Here are 100 books that The Secret Magdalene fans have personally recommended if you like
The Secret Magdalene.
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I’ve always been curious about the human being behind the Christ character. Too often, Jesus is referred to as a judgmental bully who will save only His followers and let everyone else burn in hell. If He were divine, wouldn’t He love everyone? On a trip to India, I discovered a book called The Secret Life of Jesus Christ, and my passion was born. I’ve written two novels about Jesus and His disciples based on more than fifty reference books, ancient scrolls, and the most authentic historical scriptures about the era. I hope you enjoy my list of the best alternative fiction about Jesus and His disciples!
I love novels that challenge the traditional storyline about Jesus and His disciples and dive deeper into what could have happened. In Iscariot, Judas is not an evil monster but a frail human being who overcomes a tough childhood and falls in love with Jesus and His message.
I laughed, I cried, and I took Judas to heart. I rooted for him, hoping he would make the right decision in the end, which, of course, he didn’t. This beautiful novel will stay with me for a long, long time.
Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee brilliantly adapts the life of Judas Iscariot into a dazzling work of fiction—humanizing the man whose very name is synonymous with betrayal.
Based on extensive research into the life and times of Judas Iscariot, this triumph of fiction storytelling by the author of Havah: The Story of Eve revisits one of biblical history’s most maligned figures and brings the world he inhabited vividly to life.
In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One—the promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, he joins Nazarene’s followers,…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I’ve always been curious about the human being behind the Christ character. Too often, Jesus is referred to as a judgmental bully who will save only His followers and let everyone else burn in hell. If He were divine, wouldn’t He love everyone? On a trip to India, I discovered a book called The Secret Life of Jesus Christ, and my passion was born. I’ve written two novels about Jesus and His disciples based on more than fifty reference books, ancient scrolls, and the most authentic historical scriptures about the era. I hope you enjoy my list of the best alternative fiction about Jesus and His disciples!
This book reads like a movie, so full of rich descriptions and emotions that I sometimes forget that these characters are not (necessarily) real. I read a lot and pride myself on discovering the best novels about Jesus and His disciples, especially those that question the traditional storyline, and this novel does just that.
I became completely invested in the Apostle John’s quest to comfort Jesus’s mother, Mary, after the loss of her second son, James. Heart-breaking and at the same time comforting, I would recommend this book to Christians and skeptics alike, anyone interested in learning more about first Century Judea and the fates of the disciples.
He was the Beloved Disciple… …and he would be the last. The mantle to tell the whole story has fallen on him.
From the Cross, Jesus entrusted John, son of Zebedee, the youngest disciple, with the welfare of Mary, Jesus’s mother. Over thirty years later, as Jerusalem becomes a cauldron of explosive tempers, John receives a calling he doesn’t want.
Will he listen and follow?
And if he does, will it be too late?
In 62 AD, the Jewish high priest executes James, the brother of Jesus, triggering a bitter fight for power in Jerusalem that shatters the quiet life…
I’ve always been curious about the human being behind the Christ character. Too often, Jesus is referred to as a judgmental bully who will save only His followers and let everyone else burn in hell. If He were divine, wouldn’t He love everyone? On a trip to India, I discovered a book called The Secret Life of Jesus Christ, and my passion was born. I’ve written two novels about Jesus and His disciples based on more than fifty reference books, ancient scrolls, and the most authentic historical scriptures about the era. I hope you enjoy my list of the best alternative fiction about Jesus and His disciples!
Finally, a book about the women of the New Testament! This is one of my favorite novels about Jesus and His disciples. It is beautifully written, and I had several laugh-out-loud moments. I especially loved how the vivid prose brings history to life. It never gets boring or dry.
The dialogue is interlaced with wit and historical facts. As a feminist, I applaud that the women in this novel are no feeble, fragile maidens—they’re in charge! They’re the ones who hide the risen Jesus from the Romans, and then they send the male disciples out across the world to preach the message of love and oneness with God.
I recommend this novel to open-minded readers (like myself) who are interested in non-traditional “what if” stories about Jesus.
“Patrick W. Andersen’s thrilling new novel, Acts of the Women, is a celebration of the women of the New Testament. Beautifully written in a humorous tone, the author seamlessly weaves together vivid prose with intelligent but surprising conclusions based on years of biblical studies. His women are wise, courageous leaders who rule the men as the risen Jesus and his disciples spread out across the world: France, India, and beyond. This excellent novel is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the non-traditional stories around Jesus. It is an ode to women and a spiritual gift that should be savored…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
I’ve always been curious about the human being behind the Christ character. Too often, Jesus is referred to as a judgmental bully who will save only His followers and let everyone else burn in hell. If He were divine, wouldn’t He love everyone? On a trip to India, I discovered a book called The Secret Life of Jesus Christ, and my passion was born. I’ve written two novels about Jesus and His disciples based on more than fifty reference books, ancient scrolls, and the most authentic historical scriptures about the era. I hope you enjoy my list of the best alternative fiction about Jesus and His disciples!
I couldn’t put this book down! Anything Judas, in my mind, is interesting. I believe Judas is the most misunderstood of all the disciples, and this novel does a great job of telling the story from his own perspective. Written in 1977, it was definitely ahead of its time. It was published shortly after a papyrus document called the Gospel of Judas was discovered near Beni Mazar in Egypt.
Although the novel confirmed some of what I already knew about Judas—e.g., that he was more of a victim than a villain—I also learned a lot about the politics and daily life of the era Jesus and the disciples lived in. This novel is truly remarkable, and Taylor Caldwell is one of the best writers I have ever read.
From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author: The story of Judas Iscariot—and the stunning betrayal that changed the course of history.
One of the great dramas of the biblical era is brought to thrilling new life in this epic novel told from the unique perspective of Judas Iscariot himself. This is the story of Judas the myth, condemned by Dante to the most terrifying circle of Hell; Judas the man, the son of wealth and power who fought to suppress the lusts of the flesh and the sin of pride to become one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus…
I just looked this up. The word is Hibernophile. I love all things Irish even though I'm American, and distantly, Irish American. My inspiration for the Brigid of Ireland trilogy met at the intersection of genealogy research and discovering druids. The novel Druidsby Morgan Llywelyn whichI read soon after The Mists of Avalon impacted so much of my future writing I love research, too. Finding my family roots—immigrants to the New York marble quarries during the Famine—was the impetus for tying these two things together. This—researching Catholicism in Ireland—led me to Patrick and Brigid. I live, teach, and write in the mountains of Virginia.
Talk about sacrilege. Although my dad’s side of the family is Irish Catholic, he had nothing to do with the Church once he went to college, where he met my mom. Several years later, they split up. I was raised Southern Baptist by my mom, New Age/Buddhism/Unitarianism on alternating weekends from my dad, and rosary prayers and Virgin Mary sightings shared with me from my grandmother. The point is, to read a superb novel about Jesus having a relationship with Mary Magdalene, is something that would have shocked my Baptist Sunday School teacher. What does this have to do with Ireland? Cunningham describes Maeve aka Mary, as a woman raised by witches on a druid isle—where she first meets Jesus who was there for a bit of druid training—and is kidnapped and sold into Roman slavery. From there, she faces numerous challenges before finding the man she knew…
“Cunningham weaves Hebrew scripture, Celtic and Egyptian mythology, and early Christian legend into a nearly seamless whole, creating an unforgettable fifth gospel story in which the women most involved in Jesus’s ministry are given far more representation.”—Library Journal
“This year’s must-have summer reading.”—KINK Radio
“Lavish and lusty . . . Cunningham’s Celtic Magdalen is as hot in the mouth as Irish whiskey.”—Beliefnet (chosen as one of this year’s “heretical beach-books”)
“Explodes off the page with its tales of love, hope, power, and redemption—book clubs looking for a great discussion, take note.”—TheBookBrothel.com
As an author for both adults (Eli) and children (McGee and Me), I’ve sold over 8 million books and videos. My passion is to strip away the religious varnish we’ve coated God in and reveal him as the loving friend and father he longs to be. My first agenda is to entertain, and I never want to get caught preaching. Instead, I use humor and page-turning stories to present his love in ways without ever getting caught.
I love laughing, particularly at our own human foibles. In this book of essays, in fact, in all of Brian Dole’s essays, he captures with both love and humor the peculiarities of what makes us human. His essays celebrate moments of everyday living that help me see profoundly and humorously what a joyful, profound, and mysterious thing this creation we call life can be.
“Brian Doyle is an extraordinary writer whose tales will endure.” —Cynthia Ozick, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of Quarrel and Quandary
This is a guided tour through the mind of one of the most acclaimed voices in contemporary Catholic writing. Brian Doyle effortlessly connects the everyday with the inexpressible and consistently marries searingly honest prose with interruptions of humor and humanity.
These essays bear Doyle’s trademark depth and deliver with eloquence his piercing observations on mohawks and miracles, vigils and velociraptors, syntax and scapulars, jail and jihad, and mercy beyond sense.
A 2018 Catholic Press Association Book Award winner.…
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
I’ve been reading romance since before dirt was old—(okay, I’m not actually thatold, but some days I feel like it)—and I have a deep belief that romances can be our shining light in a sometimes very dark world. Which is why when I wrote my own stories, my very first editorial letter started out with, “Wow, you really like to torture your characters.” I wanted to create genuine characters that make mistakes, mess up, and sometimes are their own worst enemy but you still want to root for them. My list of books on Heroines That Won’t Get Nominated For Sainthood will take you on a journey far more interesting than sainthood—the human experience.
Out of all my recommendations, this one is a true mafia romance in the Hotter Than Hell series. But make no mistake, this isn’t the typical mafia romance where the hot/rich/dangerous guy comes in and sweeps the virgin/young/beautiful girl off her feet into a glamourous life where she’s pampered, but never loses her “I’m just a down-to-earth kinda gal” personality. I’ve met Ms. Roberts personally, and know she’s worked as a sex crime detective in real life, which has enabled her to bring some of those experiences to her books. While she never shies away from the hard stuff, she also never glorifies violence, and instead focuses on the emotional aftermath of trauma and the message that love really can conquer all.
An epic mafia romance not for the faint of heart. The Hotter Than Hell series crosses the line into dark romance. The books are steamy, unethical, and HOT! Written by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Holly S Roberts.
The Hotter Than Hell series is filled with violence, passion, and filthy language and is not for everyone.
The INFERNO has arrived:
Moon:
Madison’s life is on the line and nothing will stop me from saving her and bringing destruction to those responsible. I’ll find her before more body parts arrive at my doorstep.
I am a historian of the early Middle Ages, focusing mainly on the intellectual and cultural history of the post-Roman Barbarian kingdoms of the West. I have always been fascinated by cultural encounters and clashes of civilizations, and it did not take long before the passage from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, which witnessed the transformation of the Roman World, the rise of Christianity, and the emergence of the Barbarian kingdoms, grabbed my attention and became my main focus of academic interest. I have published and edited several books and numerous papers, most of which challenge perceived notions of early medieval culture and society in one way or another.
I always love it when scholars manage to scorch a sacred cow, and this is exactly what Roy Flechner does to the saintly image and reputation of Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint and one of the most venerated saints around the world.
With a careful analysis of various documents associated with Patrick, not the least his own autobiography, Flechner re-tales the story of Patrick surprisingly and provocatively. And so, Patrick, the pious missionary of Ireland, emerges from the pages of Flechner’s book as a convicted Roman tax collector who settled in Ireland with his family’s slaves for financial gain.
A gripping biography that brings together the most recent research to shed provocative new light on the life of Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was, by his own admission, a controversial figure. Convicted in a trial by his elders in Britain and hounded by rumors that he settled in Ireland for financial gain, the man who was to become Ireland's patron saint battled against great odds before succeeding as a missionary. Saint Patrick Retold draws on recent research to offer a fresh assessment of Patrick's travails and achievements. This is the first biography in nearly fifty years to explore Patrick's career…
I’m a multi-genre writer who loves hearing the characters’ voices and getting their stories out there in the world. A lot of my characters are shaped by their gifts, whether they have supernatural ones or not. The things that happen to them shape who they are and how they react to future events. I exist on sarcasm, sass, and hot tea, so many of my characters do too.
This story featured a cop just trying to get her job done. She’s not a saint, but she busts her backside to solve the mystery while wading through office politics.
Kate’s not perfect. She makes mistakes, but she’s got an admirable sense of determination to see justice done.
I think there’s a killer fight scene at the end of the book.
What would you do if someone murdered your daughter?
Jasmine, a lovely, teenage kid with a bright future was brutally murdered and thrown away like a rag doll.
It was Lt. Kate Gazzara’s first case as lead detective. For eight years she played Dr. Watson to Sergeant Harry Starke’s Sherlock Holmes, and then he was gone. Jasmine changed her life.
Who killed the poor kid?
Why did she have to die?
What could she have done to deserve such a fate?
It was her parent’s worst nightmare. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, and it begs the question: What would you…
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
I am a writer and historian, specialising in the early-Medieval period and the fractious but fruitful encounter between the Christian and Islamic worlds. My fiction is informed by my non-fiction work: it’s a great help to have written actual histories of Northumbria in collaboration with some of the foremost archaeologists working on the period. I regard my work as the imaginative application of what we can learn through history to stories and the books I have selected all do this through the extraordinarily varied talents of their authors. I hope you will enjoy them!
Helena is Evelyn Waugh’s most overlooked novel but it is my favourite. I love it for how Waugh depicts Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constatine, but what raises it to a place in any best-of list is a passage of writing that ranks as Waugh’s best - and he sets a very high bar for himself. Towards the end of the book Helena prays for her salvation but, reading it, we realise that Waugh is praying for his own salvation too, for those “who have had a tedious journey to make to the truth, of all who are confused with knowledge and speculation… of all who stand in danger by reason of their talents.”
The Empress Helena made the historic pilgrimage to Palestine, found pieces of wood from the true Cross, and built churches at Bethlehem and Olivet. Her life coincided with one of the great turning-points of history: the recognition of Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire. The enormous conflicting forces of the age, and the corruption, treachery, and madness of Imperial Rome combine to give Evelyn Waugh the theme for one of his most arresting and memorable novels.
