Christian Historical Bookclub discussion

Y'all can ask if a book is clean here! Make sure to help out one another, if you know that book has some issues content wise, please let them know!

What do you know of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson?

I haven't read it yet, but it's on my TBR list.

My dad read that one. If I remember correctly there are a lot of prostitutes, drinking, swearing, and just overall not great in the morals department. As far as actual smut scenes idk, but I do remember that my dad liked the actual story.

Do any of y'all know if Kristin Hannah's books are clean?

I read the Nightingale, and it was quite profane. It had the s, b, and d word several times and the f word at least once. There were also some sexual scenes, though they weren’t terribly graphic. The story was really moving, but I can’t say I would reread it or even recommend it for all that was in it. I could excuse some for historical and worldview reasons, but I found the more I read it was too excessive for me.

Mmkay, thanks for letting me know!

You’re welcome!

Hey everyone! Question: Do you read books similar to Harry Potter? Just wondering if, as a Christian, we should avoid these kinds of fantasy books or… I can say that I’ve read and watched Harry Potter before coming to Christ, and well there’s this book series called Septimus Heap that is similar to Harry Potter but I’m not sure if I should read it.

I've just started getting into fantasy a few months ago, so I haven't read anything like Harry Potter, though, tbh, I haven't read HP because I'm not allowed to, and I don't even want to read them, nor do I know exactly what's in it to know what books might be similar. I wish I could be more help, but I'd say whether you read something like HP or not is really up to you. Everyone has different conscience levels on things, like, for example, I'm not allowed to read Harry Potter, but a friend of mine, who is also a Christian, is allowed to and has read them, so you'll pretty much have to decide if you're comfortable with it or not, but seeing if other Christians read books like that is a really good idea.

I’d say pray about it. There was a book I started reading about Christian’s being in this town surrounded by witches (it was a non-fiction) and I wanted to read it because it was supposed to be encouraging, but as I continued I felt like the Lord was telling me not to continue to protect me. So I returned it to the Library and left it alone.
If you really want to read the books from that series, maybe try it and see how it goes, but don’t get trapped into the, “but I just started and want to get a LITTLE bit further before I make it a dnf…” because if God wants you to stop reading it you should stop.
But also another thing to think about; maybe the fact that you’re questioning if you should read it, is your answer. 😊

I second with what Isabelle said, too.

👍

Amen to Isabelle, for sure!

I will be honest, I love the Harry Potter series, I think it is a masterful piece of literature that adequately portrays the battle of good and evil in this world. It is written without the smut, profanity, and other nonsense so prevalent in today’s childrens’ section. When I read it, I, personally, never feel convicted that I should not be reading it like I have when I’ve been reading other books. I do not believe in Hogwarts or witches and wizards, whether they are practicing good or bad magic! I read it for entertainment, mostly, so I would gladly forfeit it if the Spirit told me I should not expose myself to it.
We must always do what we feel within your heart, beyond your own feelings, is the right thing to do, so if the Holy Spirit is leading one of us away from a certain book, by all means! We gotta put it down!

As for series similar to the concept of Harry Potter, I don’t know of many, but one that comes to mind is The Wingfeather Saga. It was written by a Christian musician, Andrew Peterson (highly recommend giving him a listen!), and it is about three siblings who live in a fantastical kingdom with crazy creatures and all that jazz. I have only read the first book, but I have heard the series gets even better with each book. It is clean and safe for probably ages 10ish years and up, but has so many qualities any adult would appreciate!

I hope we have helped you answer some of your questions!
Happy reading!!!!

Thanks everyone for responding! I didn't get notifications from this thread but I'm grateful to have read your replies. @Emma, I will definitely try out that series you mentioned!

You are welcome! I hope it is what you were looking for!

Hi, about Harry Potter and fantasy novels, I've only read part of a Harry Potter book but I've seen a couple of the movies and as a Christian I've never felt they went against our principles as believers. They're clean, not graphic or overly violent, and I don't recall any swearing. If they also represent as someone said the battle between good and evil this is good as well. I've read other fantasy including CS. Lewis' and find the symbolism good for Christian messages. The same for some scifi in fact. I'm a classicist and classical archaeologist so I like such symbolism. Anything can be used for good or evil, so pay attention to how clean it is and if it presents biblical and moral messages or if it's trying to say that we should go over to the other side and compromise our beliefs and boundaries. Linda Windsor writes Medieval Christian fantasy and i find it very good with good messages. Remember that the early Arthurian semi-legends were written by Christians. In fact, the original Arturus Rex himself if he lived was most probably Christian.