WWII, and his anthropologist great-niece builds a bridge across broken relationships. Any summary I give you can’t begin to do justice to this novel. Anne Bogel of One Great Book recommended this one, and I agree with her that it’s truly one great book. I sincerely and genuinely thought that she had recommended it, but I looked at every episode so I could insert the right link, and it’s not the title book in any of those. So she may have mentioned it as an aside during an episode, but I have no idea which. And that’s disappointing, because her summary (which I’m pretty sure I didn’t hallucinate……) was so much better than mine. It’s a good and worthwhile read though, no matter how terribly short my description falls. (And if you happen to come across the episode in which Anne Bogel mentions this one, let me know which one it is and I’ll update with a link.)
New Morning Mercies (Paul David Tripp) – a daily devotional. I don’t use one every year, but someone – my mom? A dear friend? I can’t recall who specifically – gifted this to me a few years ago, and 2019 was my year to use it diligently. I found it to be a great way to prepare my mind for Bible reading. (To be clear though, I don’t recommend reading only a devotional. You need actual Scripture.)
Loving Vs Virginia (Patricia Hruby Powell) – the 1967 Supreme Court case that declared laws banning interracial marriage to be in violation of the 14th Amendment. I read this at the recommendation of a friend whose bookish tastes are surprisingly similar to mine. To be honest, I didn’t think the book itself was written all that well, but it was rather enlightening, and that alone makes it worth the time.
So there you have it: 4 books I’m reading right now or have recently finished. If you’ve read any of these (or decide to after reading this post), drop me a note and let me know what you thought of them! And let me know what you’re reading right now too.