An Invitation to Experience Literature’s Power to Transform Lives and Deepen Faith in an Age of Distraction
New Book Explores How Reading Is More Than a Pastime —It’s a Spiritual Practice
Orleans, MA – August 6, 2025 — Why should we read? It’s a question Jeff Crosby both poses and beautifully answers through engaging personal stories, literary reflections, and spiritual insights in World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading. In an era dominated by screens and information overload, where attention spans are shrinking and deep reading is on the decline, this rich, thought-provoking book makes a compelling case for reading as a transformative spiritual discipline.
Studies show that immersive, intentional reading is linked to improved empathy, greater mental clarity, and deeper self-reflection. Crosby argues that reading isn’t just an intellectual exercise or an escape—it’s a sacred practice that opens the door to spiritual renewal, personal growth, and divine connection.
Drawing on the wisdom of C. S. Lewis, Dostoyevsky, Maya Angelou, and other literary greats, Crosby explores how books bridge differences, cultivate wonder, and illuminate the presence of God in everyday life. Each chapter includes curated book recommendations, guiding readers toward literature that has the power to shape both heart and mind.
In her foreword, Dr. Carolyn Weber, author of Surprised by Oxford, calls the book “a beautiful illumination of what God has in store for us, and in story for us.”
Brent Bill, author of Holy Silence, adds, “World of Wonders is itself a wonder—showing us how reading deepens our spiritual lives, even when we don’t realize it.”
With the resurgence of faith-based literature and a growing movement toward “slow reading” as a counterbalance to digital fatigue, World of Wonders is a timely, much-needed invitation to reclaim the joy, wisdom, and sacredness of the written word.
Jeff Crosby is the president and CEO of ECPA, the trade association of Christian publishing, and has worked in bookselling and publishing roles for more than four decades. Among cherished books on his personal library’s “shelf of honor” you would find books by Dostoyevsky, John Steinbeck, Maya Angelou, Kent Haruf, Marilyn McEntyre, Frederick Buechner and Luci Shaw, among others. He resides in the Chicago area with his wife, Cindy Crosby.
Media Contact: Danielle Bushnell, danielleb@paracletepress.com
Praise for World of Wonders
“This beautiful book illuminates what God has in store for us, and in story for us. With Jeff Crosby as our guide, we see how best to number our days along with the pages. The wonder of reading unfurls the glory of God – a God who is lo! with us always – to the very last page.” — Dr. Carolyn Weber, author of Surprised by Oxford (from the foreword)
“World of Wonders is itself a wonder. In this delightful and inspiring book, Jeff Crosby shows us how reading deepens our spiritual lives, even when we may not initially be aware of it doing so. While reading it, I was reminded of so many books and writers who have influenced me over my life. Crosby’s clear and wise writing illuminates, as do the vignettes from other authors sprinkled throughout the book. And the reading lists for each section are delightful. As we Quakers say, this book speaks to my condition. I’m sure it will yours as well.” — J. Brent Bill, author of Holy Silence and Amity: Stories from the Heartland
“C.S Lewis wrote, ‘Heaven, once attained, will work backward.’ In that sense, Jeff Crosby’s book is heavenly, as it works its way backward in your life, revealing that your reading was really a companioning, with the great Companion from whom all creativity comes. After reading World of Wonders, I no longer see the books on my shelf as a home library; I see them as a spiritual record of my time here. What a gift.” — Dr. Kelly Flanagan, author of The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell and True Companions
“As I read through World of Wonders, it created two surprising images for me. First, I felt like I was with Earnest Shackleton sailing the infamous Drake Passage, battling hurricane force winds and waves over a hundred feet high and like him, telling myself, ‘No doubt Providence guided us.’ Second, I felt a kinship to John Muir strapped to a California Sierra Douglas Spruce during a violent December storm. Muir said, ‘Never before did I enjoy so noble an exhilaration of motion.’ Crosby’s book brought me to the Southern Ocean and to the California Sierra. Good books and good reading do that. Crosby’s book is rightly named and an adventure worth taking. Read this book. Go exploring. ” – J. K. Jones, author of Reading with God in Mind and A Soul’s House
“World of Wonders is a heartfelt tribute to the transformative power of reading. Crosby’s depth and breadth of personal vignettes is deftly woven with profound insights, making a compelling case for reading as a spiritual discipline. From soulful reflections on spiritual growth to prescriptive tools, this book is a treasure trove for anyone seeking to deepen their faith through literature. It’s more than just a guide—it’s also an invitation to embark on a lifelong journey of wonder, curiosity, and connection. A must-read for avid readers, would-be readers, and spiritual seekers alike.” — J. Dana Trent, author Between Two Trailers
“Most book lovers love that genre of writing — books about books. They are beloved and often influential. World of Wonders is one that is unlike any other in this field, a truly lovely, easy-to-read, utterly delightful, deeply spiritual book that indeed makes you want to read more. It helps you realize God’s presence as you turn the pages and guides you to encounter the world of wonder that is discovered in an open-hearted reading life. No stuffy tome for only the erudite experts, this is a book for you, me, your neighbors, friends, and even those who may not (yet) love to read. This book is a gift. Read and share.” — Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds Books, Dallastown, Pennsylvania
“Crosby’s book not only traces the way the magic of reading captured his own imagination, setting him on a lifelong career in the book industry. More than that, his exploration of reading as an act of worship, a form of liturgy, and even a spiritual discipline, summons all of us, calling us forth from the frenzy and fragmentation of modern life to the sacred and healing ground of getting lost in a book. It is a stream of shining waters for a fatigued and thirsty soul.” — Wendy Murray, journalist and author of Clare of Assisi, Gentle Warrior and Inner Healing the Franciscan Way.
“Having been an English teacher and language arts administrator on both high school and college levels during my 40-year career in education, it is easy for me to say that our national education community would greatly benefit from Jeff Crosby’s refined celebration about the mesmerizing holiness of reading. I highly recommend World of Wonders!” — Christopher de Vinck, contributing columnist for The Dallas Morning News, author of Things That Matter Most
“In World of Wonders, Crosby has given us a wonderfully written, intimate bit of memoir. Woven throughout are excerpts from great writers, across all genres. With these quotes, we are shown the way in which reading has been formational in this author’s journey and discover the joy to be found within our own pages.” — Rick Lewis, Logos Bookstore, Dallas, Texas
“If spiritual disciplines are practices to help us encounter God’s grace, then Jeff Crosby is onto something important. What’s more, he’s the consummate storyteller who brings decades of experience reading, writing, editing, selling, and publishing a variety of books and genres. His wisdom is as evident as his breadth of reading in these pages, gently pointing us toward grace in the various seasons of life.” — Mark R. McMinn, co-author of An Invitation to Slow
“Jeff Crosby appropriately begins his exploration of reading with a quotation from C. S. Lewis’s brilliant Experiment in Criticism, which, with the perceptive precision typical of Lewis, perfectly describes why we read: ‘We want to see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts, as well as with our own.’ World of Wonders is intended to help us do just that. Despite his immersion in every aspect of book reading and publishing, Jeff is an unintimidating, disarmingly gentle and humble guide for readers of every level of proficiency and every type of reading intention, whether it’s for sheer entertainment or deepest spiritual discipline. And don’t miss the dozen reading lists, reflecting decades of experience of a veteran reader and publisher. Pure gold.” — Warren Farha, founder and owner, Eighth Day Books, Wichita, Kansas
“Jeff Crosby invites me to step away from my fragmented life of screens, information, images and opinion, and he returns me to earlier days when I dwelled in books, when I lost track of time, when the now-rare experience of “presence” was as natural as reading. Where researchers fail to spark a change in my habits (despite their evidence of my changing brain and shrinking capacity for attention), World of Wonders speaks to my soul through literary quotes, intriguing books lists, practical strategies, and stories of people who call me back to what I once knew – that to read deeply is to inhabit the world more fully and to encounter the God who is there.” — Karen Wright Marsh, author of Wake Up to Wonder and Vintage Saints and Sinners, and executive director of Theological Horizons.
