Some Great Fiction for Your Winter Reading

Winter is coming on and, at least in Minnesota, that means it is time to begin looking at how to spend those cold, snowy days when you can't get out or don't want to get out. One of my favorite ways of spending indoor time is get a good book, build a fire in the fireplace (At our house, that means flipping on a switch and watching the fire magically appear!), and relaxing. A cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn complete the picture.

What to read? Here are some suggestions, in no particular order.

The Harry Potter books. It seems like everyone in the world has at least heard about these seven books by J. K. Rowling. They narrate the story of the conflict between a good wizard and a bad wizard that builds to a showdown battle between the two of them. Even if you have questions about the wizardry and witchcraft, the books have some great underlying themes (See my earlier Associated Content article listing some of those themes.)

The Lord of the Rings books. After I finished with Harry Potter, I reread these great books by J. R. R. Tolkien. They take more concentration to read than the Potter books, but reward the reader who takes the time to go through them. The basic story line is the mission of two hobbits (small people from a land called Middle Earth) to destroy a ring that, if it gets into the wrong hands, can lead to the triumph of evil in the world. A set of three blockbuster movies were produced based on the books. It may be helpful to see the movies before reading the books. Whatever you do, don't try to remember all the names of places and people in the books.

The "Left Behind" books. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins collaborated on this series of books that describe the "Rapture" and what happens next. The Rapture is the idea that Christ will return to remove all Christian believers from the world and allow evil to flourish for a time. Even if you don't believe in the Rapture, the books are well-written and tell an exciting story. If you're not a Christian, you may find that you are getting too much Christian doctrine to suit you.

The Chronicles of Narnia. This set of books by the late C. S. Lewis are an allegory of Christ returning to the world to set things straight. As in most of the books listed above and below, the underlying theme is the struggle of good to conquer evil and to return things to an original state of purity or relative purity. A movie based on one of the books, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, has been released. That book is probably the best of the series, although The Final Battle comes in a close second.

The Space Trilogy. This is a series of three books by C. S. Lewis. The story concerns a man who is kidnapped and taken to another planet where he has to deal with the plans of his kidnappers to export their earthly depravity to that planet. My son likes the first book in the set, Out of the Silent Planet. I prefer the concluding volume, That Hideous Strength. In between is Perelandra. Again, the books deal with a struggle between good and evil.

Any Book by Chaim Potok. Potok, who died in 2002, wrote primarily about Judaism from the perspective of a Jew. He details the struggles within Jewish families and individuals, and gives the readers many helpful insights into a faith perspective that is being affected by the surrounding world. My personal favorite is My Name Is Asher Lev, the story of a Jewish artist who gets in trouble with the Jewish community for using a crucifixion scene in a painting in order to make his point. Although this book has a sequel, The Gift of Asher Lev, most of Potok's books stand alone.

The Mitford Series. This series narrates the life of the fictional clergyman, Father Timothy Cavanaugh, as he ministers to his flock, finds love, gets married (He is not a Roman Catholic priest!), and goes through the transition into retirement. Set in a small town, the books are "feel good" books without losing a sense of real life with its times of disappointment, sin, and death. Be sure to read the books in sequence because they build on each other.

The Ender Novels. Orson Scott Card, a favorite author of my son, has created a series of books about a family involved in a struggle against an evil empire. Several of the books detail the growing up of one of the family members. The best place to start is with First Meetings in Ender's Universe. Ender's Game is probably the core novel of the series.

The Emigrant Novels. This set of four novels by Vilhelm Moberg follows a family from Sweden as they leave their homeland and journey to Minnesota. Although Minnesota is their destination, the novels are universal in the sense that they illustrate the reasons--primarily the need for food, religious freedom, and personal liberty--that thousands of Swedes left their homeland. The first book in the series, The Emigrants, was voted the book of the century by the Swedish people.

There are a few things I like about most of the books above. For one thing, they are not shallow. They explore the lives and motivations of people. In many instances--The Lord of the Rings books, for example--they also show the corrupting influence evil has on society as a whole and on individuals in particular. They deal with real life human experiences. One final benefit of the some of the books is that they provide spiritual insights and guidance that you can take or leave.

Enjoy!

Source:

www.associatedcontent.com/article/328137/a_conservative_christian_favorably.html