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The Way of the Desert Elders: How the Wisdom of Ancient Christians Sustains Us Today by Lisa Colón DeLay | SparkMyMuse meditates on the stories and sayings of the many famous Desert Fathers and Mothers of Egypt and Palestine for readers who might never have heard of them before. I read an early version of this book before publication, and I immensely enjoyed her fresh look at the spiritual ancestors so familiar to me. I can’t wait to read the final version!

Purchase on Bookshop| Amazon.

Taking a class is a great way to read more books, and this semester I am taking a class on the Liturgical Year at seminary, so The Eucharist by Fr. Alexander Schmemann is part of our required reading. This will be a re-read for me, and I’m excited about it because of how much this book impacted me when I first read it, many years ago.

Purchase at SVS Press | Amazon

Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter (Revised and Expanded Edition). I’ve had this beautiful anthology of poetry, meditations, and literary selections from Plough for a while now, and recently received a revised and expanded edition. This is a wonderful book to dip in and out of during the season, with a diversity of authors from St. Cyril of Alexandria to Madeleine L’Engle.

Purchase on Bookshop| Amazon.

Art of Myrrhbearing: Encountering Christ Through Serving Others by Elissa Bjeletich Davis came out last April. In keeping with the important Lenten theme of loving our neighbors, this book meditates on the “myrrhbearing saints” of Scripture and the Church, who cared for our Lord Jesus Christ’s body after His crucifixion and His Body after His Resurrection.

Purchase on Ancient Faith| Bookshop| Amazon.

Nature Poems to See By: A Comic Artist Interprets More Great Poetry by Julian Peters. Six years ago I had the pleasure of reviewing the first book of poetry illustrated in graphic novel format by Julian Peters, Poems to See By, and I loved it. One of my struggles with reading poetry is that I am a fast reader, and sometimes I read the words too fast to savor them. These graphic novel style illustrations force me to slow down and read the poetry more meditatively as I savor the words and enjoy the artwork. I can only imagine how beautiful Nature Poems to See By is going to be. It releases in March.

Pre-order on Bookshop| Amazon.

Speaking of poetry, poet Elizabeth Scott Tervo recently published a memoir, The Sun Does Not Shine Without You: A Memoir of Soviet Georgia. I met Elizabeth Scott Tervo at the Ancient Faith Content Creator’s Conference a few years ago, so I was excited to see her book published and bought it as soon as it came out. This memoir tells the story of her 1989 study abroad experience in Tbilsi, Georgia, where her she landed unwittingly into Georgia’s independence movement from the Soviet Union and learns about the Orthodox Christian faith that she eventually joins.

Purchase on Amazon.

After I interviewed Michael El-Gamal last year on the Hunger for Righteousness podcast, he told me about this exciting project: his forthcoming novel, Moses: the Cross and the Gun. It’s a literary crime fiction book based on the life of St. Moses the Black (providentially, right when a movie on the same topic came out). For those who don’t know, Michael El-Gamal is the mastermind behind Creative Orthodox. Moses: the Cross and the Gun releases in July. You can follow the special Instagram account for it to get updates about when it will be ready for order.

The Man from Bashmour by Salwa Bakr and translated by Nancy Roberts has been on my TBR for a while, so this Lent I’m going to read it. It’s an historical fiction novel about an episode of medieval Egyptian history, when Coptic villagers revolted against the invading rulers in the ninth century. Egyptian author Salwa Bakr recently became the inaugural winner of the BRICS Literary Prize for her work, which has been translated into over ten languages. Purchase from AUC Bookstore| Bookshop| Amazon.

My friend Fr. Michael Sorial JUST released this new novel and I am so excited to add it to my reading list this Great Lent. Here’s the description: “Sophia’s Way – Volume 1: The Wilderness Within is a raw, lyrical coming-of-age novel about identity, desire, loss, and grace. Set against the pulse of city streets and the ache of spiritual longing, this first volume traces the beginning of one young man’s journey from self-protection to surrender.”

Purchase from Amazon.

Dragon Slayers: The Essential Training Guide for Young Dragon Fighters by Joyce Denham and Illustrated by Kristina Kister is a colorfully illustrated book for children ages 8-10 that equips children with the Scriptural tools they need to “slay the dragons” (each dragon has a name and they sound familiarly like the joy thieves), followed by profiles of saints and important historical figures who have successfully “slain dragons” ranging from St. Therese of Lisieux to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I plan to read this book with my ten year old, who loves all things dragons and mythology. Paraclete Press also provides some excellent resources for educational and Sunday School use on the book website. Purchase from Paraclete Press| Bookshop| Amazon.