Love Strangely Familiar? Readers share 97 books like Strangely Familiar...

By Nancy Calvert-Koyzis, Heather E. Weir,

Here are 97 books that Strangely Familiar fans have personally recommended if you like Strangely Familiar. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters: A Historical and Biographical Guide

Joy Schroeder Author Of Voices Long Silenced: Women Biblical Interpreters Through the Centurie

From my list on women who interpreted the Bible.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a historian with expertise in the early church, Middle Ages, and Reformation, I am obsessed with finding the writings and stories of women of the past. Whenever we discover works written by an unknown or forgotten woman in an archive or historical record, my co-author Marion Taylor and I excitedly email one another: “We rescued another woman!” I study the history of biblical interpretation and the history of women in religion. In most of my books, these two interests intersect—as I write about men throughout history who viewed stories of biblical women through patriarchal lenses and how women themselves have been biblical interpreters, often challenging men’s prevailing views. 

Joy's book list on women who interpreted the Bible

Joy Schroeder Why did Joy love this book?

In 2007, when Marion Ann Taylor, a pioneer researcher in the study of historical women biblical commentators, picked up a newly-published biographical encyclopedia of 200 “major biblical interpreters,” she was appalled to discover that it contained entries on only three women! This inspired her to edit a biographical dictionary dedicated solely to women who interpreted scripture. Taylor’s handbook contains 180 short articles, authored by expert historians and biblical scholars, about inspiring Jewish and Christian women who wrote about the Bible through the centuries. Readers learn biographical information about these women, as well as their approaches to scriptural interpretation, especially how they commented on the story of Eve and passages about other biblical women.

By Marion Ann Taylor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The history of women interpreters of the Bible is a neglected area of study. Marion Taylor presents a one-volume reference tool that introduces readers to a wide array of women interpreters of the Bible from the entire history of Christianity. Her research has implications for understanding biblical interpretation--especially the history of interpretation--and influencing contemporary study of women and the Bible. Contributions by 130 top scholars introduce foremothers of the faith who address issues of interpretation that continue to be relevant to faith communities today, such as women's roles in the church and synagogue and the idea of religious feminism. Women's…


Book cover of Transforming Scriptures: African American Women Writers and the Bible

Joy Schroeder Author Of Voices Long Silenced: Women Biblical Interpreters Through the Centurie

From my list on women who interpreted the Bible.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a historian with expertise in the early church, Middle Ages, and Reformation, I am obsessed with finding the writings and stories of women of the past. Whenever we discover works written by an unknown or forgotten woman in an archive or historical record, my co-author Marion Taylor and I excitedly email one another: “We rescued another woman!” I study the history of biblical interpretation and the history of women in religion. In most of my books, these two interests intersect—as I write about men throughout history who viewed stories of biblical women through patriarchal lenses and how women themselves have been biblical interpreters, often challenging men’s prevailing views. 

Joy's book list on women who interpreted the Bible

Joy Schroeder Why did Joy love this book?

Drawing upon her expertise in African American literature, Katherine Clay Bassard writes about the ways Black women poets, novelists, preachers, and orators from the 1700s through the 1900s used biblical themes and images to challenge the dominant culture’s oppression of women and people of color. African American women used a variety of scriptural images, including the Queen of Sheba and the “black but comely” female speaker in the Song of Songs, to argue for Black women’s dignity. Bassard celebrates African American women’s creativity and their shrewd employment of scriptural passages to engage in resistance to racism and sexism.   

By Katherine Clay Bassard,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Transforming Scriptures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Black women writers reclaim the sacred text. ""Transforming Scriptures"" is the first sustained treatment of African American women writers' intellectual, even theological, engagements with the book ""Northrup Frye"" referred to as the 'great code' of Western civilization. Katherine Clay Bassard looks at poetry, novels, speeches, sermons, and prayers by Maria W. Stewart, Frances Harper, Hannah Crafts, Harriet E. Wilson, Harriet Jacobs, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, and Sherley Anne Williams and discusses how such texts respond as a collective 'literary witness' to the use of the Bible for purposes of social domination. Black women's historic encounters with the Bible were,…


Book cover of The Gospel According to Eve: A History of Women's Interpretation

Joy Schroeder Author Of Voices Long Silenced: Women Biblical Interpreters Through the Centurie

From my list on women who interpreted the Bible.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a historian with expertise in the early church, Middle Ages, and Reformation, I am obsessed with finding the writings and stories of women of the past. Whenever we discover works written by an unknown or forgotten woman in an archive or historical record, my co-author Marion Taylor and I excitedly email one another: “We rescued another woman!” I study the history of biblical interpretation and the history of women in religion. In most of my books, these two interests intersect—as I write about men throughout history who viewed stories of biblical women through patriarchal lenses and how women themselves have been biblical interpreters, often challenging men’s prevailing views. 

Joy's book list on women who interpreted the Bible

Joy Schroeder Why did Joy love this book?

For centuries, Christian preachers and leaders held all women responsible for Eve’s sin. Since Eve ate forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, leaders called womankind “the devil’s gateway” and the source of all suffering and death. Men also used the Genesis account of Eve’s creation from Adam’s rib to argue that all women should hold a secondary status in church and society. However, as Amanda Benckhuysen shows, women through the centuries created a counter tradition. They reinterpreted Eve to argue for women’s dignity and their right to preach, teach, and receive an education. Made from superior substance (Adam’s flesh) rather than the dirt of the ground, Eve was God’s worthy creation. Eve sinned, but so did Adam. Thus, Eve’s “curse” did not bar her female descendants from ministerial roles.  

By Amanda W. Benckhuysen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Gospel According to Eve as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2020 Word Guild Awards Shortlist - Academic What does it mean to be male and female? Do women and men have different intellectual, spiritual, moral, or emotional capacities? Are women especially suited for serving and men for leading? Are women and men equal? While these may seem like relatively recent questions, they have been a topic of conversation throughout Christian history. At the center of this conversation is the biblical character Eve, the archetypal woman of Genesis 1-3. Not simply one woman among many, Eve comes to represent all women, defining the very essence of what it is to be…


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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Book cover of Veiled Intent: Dissenting Women's Aesthetic Approach to Biblical Interpretation

Joy Schroeder Author Of Voices Long Silenced: Women Biblical Interpreters Through the Centurie

From my list on women who interpreted the Bible.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a historian with expertise in the early church, Middle Ages, and Reformation, I am obsessed with finding the writings and stories of women of the past. Whenever we discover works written by an unknown or forgotten woman in an archive or historical record, my co-author Marion Taylor and I excitedly email one another: “We rescued another woman!” I study the history of biblical interpretation and the history of women in religion. In most of my books, these two interests intersect—as I write about men throughout history who viewed stories of biblical women through patriarchal lenses and how women themselves have been biblical interpreters, often challenging men’s prevailing views. 

Joy's book list on women who interpreted the Bible

Joy Schroeder Why did Joy love this book?

Barred from university education and ministerial roles, most women in the 1700s did not have opportunities to write commentaries or sermons. Instead, some female authors turned to poetry and devotional writing as a vehicle for biblical interpretation. According to literary scholar Natasha Duquette, female poets such as Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved African American servant, “veiled” their dissenting viewpoints in religious verse. By “clothing” their calls for social justice in genres considered acceptable for female authors, these poets and devotional writers ensured a wider readership for their provocative perspectives on the Bible and society. 

By Natasha Duquette,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Veiled Intent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How were eighteenth-century dissenting women writers able to ensure their unique biblical interpretation was preserved for posterity? And how did their careful yet shrewd tactics spur early nineteenth-century women writers into vigorous theological debate? Why did the biblical engagement of such women prompt their commitment to causes such as the antislavery movement? Veiled Intent traces the pattern of tactical moves and counter-moves deployed by Anna Barbauld, Phillis Wheatley, Helen Maria Williams, Joanna Baillie, and Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck. These female poets and philosophers veiled provocative hermeneutical claims and calls for social action within aesthetic forms of discourse viewed as more acceptably…


Book cover of Through the Storm: Help from Heaven When All Hell Breaks Loose

Karen Jensen Salisbury Author Of Why, God, Why ?: What to Do When Life Doesn't Make Sense

From my list on when you’re going through hard times.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a writer for most of my life, and when a publisher approached me to write a book, they asked me to write about how I managed to overcome the death of my husband at such a young age and move forward into a successful life. I meet people all the time who have had hard things happen, and I wanted to help them get past the pain. Hard times don’t have to be the end of the story! They can strengthen us and equip us to help others. That’s why I love books about how to keep going in times of trouble and overcome.  

Karen's book list on when you’re going through hard times

Karen Jensen Salisbury Why did Karen love this book?

I read this book when I was going through a troubled time, and I found it to be so helpful and encouraging! Tony writes in such a way that makes me feel like God can help me overcome any situation. As believers, we are not helpless or hopeless -- God has established powerful principles and strategies to help us thrive (not just survive) in the midst of life’s hard times. He uses examples from the Bible including Jonah, Jesus’ disciples, and the Apostle Paul, who all faced storms and troubles – way worse than mine. But he shows how they all got through their troubles and how I could do it too!

By Tony Cooke,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Through the Storm as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This isn't a book about the weather; it's about our lives.

The word "storms" describes the difficult and challenging seasons we all face periodically. However, as believers, we don't have to feel helpless or hopeless. God has established powerful principles and strategies to help us thrive (not just survive) in the midst of life's challenges.

In the Bible, Jonah, the Disciples, and Paul all faced storms at sea. The storms came for different reasons and deliverance came in diverse ways. Most importantly, they all got through their storms and made it to the other side. There, destinies were fulfilled and…


Book cover of The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To The Bible

Chris Wind Author Of Thus Saith Eve

From my list on critical of religion's view of women.

Why am I passionate about this?

This collection started when I had to take a course on Milton as part of my Literature degree program. It didn't make any sense to me blame Eve for the downfall of Man. (I hadn't yet developed much of a feminist consciousness and so didn't realize that women are always blamed... perhaps especially by men, perhaps especially for their own—i.e., men's—behaviour...) "I am Eve" (the first piece in the collection) is actually based on my term paper. After I graduated, I decided to go through the Bible to see who else needed to protest... 

Chris' book list on critical of religion's view of women

Chris Wind Why did Chris love this book?

Although the scope of this book is broader than the title of my book list, Green does have a chapter dedicated to "Treatment of Women in the Sweetest Story Ever Told." I believe, like she did, that an almost sure way to atheism is to actually read The Bible – which she did while convalescing from cancer in the 1970s). Two years later, she wrote this book in her 60s.  

By Ruth Hurmence Green,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To The Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Bible examined from a freethought perspective. Combined with autobiographical "The Book of Ruth."


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Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. BrenĂŠ Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,…

Book cover of Faith & Lettering: An Inspirational Guide to Creative Lettering & Journaling

Amy Latta Author Of Hand Lettering for Laughter: Gorgeous Art with a Hilarious Twist

From my list on for artists and creatives.

Why am I passionate about this?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an artist at heart. As a child, I loved to draw and to make all kinds of crafts with my mother. Now, I make a living creating and teaching art. From presenting at conferences and workshops around the country to doing segments on lifestyle shows like Hallmark Home & Family, Good Day PA, Great Day Live Tampa, and more, my favorite things to do are those that allow me to share crafty projects. I have also written five hand lettering books and a guided journal, all with the hope of helping others to discover, explore, and express their own creativity. 

Amy's book list on for artists and creatives

Amy Latta Why did Amy love this book?

Faith and creativity come together in this gorgeous, colorful journal by Krystal Whitten. Filled with gorgeous illustrations, tutorials, and spaces for you to create, this journal will inspire you from start to finish. Whether you work in it daily or pick it up when you need some quiet time, you’ll find yourself feeling renewed creatively and spiritually.

By Krystal Whitten,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Faith & Lettering as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Something special happens when you learn to write or draw God's Word. In Faith and Lettering, Krystal Whitten's advice and encouragement will help you draw near to God and pursue a deeper faith by expressing your creativity. You will learn three basic types of letters and variations on them, what tools to use and how to use them, and step-by-step instructions for decorative flourishes and embellishments. Krystal will also show you how to find inspiration and accept grace when mistakes happen. Her inspiring tips, techniques, and ideas will help make your Bibles, journals, and home decor uniquely your own.


Book cover of Miriam

Stephanie Landsem Author Of The Tomb: A Novel of Martha

From my list on bringing women of the Bible to life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a writer who has traveled the world in real life and traveled through time in my research and imagination. In the past dozen years, I’ve researched historical women of the Bible for my own novels and have come to realize that women of the ancient world were much like women of today. Biblical women had dreams and fell in love. They worried about their children, politics, and the world around them. They wished for security and happiness just as we do. I have a special regard for historical fiction that brings these ancient women to life—honoring their lives and their struggles.

Stephanie's book list on bringing women of the Bible to life

Stephanie Landsem Why did Stephanie love this book?

I loved Miriam—one of many of Mesu Andrew’s novels of Old Testament women—because this aged woman brings a fresh perspective to the well-known story of the Exodus from Egypt. Her lived experience from slavery to freedom—and from despair to hope—as she searches for the God of her brother, Moses, is both familiar and utterly new. Mesu Andrews weaves a beautiful tapestry of a story that breathes new and fascinating life into a familiar story.

By Mesu Andrews,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Miriam as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Hebrews call me prophetess, the Egyptians a seer.
But I am neither. I am simply a watcher of Israel
and the messenger of El Shaddai.
When He speaks to me in dreams, I interpret. When He whispers a melody, I sing.

At eighty-six, Miriam had devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messenger. Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name – Yahweh – and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites.
 
 Miriam and her beloved family…


Book cover of The Book of All Books

Craig Nelson Author Of V Is for Victory: Franklin Roosevelt's American Revolution and the Triumph of World War II

From my list on history that will wake you up.

Why am I passionate about this?

I spent twenty years as a book publishing executive learning how the trade works before launching myself as a full-time author wanting to make the world a better place. My books use state-of-the-art scholarship for history you can read on the beach, and focus on ‘hinge’ moments, great turnings of the world, as well as on forgotten and unsung heroes.

Craig's book list on history that will wake you up

Craig Nelson Why did Craig love this book?

Using state-of-the-art scholarship and his own vast erudition, Calasso reveals the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament)—the foundational text of Judaism and Christianity—in a whole new way.

You will time and again be shocked by this book, and swear that he must be making things up, that these wild tales can’t possibly be in the Bible… yet indeed, all of them are there. A revolutionary book on a revolutionary religion. 

By Roberto Calasso, Tim Parks (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Book of All Books as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A book that begins before Adam and ends after us. In this magisterial work by the Italian intellectual superstar Roberto Calasso, figures of the Bible and its whole outline emerge in a new light: one that is often astonishing and disquieting, as indeed―more than any other―is the book from which they originate

Roberto Calasso’s The Book of All Books is a narration that moves through the Bible as if through a forest, where every branch―every verse―may offer some revelation. Where a man named Saul becomes the first king of a people because his father sent him off to search for…


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Book cover of The Essence: A Guided Journey of Discovery through the Bible

The Essence by John Pasquet,

The Bible is the greatest mystery novel ever written. It begins in the Old Testament with seemingly random accounts of ancient people in far away places with strange customs. There’s the prophecy of a coming Hero who will conquer the villain and restore peace to the land. The mystery reaches…

Book cover of The Shadow Women

Mesu Andrews Author Of The Pharaoh's Daughter

From my list on Egyptian history intersects with biblical Moses.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a spiritual mutt. Raised with a variegated Christian background (Mom Charismatic, Dad Quaker, Grandparents Wesleyan), I rejected all things biblical and turned to Jack Daniels for Southern Comfort. In college I reconnected with a high school friend who demonstrated God was real by his changed life and showed the Bible’s concrete historical connections in a way I could understand. The words that had so confounded me as a child began to make sense. I dumped Jack Daniels, married that friend, and no longer needed Southern Comfort. Now, through research, study, and a little imagination, I write biblical novels, chug Living Water, and tell Bible stories to eight grandkids. 

Mesu's book list on Egyptian history intersects with biblical Moses

Mesu Andrews Why did Mesu love this book?

When I started writing biblical historical fiction in the early 2000s, I found only one or two novels about Moses. Shadow Women was especially helpful because it spanned Moses’s whole life, which meant it also encompassed the biblical narrative from Exodus to Deuteronomy. It was like Cliff Notes for four Books of the Bible! As my writing friendships have expanded over the past two decades, I’ve come to know Angela Hunt personally and discovered that she holds a PhD in Biblical Studies, which gives me even more confidence in the historical and biblical accuracy of her many biblical novels. She continues to be one of my favorite authors. 

By Angela Hunt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Shadow Women as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From Library Journal

The three main women in Moses's life narrate his dramatic story from their perspectives. Miryam, his seven-year-old sister, and Merytamon, his 14-year-old adoptive mother, cover his early years as an Egyptian prince. Nine-year-old Zipporah, his future wife, tells of Moses' time with her father, a priest, and their family. After God reveals himself to Moses, Miryam recounts the liberation of the Jewish people and their escape from Egypt, and Zipporah and Miryam recall the years in the wilderness. The animosity and jealousy Miryam feels for both Merytomon and Zipporah flood the narrative, poisoning their happiness, but Moses…


Book cover of Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters: A Historical and Biographical Guide
Book cover of Transforming Scriptures: African American Women Writers and the Bible
Book cover of The Gospel According to Eve: A History of Women's Interpretation

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Bible, the patriarchy, and human sacrifice?

The Bible 372 books
The Patriarchy 85 books
Human Sacrifice 10 books