My top authors include Shauna Niequist (whose writing is raw, practical, steeped with grace), Angela Thomas (a single mom for many years who writes candidly and hopefully about her journey), and Elisabeth Elliot (well-respected missionary whose personal story will challenge, strengthen, and inspire you as much as her writing).
This list, organized alphabetically, also includes some authors who aren’t mainstream but whose books made a hopefull impression nonetheless. Whether you have time for all of them or only one, I hope you find words to comfort and encourage you. And please, if you have your own list of hopefull books, share it with me by clicking Contact Me below!
Hopefull Books
LOOKING FOR BOOKS THAT ARE FULL OF HOPE? I'VE CREATED A READING LIST JUST FOR YOU.
Andy Andrews’ style is easy to follow — he’s down to earth, real, engaging — and this book, besides encouraging you to be your best self and achieve your greatest potential, provides practical advice on how to make that happen. If you liked The Alchemist and other modern-day allegorical works, you’ll like The Traveler’s Gift.
The Traveler’s Gift
by Andy Andrews
This book, written by keyboardist and hit songwriter for the band Journey, Jonathan Cain, tells the story of the band (I’d always wondered what happened to Steve Perry), but more than that, it tells Cain's story of dreaming, struggling, trying, failing, trying again, and succeeding. If you need some encouragement to keep on believin’, you’ll find it here.
Don’t Stop Believin’
by Jonathan Cain
After her husband’s murder, Elisabeth Elliot easily could have walked away from a life of service to the Lord, but she didn’t. This book will help you discover why. She clings to Scripture, to hope, to growth, to God, and she shares her wisdom generously in this book and many others.
Keep a Quiet Heart
by Elisabeth Elliot
This edition is four books in one, so it’s thick and daunting. But Keller’s writing style and topics are anything but. He writes about trees, lakes, the ocean — ordinary scenes from nature — but in a way to help you see them afresh and to see past them to the beauty and majesty of the One who made them all.
Touched by His Hand
by Phillip Keller
This is one of those books everyone says you have to read, but you don’t fully understand why until you read it. I will say, I had to slow down and read this in short chunks. C. S. Lewis’ subject matter can be spiritually dense at times, but also, so worth it! You'll lay this book down with some questions answered and a revamped faith.
Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis
So many of the women in my life, myself included, spend their days buzzing from one activity to the next. Present Over Perfect invites you to step off the wheel, take a deep breath, and ask why. Shauna shares her own story from outward striving to inner peace with artistry and incredible transparency. If you’re craving rest, this book is for you.
Present Over Perfect
by Shauna Niequist
Michael Smith Tarrant, who works at the same facility as my dad, wrote this book after an accident left his college-age daughter severely injured. Their story teems with hope as they face one medical, emotional, and financial hurdle after the next; yet they never give up. Fascinating and easy to read, you’ll find this book hard to put down.
The Lame Will Leap
by Michael Smith Tarrant
Angela Thomas is a wise and practical student of the Word, but oh my goodness is she also witty and real and a captivating storyteller! This book combines the best of both as she provides helpful — and unique — advice for moms of any age and stage. And with fifty-two chapters, you'll find inspiration and encouragement to keep you going all year.
52 Things Kids Need from a Mom
by Angela Thomas
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