Religion & Spirituality

In this collection we've gathered fiction and nonfiction texts that address humanity's age-old search for meaning and purpose within a higher power.

Vampire Academy

by Richelle Mead

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Written in 2007 by Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy is the first of six novels in the Vampire Academy series, which follows the coming-of-age journey of Rosemarie “Rose” Hathaway, a dhampir (half vampire) who is training to become a guardian for her best friend, Vasilisa “Lissa” Dragomir. Lissa is a royal Moroi (or full vampire) with mysterious powers. The novel addresses themes of friendship, forbidden romance, and personal responsibility within a school setting. In 2014, Vampire... Read Vampire Academy Summary

Vicious

by V. E. Schwab

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Science Fiction

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Wait Till Helen Comes

by Mary Downing Hahn

Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Shame & Pride, Family, Death

Tags Horror & Suspense, Grief & Death, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

Mary Downing Hahn’s eerie middle grade novel Wait Till Helen Comes (1986) is a ghost story that explores themes of family, friendship, and the emotional toll of death and guilt. Wait Till Helen Comes received a starred review from Booklist and was awarded the Texas Bluebonnet Award in 1989. The novel was also adapted into a Lifetime movie titled Little Girl’s Secret (2016), with Hahn making a cameo appearance in the film as the town... Read Wait Till Helen Comes Summary

Way of the Peaceful Warrior

by Dan Millman

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery, Appearance & Reality, Joy

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Inspirational, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy

Originally published in 1980, Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that Changes Lives, is a semiautobiographical novel by American author and lecturer Dan Millman. The book is Millman’s first novel and part of the Peaceful Warrior Saga, a series of four novels about personal development and spirituality. The text is based on the author’s early life as a college student in California, with a narrative that blends reality with fiction. The storyline follows a... Read Way of the Peaceful Warrior Summary

We Have Always Been Here

by Samra Habib

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Religion & Spirituality, Gender Identity, Community, Friendship, Family, Self Discovery, Conflict, Immigration

Tags Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Immigration & Refugeeism, Religion & Spirituality, Biography

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Welcome to Dead House

by R. L. Stine

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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We Used to Live Here

by Marcus Kliewer

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Self Discovery, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, LGBTQ+, Religion & Spirituality, Horror & Suspense

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We Who Wrestle with God

by Jordan B. Peterson

Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Self Discovery, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos

Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality

... Read We Who Wrestle with God Summary

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

by Harold S. Kushner

Publication year 1981

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Forgiveness

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Jewish Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy

Written by Rabbi Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People is a contemplation on the death of his son due to a degenerative disease, progeria. As a devout man, Kushner’s first response was to ask, 'Why? Why did God permit such suffering?' The book documents Kushner’s grappling with this question, the doubts and fears it triggered, and offers others afflicted by grief comfort and solace. It proposes that while God desires to ease... Read When Bad Things Happen to Good People Summary

When Crickets Cry

by Charles Martin

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Christian, Modern Classic Fiction, Inspirational, Religion & Spirituality

Winner of the 2007 Christian Book Award, Charles Martin’s 2006 novel, When Crickets Cry: a Novel of the Heart, is a work of Christian fiction set in rural Georgia. It tells the story of Reese, a former heart surgeon who’s hiding from his past and his relationship with Annie, a hopeful little girl with a failing heart. When these two characters unexpectedly cross paths, their stories become intertwined, bringing healing to Reese’s past and hope... Read When Crickets Cry Summary

White Is for Witching

by Helen Oyeyemi

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Hate & Anger, Memory, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Gothic Literature, LGBTQ+, Magical Realism, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Mental Illness, European History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

White Is for Witching, published in 2009, is Helen Oyeyemi’s third novel, for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award. A finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, White Is for Witching explores both traditional horror and the horrors of racism. Oyeyemi’s novels often center the experience of historically marginalized groups, which perhaps reflects her own background as a Nigerian-born English citizen who attended Cambridge University. White Is for Witching frames histories of racism as supernatural... Read White Is for Witching Summary