Can you believe it is already Lent? It seemed to arrive almost overnight this year. The pace of the calendar rarely slows, and yet Lent asks us to.
Lent can be understood in several ways. As Jana Blazek and I prepare for the upcoming Thursday noontime Lenten Lunch and Learning webinars, she describes Lent as “a season of truth-telling, repentance, courage, and hope.” I would add that Lent is also a time to reset, reflect, and reengage. It is a season of letting go and leaning in, releasing what hinders us while reclaiming what roots us in Christ. Though the Christian year begins with Advent, Lent marks a return to the heart of our faith. It invites us to ask again what it means to be Christ’s disciple and whether we will choose to follow Jesus in this season of our lives.
Each year, I select six books to read during Lent. The practice feels like permission, space to follow curiosity and explore questions that have been tugging at my attention. People often ask where I find the titles. This year, I began with Ezra Klein’s podcast. At the end of each episode, he asks guests to recommend three books. Over time, that question has produced a fascinating and wide-ranging list, and I discovered two of my selections there. I also scan the New York Times bestseller list, browse Goodreads, check Westminster John Knox, and review recommendations from Forbes. This year, I came across a resource called Five Books, which curates thoughtful lists across a variety of topics, authors, and countries. From these sources, I usually gather around ten finalists and then choose the six that spark the most interest.
Here are the books I am looking forward to reading this Lenten season:
Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
As part of my grief work in 2025, I read “A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis. I then noticed a couple of guests on Ezra Klein’s podcast suggested reading Screwtape Letters for its view of human nature in our times today. Although I read this book over 30 years ago, I’m looking forward to seeing it through a new lens.
Forgotten Souls: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen by Cheryl W. Thompson
I saw Thompson give an interview about the book, and it intrigued me. It looks like a good read for Black History Month.
Work Like a Monk: A Buddhist Guide to Embracing What Mattersby Shoukei Matsumoto
Work and meaning are challenges we all face. This is a recent book, published in February 2026, and looks promising.
Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church by Kevin Sack
This book appeared on several lists. Six generations ago, my grandfather started an AME church in South Carolina. How Mother Emanuel turned a tragedy into a redemptive story is inspiring.
The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad
I began studying alchemy as part of my spiritual journey a few years ago. But this book is about how journaling helps our humanity. The book looked too intriguing to pass by!
Impossible Monsters: Dinosaurs, Darwin, and the Battle Between Science and Religion by Michael Taylor
Stories about the tension between science and religion have always fascinated me. I cannot fully explain how I hold together a love for quantum mechanics and a Tillichian theology of ultimate concern, yet somehow they coexist in my imagination and faith. This book explores the early days when the discovery of dinosaur fossils unsettled long-held religious assumptions about creation and forced both scientists and the faithful to reconsider what they thought they knew.
Happy Reading!
Rev. Dr. Craig Howard
