Met With Perfect Pleasure

I love reading fiction. I limit it to my bedtime reading though because I can get too absorbed in a good story and all else falls by the wayside during the day. Mrs. M is venturing into this area of reading and is looking for some suggestions, so I thought I would compile a list of some of my favourites here (in no particular order).

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
It would be difficult to find someone who does not love Anne Shirly. The whole series is just wonderful and I can't wait to read them with my daughter.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
This is a modern retelling of the story of Cain and Able; its main theme centers around the Genesis 4:7 passage "If you do right won't you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it."

Children of Men by P.D. James
I loved this book and wrote a little about its themes here.

Quo Vadis by Henryk Seinkiewicz
This is a love story set in the time of Nero and contrasts the beginning of the early church under Peter and Paul with the decadence of the Roman Empire. This won the Nobel Prize for Literature in the early 1900's for its historical accuracy.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
This is a retelling of the book of Hosea where God tells the prophet to marry a prostitute. With this in mind, it is a touching story of God's faithful, redeeming love.

Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle
This is a companion story to the children's classic A Wrinkle In Time. While I did not enjoy AWIT so much, I did like this one a lot. It is the story of twin brothers who are transported back in time to the days of Noah and the great flood. She explores some really interesting ideas of what a young earth might have been like and who the Nephilim were.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
This is a story of a missionary family in the Belgium Congo. The story is told from the perspectives of each of the family members in first person, so depending on the point of view details of certain events change. It is also an interesting look at a style of missions that fails to account for cultural differences and assumes the North American way of doing church is God's way. However bear in mind this is written by a non-Christian author so it misses the point that the Gospel will transform and change a culture; that some of the cultural ways will be lost but they will have gained life in Christ.

No Graven Image by Elisabeth Elliot
This is slightly auto-biographical and the only novel Elisabeth Elliot has written. This is not the story of a successful missions trip. In fact it is a failure, but it is the story of God's transforming work in one woman as she comes to accept that the work of changing peoples hearts is God's work and not hers.

Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George
While very sympathetic to Queen Mary, this is nonetheless a great piece of historical fiction and an interesting look at the relationship between her and her cousin Elizabeth.

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Neither overly sympathetic to midwifery nor critical of modern obstetrics, this is an interesting look at both professions through the eyes of the daughter of a midwife, who follows in her mother's footsteps but as an OB-GYN.

The Vinyl Cafe Series by Stuart McLean
If you are not Canadian you probably havn't heard of Stuart McLean. The books are compilations of stories he has told on CBC radio for years. The stories centering around a Toronto couple and their children are absolutely hilarious.

The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
This is an interesting look at an old custom and the need for the atonement of one's sins. Very interesting.

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
Subtitled "A Story of a Marriage" this is just that and looks at the first year or two of a young couple's marriage and the struggle to find one's role and place in that union. It is a fascinating look at the strength of a woman under difficult circumstances and the desires of a man to be the provider and protector.

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
I am currently reading this book and am really enjoying the way it details the transforming work of God in the life of Katy.

Posted by Melanie at 9:44 AM |  
Labels: Books