Friday Finale

woman wearing white sweater and blue jeans sitting with closed old book in her hands

This is going to be my last Friday Reads.

Why?

When I first started sharing what I was reading, I would share four types of books: one Christian fiction, one Christian non-fiction, one non-Christian fiction, and one non-Christian non-fiction.

That got to be a bit much as I do read widely and am sometimes all over the place.

I then went down to just two titles, a Christian fiction book and a Christian non-fiction book.

However, over the last several months, I have constantly run into issues where the books that I'm about to embark on end up riddled with questionable content.

Should I do more research beforehand? Yes. Do I? Not always. Whether it's lack of time to read reviews, or I trust the person making the recommendation, or any other reason, I confess that I have not done as much due diligence as I could have.

In real life, I come across duds and move on. Online, those mistakes linger and linger.

I've stated before that what I'm reading is not always an endorsement; however, when I see those book covers again, I'm sick to my stomach. I'm nervous that what I post might be seen as alignment. And finally, the last thing I want to do is highlight books that glorify sin instead of God, or worse yet, point away from Him. I've toyed with the idea of removing some of these posts altogether, but I also want to show how difficult it is to discern a good book from a bad one at times.

Should I read more reviews now? Certainly, yes. But I also enjoy forming my own opinions. By stopping with the Friday Reads, I hope to exercise that discernment more privately and only put a spotlight on the books that are honourable to God. I honestly wouldn't be putting out negative reviews were it not for the fact that I erred in selecting some of these books in the first place and it's quite public that I did so.

It doesn't mean that I'll seek out questionable books now that I'm offline (it had to be said!), but it does mean that I want my focus to shift back to supporting great books and authors and not getting bogged down with the ones that aren't so great.

In short, there is a responsibility involved in sharing about books and I want to get it right.

Thank you for journeying with me on this so far. I keep learning new things every day about how to grow in my faith, how to have a more sanctified mind, and how to better encourage others. My prayer is that I don't take reading lightly and that I continually evaluate it against the source of God's truth in the Bible. Soli Deo gloria!

Comments

Review: 30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity

If church history intrigues you, 30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity by Mark W. Graham is an excellent addition to your home library, offering stories from the global church that are not to be missed. Ranging from well-known testimonies to more obscure happenings in farther reaches of the nations, it's a book that will develop your curiosity and cause you to rejoice in God's faithfulness throughout the ages. Many thanks to Baker Publishing Group for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Discover 30 Remarkably Diverse Stories from the First Thousand Years of the Church Encouraging, inspirational, challenging, and convicting true stories of the global church Sheds light on Western and non-Western church history through stories from a wide variety of cultural, social, and political contexts Offers invaluable insights for our times For many Christians, our understanding of the history of the church ...

Review: Movie-Made Romance: Christmas in Garland Collection #4

For anyone who has played bingo along with Christmas Romance movies, it's clear that there are definite (and repeated) themes. Movie-Made Romance by A.M. Heath plays on that idea, bringing a story within a story to life. Book Synopsis He wants a second chance. She wants him to get lost. Carleigh St. John is tired of watching everyone else get their happily-ever-after, and her little sister’s engagement is the last straw. Stewing down the overused plot lines from Christmas Romance movies, Carleigh creates a dating playbook. With a marathon of Christmas dates ranging from picking out a tree with her first crush to volunteering with her grumpy co-worker, she’s bound to find her perfect movie-made ending. … If only her ex will stay out of the way. Joshua Price has spent the last four years trying to outrun his past and the ex-fiancé he had hurt, but now he is back home. As he strives to help his grandfather, he keeps bumping into Carleigh. The pull between them is undeniable, and Jos...

Review: Falling for the Preacher - Romance in Still Meadows #2

I had the opportunity to read all of Hannah Foster's published works recently and have enjoyed all of them, so it's no surprise that after reading Falling for the Preacher , I had to read about Austen's sister as well in Falling for the Farmer . What great introductions to such a gentle series! Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Eleanor Handson has thrown herself into serving and loving single moms and children. Marriage has long since become a faded dream, ever since Austen Stuart walked out of her life—not that she ever really planned to marry him in the first place. Austen Stuart is invested in church ministry while he interns under his pastor. Eleanor Handson has barely crossed his mind for the last twelve years—maybe a little on purpose. When Austen is called upon to ask for Eleanor’s help in the aiding of a young woman, they’re forced to work together. Can two estra...