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.

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Self Help, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Self Help, Inspirational, Psychology, Parenting, Sociology, American Literature, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (2018) is Jordan B. Peterson’s second book. Peterson’s self-help book seeks to provide practical and virtuous rules to live by for a wide audience and general readership. The book streamlines, simplifies, and reimagines some of the more traditionally academic topics of Peterson’s first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. Each non-fiction work aims to explain human history and human nature according to universal frameworks. 12... Read 12 Rules for Life Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Self Help, Relationships, Philosophy, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Romance, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Depression / Suicide, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature, Religion / Spirituality

Miriam Toews’s A Complicated Kindness (2004) is about Nomi Nickel, an adolescent living in the religious Mennonite town of East Village whose coming of age takes place against the backdrop of her family’s unraveling. Toews, who grew up in the Mennonite community of Steinbach, Manitoba, is the author of several novels set in Mennonite communities, many of which are critical of aspects of the faith. This novel, Toews’s third, has garnered considerable acclaim and many... Read A Complicated Kindness Summary


Publication year 1880

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Tags Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy, Russian Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography


Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Religion / Spirituality, Education, Education, Biography, Politics / Government

Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation is a book by Eboo Patel. Part memoir, part treatise on the vulnerability of youth who are preyed upon and radicalized by religious zealots, the book examines Patel’s search for his identity, following him from childhood to his time as the founder of the Interfaith Youth Core group. Themes of faith, family, religious doubt, pluralism, and the... Read Acts Of Faith Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Military / War, Journalism, History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Biography, Politics / Government, History: Middle Eastern


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Religion / Spirituality, Fantasy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Class


Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Religion / Spirituality

A Discovery of Witches is a romantic fantasy by American historian, professor, and author Deborah Harkness. Rocketing to popularity when first published in 2011, the novel received a starred review from Library Journal and became a New York Times Best Seller. The story follows Dr. Diana Bishop, a spellbound witch and scholar of 17th-century chemistry, whose life changes when she calls a long-lost, enchanted manuscript from the Bodleian Library. The handsome vampire Matthew Clairmont and... Read A Discovery of Witches Summary


Publication year 1999

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Animals

Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death, Animals, Religion / Spirituality, Relationships, Latin American Literature


Publication year 1981

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Philosophy, Post Modernism, Religion / Spirituality, Arts / Culture, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

An influential work of moral philosophy, After Virtue (1981) by the Scottish-born philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre takes a bleak view of the state of modern moral dialogue, viewing it as suffering from a lack of rational thought and an inability to resolve disagreements. By looking at older forms of moral discourse, such as Aristotle’s moral framework, and comparing them to the modern version, he generally finds the modern moral framework to be lacking and suggests fixes... Read After Virtue Summary


Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class, Society: War, Society: Economics, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Disability, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Birth, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Class, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Grief / Death

A Game of Thrones is a 1996 epic fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin and is the first in his long-running A Song of Ice and Fire series. The novel introduces the audience to the fictional world of Westeros, where characters become embroiled in a complicated web of plots, conspiracies, and betrayals as they pursue power. A Game of Thrones won numerous awards on publication and was adapted for television in 2011. This guide... Read A Game of Thrones Summary


Publication year 1961

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Religion / Spirituality, Christian literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography, Classic Fiction

Clive Staples Lewis (1888-1963), known as C.S. Lewis, was a British writer and academic renowned for his works on Christianity and best remembered today as the author of the children’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia, which famously includes the novels The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and Prince Caspian (1951), among others. He graduated from Oxford University and taught there until 1954 when he became Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at... Read A Grief Observed Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Relationships, Religion / Spirituality

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (2015) is a horror novel published by William Morrow. It is the fifth of Tremblay’s 10 novels, and was optioned in 2016 by Focus Features for screen adaptation. His seventh novel, The Cabin at the End of the World (2018), winner of the Bram Stoker and Locus Awards, was also adapted for the screen; it was released in 2023 as the M. Night Shyamalan film Knock at... Read A Head Full of Ghosts Summary


Publication year 1993

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Religion / Spirituality, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 1945

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, History: European


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Action / Adventure, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Class, Love / Sexuality, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Southern Gothic

Wiley Cash’s novel A Land More Kind Than Home (2012) is set in rural tobacco country in North Carolina. It focuses on the events that unfold over just a few days involving a charismatic church and its leader, Pastor Carson Chambliss. The story is told in alternating points of view from the perspectives of three characters, each of whom witnesses the events that unfold from a different angle. The story speaks to themes of The... Read A Land More Kind than Home Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Siblings

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality

Alif the Unseen is the debut novel of G. Willow Wilson, an American-born writer of comics and prose who lived in Egypt for a time and converted to Islam in 2003. Published in 2012, the book won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and was nominated for the 2013 Locus Award for Best First Novel. Blending fantasy, dystopian, and cyberpunk themes, it follows a young man’s journey through the seen world of humans... Read Alif the Unseen Summary


Publication year 2000

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Sexuality

Tags Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Psychology, Love / Sexuality, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Relationships, Self Help, Religion / Spirituality