Latest Read:The Screwtape Letters

I read. I read a LOT. I read everything I can get my hands on. I read books of all kinds, blogs, recipes, cookbooks, shampoo bottles. If it's within my reach, I'll read it. Still, sometimes it can be hard to pick your next read. I had just finished Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (If you want my thoughts on it, I wrote a post!), and I needed something to read. A good family friend suggested that I read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I read (shocker) that Hastings was running a sale. I ran by and picked up The Screwtape Letters and Fahrenheit 451 (a post about that book is coming).

Let's just say that those $20 were the best dollars I ever spent. I sped through The Screwtape Letters in a little over an afternoon. I'm a fast reader, but I rarely read that fast. That's just how good the book was.

The Screwtape Letters is a collection of "letters" from a very important demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, a newly minted tempter. Screwtape gives Wormwood some well-needed advice as to how best to tempt a new Christian. It is a fascinating read. 

If you've ever sat in a typical Sunday School Class in a Baptist Church, you've heard about spiritual warfare. We talk about how to combat it, how to deal with it, even what it is, but we never lend our imaginations to it. I think the spiritual realm, the world of demons and angels, needs to be handled with care, and I really hate the current modern trend to carelessly delve into that world in entertainment. Lewis does not do that.

Lewis reverently imagines what the "other side" is like. I would remind people that this book is a work of fiction. Lewis has endeavored through humor and satire to imagine a ministry of demons given the task of tormenting humans. The book is humorous, engaging, and it makes you think. There are parts of this book that completely and utterly convicted me as a Christian. I actually at one point took a pen to it.

Lewis's satirical praise of depravity is timeless. Even though it was written in 1942, during World War II, it absolutely still applies. The topics of fear, prosperity, loneliness, love, gluttony, and courage are still applicable today. It is the satirical aspects of the novel that make you think the most. This book is not without it's thought provoking statements.

"Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is 'finding his place in it', while really it is finding its place in him."  ~ The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis pg. 155

While this book is written by Lewis, one of the most notable Christian authors of all time, this book is most definitely not just for Christians. Do not let it deter you, this book is a novel for everyone who's willing to bring a little brain power to their reading. It is by far not a mindless read. You have to bring yourself to the book; otherwise, you've basically wasted your time.


Bottom line: The Screwtape Letters is a fascinating read. This is a book that every Christian should have read and probably should have on their shelf. Even if you are not a Christian, it is still a fascinating satire on the world we live in.


Love and Happy Reading,


Gayle