(REVIEW) The Lenten season is all about preparing for the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Christ. During this 40-day season, many Christians commit to fasting and giving up luxuries as a way to replicate Jesus’ own sacrifice.

Abstaining from meat, for example, is one way Roman Catholics and followers of other Christian traditions mark the period. The use of prayer, daily devotionals and acts of penance are a wonderful way to prepare for this journey as Holy Week looms on the horizon. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the final weeks of Lent are about introspection, something not lost on many as we mark one year since the start of the pandemic.

It’s also the time of year when many publishers release books that can help Catholics — and Christians in general — prepare for Easter. In the Roman Rite, Lent officially began on Ash Wednesday and will culminate on Easter Sunday, which this year falls on April 4.

This is also a season where a good book or two — either for yourself, a friend or family member — can go a long way in enriching the Lenten experience.

Below are five new books — on a mix of subjects and for all ages — to add to your Amazon cart in time for Easter:

5. I Am With You: Lessons of Hope and Courage in Times of Crisis

In just 112 pages, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s collection of sermons and writings offers readers a powerful message of hope as many begin to emerge from periods of long isolation as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

The book, from Loyola Press, includes messages he delivered during the early days of the pandemic and feature writings that people can refer back to for years to come. If you’re in need of some hope (and who doesn’t) during a time of grief and anxiety, this book can provide it. The Easter season, after all, is about such hope.

4. Habits for Holiness: Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress

If you are striving for holiness, then this is a book for you. While many of these types of books are written by clergy seemingly for clergy, this book published by Ascension Press is especially great for laypeople.

This is the type of book that serves as a great guide for dealing with prayer, family, the church and what the author (priest and YouTuber) Mark-Mary Ames says is a “call to contentment.” This tome squeezes in 800 years of wisdom from the Franciscans and packs it into 141 pages that can change your outlook on life.

3. I Came as a Shadow: An Autobiography

This is a month college basketball fans love. If you are among them, then coach John Thompson’s autobiography (he died last August at age 78) is for you. In it, Thompson recounts his fight against racism and years coaching Georgetown, the Catholic university that became a Big East hoops powerhouse over the past few decades.

Thompson’s Catholicism and devotion to Mary were a big part of his life, just one of many things you will learn from this extraordinary book published by Henry Holt and Co. regarding the life of this legendary basketball coach.

2. Hope. Always.: Our Anchor in Life’s Storm

Hope, as previously mentioned, is a paschal theme. Therefore, it isn’t lost on author Kris Frank, a popular Catholic speaker and youth minister, that a book published during a global health crisis (it was first released last year) can continue to help readers get through such tough times.

Published by Pauline Books and Media, the book offers up Frank’s personal reflections — along with Bible passages and commentary — with a focus on how hope and renewal can conquer all. Frank, a graduate from Franciscan University, knows of which he writes. He has a degree in catechetics and theology with a concentration in youth ministry.

1. Classic Bible Comics

Originally released by Peter Pan Records as The Children’s Bible in Sound and Pictures, this graphic novel is back under a new name thanks to Sophia Institute. With its wonderful drawings and dialogue, the comic recounts 23 of the Bible’s biggest stories (like David and Goliath and the crucifixion) bringing both children and teens all the action.

Easter baskets and candy make great gifts this time of year — but books (and ones like this one) can last on the bookshelf for many, many years to come.

Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.