Fiction

This Present Darkness/Piercing the Darkness
by Frank E. Peretti $10.39
These two books go together, and are some of the best Christian fiction ever. They will really make you think about how much effect your attitudes and prayers have.

The Hunt for Red October
by Tom Clancy $11.16
The first in Clancy's popular Jack Ryan series. A new Soviet submarine promises to be nearly impossible to track, but when the captain and his officers decide to defect, it's a race to see which side will find it first! The series continues with: Patriot Games (which actually takes place before Red October), The Cardinal of the Kremlin, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears (not the same as the movie, much deeper and more satisfying), Debt of Honor, Executive Orders, The Bear and the Dragon, and Red Rabbit, also set earlier in Ryan's life. Also marginally in the series are Without Remorse and Rainbow Six, about a man who became important in Jack Ryan's life, and The Teeth of the Tiger, about his son, Jack Jr.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings boxed set
by J. R. R. Tolkien $28.35
It got a lot of press a while ago, but never fear, it's not just some freak fad because somebody made some movies about it. This is a classic to outlast many other classics. Try it; you might surprise yourself! If possible, read it before you see the movies.

Hind's Feet on High Places
by Hannah Hurnard $6.99
A beautiful allegory. Find yourself following along with appropriately-named Much-Afraid as she learns to lay aside her fears and much more in a life-changing journey. Also has a sequel.

Joshua
by Joseph Girzone $11.20
A wordy "supposal," pondering what it would look like if Jesus ("Joshua") visited a small town in modern America. What would the people think of him? What would the organized Church make of him? Long but good.

Out of the Silent Planet
by C. S. Lewis $9.00
The first (and in my opinion, best) in a trilogy, it tells of a space journey with a Christian worldview. Wonderful. Followed by Peralandra and That Hideous Strength, which corresponds with his non-fiction The Abolition of Man.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J. K. Rowling $6.99
The story that started it all. Harry Potter, as pretty much everone knows now, is a young boy who attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. As a Christian, I struggled with my attraction to this series given its setting, but I have finally accepted that it is not advertising real-world witchcraft. For a more complete statement of my views, see my review of Looking for God in Harry Potter. Sorcerer's Stone is followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (The set of the first five paperbacks is cheaper than buying them individually, of course.) Also check out the spinoffs, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages, available in the Harry Potter School Books Set. The quidditch book I found especially funny.

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
by C. S. Lewis $10.40
His last and favorite novel, the story of Cupid and Psyche, as told by her sister. Corresponds to his non-fiction The Four Loves.

The Princess Bride
S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
by William Goldman $7.99
If you've seen the movie, you've gotta read the book. The movie's sense of humor comes right off the written page, but there's additional depth and plenty more laughs in this much-longer tome.

Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card $5.39
In a world where the Earth has been twice attacked by strange insect-like aliens called "buggers," the smartest children are taken into space to be trained to command the planet's forces in the next war. Ender is unusually bright, even for the other children in the elite class, but will he be ready in time... and will he break under the pressure? This book has three sequels, as well as having spawned Ender's Shadow, about another kid at Battle School, which also has three sequels. But the first in each of the two series is better than its respective sequels, and Game is better than Shadow, so start there. (Also available with "grown-up" covers that don't give away the age of the main characters, but those covers have nothing to do with the actual plot!)

From Me to Q
Q Music
by Julia Houston
Two selections of Star Trek fan fiction by the host of About.com's sci-fi/fantasy site. They aren't "real" books, but I have actually printed out "Q Music" and put it in a binder because I enjoyed it so much and because it's a bit long to read while staring at a monitor. Every time I read it is just as good as the last, from giggles to belly laughs. You might need to read "From Me to Q" first, since its events are referred to a couple of times, but the story line isn't really dependent on it. --

Family-Friendly Fiction

Where the Red Fern Grows
by Wilson Rawls $5.85
A heartwarming story that will make you laugh and cry, ponder the existence of God and face your own mortality. Everyone should read this book, young and old, at least once.

The Hobbit: or There and Back Again
by J. R. R. Tolkien $9.60
The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien at first wrote this for his children. While Lord is a bit long (and the movie too violent) for children, this book is exactly right for upper elementary and over, especially if they like adventures.

The Chronicles of Narnia
by C. S. Lewis $27.72
A 7-book set of "supposals" (not allegories), novels that children and adults will always love, by one of the best Christian authors ever.

Tuesday
by David Weisner $6.25
A fun picture book (for the kids, or for you!)

The Spirit Flyer Series
by John Bibee $45.36
An 8-book allegorical series that I enjoyed as a middle-schooler. The Spirit Flyer is a kind of bicycle that represents the Christian faith. Unlike most bikes, it can fly. Goliath Toys is offering newer, sleeker bicycles... but there's something sinister about them.

Beauty
A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
by Robin McKinley $5.99
An enchanting retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales. McKinley's books are magical, though sometimes strange. This early one is perhaps her best.

Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine $6.50
Levine is another gifted reteller of fairy tales, and a bit more light-hearted than McKinley. This is a twist on Cinderella (my favorite fairy tale). Don't compare it with the movie, though, the two are totally different.

Frindle
by Andrew Clements $5.99
Clements writes of maverick fifth and sixth graders who come up with interesting ideas or pursue their dreams despite discouragement from adults. This is the first of the books, about a boy who invents a new word because his teacher tells him he can. But it wasn't quite what she had in mind.... It's not exactly a series, but the books are easily identified (and separated from his other writing) by their distinctive covers. This "non-series" includes: The Landry News, The Janitor's Boy, The School Story, A Week in the Woods, The Report Card, The Last Holiday Concert, and Lunch Money. Not in the "non-series," but a good look at how we view other races, is The Jacket. --

Non-Fiction

The Universe in a Nutshell
by Stephen Hawking $24.50
Quantum physics for the layperson; see also A Brief History of Time.

The Physics of Star Trek
by Lawrence M Krauss $9.60
Slightly easier to read than Hawking’s Brief History of Time, (and with a foreword by him), this book covers a lot. Fascinating!

Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings : A Guide to Middle-Earth
by Colin Duriez $13.60
A wonderful book I just discovered at the local library, it contains a timeline of Lord, something I've actually tried unsuccessfully to create. Somehow Mr. Duriez managed it. Plus much, much more.

Looking for God in Harry Potter
by John Granger $11.55
Granger is a Christian literary scholar who first read Harry Potter to explain to his children why they weren't allowed to read it. But when he read it, Granger found lots of Christian symbolism and ended up reading the series to his children himself! This fascinating book explains many of the symbols as well as the plot structure and meanings of names. Written between books five and six, it also has predictions of what is to come (and he did get one big one right!). --

Christian Living

The Final Quest
by Rick Joyner $9.59
And worth every penny! This is a book that takes several readings and some real soul-searching. A series of prophetic visions given to the author, it explores many topics we often gloss over or see through a tilted perspective. It, too, has a sequel.

The Pursuit of God
by A. W. Tozer $8.99
The resuly of a long night's train ride of writing, inspited by God. Read it -- several times if necessary.

The Pursuit of Holiness
by Jerry Bridges $7.20
A powerful book; it's a must-read for the Christian walk. My favorite quote: "What a strange kind of salvation do they desire that care not for holiness: not to walk with God in love, in time to come, but to practice their emnity against him without fear of retribution."

The Practice of the Presence of God
by Brother Lawrence $4.49
One I haven't read yet (but hope to soon!), it has been recommended to me more than once. Let me know what you think!

The Imitation of Christ
by Thomas A. Kempis $8.95
Like The Practice of the Presence..., I haven't read it yet, but know enough about it to hope to do so shortly! It's supposed to be really good.

The Screwtape Letters
by C. S. Lewis $8.00
Technically fiction, this is a wonderful book using reverse-psychology, or "diabolical ventriloquism," as Lewis called it, to teach about Christian living. It is a series of letters from one demon to another, advising him on how best to keep his human "patient" from becoming an effective Christian.

Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis $8.00
A wonderful book on Christian apologetics (reasoning behind faith). Yet another must-read!