The following is an ever-changing list of books that I have devoured just for fun, have shaped my way of thinking and engaging in the world, and have guided me in my spiritual journey. Please contact me (melanie@melanieeccles.com) if you need specific suggestions.
novels
Backman, Fredrik. A Man Called Ove. // Britt-Marie Was Here. // Anxious People. // My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. // Beartown series.
Cole, Alyssa. When No One is Watching.
Durbin, Frederic. A Green and Ancient Light.
Gyasi, Yaa. Homegoing. // Transcendent Kingdom.
Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon.
Kidd, Sue Monk. The Mermaid Chair. // The Book of Longings. // The Secret Life of Bees. // The Invention of Wings.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time (The Time quintet, 5 book series).
Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia series
Lowry, Lois. The Giver (quartet, 4 book series).
Montgomery, Lucy Maud. The Anne of Green Gables series.
Ng, Celeste. Little Fires Everywhere. // Everything I Never Told you.
Owens, Delia. Where the Crawdads Sing.
Penny, Louise. Chief Inspector Gamache series.
Pratchett, Terry and Stephen Baxter. The Long Earth. (book 1 of 4)
Weir, Andy. The Martian. // Project Hail Mary. // Artemis.
Whitehead, Colson. The Underground Railroad.
memoir/wisdom
Bessey, Sarah. Field Notes for the Wilderness: practices for an evolving faith.
Boyle, Gregory. Tattoos on the Heart: the power of boundless compassion.
Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.
Taylor, Barbara Brown. An Altar in the World. // Leaving Church: A memoir of faith. // Learning to Walk in the Dark.
Held Evans, Rachel. Searching for Sunday: Loving, leaving and finding the church.
hospitality
Beck, Richard. Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality. (Advanced)
Pohl, Christine. Making Room: Recovering hospitality as a Christian tradition (Advanced)
racial reconciliation
Cleveland, Christena. Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces That Keep Us Apart. (Intermediate)
Cone, James. The Cross and the Lynching Tree. (Intermediate)
DiAngelo, Robin. What Does it Mean to be White? Developing White Racial Literacy (Intermediate)
Hannah-Jones, Nikole. The 1619 Project.
spiritual formation
25 Books Every Christian Should Read
Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms (Beginner)
Barton, Ruth Haley. Invitation to Silence and Solitude (Intermediate)
Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline (Advanced)
Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (Beginner)
Job, Rueben P. A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God (Intermediate)
Mulholland, M. Robert. Invitation to a Journey (Intermediate)
Scazzero, Pete. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature.
Tickle, Phyllis. The Divine Hours (Summertime, Autumn and Winter, Springtime) (Beginner)
Wasinger, Erin. A Year of Small Things: radical faith for the rest of us.