How Sweet the Sound: The Power and Promise of 30 Beloved Hymns
Laura L. Smith
Our Daily Bread Publishing
Published August 4, 2020
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads
About How Sweet the Sound
If you love singing and listening to hymns, this book is for you! Hymns are a special kind of music, packed with truth, redemption, and joy, no matter how the times or culture change. How Sweet the Sound focuses on 30 beloved hymns that still speak to us today. Each chapter includes the lyrics to a favorite hymn, an interesting modern-day story of how that hymn continues to impact lives, and questions for contemplation. You’ll enjoy hearing the stories of how hymns have affected other people’s lives as you remember how the hymns you treasure have affected yours.
My Review
I’ve been a fan of Laura L. Smith’s books for years, especially her YA stories. When I heard that she was writing a new book, to be honest, I didn’t even care what it was about– I knew I wanted to review it!
This book, though. HOW SWEET THE SOUND manages to be at once informative, giving some background about the hymn writers or context for when it was written, and also invites readers to peel back the layers of their own hearts and examine how these words impact us our core.
Reading the chapters is like sitting down to listen to music with a friend. It’s easy to get lost in the lyrics of the songs. I found myself humming along with some of the ones I was more familiar with. Then as the author begins to discuss her experience with these songs, she explains things in such a real, raw, open and vulnerable way. Seriously, I don’t know how else to explain it but that it felt like sitting in the living room with her, the way you would with a dear friend.
Her words are encouraging and always full of love. This isn’t a judgey book in any way. It’s definitely a faith-filled story about how God uses hymns to change hearts and lives and draw us closer to Him. I’m so glad I read this book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who needs an encouraging boost to their faith right now.
Here’s a quick list of the young adult books by Laura L. Smith that I’ve loved and reviewed:
It’s Complicated by Laura L. Smith
It’s Addicting by Laura L. Smith
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Representation
Some of the hymns featured in the book are African American spirituals.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
References to being married and having had past dating relationships.
Spiritual Content
Uses Bible quotes and hymns to discuss Christian faith and relationship with God.
Violent Content
None.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of HOW SWEET THE SOUND in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.