A Year with C.S. Lewis

October 1, 2003
This book of daily readings, culled from C.S. Lewis's major nonfiction writings like The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, Miracles and A Grief Observed, might be called the thinking Christian's devotional: it is deeper and meatier than most other devotionals on the market. With 366 entries (including one for Leap Year) that are typically one or two paragraphs each, Klein has managed to distill some of the most memorable passages from Lewis's famous corpus. Interestingly, she includes a bit of Lewis trivia for each day of the year, and often pairs the reading with the biographical information: for example, we learn that on March 21, 1957, Lewis married Joy Davidman Gresham, and the entry for that day is about their marriage. Three separate indices list the sources by book, by day and by selection title or theme.

January 1, 2004
One of the greatest 20th-century writers, C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) has written everything from literary criticism to Christian apologetics to children's and fantasy literary works. During his lifetime, he not only wrote over 30 books but also held prestigious positions at both Oxford and Cambridge. Edited by Klein (Worship Without Words), this compendium of daily readings is a sampler of Lewis's major works and includes selections from such classics as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Weight of Glory, and The Abolition of Man. The book also provides biographical information that neatly corresponds with the daily selections. Lewis's writing takes on a life of its own, as the more it is read, the more insight the reader gains into a mind unhampered by either style or doctrine. In his uniquely dynamic way, Lewis experiments with looking at the universe, people, and God from a variety of angles. There is a sense that, though Lewis is presenting his true inner self, he is in no way attempting to force these truisms onto others but is merely looking for others to walk the road with, in sweet converse, both listening and sharing the deep secrets of souls. Highly recommended for larger public libraries.-Kim Harris, Rochester P.L., NY

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