Marlas Highly Recommended Christian books
Discover Marla's highly recommended Christian books, from Susan Meissner's *The Shape of Mercy* to *Blue Like Jazz* and *Gilead*. Explore faith-filled fiction, memoirs, and spiritual classics that inspire and challenge your walk with God.
Book
Dinner With A Perfect Stranger
by David Gregory
Thinking the guys at work are playing an absurd joke on him, Nick Cominsky accepts a dinner invitation with Jesus Christ, and soon finds himself deep in conversation about family, religion, and faith, and confronting his doubts.
Book
Peace Like a River
by Leif Enger
A bag with ten copies of the title that may also include miscellaneous notes, discussion questions, biographical information, and reading lists to assist book group discussion leaders.
Book
Gilead
by Marilynne Robinson
In 1956, toward the end of his life, Reverend John Ames begins a letter to his young son, sharing the story of his life and explaining how his faith influenced his choices and actions.
Book
Walking on Water
by Madeleine L'Engle
Addressing the subject of "faith and art" head on, this masterful work examines the difference between Christian art and secular art, as well as the relationship between the two. Award-winning artist L'Engle exhorts artists to listen to, remain aware of, and to respond to creation through one's own art.
Book
The Shape of Mercy
by Susan Meissner
“We understand what we want to understand.” Leaving a life of privilege to strike out on her own, Lauren Durough breaks with convention and her family’s expectations by choosing a state college over Stanford and earning her own income over accepting her ample monthly allowance. She takes a part-time job from 83-year-old librarian Abigail Boyles, who asks Lauren to transcribe the journal entries of her ancestor Mercy Hayworth, a victim of the Salem witch trials. Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. As the fervor around the witch accusations increases, Mercy becomes trapped in the worldview of the day, unable to fight the overwhelming influence of snap judgments and superstition, and Lauren realizes that the secrets of Mercy’s story extend beyond the pages of her diary, living on in the mysterious, embittered Abigail. The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul. But on the way to the truth, will Lauren find herself playing the helpless defendant or the misguided judge? Can she break free from her own perceptions and see who she really is?
Book
Blue Like Jazz
by Donald Miller
Presents a collection of essays that expore the author's experiences and opinions on Christian spirituality.
Book
Night
by Elie Wiesel
Presents a true account of the author's experiences as a Jewish boy in a Nazi concentration camp.
