A few weeks ago, The Man and I took the kids up to Blowing Rock for the weekend just because. We don’t take many just because trips, so that makes it special. I left the laptop at home and ate lots of ice cream and did lots of swinging with my shoes off.
And? I read a whole book. The book was Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth and I loved it. Mary is gonna be at She Speaks in July and my very crafty plan is to corner her and casually ask her about the next book in the series, the one that isn’t out yet. I look so forward to that very awesome conversation that will go exactly as I plan. Anyway, it was the first fiction book I had read in a while and it made me remember how much I love to read stories.
It also opened my eyes to the fact that, though I’ve been doing lots of writing, I haven’t been reading so much lately. And I miss it. I miss characters and plot and a story I can jump into and get lost in after the kids go to bed. So I need your help. I know it is a really subjective thing and what you love may not be what I love, but I’m gonna walk on the wild side and take a risk here. Will you give me some ideas and tell me what is your favorite fiction book? I am giving you no guidelines and I know that is difficult for some of you. But just go with your gut. I need a good read and I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
The Mitford Series by Jan Karon is something I recommend a lot. Wonderful, uplifting, gentle stories! They make me feel good when I read them. I think the first one is called “At Home in Mitford”
4 years ago I read “The Secret Life of Bees” and couldn’t put it down. I missed the characters when it was over. Can’t wait to see other’s recommendations–something other than a vampire book! I miss reading too. When I was young, I used to get grounded from reading! I read so much I wouldn’t do homework
.
I love your new tagline!
I have a post cued up in my dashboard about summer reading – I want suggestions too!
I am reading The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri right now. I just finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb (I love him!). And next on my nightstand is To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.
I am going to check out The Daisy Chain.
Anything by Andy Andrews or Philip Gulley! And I never get bored with reading Jane Eyre but it’s not exactly a “summer read” since it’s such a lengthy novel.
“Before Green Gables” by Budge Wilson. This book was published just this year. It is shockingly good! I am assuming you have read the Anne of Green Gables series, I just assume everyone has. I mean how to you grow up without having read about Anne Shirley? Miss Wilson does a wonderful job with this prequel, I could not put it down! A great summer read.
it is good to drift away in a story… i am finding some time for that myself with my kiddos off with their grandparents on an adventure! i read “after anne” by roxanne henke… a beautiful story about friendship and loss and Jesus. i’ll have to look for the “daisy chain” on my next library trip! thanks!
Love the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Not a quick read though by any means, but SO entrancing.
This is a topic on which I feel qualified to speak.
My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice. But you knew that, and you have read that. And of course it is worth rereading, but it does seem more of a winter/early spring book to me than a summer read.
I think you should give in and finally read Harry Potter. If you are looking for a great story with great characters, Harry is hard to beat. Another two or three of my favorites are The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie King, Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy (which is a great summer read and is far far better than the movie), Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, and Father Melancholy’s Daughter and Evensong by Gail Godwin (I think you would really love those two).
I got bit by the reading bug last fall & have been reading up a storm. I have really enjoyed The Art of Racing in the Rain (Ron McLarty), Still Alice (Lisa Genova), the Help (Kathryn Stockett), the Girl with the Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier) & Sarah’s Key (Tatiana De Rosnay)…
I recently discovered two great authors; anything by Elizabeth Flock or Jodi Piccoult is sure to sweep you away. I am a sometimes reader … I love it but do not always work it into my day because I have a tendency to become obsessive about finishing and ignore things just to find out what’s next.
I have to say Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson. It’s an easy, enjoyable read that’ll make you put the silly things of life in perspective.
I have gotten lost in some great fiction this summer and I’m always looking for good recommendations; I can’t wait to see what your readers suggest. I just finished Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. I gave it 5 stars. The writing is superb. The characters are very layered. The story takes many twists and turns. There are some raw and unsettling elements to the story but nothing terribly gratuitous (in my opinion.) I was captivated.
Here a few of my favorites:
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: read it in high school and still remember weeping through those final pages
The Known World by Edward P. Jones: historical fiction, Southern slavery is the backdrop, first novel for Jones and it won the Pulitzer.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: the characters endeared themselves to me very deeply and I appreciated the historical / cultural context (Southern Civil Rights era.)
By the way, what are some of your all-time favorites?
This spring, I read The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. I absolutely could not put it down!
Here’s a short summary from Publisher’s Weekly:
[The book is] set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts.
I love books! I didn’t like Daisy Chain though so my taste might not be a good recommendation.
I love the way Stephen Bly uses dialogue. He has books that are western and ones that are historical fiction. I like his female characters. The books with his wife are good also; you can see her influence in the stories.
The Song of Acadia series by Oke and Bunn is good – historical fiction.
Kristen Heitzmann has a lot of good books that are more intense. Catherine Palmer has lighter romantic comedy stories.
Breathe by Lisa T. Bergren is a new one that I liked a lot – heroine dying of consumption and guarding the secret to a gold mine.
If you like cozy mysteries Susan May Warren has one called Nothing But Trouble that is a fun read.
Guess I better stop.
Have you ever heard of “Stepping Heavenward” by Elizabeth Prentiss?
It is one fiction book that I come back to over and over again. From one of the comments above, it sounds like you’ve read some Jane Austin. When I’m giving Stepping Heavenward as a gift, I always compare it to Jane Austin with a more overtly Christian (maybe I should say “evangelical”) flair. It’s delightful and inspiring and so very enjoyable. I’m sure you’d love it.
One of my favorite authors is Karen Kingsbury… it’s all Christian stuff… it’s fiction and is sometimes a bit cheesy or whatever, but they’re great if you just want to get into a book… and they usually have a happy ending, unlike life
One of my favorites is One Tuesday Morning…. 
I just finished reading the “Mark of the Lion” series by Francine Rivers. What an inspirational, historical, spiritually uplifting adventure!
oh my, LOVE to read, trying to get a better balance of fiction and non-fiction, still too heavy on the fiction side.
here goes…
Brock and Bodie Thoene for historical fiction, LOVE them, have heard that Jewish univ. use their Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicle series in their history classes…
Francine Rivers, some heavy, some not all serious Christian fiction., can’t remember which one, but one of them is a retelling of the book of Hosea, very good.
Beloved by Kay Arthur, fictionalized history of the Jewish nation, took me two tries to read it but was sooo glad I did.
Then…then is my all-time favorite book. I rarely read books more then once, too many to read, have read this one 4+times! I give it as a gift now to my reader friends and sit down to re-read parts when I get it to give and end up reading the whole thing again! “When Crickets Cry” by Charles Martin, this man can WRITE, his prose is AH-mazing. All of his books are good, read in any order except “the Dead Don’t Dance comes before “Maggie.” He’s a man writing with male central characters but he’s clearly a student of people in general by his prose…ex. he has a female character sneeze while she’s plucking her eye brows…don’t you sneeze sometimes? I get the right hair plucked and sneeze my head into the mirror!
Look forward to seeing what other people recommend and would love to know what you think of Crickets if you read it.
I could go on and on more then I already have…
Enjoy!
oops forgot, DO love P&P too and just read a good sequal… “Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride.” Helen Halstead I enjoyed it very much and loved picturing the later years of Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.
My favorite topic! For loads of suggestions, check out the “reading” section on my blog, or my goodreads widget. I read lots of books from all different genres.
Tops on my list are:
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Secret Life of Bees
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The Book Thief (an excellent recent read)by Markus Zusak
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
If you’re looking for nonfiction, try any by Leah McLeroy. She is fantastic.
Seriously, I could go on and on. Any one of these would be great summer reading! I’d love to hear your top book picks too:)
My son is off to college in the fall and they sent him some books for summer reading and discussion with the author in September. (Don’t you love run-on sentences? Sorry, it’s Monday.) Anyway, like you I have not read any fiction books for a loooong time. While putting the books away, I was intrigued by one them – Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang. So I sat down and read. And you know what? I really enjoyed it.
To save you time, here’s a link to the review.
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/hunger.html
The Pilgrim’s Progress. I deeply identified with Mr. Fearful which, in turn, gave me courage. It reminded me of how gentle GOD is with me and how HE remembers I am “dust” Psalm 103:13-14 Thank you for your blog!
You already have lots of good suggestions here; hope you’ve got an Amazon gift card burning a hole in your pocket.
Have you read Christy by Catherine Marshall? It’s wonderful, and I commend it to you if you haven’t read it, but lots of people have read it.
Now then, even if you have read Christy–have you read Julie by Catherine Marshall? It’s not as well-known as Christy, but oh my goodness. . . if you haven’t read it, let me know and I’ll tell you a little about it. And help you find a copy. Or lend you my copy if need be. I’m serious: you will eat this book. And then you will scrape your plate with a spatula, for you will want to get every. last. drop.
I loved C.S. Lewis’s ‘Til We Have Faces. Another favorite from last year was The Maytrees (purely because of the writing). Also, you should check out my friend’s book review blog: http://libraryhospital.blogspot.com/.
hi emily-
elizabeth berg writes like i think, but of course 500 times better. when i read one of her books, i have to think through the next few days. it will take priority over anything. like bathing. no jokes.
her most recent book “home safe” left me in awe.
now that i am stuck on the couch after my unexpected knee surgery, i just started the time traveler’s wife. fascinating!
kate
ANYTHING by Karen Kingsbury… Wonderful Christian author. I loved the Baxter series – all of them! I laughed and cried. You can really get caught up in her stories. I highly recommend them!
Wait, you haven’t read Harry Potter? Are you serious? You MUST. No really, I’m demanding it. I have about 3 copies of each book and I’ll send them to you if I have to. They will take you away. Dh does not like to read much because he’s dyslexic, but he positively devoured the HP series. When he first started reading them, only books 1-4 were out and when he finished book 4 he looked at me and said he wasn’t ready to be finished and he wanted to go back (to the HP world). We had to by duplicate copies of books 5-7 so we could both read them as soon as they came out and talk about them. Don’t ask, don’t think, just read them!
I’m assuming (though I guess I shouldn’t considering you haven’t read HP) that you’ve read Twilight? If not, read them too. After HP. Great summer reading. Actually, I’m jealous because you get to read and experience them for the first time and it’s a reread for me.
I tend to go on ‘author kicks,’ where I just read everything ever written by the author for a couple months straight. Last year it was Anita Shreive, then Jodi Piccoult, then Ian McEwan… All are terrific fiction writers, in my humble opinion. My FAVE Jane Austin is Persuasion. I’m also planning on revisiting a few childhood favorites this summer, including Peter Pan and Anne of Green Gables. Uplifting, simple reads that put the magic of childhood back into your adult life for just a few shining moments.
I absolutely love “The Time Travelers Wife” and “Joanna’s husband, David’s wife”
Joanna’s husband, David’s wife is a lookback with David reading Joanna’s diary to figure out what is going on in their marriage. The older I get and the longer I am married, the more I love this book.
love your blog!
Emily,
Ahhh…Summer Reading…Don’t you just love those words? In fact, I just posted about my own reading plans. Have you read The Red Tent? by Anita Diamant. It’s one of my recent favorites. Of course, I loved Les Miserables and The Thorn Birds, but I haven’t read them in years. One other book I’d recommend is nonfiction, but a must-read for anyone with preteens or teens. It’s called Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy by Michael Bradley. Don’t be put off by the title… it offers really wonderful tips for understanding and communicating with our older children. And, it’s very funny and easy to read.
Well, Happy Reading!!
Michelle
Hi Emily!
I love books too! I usually read 2-3 per week, mostly fiction. I am just reading the last book in the “Yada-Yada Prayer Group” series by Neta Jackson. They are light, yet you’ll get to love the characters! They are at church too.
On a side note, this past week we were on vacation and the hotel had a TV in our room. I found that I had the TV on more than I did my normal reading. Now I remember why we DON’T have a TV in our bedroom!
Well, you seem to have many suggestions to read through- may not even get to mine, but here goes. I have read 3 books already since school was let out ( I am a teacher). My first “The Shack” by WM Paul Young (loved it- I hear some Christians were not supportive) but it gave me a better perspective how the Trinity “works” together. Anyway, my second was “The Choice” by Nicholas Sparks, and the third “Sam’s Letters to Jennifer” by James Patterson. Although these are secular stories I thought they were good summer reading.
Right now I am reading The Jesus Chronicles- Luke’s Story by Tim La Haye and Jerry Jenkins…loving it so far (it is long, so if you are looking for a quick read it may not be a good choice).
I would give “TheShack” a try. Read about it here http://theshackbook.com
So I love reading. And these are some of my favorites:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Count of Monte Cristo
I always loved any books by Robin Mckinley
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Some that aren’t realy fiction but are must reads are:
Forever Flowing by Vasily Grossman
Searching for God knows What by Donald Miller
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
Bruchko by Bruce Olson
Vanya by Myrna Grant
Enjoy!
Oh, I love comments like these! I’m furiously looking everyone’s up on Amazon.
First, yes, you must read Harry Potter. It’s not a silly children’s series–the characters have so much depth and I’ve garnered some gems about the Christian life from them, too. My dad, who is a chairman of an english dept. at a university and I often discuss that soon, he’ll have to add a “harry potter professor” along with his shakespeare, c.s. lewis, milton, etc. ones. It’s great literature, truly.
I second (or maybe ‘fifth’) The Secret Life of Bees. It’s such a great story. I recently read and loved The Red Tent. Eat Pray Love is also great, though non-fiction.
Happy reading!
Since I am an incorrigible bookworm (not that I’d want to be any thing else) this is one of my favorite topics!
Here are some of my favorite reads:
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Others mentioned Christy and Julie by Catherine Marshall and I’d highly recommend those. The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers is excellent as well.
Happy reading!
The Lord of the Rings — soooo great!
There is a children’s book author I was recently turned onto: Michele Mangorian
“Good Night, Mr. Tom”. It is a wonderful book!
“Kite Runner”
for fun Christian, chick-lit reading, Kristin Billerbeck – her Ashley Stockingdale series is funny (3 in series) – first one is ‘What a Girl Wants’
also really enjoyed reading “The Guernsey Literary and Potato-Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer earlier this year
mysteries – I’ve enjoyed reading any Mary Higgins Clark books since I was in high school – they are good, easy, no-brainer summer reads
my favorite book of all time is Gone With the Wind
anything by charles martin. great christian fiction. very good stories and a very good writer.
I just read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and I loved it. It’s a great mystery that keeps you turning pages.
I LOVE books. My favorite authors are Francine Rivers, Tamera Alexander (currently reading one of hers now), Frank Peretti (when I need a good scare), and Liz Curtis Higgs. Oh, my goodness. Her trilogy starting with “Thorn In My Heart” is one of my favorites. Ever.
By the way, I have my very first linky party at my blog and you’re invited! : )
The Kite Runner is a heartbreakingly beautiful story of loyalty, innocence lost, betrayal, guilt and, ultimately, redemption. It may be a little heavy for easy summer reading, but you will never forget it.
I know you are probably overwhelmed now with ideas (and maybe this one has been mentioned) but I love the Mark of the Lion Series (esp. books 1 and 2). It’s a trilogy but I didn’t get into book 3…oops!
I’m glad you had such a lovely time with the fam!
oops I guess putting the author would be helpful – Francine Rivers
All of Joel Rosenberg’s novels are wonderful. I also just finished Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana by Melanie Dobson, but I’m a little biased because she’s my friend.
My sidebar has the books I’ve read thus far this year. I prefer nonfiction, but summer is definitely the time for light, fiction reads. All-time favorite is Jane Eyre.
Most of my favorites have been mentioned (Jodi Picoult, The Help, The Kite Runner, The Time Traveler’s Wife). Others that I love (just skimmed, so forgive if they’re on the list already) is gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson, Water for Elephants, and anything by Elizabeth Berg.
I have to add in a dig for you to read “The Shack” by Wm. Paul YoungI actually just put it down. It was an amazing book. Definitely worth the read. I am glad you asked this question. I have gone through your comments to find a few new book to read, too!
I just recently read my first Philippa Gregory book and it was good. I love to read but haven’t read that much lately due to the fact that I can ignore everyone around me for days until I finish my book and with a 4 year old that isn’t the best thing.
Terri Blackstock is a great Christian Mystery writer and also I have heard good things about Dee Henderson.
I just put the DeMuth book on hold at the library. I’m always looking for new authors, so thanks!
“Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers is my all time favourite.
Hi Emily –
I totally hear you on the not reading books thing. That is why about 2 months ago I stopped reading blogs for a while. I wanted to concentrate on books. And I have rediscovered how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE books! I am slowly working my way back into blogging, but I don’t want to give up book reading!
So, I have been reading a ton of books lately! Not only that, but our local library is having an Adults Reading Kids Stuff program, so I have been reading young adult and kids books, mainly fiction. I just finished Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary and it was so fun to read a book from my growing up years only this time be on the adult side of things. It was so good!
I also read a book called Hattie Big Sky about a sixteen year old who went out west to run a farm by herself, which was excellent.
I am currently reading A Little Princess and want to grab other classic books like Heidi and The Wind in the Willows next.
I am having so much fun! (can you tell??)
The nice thing about young adult and children’s lit is that they are quick and light reads which is a great thing for the summer.
So there you have it, my numerous recommendations!
Miss you friend, wish I could be at She Speaks with you this year to corner Mary.
Megs
My very favorite book ever is Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed. The book is around 100 years old. It’s such a neat old love story with a twist. So good~you must read!
“Cold Mountain”. AMAZING!!
These are great suggestions… I would repeat several of the ones above… To Kill a Mockingbird, The Poisonwood Bible, The Shack…
I’ve also read some great books with my kids this summer. I just wrote a post about it if you are interested:
http://everydaymomlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-10-books-on-cd.html
I just wanted to add additional votes for a couple of these. Anything Elizabeth Berg writes is great – she writes so beautifully. Jodi Piccoult’s novels are fascinating – sometimes you literally can’t put them down. (If you want to see the movie My Sister’s Keeper, you definitely need to read the book first!) The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns were books that I never thought I would like, but were totally captivating. They open up another whole world that we often don’t understand.
Thanks for asking your readers about this – now I’ve got a good list of books to tackle!
Chronicles of the Kings (series) by Lynne Austin.
Truly one of the best series I have ever read.
Romance, adventure, and a whole new appreciation for the Old Testament kings
I love Francine Rivers, Kathy Herman, and Karen Kingsbury… really any of their books are good. It’s been so long since i’ve had a chance to read. Thank you for a little reminder – I may grab one to start this evening.
The Shack by William Young was also good, but that’s one of those books that people either totally love or totally hate. If you get a chance you should try it and see what you think.
Happy Reading!
I just finished reading a book called “Scared:A novel from the edge of the world” by Tom Davis. It is a wonderful book, Christian fiction about a young girl in Swaziland. The author is the CEO of Children’s Hopechest and it is an INCREDIBLE and quick read. You’ll be changed, by the end of the book. I promise you’ll love it.
My heart just jumped when I saw someone recommend an old book that I love, too. Lavendar and Old Lace. It’s wonderful.
Another book that I read every single summer because I learn something new everytime – Gift of the Sea. You’ll love it, too.
I just finished reading Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand and enjoyed it. It was one of those that caught my attention at Walmart and I couldn’t put it down.
Okay, some of mine have already been mentioned, but here’s my take:
Harry Potter–wonderful!
Twilight series–I just finished all 4 and I was enthralled. It’s really a love and suspense novel more than a vampire story, if you kwim
The Red Tent–wow
Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Suns–both amazing reads that make you think, too
Handmaids Tale–really makes you think
anything Jodi Picoult
I have just started Life of Pi and I’ve been told by several friends that it’s in their top 5.
Good luck! I’m getting some good recommendations from this post, too!
Just wanted to say thanks for such a great list! I was going to add some things, but everyone has already stated my favorites: the Outlander series (amazing historical fiction with a time travel twist…not creepy or too science-fictiony, though), of course Harry Potter, Time Traveler’s Wife. I can’t wait to check out all the other ones that have been recommended!
Carrie
Some of mine have already been mentioned but I love
the Mitford series
and once even prayed for one of the characters forgetting for a moment that she wasn’t a real person!
The whole Anne of Green Gables series is wonderful.
I also picked up an old book,
The Miracle of the Bells
purely for the asthetics of the cover but ended up reading it and really liking it a whole lot.
I also love to read
Esther
and
Ruth
in the Bible and also
Francine River’s book on Ruth and Rahab
are two of my favorites.
A childhood love was Katie John.
Madeleine L’Engle’s Two-Part Invention isn’t fiction and isn’t super light but is wonderful.
I like Irving Stone’s biographical novels. I’ve read The Agony and the Ecstasy about Michelangelo and the one about John and Abigail Adams. Oh how I loved that love story about John and Abigail!
Ann Rinaldi writes wonderful books about real historical events with her own fictional details woven in and she tells you at the back of the book what is real and what she embellished. They’re juv. fic.
Enjoy! Kelly
One of my favorite books is Beach Music by Pat Conroy, which someone in your 7 billion comments may have already said.
However, I just got Wally Lamb’s new book “The Hour I First Believed.” Have you read Wally Lamb? He wrote “She’s Come Undone”? Anyway, it’s probably a 500-page book and I have read it in about three days. Obsessed. Ob.sessed. with this book.
Hey girl. I’m knee deep in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I’m on the 5th book and they’ve all been a lot of fun but really long (which I actually like… saves me from having to pick something new too often). She’s a fabulous storyteller and her word choice is delightful.
I also love Francine Rivers (saw a couple of comments about her) and I felt a little on the young side for the Mitford series… thought they were a little slow and boring. (Sorry.)
I could second many in the comments, but I’m adding a few that I haven’t seen mentioned yet.
Dorothy Dunnett’s two series: the Lymond chronicles and the Niccolo stories. Fantastic, intricate historical fiction; I couldn’t put them down. And with 7 books in each series, that was a long period where I was buried in those novels!
Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River: a beautiful, haunting, thought-provoking, faith-inspiring coming-of-age story; reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird in many ways.
For light-hearted fun, any PG Wodehouse novel: they’re British and goofy and clever and sweet, all in one.
Anything by Debbie Macomber….Cedar Cover Series, Twenty Wishes, Between Friends, Thursdays at Eight, plus many many more.
I’m a little late, but I see that a couple of my favorites have not been mentioned. My all time favorite, read it over and over again book is “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers. It is dark. Even though it’s mostly heavy, I think it’s a must read. It was my favorite book to teach when I spent my days with high schoolers.
For easier reading I really like Charles Martin and Beth Webb Hart, both great southern writers. Last year I read the complete “Series of Unfortunate Events.” It is young adult literatures, but it is funny, easy and there are so many great plays on words and smart little quips. It was just fun.
Just finished, “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” at 2 a.m. last night. From the first page to the last, I couldn’t put it down! Hope you are having a wonderful vacation!
Jan Karon’s Midford books are great !
Thirteen Heresies in The Shack by Micheal Youssef :
http://www.leadingtheway.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sto_TheShack_13heresies
We, at the risk of shamelessly promoting my self, my debut novel The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow releases August 1st. It will be a Barnes and Noble featured book. Think you might like it.
I LOVE Jamie Langston Turner. Her characters are so well done and real – quirks and all. The books are long, but in a good way. I always hate to leave one when I’m finished. Really liked No Dark Valley, Some Wildflower in My Heart, and all the others, too. Most books will feature a character that has appeared in a small way in another book.
Oh, and I also enjoyed the characterization in Rene Gutteridge’s ‘Troubled Waters’. Good read.
I’m just now catching up on my blog reading and so I hope I’m not too late to make a few suggestions.
I’ve read 2 different series over the course of the last year, and have just started another.
First, I read the “Daughters of Silk” series by Linda Lee Chaikin and loved them! They are Christian historical fiction and I was completely caught up in them! (here’s a short link to the Zondervan site: http://tinyurl.com/kubqvj )
Then I read “A Bride Most Begruding” by Deanne Gist– http://www.deeannegist.com/bookstore_bride.php Another historical fiction that was great. Looks like she has a couple of others now that are in the same genre.
And now I’m reading “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers which is based on the book of Hosea, which I can’t put down. She also has a whole series based on different books/characters of the Bible. And they are GOOD READS! http://www.francinerivers.com/
I highly recommend Christianbook.com…they have all of those books and many, many more!
Thanks for the book suggestion. I’m gonna need something when I finish this one I’ve got now.
I took your advice and brought this book along on vacation. I loved every moment of it. Thanks for the recommendation.
And now I have yet another reason to be totally bummed that I’m not going to She Speaks.
Sigh.
Kimba