Why Read Fiction?
These works have stood the test of time, impacting generations of readers. We have selected these great works either because they depict what it true, good, and beautiful in a way that captures our imaginations and cultivates our love for the true, good, and beautiful; or because they provide a powerful and clarifying analysis of the human condition. Because they capture our imaginations, good novels can be an important force in cultivating our growth as a whole person. Our lives are not transformed when we merely inform our intellects of truth. Our hearts must also be directed to love what is good, and this is encouraged when our imaginations are captured by goodness and beauty in stories, whether fiction or nonfiction.
These books may not be overtly “Christian.” Many of them reflect and contribute to the formation of a Christian worldview, but some are selected simply because they have deeply impacted our culture and help us to understand the society we live in. We try to avoid books that include gratuitous or overly graphic depictions of evil, but any true analysis of the human condition or any realistic account of redemption must reckon with the reality of evil and sin. We also recognize that readers have varying levels of sensitivity, and urge you to exercise discernment as you read.
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Title | Description | Category | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Orwell, George | 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell's prophetic, nightmare vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. "1984" is still the great modern classic "negative Utopia" - a startling original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing from the… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Dickens, Charles | On Christmas Eve, Scrooge sits in his house with not a kind word for anyone; he just wants to be left alone until the "humbug" of Christmas is over. But four ghostly visitors--his former business partner, followed by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come--show… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Brighten the season with tales from the master of Christmastime fiction.
Charles Dickens' most famous holiday story was the 1843 publication, A Christmas Carol, but he was a prolific writer in the yuletide genre and a great contributor to many now-prevalent traditions of the holiday itself. In the year following the release… | Literature ⋅ Classics | ||
 | Aesop | A beautifully illustrated collection of 487 of Aesop's fables. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Orwell, George | In this controversial classic fairy tale, a farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality, setting the stage for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned. Illustrations and Orwell's… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | A classic tale of adventure from renowned French author Jules Verne.
Originally published in 1872, Around the World in Eighty Days imagined for readers the possibility of circumnavigating the world when the prospect of such a feat was still in its infancy. After an argument with colleagues at London's Reform Club, the wealthy… | Literature ⋅ Classics | ||
 | Wallace, Lew | "Ben-Hur" is the remarkable saga of betrayal, revenge, and redemption, played out in the bloodstained arenas of ancient Rome. Framed for attempting to murder a Roman official, Ben-Hur is robbed of his freedom, family, and fortune. Condemned to death as a galley slave, he lives only to avenge himself against… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Michael D. O'Brien | By the Rivers of Babylon presents the early life of the prophet Ezekiel, from his childhood to his service in the Temple to the Babylonian Captivity, where he was enslaved among the exiles along the River Chebar.
Ezekiel, a bricklayer, is simple and timid. He is not yet a priest, and his… | Books ⋅ Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Dickens, Charles | Four classic novels from Charles Dickens: The Adventures of Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Gilbreth, Frank B. | What do you get when you mix a blunt-talking, famous efficiency-expert father and a brilliant, compassionate psychologist mother with twelve rambunctious offspring of various sizes? You get one of America's all-time best- loved memoirs! The hilarious story of growing up Gilbreth has already delighted generations of readers -- and it… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Chaim Potok. 9781501142468. | The Chosen is a novel written by Chaim Potok. It was first published in 1967. It follows the narrator Reuven Malter and his friend Daniel Saunders, as they grow up in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1940s. A sequel featuring Reuven's young adult years, The Promise… | Classics | |
 | Lewis, C.S. | A box set of all 7 books in the Chronicles of Narnia series: The Magician's Nephew, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Chesterton, G.K. | Critic, author, and debunker extraordinaire, G. K. Chesterton (1874 1936) delighted in probing the ambiguities of Christian theology. A number of his most successful attempts at combining first-rate fiction with acute social observation appear in this compilation of detective stories featuring the priest-sleuth Father Brown.
A Chestertonian version of Sherlock Holmes… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Paton, Alan | Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel by Alan Paton, published in 1948. American publisher Bennett Cerf remarked at that year's meeting of the American Booksellers Association that there had been "only three novels published since the first of the year that were worth reading." | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Stevenson, Robert Louis | Dr. Jekyll is a well respected medical doctor in the community. When a series of bizarre crimes are committed by a rather ugly man named Mr. Hyde, no one can imagine that they are one in the same person. But they are, because Dr. Jekyll has discovered a drug that… | Classics | |
 | Dickens, Charles | Humbled, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman -- and one day he finds himself in possession of "great expectations." One of Dickens' finest novels, this is a gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Goudge, Elizabeth | When Marianne LePatourel meets William Ozanne in the 1830s on an island in the English Channel, she sets her heart on him. However, her sister Marguerite falls in love with him too. And so begins this sweeping novel that takes the characters on dramatic adventures from childhood through old age… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Swift, Jonathan | Gulliver sees life from many different perspectives during the course of his exciting voyages around the world. In Lilliput he is a giant among a race of little people only six inches high; in Brobdingnag he himself seems tiny compared to the giant inhabitants; and in the country of the… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Conrad, Joseph | The tale concerns the journey of the narrator (Marlow) up the Congo River on behalf of a Belgian trading company. Far upriver, he encounters the mysterious Kurtz, an ivory trader who exercises an almost godlike sway over the inhabitants of the region. Both repelled and fascinated by the man, Marlow… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Lewis, C.S. | Book three of the Chronicles of Narnia. The story of a Narnian horse in Calormen and his escape with a young boy. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Victor Hugo | A gypsy girl's beauty and charm captivate a priest, a vagabond, a soldier, and a deformed bell-ringer, in a gripping tale that culminates in a riot and murder. More than simply a thrilling story, Victor Hugo's tale explores the mysteries of good and evil in the human heart and illuminates… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Sheldon, Charles M. | Deeply shaken by the appearance of a mysterious stranger in town and his impassioned pleas for the poor and downtrodden, the minister and five influential parishioners begin a year-long experience in Christianity. Each has resolved to conduct his life according to the precepts of Christ, applying His behavior to their… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Ripken, Nik with Lewis, Gregg | Nik Ripken has walked with followers of Christ from the hills of Kentucky to war-torn Somalia. Faced with suffering in his own family, the realities of war around him, and the systemic destruction of the work he felt called to do, the evil was at times overwhelming. How could God… | Classics | |
 | Bronte, Charlotte | Jane Eyre is Charlotte Bronte's most enduring masterpiece, the unforgettable tale of an orphan girl's ardent search for a wider and richer life. Originally published in 1847, it was an immediate popular success, but it also caused a storm of controversy. Bronte's firm insistence on the equality of the sexes… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Verne, Jules | Get cozy with the classics! Jules Verne collects some of the author's best-known works in a beautiful keepsake volume.
2013 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Silver Finalist in Gift Books
Legendary science fiction and adventure author Jules Verne is remembered for his fascinating stories of travel and excitement. With countless adaptations available, the titles of… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Tolstoy, Leo | Three great stories offer profound insights into human behavior and motivation. Title story plus "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" and "The Death of Ivan Ilych." Explanatory footnotes. | Classics | |
 | Lewis, C.S. | The story of the last great battle of Narnia. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Cooper, James Fenimore | The wild rush of action in this classic frontier adventure story has made The Last of the Mohicans the most popular of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. Deep in the forests of upper New York State, the brave woodsman Hawkeye (Natty Bumppo) and his loyal Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas… | Classics | |
 | Hugo, Victor | Les Miserables is a classic tale of redemption, exploring the complex interplay of mercy and justice. Jean Valjean, a recently paroled criminal, encounters the life-changing power of grace through a saintly bishop's sacrificial love. His life is profoundly transformed, but his criminal past haunts him as he is pursued by… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Victor Hugo | Les Miserables is a classic tale of redemption, exploring the complex interplay of mercy and justice. Jean Valjean, a recently paroled criminal, encounters the life-changing power of grace through a saintly bishop's sacrificial love. His life is profoundly transformed, but his criminal past haunts him as he is pursued by… | Books ⋅ Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Lewis, C.S. | Lucy, then Edmund, and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Shakespeare, William | Unique features include an extensive overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater by the general editor of Signet Classic Shakespeare series, plus a special introduction to the play by the editor Sylvan Barnet, Tufts University. It also contains comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions of… | Classics | |
 | Lewis, C.S. | The origin story of the great land of Narnia. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Chesterton, G.K. | Perhaps the most lighthearted of all Chesterton's "serious" books, Manalive is full of high-spirited nonsense expressing important ideas: life is worth living, one can break with convention and still maintain moral and ethical standards, and much of the behavior that civilized man has been led to believe is wrong, isn't wrong… | Classics | |
 | Kafka, Franz | Since his death in 1924, Kafka has come to be regarded as one of the greatest modern writers, one whose work brilliantly explores the anxiety, futility, and complexity of modern life. The precision and clarity of Kafka's style, its powerful symbolism, and his existential exploration of the human condition have… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Melville, Herman | First published in 1851, Herman Melville's masterpiece is, in Elizabeth Hardwick's words, "the greatest novel in American literature." The saga of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal pursuit of the white whale remains a peerless adventure story but one full of mythic grandeur, poetic majesty, and symbolic power. Filtered through the… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Melville, Herman | First published in 1851, Herman Melville's masterpiece is, in Elizabeth Hardwick's words, "the greatest novel in American literature." The saga of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal pursuit of the white whale remains a peerless adventure story but one full of mythic grandeur, poetic majesty, and symbolic power. Filtered through the… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Cather, Willa | Travel to the Old West with Pulitzer Prize winner Willa Cather.
Willa Cather's novels brought the life of American settlers on the Great Plains to the forefront of the nation's consciousness during a time when the lands west of the Mississippi were undergoing rapid transformation. My Ántonia, considered by many scholars to… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
![Odyssey, The [Dover Thrift]](https://christianlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/770_6.gif "Odyssey, The [Dover Thrift]") | This excellent prose translation of Homer's epic poem of the 9th century B.C. recounts one of the most glorious tales of Western literature, a treasury of Greek folklore, and a myth that has held ageless fascination. | Classics | ||
 | Dicken, Charles | Novel by Charles Dickens, published serially from 1837 to 1839 in Bentleys Miscellany and in a three-volume book in 1838. The novel was the first of the authors works to depict realistically the impoverished London underworld and to illustrate his belief that poverty leads to crime. Written shortly after adoption… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Lewis, C. S. | The first book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which continues with Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, Out of the Silent Planet begins the adventures of the remarkable Dr. Ransom. Here, that estimable man is abducted by aliens and taken via spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra. Once… | Classics | |
 | Lewis, C.S. | The second book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength. Pitted against that greatest of human weaknesses, temptation, Dr. Ransom must battle evil on a new world -- Perelandra -- when it is invaded by the Devil's agent. Will… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Bunyan, John | Now available together in a single volume, these two classics were written by seventeenth-century England's most famous prisoner of conscience, Baptist John Bunyan (1628-88). Imprisoned for twelve years for his preaching, he first wrote a dramatic allegory of Christian life and followed it with the compelling story of his own… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Austen, Jane | Austen's comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of 18-century drawing-room intrigues. | Classics | |
 | Lewis, C.S. | The story of how Caspian, the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia, escaped death and defeated his wicked uncle Miraz. | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Potok, Chaim | Reuven Malter lives in Brooklyn, he's in love, and he's studying to be a rabbi. He also keeps challenging the strict interpretations of his teachers, and if he keeps it up, his dream of becoming a rabbi may die. One day, worried about a disturbed, unhappy boy named Michael, Reuven… | Classics | |
 | Irving, Washington | The legendary enchantment of Rip Van Winkle; the gruesome end of Ichabod Crane, who met the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow; the Spectre Bridegroom who turned out to be happily substantial; the pride of an English village and the come-uppance of the over-zealous Mountjoy -- these five witty, perceptive and… | Classics | |
 | Defoe, Daniel | The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a desert island. In his journal he chronicles his daily battle to stay alive, as he conquers isolation, fashions shelter and clothes, first encounters another human being and fights off cannibals and mutineers. With Robinson Crusoe, Defoe wrote what… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | "Thou and thine, Hester Prynne, belong to me." With these chilling words a husband claims his wife after a two-year absence. But the child she clutches is not his, and Hester must wear a scarlet "A" upon her breast, the sin of adultery visible to all. Under an assumed name… | Literature ⋅ Classics | |
 | London, Jack | John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and to amass a vast fortune from his fiction alone. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang. Also included in this volume are the… | Literature ⋅ Classics |