It’s been a while since I shared the books that I’ve read recently. One of my goals in 2025, that I’ve carried over to 2026, is reading daily. I read more books last year than I have since I was in school, and I’m on track for reading even more books this year. Now seems like as good a time as any to share the books I recently read, as well as what I’ll be reading until mid-June.

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell – a speculative fiction gem that asks the question, “What would the United States be if there were no White Americans left?” It centers on the redemption arc of a man wrongfully accused of rape, and the daughter that never knew he existed until after losing all of her family to the tragic tragic event that left the US without White citizens. I enjoyed the story a lot, and it re-invigorated my love of fiction. The story left me with a lot of questions, primarily, what does redemption look like? How can I create “heaven” now, without requiring the intervention of a cataclysmic event? What does it mean to be truly self-sufficient and secure? And what happens when the status quo changes? Campbell did a great job of balancing the sensitivity of the subject of loss and grief, with the optimism and hope that remains after. I loved this one, and would happily read it again in the future.

Hellenismos by Tony Mierzwicki – I have friends who are exploring traditional forms of worship, including paganism and ancestor veneration. One of them recommended learning about the Greek pantheon, and I was intrigued, so I picked up this book. I LOVED it! Thoroughly researched, practicable, and easy to read, I enjoyed how the author took time to introduce not just the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece, but the lives of the devotees. Mierzwicki eloquently explains how worship of these deities was so intricately woven into the lives of the Greeks, and the line between religion, business, love, family and leisure were consistently blurred. While I’m not interested in following Hellenism, I feel like I’ve grown tremendously just by learning about it through this book. The daily practices that were outlined for the entire calendar year was particularly useful, as it was a great reminder to me that faith is a daily practices.

Your Faith Is Your Fortune by Neville Goddard – This is one of several books I’ve recently read by Goddard. I am a believer in mental discipline and focus, so I spent a considerable amount of time studying thought leaders and their works. I’ve read some of Goddard’s books before, but I recently got the Neville Goddard Complete Reader, and I’ve been methodically making my way through the entire thing (I’m anticipating being done with it before the end of June). Your Faith is Your Fortune is unlike any other book I’ve read: Goddard takes a number of specific Bible verses, and interprets through the lens of (as he describes it) a “psychological drama”. These “dramas” have traditionally been interpreted in a literal way, and Goddard encourages us to see the dramas as creative expressions that correspond to much more personally significant behaviors and choices. For people who have grown up in Christian (Bible-centered) households, this is an enlightening read that pushes the boundaries of how biblical instruction can be interpreted and applied in our lives.

The Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard – This book is a full explanation of the power of the law of assumption: how to use it, how to overcome challenges when using it, as well as case studies (success stories) of those that have used it. The heart of the book is the understanding of the power of “I AM”, and how these words form the world we live in. According to Goddard, “If man’s concept of himself were different, everything in his world would be different. His concept of himself being what it is, everything in his world must be as it is.” Goddard takes the time to explain what consciousness is, how important it is to control the imagination and sustain attention, and how crucial it is to “renounce evil” (concentrate your attention on what you’d prefer to experience). This was a fantastic book that deepened my understanding of the law of assumption and helped me become more effective in my usage of it.

Out of This World by Neville Goddard – This book by Goddard also deals with the law of assumption, and how our assumptions precede the experience. It has one of the most concise explanations of the law of assumption that I’ve seen in all of his works. It states, “Define your ideal and concentrate your attention upon the idea of identifying yourself with your ideal. Assume the feeling of being it, the feeling that would be yours were you already the embodiment of your ideal. Then live and act upon this conviction. This assumption, though denied by the senses, if persisted in, will become fact. You will know when you have succeeded in fixing the desired state in consciousness by simply looking mentally at the people you know.” This paragraph perfectly sums up how Law of Assumption works, and how persistence is the key to realizing the reality we desire. This book is shorter than some of the other Goddard books I’ve read, but I found it very easy to follow and instantly applicable.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler – I’m currently reading this book, and WHEW. This is a heavy one, for sure. It’s not surprising to anyone that’s familiar with Butler’s work that this is a story that changes you as you read it. Personally, I’m a fan of Octavia Butler, and I’ve read several of her books (Wild Seed is a favorite) but I had not read Parable until a couple of days ago. Butler was nothing if she was not a seer, with a number of her stories ending up as the lived reality in America more than 30 years after she first wrote them down. It’s uncomfortable reading where she thought the US would go, and it’s even more disturbing how accurate she was. I love it, and it’s breaking my heart with every subsequent chapter. I’m roughly halfway through the book, and it’s painful, but I’m determined to complete it. If you want to read a book that will haunt you long after you put it down, this is worth checking out.

These are my springtime reads! What are you currently reading, or have you read any of the books I mentioned? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!