Book Review: Reading for the Love of God

About the Book:

What if we viewed reading as not just a personal hobby or a pleasurable indulgence but a spiritual practice that deepens our faith?

In Reading for the Love of God, award-winning author Jessica Hooten Wilson does just that--and then shows readers how to reap the spiritual benefits of reading. She argues that the simple act of reading can help us learn to pray well, love our neighbor, be contemplative, practice humility, and disentangle ourselves from contemporary idols.

Accessible and engaging, this guide outlines several ways Christian thinkers--including Augustine, Julian of Norwich, Frederick Douglass, and Dorothy L. Sayers--approached the act of reading. It also includes useful special features such as suggested reading lists, guided practices to approaching texts, and tips for meditating on specific texts or Bible passages. By learning to read for the love of God, readers will discover not only a renewed love of reading but also a new, vital spiritual practice to deepen their walk with God.

Contents

1. What Kind of Reader Are You?
2. Why Read Anything but the Bible?
Bookmark 1: Reading like Augustine of Hippo
3. What's the Difference between "Use" and "Enjoy"?
4. Do Good Books Make You a Good Person?
Bookmark 2: Reading like Julian of Norwich
5. What Does the Trinity Have to Do with the ART of Reading?
Bookmark 3: Reading like Frederick Douglass
6. Why Do We Need Four Senses to Read?
7. How Can You Remember What You Read?
Bookmark 4: Reading like Dorothy L. Sayers
Conclusion
Appendix A: Twofold Reading of Flannery O'Connor's "The River"
Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix C: Reading Lists of Great Books

Read an excerpt from Reading for the Love of God on the publisher's website.

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My Thoughts:

Reading for the Love of God by Jessica Hooten Wilson starts off with descriptive imagery of the Apostle John in Revelation as he consumes a book. I continue to sit with this depiction after finishing Reading for the Love of God because it arrested my attention and Wilson’s related thoughts are incredibly applicable to reading most any book. The rest of Reading for the Love of God is just as interesting and challenging as the start.

Reading for the Love of God is academic in tone, style, and complexity. Wilson often refers to ancient literature and medieval monastic practices as she explains how to consume great literature and apply its lessons to a modern spiritual life. I confess, I did not completely understand “use” and “enjoy” in chapter three, but that is simply a reason to reread and learn. My favorite chapters were “Reading Like Frederick Douglass” and “How Can You Remember What You Read”.

I recommend Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice by Jessica Hooten Wilson to Christian readers who desire to learn from great works of literature and apply those lessons to enhance one’s spiritual life. Naturally, Wilson stresses the importance of regularly consuming Scripture as well as literary works. A list of suggested reading for all ages is included. Four stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: The Scandal of Holiness by Jessica Hooten Wilson

About the Book:

Reading Great Literature as a Spiritual Discipline. 

How do we become better people? Initiatives such as New Year's resolutions, vision boards, thirty-day plans, and self-help books often fail to compel us to live differently. We settle for small goals--frugal spending, less yelling at the kids, more time at the gym--but we are called to something far greater. We are created to be holy.

Award-winning author Jessica Hooten Wilson explains that learning to hear the call of holiness requires cultivating a new imagination--one rooted in the act of reading. Learning to read with eyes attuned to the saints who populate great works of literature moves us toward holiness, where God opens up a way of living that extends far beyond what we can conjure for ourselves. Literature has the power to show us what a holy life looks like, and these depictions often scandalize even as they shape our imagination. As such, careful reading becomes a sort of countercultural spiritual discipline.

The book includes devotionals, prayers, wisdom from the saints, and more to help individuals and groups cultivate a saintly imagination.

Read an excerpt from The Scandal of Holiness by Jessica Hooten Wilson on the publisher's site.

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My Thoughts:

Reading The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints by Jessica Hooten Wilson felt like revisiting my college English major days, but better. Through her examinations of literary texts, the author shows that reading and considering literature aids the believer in the calling of being a saint (see 1 Corinthians 1:2 NKJV). Although I previously read only one of the books discussed, I never felt confused because the author summarized each literary work as she conveyed her thoughts about spiritual issues. I did learn some plot spoilers.

I enjoyed each chapter in The Scandal of Holiness, but Chapter 3 (Creation Care as a Holy Calling) rated as my favorite. Chapter 8 (Ars Moriendi) impacted and challenged me the most as it addressed the concept of dying well. This topic and the points presented stuck with me. The end of each chapter included a devotional section with Scripture, book quotes, prayers of the saints, reflection questions, and suggestions for further reading.

The Scandal of Holiness by Jessica Hooten Wilson focuses mainly on modern works of literature. A few examples: Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying, C. S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength, Georges Bernanos’ The Diary of a Country Priest. The author explained in the introduction that she incorporated works from various faith traditions (Protestants, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Church, etc.) Stories from the Catholic tradition seemed the most common, and I found them interesting. The author expounded her thoughts clearly and without antagonism for opposing opinions. Even when I disagreed with a point, I respected and considered her view, in part due to the excellent presentation.

The Scandal of Holiness by Jessica Hooten Wilson is the type of book I could read annually. I enjoyed and learned from it. My personal take-away was that reading and considering well-written literature can influence a believer’s perspective and spur him or her forward in pursuit of the calling to be a saint (1 Corinthians 1:2 NKJV). The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints by Jessica Hooten Wilson receives five stars from me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Sense and Sensibility

About the Book:

Sense and Sensibility. Frankenstein. The Scarlet Letter. You’re familiar with these pillars of classic literature. You may even be able to rattle off a few quotes, but do you really know how to read them? Do you know how to read them as a Christian?

Through this beautifully designed series, bestselling author, literature professor, and avid reader Karen Swallow Prior will guide you through a selection of classics. She will not only navigate you through the pitfalls that trap readers today, but show you how to read them in light of the gospel, and to the glory of God.

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My Thoughts:

This beautiful hardcover edition of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen features a built-in bookmark, an introduction by Karen Swallow Prior, and an abundance of reflection questions. Many years have passed since the last time I read Sense and Sensibility and Prior’s introduction helped reacquaint me with the backgrounds of both the author and this work. She deftly avoided spoilers while pointing out major themes of the story and suggesting how to read the novel as a modern-day Christian.

I enjoyed reading this edition of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. The notes within the text furthered my understanding.  Austen’s talent and wit shine. The reflection questions are what I would expect in a college literature class. Most of them require thoughtful consideration of the text and examination of one’s own opinion. The questions would be suitable for use in a book club setting.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Booked by Karen Swallow Prior

About the Book: 

A life of books. A life of soul. Professor Karen Swallow Prior poignantly and humorously weaves the two, until you can't tell one life from the other. Booked draws on classics like Great Expectations, delights such as Charlotte's Web, the poetry of Hopkins and Donne, and more. This thoughtful, straight-up memoir will be pure pleasure for book-lovers, teachers, and anyone who has struggled to find a way to articulate the inexpressible through a love of story.


My Thoughts:

From beginning to end, Booked by Karen Swallow Prior treated me to a delectable blend of memoir and literary explication. The engaging narrative held my attention as she discussed life experiences and related literature. The author shares candidly about her life and doesn’t shy away from topics like drugs, sex, and spiritual doubt. I loved her blunt, common sense approach to addressing issues in a healthy way that leads to empowerment rather than choosing blind naivete. In short, her life journey and its connection to books fascinated me.

Each chapter of Booked focuses on a literary work, though others may be mentioned. I read some, but not all of the chosen literary works back as an English major in college. While all the works were explained clearly, I absorbed her points more intensely on the ones I was already familiar with. Some of my favorite chapters included:  Books Promiscuously Read (John Milton’s Areopagitica), Beholding is Becoming (Jane Eyre), and The Only Thing Between Me and Tragedy (Tess of the D’Urbervilles). That chapter on Tess had me crying – yes, crying – because of its message/theme.

Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior made me want to go back and read some of the classics that I’ve tucked away on my bookshelf for many years. This is a book I’ll keep an read again in the future.