Most Read Reviews in April

The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Gamache #8) by Louise Penny and How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Gamache #9)

Books 8 and 9 were both in the most read reviews this month. If you like a series mystery that both pays attention to the mystery and on going characters, this is a series worth reading.

Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian by Wesley Hill

Wesley Hill is a seminary professor at a small seminary in Pennsylvania. He has serious theology (I am reading his Paul and the Trinity right now), but he is best known for his two memoir-ish books about being a Gay Celibate Christian. The first, Washed and Waiting, makes the case for why he has chosen to be celibate and this second makes the case for the importance of deep friendships in direct relationship to the need for relational intimacy.

Neither of these books should be seen as only ‘gay Christian’ books. Hill has deep insight into the theological and spiritual issues around sex and marriage and intimacy. His illustrations are personal there are clear (at least to me) implications for understanding sexuality and intimacy in straight relationship as well.

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien

Richard and O’Brien have written about nine areas that we as western Christians tend to misunderstand about the Bible because we are ignorant of the culture that the bible was written in and pre-suppose that the biblical era culture was similar to our own.

This is essentially a basic class in sociology and anthropology for the purpose of better understanding scripture. It is also well written with good illustrations and humor and good for those that are not bringing a lot of previous formal biblical education to the book.

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

I continue to appreciate regular Bookwi.se contributors, especially Vikki Huisman and Emily Flury. I could not continue Bookwi.se as I do without their ongoing participation.

This review of Ruby was by Vikki Huisman.