nonfiction Archives

Life Observed, A

A Reframing of Lewis' Surprised By Joy Author: Devin Brown For the C.S. Lewis Fellowship Life & Writings course (which I ended up not finishing this year, but intend to pick up again) we delve into the man, C.S. Lewis himself, starting with his life and then his writings. The program is not about an academic standpoint, but an application standpoint, to help fellows learn from Lewis’ writings and apply his message to the discipleship of heart and mind. As such, we kick-off by reading Devin Brown’s A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C.S. Lewis, which is more of a [...]

Frances Carden2025-12-14T15:06:51-07:00December 14th, 2025|Tags: biography, C.S. Lewis, Christian, conversion, faith, nonfiction|

Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors and Other True Cases

A Collection of Miscellaneous Cases Author: Ann Rule Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors and Other True Cases is a very loosely themed collection composed mostly of cold cases and random rape / murder stories. The idea, ostensibly, is to focus on cases that hit close to home, but the reality is more of a hodge-podge of tales that fit more under a “miscellaneous” heading than anything else. The first two chapters are novella length, taking up most of the real estate in the book. Neither, however, are especially satisfying, leaving more unanswered and speculated upon than revealed. The first chapter concentrates on [...]

Frances Carden2025-12-12T20:58:29-07:00December 12th, 2025|Tags: ann rule, book review, nonfiction, read, reading, true crime|

Captive in Iran

"Whatever God has planned is what will happen." Authors: Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh are tricked into visiting the Iranian police station, responding to an incorrect notice about a car registration. What happens next is their sudden, vicious imprisonment for being Christians and a 259-day stint in the world’s most notorious prison, Evin. As Captive in Iran unravels, Maryam and Marziyeh share the story of their imprisonment, the deprivations and unexpected moments of connection and hope. They were both given a simple out: renounce Christ and stop sharing Christianity with strangers and they would be [...]

Frances Carden2025-07-14T18:15:11-07:00July 14th, 2025|Tags: book review, Christian, Christianity, evangelism, Iran, memoir, nonfiction, prayer, read, reading|