25-04-2025
Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for April 25–May 1
This week, we take a contemporary look at C.S. Lewis's writings and delve into an atmospheric work of Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris.
Non-Fiction
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By Jeffrey W. Barbeau
Theologian Jeffrey Barbeau examines connections linking C.S. Lewis to English Romantic literature and modern theology, all in the hope of gaining a better understanding of Lewis's views on the relationship between truth and personal experience. The result is an engaging journey ranging from British poets to Lewis's autobiographical writings. Impressive as well are the gracious critiques by three scholars of Barbeau's essays, which offer readers a shining example of academic civility at work.
IVP Academic, 2025, 176 pages
Science Fiction
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By John Scalzi
One fine day, the Moon turned into cheese. It happened overnight, perhaps instantaneously. All of a sudden the moon's diameter is 300 miles larger and its albedo higher. It's larger in the sky and bright enough to see during the day. This humorous science fiction novel follows the first lunar month after the Moon becomes effectively green (fresh) cheese. It tracks the madness and downright lunacy that results on Earth. A lighthearted, thought-provoking, and thoroughly entertaining book.
Tor Books, 2025, 336 pages
Ancient History
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By Josiah Osgood
One of today's leading scholars on Ancient Rome takes readers through the final years of the Roman Republic before it became the Roman Empire. In a brilliant narrative, Osgood uses a number of trials involving Marcus Tullius Cicero, as either prosecutor or defender. Written in chronological order, the parallels between Rome's political structure and Cicero's major career cases are striking. Witness, like never before, the rise and fall of some of ancient history's mightiest figures.
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Basic Books, 2025, 384 pages
Naval History
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By David R. Leick
USS Princeton, CVL-23, known to its crew as the 'Sweet P,' was one of nine World War II light aircraft carriers built on the hulls of ships originally designed as light cruisers. This book is a ship biography of the Princeton, telling the vessel's story from its inception to its loss at the Battle of Leyte. A standard, yet well-presented ship biography, it follows the pattern Edward P. Stafford set in his 1964 work 'The Big E.' This is a book for those interested in WWII-era naval history.
Osprey Publishing, 2024, 304 pages
Classics
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By Charles Dickens
Unlike many other novels, we don't read a Dickens novel; we live inside it, wrapped up in its descriptions and characters. So it is with this story, which is set primarily in London and revolutionary Paris. Released at last from a Paris prison, Dr. Manette joins his angelic daughter Lucie in England. The exiled aristocrat Charles Darnay and drunken lawyer Sydney Carton vie for her affections during this age of turmoil and cruelty. A grand novel of ideas, justice, and redemption.
Penguin Classics, 2003, 544 pages
For Kids
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By Patricia MacLachlan and Mike Wimmer
Every illustration in this book is a gorgeous work of art, but that doesn't overshadow the tender narrative. A young boy describes the cherished places and beloved people in his life. Poignant and delightful, this simple book is a treasure and a delight to read, celebrating the beauty of the natural world and the love of family. Exquisite.
HarperCollins, 1994, 32 pages
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