Moms need book recommendations, too! Those of you who enjoyed the Faith, Fiction, and Fellowship Read-Along in the spring read through Christina Fox’s Closer Than a Sister. She mentioned one of her new books in the video interview we did. Today, we look at both Idols of a Mother’s Heart and her brand new, out-today book, Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms. Both of these books are outstanding reads and might be just what you need this summer as you sit poolside, watching your offspring frolic and splash. Idols of a Mother’s Heart Idols of a Mother’s Heart is a mix between a punch to the gut and…

“I’m reading a book that’s a little slow.” I told a friend. “Why not stop reading it?” It was a fair question, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind. “Because I like the author . . . and she has these wonderful sentences that make the rest of the book worth reading.” In a nutshell, that could describe much of Robin McKinley. Born in Ohio in 1952, McKinley grew up a navy brat —devouring Andrew Lang’s fairytales, T. H. White’s Once and Future King, as well as Lord of the Rings.  “When I was a child, back in the Palaeolithic Era, that was what there was after you’d read all…

Ronan Boyle is the hapless hero of this hilarious new fantasy series that pits special-unit Irish police against nefarious leprechauns. Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles by Thomas Lennon, illustrated by John Hendrix.  Amulet, 2019, 286 pages. Reading level: Teen, ages 12-15 Recommended for: 12-15 Ronan Boye, at 15, is considered the perfect size for recruitment to a special unit of Irish Garda (police), especially after he successfully carries out a skinny-guy mission.  That is, descend into a pit through an impossibly narrow opening to rescue a baby kidnapped by a disgruntled leprechaun.  Leprechauns, in spite of what you may have heard or deduced from St. Patrick’s Day logos,…

Over the years, we at Redeemed Reader have been dedicated followers of John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress. Though written to address the conflicts of his own day, pilgrims ever since have read, pondered, identified with, reinterpreted, and reenacted its basic theme of life as a spiritual journey. The release of the most recent animated version of The Pilgrim’s Progress has inspired further posts from us on the subject, as well as a band-new product in our book store. The launch date is coming up next week, but you can pre-order today. What’s in it for you? Almost 200 pages of Our exclusive teaching guide to The Dangerous Journey, the…

When I was a kid, back in the day, “comic books” did not have a great reputation.  In fact, in 1949 a book called Seduction of the Innocent, by psychologist Fredric Wertham, sent a groundswell of concerned parents to their children’s comic stash, looking for hidden (or not-so-hidden) sexual themes and violent content.  At best, comics were an accessory of childhood, like cream soda, to be discarded once one had developed a more mature taste.  For sure, the medium had its share of extremes and perversions, and more than its share of shapely females in skin-tight outfits.  But many PR firms had caught on to its educational potential, as demonstrated…