5 Book Recommendations for Your To-Be-Read List
I can say with near certainty that hardly a day in my life has ever passed during which I don’t think about books (or reading). That’s not even because I have to read books for school! When it comes down to it, I’m just obsessed with reading – so much so that when I was little, my parents often had to tell me to go and play outside during the summer instead of reading books all day. But what can I say? I've always been good at reading books, but trying to coordinate my body parts to catch a ball or run around outside? Not so much.
Anyways, books give you literally thousands of new worlds to explore. The only thing I regret about loving to read is that I am aware of the vast depth of literary experiences I will never get to have, simply because I do not have enough time here on this Earth. Nevertheless, I’ve read a scary number of books in my lifetime. Therefore, with the power vested in me by the computer I’m using to write this and the list of books I’ve kept since early in high school, here are five favorites that I would recommend for anyone, but especially college students like myself. Of course, anyone can read and enjoy these books, but I believe that each of these is uniquely relevant and captivating for us as we grow in faith and study God’s world while emerging into the world of “adulting.”
Note: Yes, making this list was just as hard for me as the one I made about hymns.
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist – Norman Geisler
If I had to make a list of people who I would love to eat dinner with and just talk for hours, Norman Geisler would be near the top of that list. He was a Christian apologist, author, and theologian until his death in 2019. Based on the vast quantity of the writings he produced during his life, I feel that I could discuss theology and faith with him for days and never get bored. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist is a beautifully written, carefully executed work that aims to help Christians defend their faith.
I know, I know – nonfiction is boring, right? Well, not in this case. In my opinion, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist reads more like a conversation than a book. I might also compare the book’s style to something like a TedTalk or listening to a speaker who visits Concordia’s campus. Luckily for Concordia students, the Link Library has a copy of this book – so go check it out!
The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah
I don’t know if I can even put into words what I like so much about this book. It could be the beautiful, descriptive storytelling or the storyline that becomes absolutely heart-wrenching at some points. It could also just be the plain old suspense! Nevertheless, The Great Alone is a work of art. I know I say that about a lot of books – just ask my family or any of my friends – but I really mean it with this one. If you’ve never had an experience where you finish reading a book and feel like you know the characters in real life, then this is the book for you to read. I’m pretty sure Leni (the main character) and I could be friends. Plus, it takes place in Alaska! What’s not to love? It’s the perfect book to read when it’s ninety degrees outside at the end of September and you just want fall to come already.
Speaking of books where the main characters begin to feel like your friends, The Maid is another work of literary art – that's why it’s on this list! I think I got almost as nervous while I was reading this book as the characters must have been. Just when you think that events are going to turn one way, they take off running in the opposite direction. Is “literary whiplash” a term? If not, I just invented it and applied it to this book, because that’s what it gives the reader, aside from a deep appreciation for hotel staff. Plus, if you’re a fan of the board game Clue, this book will be perfect for you.
The Weight of Glory – C.S. Lewis
Oh, no – another nonfiction book! Scary. Truly, though, this book isn’t all that scary. It’s not even really a book; it’s just a collection of essays by C.S. Lewis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with C.S. Lewis, he’s the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series. But, as you likely guessed by the opening sentence of this paragraph, Lewis didn’t just write fiction.
The Weight of Glory is a collection of nine of Lewis’ sermons that were later transcribed into essays, but if you’re low on time, I recommend “Learning in Wartime.” It’s short, sweet, and, although Lewis directed it toward students studying during the Second World War, it generalizes beautifully to all the hardships we face in modern life. If “Learning in Wartime” gets you hooked on The Weight of Glory, then you should move onto another essay – one of my favorites is entitled “Membership” and illustrates the importance of a unified Christian community composed of unique members. By this time, I hope that you are enthralled enough to continue reading Lewis’ other essays!
I can’t remember how long it has been since I declared this book as my favorite ever, but I can take a good guess and say that it’s been at least four, if not five or six, years. If you’re looking for a thriller-type book with some horror, fantasy and mystery elements that takes place in a small Pacific Northwest town and also incorporates Christian themes throughout, then...The Oath is for you. I can’t say that I ever thought a book I called my favorite would feature a mysterious, iridescent dragon that lives in a cave in the mountains surrounding a small mining town, but The Oath decided to challenge that. Really, though, the dragon represents sin, so it’s more than just a dragon. Is that a spoiler? I hope not.
Well, this blog post has gone on long enough. I guess it’s time for me to say goodbye, because we both know that I have more reading to do. And you probably do, too. So with that, I wish you luck with your future literary endeavors, which I hope involve some of the books on this list.