Tag: religion

Mini Reviews: The Matzah Ball and God Spare the Girls

Posted July 7, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

This was fun! I don’t think I’ve ever read a Jewish holiday romance before, and it’s a bit Meta because the protagonist is tasked with writing one (even though she’s built a secret career on writing Christmas romance novels and is obsessed with all things Christmas despite being Jewish). I’m always intrigued by books that focus on religion or religious elements (former Religious Studies major here) and it was fascinating reading about Rachel’s struggle with her Jewish identity- from being a dutiful rabbi’s daughter in some elements of her life, but having this closet fascination with Christmas in others. This […]

Mini Reviews | Never Saw You Coming (ARC) and The Jasmine Project

Posted January 24, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

As a former Religious Studies major during my undergrad years, I am always intrigued by YA novels that tackle the topic of religion, though many popular titles in the past few years have seemed to focus more on the extreme side (Devoted, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Project, etc.). I was intrigued to read a novel where the religious aspects seemed more naturally woven in with the contemporary elements, which is definitely the case in Never Saw You Coming, which follows 18 year old protagonist Meg as she strikes out on her own for the first time in […]

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord | ARC Review

Posted April 19, 2017 in Reviews / 12 Comments

*Many thanks to Lauren @ Bookmark Lit for being a rock star and letting me borrow her copy! In some ways I don’t even know how to begin reviewing this book because my heart is so full after reading it. The Names They Gave Us has a tiny sprinkling of every ingredient you need for a powerful and moving YA book, but the product is so cohesive and beautiful and seamless that it’s almost impossible to analyze each individual component. However, I am a book blogger and this is my book blog, so review I must (and I really […]

Religious Recommendations: Books with Religious Themes and Topics

Posted September 7, 2016 in Book Recommendations & Lists / 19 Comments

No matter how you feel about religion, it’s a pervasive theme in most forms of media, and it lends itself to evocative storytelling. As I’ve mentioned before on my blog, I was a Religious Studies major (as well as an English major) in college. Most people confused Religious Studies with theology, but it couldn’t be more different. Religious Studies is a major comprised of sociology, anthropology, history, humanities and more. You can think of it as comparative world religion- I was able to customize my classes and take classes about all different kinds of religions and theorists, and study how […]

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu | Review

Posted March 9, 2016 in Reviews / 6 Comments

*Many thanks to Macmillan and Brittany @ The Book Addict’s Guide for my copy of Devoted! Jennifer Mathieu has managed to write a stellar sophomore novel that, like her debut The Truth About Alice, provides a riveting view into a social issue that might make most uncomfortable to look too closely at. While The Truth About Alice focused on slut-shaming and bullying, Devoted addressed modern day religious fundamentalist communities, and as a religious studies major I have to applaud Mathieu’s handling of the topic. Devoted focuses on Rachel, a nearly 18 year old living in a Christian fundamentalist community (the […]