VT Christian Reading Challenge discussion

Hello again! How’d March’s reading go? Any particular wins?

On my list for April is:

The Gospel & Personal Evangelism for A book with the word “gospel” in it

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World for A book set in a country not your own

Devotedly: The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot for A book that won an ECPA Christian book award

Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep for A book written by an Anglican

And I’ll probably start:

Blink of an Eye for A book with at least 400 pages (and because I need something light and easy to read)

My March was all over the place. I was listening to a lot of Middle grade books.

My List:
Karen Armstrong's The Bible a Biography for a book about the Bible... but it is more a rant with no support or cross reference about against the Bible with some very strange heresies treat as mainline.

Grammar of a Full Life for a Book about Language.

Seeing Green by Tilly Dillehay for an ECPA award winner.

Here are a few of the books I'm reading now:

Clinging to Hope by Charles R. Swindoll - this one I'm reading for NetGalley.

Life Lessons From James by Max Lucado - for my community Bible study group.

The Cloud of Unknowing by an anonymous 13th century English monk - I've been reading this with a group on Booktube, during Lent.

The Healing Light by Agnes Sanford - I've had this for a long time and want to see what it is about.

The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian - I've been reading this for a long time but don't make much progress as I don't pick it up often enough.

Prayer in the Night has not come in through the library yet, but Gilead just did. I’m thinking I might switch them in my to-read list!

I'm reading a lot less this month.

1. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis (A book by C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien)

2. Martin Luther by Eric Metaxis (A book by or about Martin Luther)

3. Gently and Lowly by Dane Ortlund (A book someone tells you "changed my life")

Gentle and Lowly was a slow read for me last year. I'm interested in reading the other two you listed.

I added a few extra reads to April (something unexpected!) My favorite was probably a toss up between Devotedly and 84, Charing Cross Road. One was super sweet and full of faithfulness and the other, just fun. Jinger Duggar Vuolo’s book Becoming Free Indeed was informative, but didn’t linger like some of the other memoirs I’ve read. The Divine Art of Contentment by Thomas Watson hit pretty hard in some places. He’s a Puritan writer who doesn’t mince words, but I’d have to re-read it to get more out of it. RC Sproul’s audio series on theology was a really good overview and I absolutely love Narnia and am sad to have finished The Last Battle and thus the series.

How about you all? Any really good books? Any really awful ones?

I've been wanting to read 84, Charing Cross Road - thanks for reminding me of it.

Here's everything I read/finished in April...

The Cloud of Unknowing, by Anonymous - to read during Lent with a Booktube group. Lent is Wed, Feb 22, 2023 - Thu, Apr 6, 2023 - Finished April 8, 2023 - ★★★★★ - 224 pages
The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw - finished April 10, 2023 - ★★★★ -248 pages
An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser - Finished April 13, 2023 - ★★★★★ - 859 pages
The Wind Off the Small Isles and The Lost One, by Mary Stewart - Finished April 18, 2023 - ★★★★★ - 120 pages
Worst - Hornblower and the Atropos, by CS Forester - Finished April 22, 2023 - ★★★★ - 342 pages
A Passage to India, by E.M. Forster - Finished April 24, 2023 - ★★★★ - 376 pages
Surprise! - Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke - Finished April 25 - ★★★★★ - 245 pages
Best - The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan - Finished April 29 - ★★★★★ - 300 pages

I choose The Pilgrim's Progress as best because of the insight and inspiration. I confess I didn't understand all of it and should probably reread someday.
I choose Hornblower and the Atropos as worst because there was a war happening and some sad things in the text, and the terrible cliffhanger ending.
I choose Piranesi as a surprise because I've never read anything like it and was fascinated by the story, and for me, it was a page-turner.