Creation & Apologetics, For the Mind

What Does God Say about Books & Reading?

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I love reading; I’m a book collector, and a constant scout for new stories to read. I have a growing list of books I want to read this year…but I might need to get creative with my time to plow through them all.  If you have any title suggestions to add to my reading list, I invite you to share! Then I can blame you if my list grows so long it has to wrap around the earth twice 😉 Nah, I’d be thrilled! I’m not endorsing the books on my list, I still have to check them out and see if they are good books, but the titles and descriptions look solid! 

But what does God think about books and reading? Have you ever wondered? I read an interesting description by Institute for Creation Research on this topic, and I encourage you to read it too! After that, check out my book list below and see if you recognize any book titles, or if you’d be interested to read any of them yourself. 

THE BOOK OF BOOKS

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.” (Genesis 5:1)

The Bible (literally “the book”) contains over 200 references to books. This implies, among other things, God’s approval of communication by books. Our text, containing the first mention of the word “book” in the Bible, indicates that the very first man…. (Continue reading). 

 

A Few Books on my Reading List for 2017

  • For the Glory: Eric Liddell’s Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr by DUNCAN HAMILTON 
  • Operation Thunderbolt: Flight 139 and the raid on the Entebbe Airport, the most audacious hostage rescue mission in history by SAUL DAVID 
  • Beyond the Call: The True story of one World War II Pilot’s Covert Mission to Rescue POW’s on the Eastern Front by LEE TRIMBLE WITH JEREMY DRONFIELD 
  • When God Looked the other Way: An Odyssey of War, Exile and Redemption by WESLEY ADAMCZYK 
  • The Forgotten 500: The untold story of the men who risked all for the greatest rescue mission of World War II by GREGORY A. FREEMAN 
  • No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland’s Forces in World War II by  Kenneth K. Koskodan 
  • Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot 
  • Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman and Andrew Postman
  • Violins of Hope: Violins of the Holocaust–Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour by  James A. Grymes
  • The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich
  • Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik 
  • Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc by Hugh Aldersey-Williams
  • A Good Place to Hide: How One French Community Saved Thousands of Lives in World War II by Peter Grose

Can you tell I’m fascinated by WWII stories? 

6 thoughts on “What Does God Say about Books & Reading?

  1. I enjoyed this post and looking at the titles of books you hope to read this next year. You’ll have to do an updated post on some reviews of ones you enjoyed the most. And I’m exactly the same – WW2 books are my favorite!! Last year it was my goal to read 52 books, which I completed, and probably half were WW2 books! Is there a favorite WW2 book that you have read and would highly recommend? I would enjoy hearing. 🙂

    -Bethany P.

    1. Kindred spirits! And I can’t believe how many books you read, wow, I was grateful to be able to read about 10 books last year in between a busy season. One of my favorite WWII books is “Story of a Secret State” by Jan Karski, about a Polish underground spy. It was fascinating and I learned a lot about Poland. There are more, but please do share what titles you read that you really enjoyed too! I would love to know!

      1. Thanks for getting back with me Rebekah!! And thanks for the book recommendation – I will definitely have to see if I can get that at our library. 🙂 I’m always on the quest to find another good WW2 book. My favorite book I read last year on the topic was “The Boy on the Wooden Box” by Leon Leyson. Have you heard of it before? I have read a good amount of stories of children taken into concentration camps and the fears that they faced, but this was definitely my favorite by far because of its simplicity. I also liked “Reckless Courage” by William Fuller and “Things we Couldn’t Say” by Diet Eman. Diet’s story is one quite interesting because she professed to be a Christian and did her resistance work because of her belief in Christ. I find it rare to find books from that standpoint.

        1. Hi Bethany, thanks for sharing those titles! I loved “Things We Couldn’t Say” so much that I purchased the book! Yes, it was so interesting to see the perspective from a true Christian who lived during that time. I contacted Diet Eman who is still alive today, living somewhere in Montana, I believe. I just let her know that the story moved me and such, but I haven’t heard back from her, since I suppose she’s really old so is not able to keep a correspondence.
          I started reading “Boy on the Wooden Box” but I did not get to finish it and had to return it to the library. I haven’t heard of Reckless Courage, but will look it up. Hmmm, what other titles do I know that I liked? “The Boys In the Boat” the Olympics in Germany during Hitler’s reign. I think you probably already read it.
          Thank you for the feedback!

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