With summer around the corner, many of us begin scouring library shelves and bestseller lists for recommended reads. I recently finished several great reads. Perhaps you can include a couple of these on your summer book list.

Nonfiction Book Recommendations

I

The book Inexpressible: Hesed and Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness, by Michael Card uncovers the richness of the Hebrew word and explores its relationship to God’s many characteristics.

Laden with narrative, rich word study, and theology, the author explores hesed in the lives of several Biblical characters including Moses, David, and Jeremiah. He also explores the impact of hesed on his personal life, challenging the reader to do the same.

Several helpful resources included in the back of the book include a list of verses that reference hesed, a comparison of translations, and more.

I learned a lot from Inexpressible and particularly resonated with the portion of the book that referenced Moses.

Favorite quote: The great surprise of the Hebrew Bible is not that God is awesome or holy . These characteristics we would expect from God. The great surprise is that he is kind, that he is a God of hesed. This is what fundamentally makes him unlike any other god, then or now.

 

Take Every Thought Captive is an encouraging, practical book for the woman who wants to overcome unruly or unwelcome thoughts. Sharing from her own life, Kelly deals with such topics as loneliness, rejection, and the perception of lack. This book is so good that I plan to buy one for my young adult daughter.

It’s worth every penny!

Favorite quote: The size of your God far outweights any issues in your mind.

 

Another great book in Kathy Howard’s devotional series, Deep Rooted: Growing Through the Book of Romans, explores the plan of salvation as revealed through the words of the apostle Paul.

Each day, the reader connects scripture with a modern-day story and deepens her understanding by answering reflective prompts at the end of the section. Then, the devotion closes with a short prayer.
Growing Through Romans is a great introductory study for a group of new Christians or teens and a meaty devotional for more mature believers.

Favorite quote: We don’t need higher self-esteem. Instead, we need to see ourselves as God does: Sinners saved by grace, hopeless and helpless without His divine intercession. But also totally safe, secure, and unconditionally loved within His strong arms.

Fiction Book Recommendations

Colleen Coble creates an intriguing story with strong characters and a touch of romance in her standalone book Dark of Night, part of her Annie Pedersen series. The author masterfully weaves enough details from the previous books throughout the plot to allow readers new to the series to become familiar with important details.

Annie Pederson, the female protagonist, deals with the shocking possibility that her sister–kidnapped as a young child–may be alive. At the same time, she juggles the challenge of single parenting while Jon, her dead husband’s best friend and the man she loves, attempts to find his place in her life. But Annie’s personal and family struggles cannot distract her because a woman’s life depends on her. If you enjoy romantic suspense and clean reading with twists, turns, and surprises, Colleen Coble will not disappoint.

I received a complimentary copy of Dark of Night through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

On My Bookshelf

• The Hem of His Garment by Dr. Michelle Bengston
• Fugitive in Hiding by Jenna Night
• Blue Ridge Mountain Escape by Loretta Edison

 

If you’d like to add even more books to your shelf, check out this post.

Peace and grace,

Tammy

I sometimes link up with the following wonderful bloggers:

Mondays   Mandy and Michele/ Inspire Me Monday/Anita Ojeda Tuesdays InstaEncouragements Wednesdays  Recharge Wednesday / Tell His Story//Let’s Have Coffee Thursdays ImpartingGrace/Heart Encouragement  /  Tune In Thursday  /Salt and Light Friday FriendshipFriday/Blogger Voices Network /Faith on Fire

Tammy Kennington

• Following your hosts via their blog and social media channels is not mandatory but appreciated!

• Leave 1-2 of your most recent Christian Living posts. Please do not link DIY, Crafts, Recipes, etc. We will delete these links. We also reserve the right to remove articles that don’t align with the theme or are deemed by the hostesses to be inappropriate.
• Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community among us, so please don’t link and run!
• The playing field is even! We sort all links randomly—feel free to link as early or as late as
  

  Featured Post Requirements

  • Please grab a button and link it back to one of our hosts to encourage new linkers. It is not mandatory to participate but is required to be featured.
  • Tammy will choose one blog post every other week to emphasize and promote via her website and social media channels. Be sure to visit our other hosts weekly to see what they have chosen. This week, I’m highlight Lois Flower’s article, What to Remember When the Future Holds More Questions Than Answers.

  

  It isn’t mandatory to participate but greatly appreciated if you add our badge to your post or sidebar and link back to one of our hosts.

  

  Join us for the Grace & Truth Christian Link-Up. #graceandtruth #bloglinkup #christianbloggers Click To Tweet