books
-
Good News for Writers: You’re Not that Unique
For about a year now, I’ve had a silly idea for a story. Finally, I worked up the courage to write it and share it with the world—or, at least, the small part of the world that represents my readership. For several weeks, nobody mentioned it. I nearly succumbed to my old pattern of thinking: Continue reading
-
Becoming Who Your Book Thinks You Are
When I was in grad school, I asked a fellow student to grab coffee. She was a few steps (and degrees) ahead of me, but we shared an alma mater and enough other similarities that I hoped maybe we’d become friends. At coffee, she told me about a book she was writing on happiness and Continue reading
-
To the Former Owner of Andersonville
Dear Jack, I recently obtained what was previously your copy of Andersonville. I just wanted to express how thankful I am that you (or your heir, perhaps) gave this book to The Book Cellar, where I added it to my stack of purchases. I have wanted to read Andersonville since high school when I first Continue reading
-
Anxiety and Authorship: Why I am Thankful for the Writing Processs
I’ve been working on a book on the fruit of the Spirit since January and am discovering that writing is an intensely sanctifying task. I have been challenged not by the writing of this book but by the living of it. With each chapter, I am confronted with beautiful truth from scripture and ugly shortcomings Continue reading
-
Gilead
“To me it seems rather Christlike to be as unadorned as this place is, as little regarded.” – Gilead Continue reading
-
Fall Reading 2021
Seeing as A Bookish Charm began as a book review blog, I thought I’d return to my roots and share a bit of what I’ve been reading this season. It’s an eclectic bunch of books, but that’s the way I like it, and I hope you will too! Eat this Book by Eugene Peterson: This Continue reading
-
Historical Humility
I’m currently enjoying Theology in the Democracy of the Dead, by Matt Jensen, a former professor of mine from the Torrey Honors College and a fellow (though much more accomplished) St. Andrew’s alum. First of all, I highly recommend this read, as it offers a comprehensive yet relatively brief look into the lives and work Continue reading
author, authors, Bible, bible study, blog, blogger, Book, book review, books, christ, christian, christian blogger, Christian living, christianity, church, contemporary worship, faith, gospel, learning, literature, Reading, reflection, theology, theology and the arts, torrey honors institute, truth, word, write, writer, writing -
The Quiet Art of Reading Aloud
I remember reading in St. Augustine’s Confessions how he was astounded to see a man sitting before a book, his eyes roving back and forth across the printed page, and yet without uttering a sound. Could he be…reading? The very idea was shocking. I laughed at first, struck to think that reading silently was once Continue reading
-
“Water, Water, Everywhere”
The value of poetry is often found in its ability to capture the core of nuanced situations. Prior to moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I did some research on the area and was shocked to discover this article by The Gospel Coalition: It’s an article worth reading, at once eye-opening and encouraging. It lays bare Continue reading
-
Befriending Dante: A Reflection on Readership
Although I have always been bookish in about every sense of the word, I went through a “rebellious” phase in high school when my AP Literature class was required to read Dante’s Inferno. I was adamantly against it and now, as I reread it for the fourth or fifth time, I can explain away this opposition as Continue reading
AP Lit, AP Literature, bookish, books, characters, Christian literature, cultural literacy, dante, divine comedy, Fiction, history, inferno, inspiration, literacy, literary, literary friends, literature, narrative, paradise, purgatory, reader, readership, Reading, relationships, theology, theology and the arts -
Rejoicing in Repetition
My current favorite song—“Shape of Love” by Passenger—keeps popping up in my Spotify playlists and I never skip it. Its opening chords make me smile no matter how many times it has played today already. Similarly, as I said in a previous post, I eat the same breakfast every day and have not yet grown Continue reading
advice, belief, believer, blog, blogger, books, Chesterton, christ, christian blogger, Christian living, christianity, daisies, devotion, devotional, devotional practice, Epistle, epistle of paul, faith, immersion, inspiration, journal, learning, psalm, psalms, reading scripture, repetition, scripture, spiritual, spirituality, study, theology, theology student, Thessalonians, torrey honors institute, truth, word, work -
Question and Answer: Anticipating Christ in the Book of Job
In rereading the Book of Job, I once more find it both wonderful and troubling. Job is, at its core, a terrifying book: a man is selected for the worst trials imaginable (loss of family, livelihood, and health) not because he is wicked but, indeed, because he is faithful. The Book of Job is, in Continue reading
Recent Posts
- Last Things First: January–February 2026
- Waiting and Watching
- Don’t Know What to Post? Try This!
- The Freedom of a Lower Reading Goal
- A Little Theology of Exercise: Enjoying Christ in Body and Soul
Subscribe for Free
Support
If you enjoy my work and would like to keep the music playing and words flowing, consider buying her a coffee using the button below.
Social Media
Ryanne Molinari 