Matt
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
Upon hearing the below quote from one of our church’s pastors, I knew I wanted to read this, and have it be a part of this month’s bedtime reading for the kids, too!
“I do think,” Shasta muses to himself, “that I must be the most unfortunate boy that ever lived in the whole world. Everything goes right for everyone except me.” Just then, Shasta feels a presence in the fog—a Thing or a Person? Shasta cannot see. Then a Voice, “not loud, but very large and deep,”addresses him. The Voice invites Shasta, “Tell me your sorrows.” And Shasta lets it all spill out: the loneliness, the difficulty, the dead ends, danger from lions, danger of starvation, and now this dangerous unidentified Voice in the fog. Then comes this justly famous dialogue:
“I do not call you unfortunate,” said the Large Voice.
“Don’t you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?” said Shasta…
“There was only one [lion]: but he was swift of foot.”
“How do you know?”
“I was the lion.” And as Shasta gaped with mouth open and said nothing, the Voice continued. “I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.”
A wonderful book about an orphan on a journey to the hopes ands freedom of Narnia, yet also a story of how we are to understand our own stories. The above quotes challenge our perspective on things- and how things really are- in God’s providence and presence.
To-Read: Another Gospel? by Alisa Childers
Christine
Pudge & Prejudice by A. K. Pittman
First, a confession: I totally judged this book by its cover, but my secret soft spot for teen romance made me crack it open anyway. What I didn’t expect was how A. K. Pittman’s mastery of language would draw me into a literary universe as vivid and electrifying as the 80s themselves. Phrases like “a smile white and frozen, like an Eskimo Pie that couldn’t be bothered with chocolate” painted scenes in vivid technicolor in my imagination. Narrated by our heroine, Elyse Nebbit, this retro twist on a classic love story is full of entertaining antics, painfully real (and sometimes embarrassing) high school drama, and just enough snark to keep you up too late at night.
To Read Next: The Crosswicks Journals by Madeleine L’Engle
Bethany
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson
According to the website description, “Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, WORLD Magazine each named Adorning the Dark as one of their books of the year.” If you are a musician, artist, writer, etc. and seek to express your Christian faith – whether it be overt or subtle – in your work, then this read is one from which to glean contemplations and insights. Throughout the pages, the author incorporates a pleasant mix of candid advice and real world experience in regard to Christian creativity.
I am amused by the distinct sense this book gives off as being a more efficient way of communicating what Andrew Peterson might say to anyone if given the chance to have a very long, fulfilling conversation over coffee. What’s especially fascinating to me are his reflections on Christian industries and the crossover with the secular, as navigating these communities is part of my particular vocation. I also find it refreshing how this book is inspirational, and yet it brings a meaningful dose of reality into the sometimes inflated worries and expectations that artists generally tend to have.
Another interesting bonus is how the author provides a number of book, song, and poetry recommendations for the reader to check out and, although not everything is my cup of tea, the list is fun to explore to say the least. All in all, I’m so grateful to be journeying through this book (it came as a timely gift – thank you, Petry family) and have really enjoyed reading it so far!
To Read: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
Charlotte
The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
My little one is turning two soon, and it is very obvious! I have been telling people that it seems like a new stage of intentional parenting where it’s time to help my child learn how to… behave. Wow. I need all the help I can get as I enter into this phase. The Whole-Brain Child is helping me to understand how to biologically and psychologically help my child develop holistically.
I have loved getting a new perspective on parenting and how to stay in between rigidity and chaos. I’m excited to see what this new season of life has in store!
To-Read: Heartland by Sarah Smarsh
Tell us, what are you currently reading? What’s on your To-Read Pile?
