Growing up I was a voracious reader, but now that I’m in grad school, I hardly have time to read for fun. Recently though, I’ve been able to start reading a little more, and it has kept me grounded. I figured some of you are probably finding yourselves reading a little more often than you usually do, so I thought I’d take a moment to share with you some of my favorite books as well as a few of Monica’s (my girlfriend). Many of these are available on Kindle.
Fat and Faithful: Learning to love our bodies, our neighbors, and ourselves by J. Nicole Morgan is a memoir about the author’s experience growing up fat in the church. If you are fat, I think you will find it to be relatable, empowering, and refreshing. If you aren’t fat, it will open your eyes to the challenges and experiences of fat people. And it forces everyone to challenge their anti-fat bias, internalized or not. ~ Monica
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson is a historical nonfiction book presented in the style of a novel which alternates between telling the story of the architects of the Worlds Columbian Exposition (the Worlds Fair in Chicago 1893) and the horror of HH Holmes, one of the first documented serial killers in the United States. If history and/or true crime/mystery is your thing, you’ll like this book. ~ Monica
Red: A Crayon’s Story written and illustrated by Michael Hall is my new favorite children’s book. I’ve read it in two of my classes, one as part of a devotional and the other in my theological anthropology class discussing what it means to be human. This book follows a young crayon that has been labelled red, but can only color blue things. Fortunately, there is a YouTube video of someone reading it aloud! ~ Mack
Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy is a fresh take on the story of King Arthur. This adventure in space includes plenty of queer characters and characters of color, as well as a girl King Arthur and some characters who use they/them pronouns. If you like sci-fi or YA novels full of adventure and are excited by good representation, you’ll like this one. ~ Mack
Honorable mentions:
- Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint – Nadia Bolz-Weber
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice & Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
- Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell (also Eleanor & Park)
- The Percy Jackson series – Rick Riordan
- Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church – Rachel Held Evans
- The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
- Beloved – Toni Morrison
- Womanist Midrash – Wilda Gafney
