5 Christian books you should read this summer

1. The Greatest Story Ever Told – Bear Grylls  

This is the Jesus story retold with drama, clarity and heart. Bear Grylls invites us to see it through the eyes of five people who knew Jesus personally — Mary, his mother, Simon Peter, Mary Magdalene, Doubting Thomas, and John. These first-hand perspectives, shaped by biblical and historical insight, help us imagine what it might have been like to encounter Jesus face to face. 

The writing is fast-paced and vivid — Bear tells the story with the urgency and intensity of a thriller, yet with warmth and reverence too. The gospel accounts come alive in fresh and compelling ways. While Bear leads the storytelling, he worked closely with theologian Dr Andrew Ollerton (Bible Society), who acted as a consultant to help ensure the narrative remains faithful to scripture.  

One detail I really appreciated: whenever Jesus speaks in the book, the words are taken directly from the NIV Bible. There’s a real respect for the text — no paraphrasing or fictionalising, just scripture allowed to speak for itself. 

Bear has spoken openly about how he would give up summiting Everest, all his TV shows, and every other book he’s written — just to have written this one. 

What I love most is how accessible it is. Whether you’ve been a Christian for years or are just beginning to explore faith, this is a brilliant way to connect — or reconnect — with the story at the centre of it all. It’s full of encouragement for believers, and it makes an ideal gift for someone who doesn’t yet know the story of Jesus. 

Plenty of readers have already told us it’s the best Christian book they’ve ever read — and it’s not hard to see why. 

Buy the book here

2. Mere Christianity - CS Lewis

Well, the cat is well and truly out of the bag! As Premier Christianity pointed out in March of this year, Bible sales have gone up by at least 67 per cent since 2019, and there is a particular emphasis on young people searching for some sort of spiritual security. So here is a book that helped me when I was on my own search for meaning. 

CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity is one of the most influential books in my life, one that made me fall in love with Christian literature and apologetics, and the one that revealed to me the need to have a solid foundation for my faith in my head as well as my heart.

Lewis was an excellent orator, writer and storyteller. This book is a must-read for the seeker and the founded Christian alike, because Lewis begins his defence very differently to the apologists of today. He doesn’t begin ‘in the middle’. He doesn’t begin with the defence of the cross, or the assumption of the futility of ‘accidental’ existence. He begins with basic, simple questions of reliability, likelihood, plausibility, and reasoning, taking us on a journey from ‘The Law of Human Nature’ in Chapter one, to the unavoidable conclusion of the cross and all of its implications.

And this is not a man acknowledging the existence of other ‘potentials’ before ignoring them and jumping onto the Christian bandwagon either. Indeed, the fourth chapter of his book, ‘What Lies Behind the Law’, includes the line “Do not think I am going faster than I really am. I am not yet within a hundred miles of the God of Christian theology”. 

CS Lewis was an author well-placed, in the society in which he found himself, to provide superb insight and wisdom for the hungry mind, and I feel we are finding ourselves in an equally confused and tumultuous society today. If this review encourages you to pick up his book, then I am delighted – and if it leads to you devouring his other works with enthusiasm – as it did me – then I am convinced you will be better off for it. 

Buy the book here

3. Able to Laugh – Jade & John Reynolds 

Tiktok stars, Jade & John Reynolds are instantly likeable as they delve into difficult topics almost straight away. They tackle the awful questions posed to them regularly online with the perfect balance of humour and sincerity. They make no secret of their faith, and share, naturally, how their relationship with Jesus has had a massive impact on their lives.

The questions tackled naturally centre around their inter-abled relationship and Jade’s paralysis, but this is a book for anyone. Seeing life from Jade & John perspective is so valuable in understanding the way society treats those with disability. There are also so many wise words about relationships that will benefit anyone. 

Their honesty and humour make this book so easy to read, although the topics are huge, ranging from marriage and children to online trolls and human suffering, it is kept light. I could certainly imagine happily reading it on the beach. 

I worked in the NHS for some years before becoming a Christian bookshop manager and so when it comes to the sharing of very personal information, particularly relating to bodily functions, medical procedures and injury, my threshold is quite high. If you are at all squeamish, you might want to proceed with caution, as this is a no holds barred account of both their lives. 

As a young person in my 20s, exploring faith, I was given a copy of Joni by Joni Eareckson Tada. Reading such an inspiring personal story, where some of the big questions of faith, particularly suffering, were answered, really had a real impact on me. There are several things I would cite on my journey to faith, but Joni’s book was certainly part of it. 

I think Able to Laugh is Joni for a new generation. 

Buy the book here

4. Practicing the Way — John Mark Comer

John Mark Comer’s latest offering is a very inspiriational and timely book. When I started reading this I felt I needed to have a post-it sticker pad with me to mark all the sections and areas I needed to go back to help me focus more. 

This has been our top selling book for the last six months or so and will be great for relaxing to in the summer, while on holiday, or time at home.  

This book has enabled me to have a more structured prayer life and also helped with my reading of scripture.

Tim Mackie co-founder of the Bible Project says “ Practicing the Way offers us a portrait of following Jesus that is as profound and compelling as it is simple. Be prepared to take an honest look at your own life habits and prayerfully ask, what kind of person am I becoming and is it more like Jesus or less?” 

At the end of the book there are a list of the nine practices and a chart to fill in. It’s one of the most practical, simple and inspirational books published since Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life. 

Buy the book here

5. Global Humility — Andy McCullough 

This is a book I want every Christian who walks into our shop to read.

I can’t recommend it enough for being totally compelling and absolutely absorbing. Right from the very first page, I was engrossed as it began to show me, as a Western Christian, how some of my assumptions about Christianity and the Bible were false. Until reading this book, I hadn’t considered how my reliance on Western theology had shaped my understanding of scripture.

I am certainly beginning to feel more equipped to understand people from different cultural backgrounds. It has also helped foster in me more humility towards Christians from other denominations and backgrounds within my community. By comparing with other cultures, Andy McCullough shines a light on Western culture and maps out some of our own leanings and tendencies.

I found it fascinating to learn that what I once thought were simply human attributes are, in fact, tendencies that are rooted in our own cultural heritage. He also highlights how one Bible story can be viewed differently depending on culture, and yet, as McCullough often repeats, it is still the same Bible, and the Bible never changes.

Throughout, Andy McCullough draws on his own experiences, making this such a gripping and entertaining read. There are plenty of moments when I gasped out loud at what he experienced during mission trips, and I love the way he recalls these anecdotes in such a warm conversational manner. If you’re not convinced by how readable this book is, then just take a quick look at the reviews online. For me, it has been one of the most profound reads in the last decade.  

Buy the book here

Independent Bookshop Week runs from 14-21 June, with more than 700 bookshops particiapting. For more information follow @booksaremybag on social media