We ask 10 Christian authors: “You can pick one book, besides the Bible, to take with you to a getaway cabin during a snowstorm. What book would you pick and why?”
Compiled by C.J. Darlington
TERRI BLACKSTOCK
Beach Music by Pat Conroy—on audio narrated by Peter MacNicol. His narration is magic, and I’d want to savor that feeling again.
JANICE CANTORE
Hate to think of having only one other book. I would have to say The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)–engrossing story, gets my imagination working, and I love it!
A
MY CLIPSTON
My first reaction when I read this question was to say The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It was my favorite book when I was a teenager. I read it fourteen times and knew the movie by heart. It was the book that inspired me to write my own stories and dream of becoming an author. It was the first novel that truly pulled me in and made me connect with the characters. I haven’t read it in years, and it would be fun to reconnect with Ponyboy and my other old friends.
SUZANNE WOODS FISHER
If I could pick one book for a stuck-in-snow weekend, I’d bring along Being Mortal by Atul Guwande. Very readable for a non-fiction book (as in, it pulls you to the end, story-style). Even though the book is intended to clarify end-of-life issues, it has a message about what bring meaning and fulfillment to one’s life—at any age. A bonus: if anyone happens to be stuck in the cabin with me…the book can prompt good discussions!
HEATHER DAY GILBERT
I would probably pick an Agatha Christie collection if it’s a fiction book, and if nonfiction, I’d choose Knowing God by J.I. Packer. So much to learn in that book!
JERRY B. JENKINS
All Over But the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg. Some authors make you want to emulate them. Bragg just makes me want to surrender and enjoy. He’s our best living writer.
RONIE KENDIG
The book that immediately popped to mind is Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy--because it is a tome of a book and needs isolation (read: no distractions) and plenty of time to mull over, pray, and reflect on the profound truths within. In our world today, we need to cling to truths found from his example.
HILLARY MANTON LODGE
One of my deepest fears is being stranded without something to read, so if I were staring down a situation with one book during a snowstorm, I’d lean into something long and detailed. Thankfully, my favorite novel, Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple), is just that! I love how well-constructed the story is, how layered the characters are, and how they’re given the space to surprise you. It’s the book I tell strangers at bookstores to read!
KERRY NIETZ
Something large, but equally creative. I’m currently about 300 pages into the 1000 pages of Battlefield Earth (L. Ron Hubbard). That might cover it.
DANI PETTREY
I would pick Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) because it’s my favorite book, and it’s a great one to curl up with and lose yourself in another time and place.