What We're Reading: April

Bethany

Filament Bible

I’ve been really enjoying my Filament Bible for my morning and evening quiet times. This special Bible is both physically aesthetic with a clean layout and digitally advanced with detailed study notes, devotions, maps, videos, and more – all accessed through the accompanying Filament App. What’s so nice about this powerful combo is that I can easily dive deep into the facts and applications of a passage for research and journaling or simply focus on the purity of the text. The specific edition I use is the grey cloth hardcover, which, in my opinion, adds a very “comfy” quality, especially when reading in bed. All in all, I can’t help but be delighted my Filament Bible and the lifegiving truth it brings each day!

To read: Prayer That Works by Jill Briscoe

Charlotte

T ry Softer by Aundi Kolber

During this time of social distancing and shelter-in-place, I find myself inching towards trying to get all of the things done: the home improvement project, the new prayer practice, the new cookie recipe. I find myself wanting to achieve all the things, even in the realm of my personal relationship with God. Try Softer invites us to stop “over-functioning” and white-knuckling through life. This book is helping me set boundaries, move through emotions, and go easy on myself in this season of crisis and fear. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone who needs to give themselves a little more grace these days.

To read: Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Christine

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I don’t know how I managed to graduate high school (or college) without reading this American classic, but To Kill a Mockingbird won a spot on my to-read list when I noticed several authors mention it as one of the top five books that most impacted them. As an adult reading it for the first time, I’m sure I have a greater appreciation for this novel than I would have had as a teenager.

To Kill a Mockingbird is not quite what I expected; though it addresses racial issues (I’m reading it as part of a book club on diversity), it’s more of a coming-of-age story that is exquisitely written and unlike anything I’ve ever read. Issues of race and justice organically emerge within the narrative, making these themes more powerful by their subtlety than if they had been the focus of the story.

While I’ve spoiled the ending for myself by watching the 1962 movie adaptation (which I also highly recommend), even the masterful film version can’t compare to this masterpiece of American literature, and I look forward to finishing this classic Southern novel.

To read: You Story Matters by Leslie Leyland Fields