Genre Help > Likes and Comments
We are planning a little vacation and I would love to find a good mystery or thriller. Any recommendations?
Lynette Eason’s Collateral Damage was a good thriller. I really enjoyed Joanna Davidson Politano’s mystery The Love Note. Happy vacationing!
How fun Becky! I'm glad to share some suggestions...For mystery:
Thrillers:
Any thoughts on contemporary realistic fiction? I along the lines of some of the Baxter family books by Karen Kingsberry or some of the later Christy Miller books by Robin Jones Gunn? I love this genre but it doesn't really have a name so can be hard to find :)
A genre I'd call inspirational women's fiction with romance, a genre I write and struggle to make fit into one solid category or other. I'm told I write along the same vein as Kingsbury, Gunn, and Tagg. My April 2021 release, The Secret Place, might be a fit.
A new book?! Camille, I can hardly wait.
Andrea wrote: "A new book?! Camille, I can hardly wait."Yes, my 5th, a contemporary this time.
Ooh! That's exciting. Do you have permission to share the summary yet?
Sofia wrote: "Any thoughts on contemporary realistic fiction? I along the lines of some of the Baxter family books by Karen Kingsberry or some of the later Christy Miller books by Robin Jones Gunn? I love this g..."Have you read any Terri Blackstock books? They are more realistic than some of the others I have read.
Her Restoration series and If I run series are both really good.
(I can't figure out how to post the little book image links lol)
Hi! Maybe you would like my new book Sorry, Bestie. Lacy is a 15 yr old girl dealing with mean girls at school. She is sad because her friends left for another school. Will Lacy be able to save the new girl? There is also a bit of romance in the book as Lacy has a crush on Kyle.
Hello - Looking for suggestions for Christmas Mysteries please! Thanks in advance!
I really like Donna Andrews Meg Langslow series of mysteries. She has had one for Christmas every year for quite awhile. Her titles generally have a bird name in them .. example = Lark! the herald angels sing.Humorous and clean.
I gave #28 The Gift of the Magpie a 5 star rating .. hope to catch up on the latest mysteries by Donna soon. (I would not start with the first few in the series as they don’t reflect the humor of the later ones imho)
Any good historical fiction writers? I already have read at least one book by each of the following:Tamera Alexander
Maggie Brendan
T. Davis Bunn
Linda Byler
Melanie Dickerson
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Laura Frantz
Jody Hedlund
Grace Hitchcock
Sarah E. Ladd
Siri Mitchell
Janette Oke
Francine Rivers
Toni Shiloh
Sarah Sundin
Jen Turano
Roseanna M. White
Karen Witemeyer
Kathleen Y'Barbo
...and I don't plan on stopping reading their books, at least not Roseanna M. White's and Jody Hedlund's! But who else is there to try? Karen Kingsbury and Beverly Lewis, obviously--even though they technically write contemporary fiction, they are the queens of Christian romance, and I'd like to give them a go--but who else are good historical fiction romance authors that I didn't mention?
A favourite of mine is Tessa Afshar. Her Biblical fiction always gets me turning to the Bible to learn more about a specific story!Another one of my 'go-to's is Lynn Austin, as well as Pepper Basham.
(Great list, BTW!)
Faith wrote: "Any good historical fiction writers? I already have read at least one book by each of the following:Tamera Alexander
Maggie Brendan
T. Davis Bunn
Linda Byler
Melanie Dickerson
Suzanne Woods Fishe..."
You should definitely try:
Kim Vogel Sawyer
Kate Breslin
Lori Benton
Jaime Jo Wright (hers are dual timeline)
Robin Lee Hatcher
Joanna Politano
Mary Connealy
Abigail Wilson
Erika Vetsch
Laurie Alice Eakes
Camille Elliot
Melanie Dobson
Elisabeth Grace Foley
Melissa Jagears
Regina Jennings
Maybe try:
Amanda Cabot
Elizabeth Camden
Connilyn Cossette
Kristi Ann Hunter
Rachel Fordham
Tracie Peterson
Kimberley Woodhouse
Karen Barnett
Lori Wick
Stephanie Grace Whitson
Not Christian fiction but clean:
Sally Britton
Ashtyn Newbold
Lisa Wingate
Sarah Eden
Kate wrote: "A favourite of mine is Tessa Afshar. Her Biblical fiction always gets me turning to the Bible to learn more about a specific story!Another one of my 'go-to's is Lynn Austin, as well as Pepper Bash..."
Thank you for the suggestions! I have been interested in reading Pearl in the Sand, Land of Silence, and A Light to My Path for some time.
This is a bit sensitive, but would you happen to have read Pearl in the Sand and know how descriptive Afshar is on Rahab's occupation?
Hannah wrote: "Faith wrote: "Any good historical fiction writers? I already have read at least one book by each of the following:Tamera Alexander
Maggie Brendan
T. Davis Bunn
Linda Byler
Melanie Dickerson
Suzan..."
Wow, thank you for all your suggestions! I especially appreciate the non-Christian-but-clean ones. I've been looking for some of those lately.
Would you happen to have read Lauraine Snelling? If so, how good is she at romance? I'm interested in her Leah's Garden series but have read that the romance doesn't take up much of the plot.
Faith wrote: "Kate wrote: "A favourite of mine is Tessa Afshar. Her Biblical fiction always gets me turning to the Bible to learn more about a specific story!Another one of my 'go-to's is Lynn Austin, as well a..."
It's been years since I've read 'Pearl In the Sand', so I am somewhat hazy on the details, but to my remembrance, Afshar treated Rahab's 'profession' with grace and no stark details.
Kate wrote: "Faith wrote: "Kate wrote: "A favourite of mine is Tessa Afshar. Her Biblical fiction always gets me turning to the Bible to learn more about a specific story!Another one of my 'go-to's is Lynn Aus..."
Thanks for letting me know!
Faith wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Faith wrote: "Any good historical fiction writers? I already have read at least one book by each of the following:Tamera Alexander
Maggie Brendan
T. Davis Bunn
Linda Byler
Melanie ..."
I haven’t read the garden series yet, but while I love her attention to historic detail in most books, she is hit or miss on the quality of the romance. Sometimes it’s great and other times it’s hard to see how the characters even managed to fall for each other.
Hannah wrote: "Faith wrote: "Any good historical fiction writers? I already have read at least one book by each of the following:Tamera Alexander
Maggie Brendan
T. Davis Bunn
Linda Byler
Melanie Dickerson
Suzan..."
Forgot to put Julie Klassen on the “definitely try” list. :)
hello everyone! foes anyone have suggestions for Christian fiction set during WW2? preferable juvenile or young adult? (I'llread adult books too, but only if they are less focused on romance)
All the ones I tend to read (like by Sarah Sundin) are romance. Sorry! Hopefully, someone else will know of some non-romance ones.
Kristina wrote: "hello everyone! foes anyone have suggestions for Christian fiction set during WW2? preferable juvenile or young adult? (I'llread adult books too, but only if they are less focused on romance)"
I just read this one, which is adult, but almost no romance.
Morgan wrote: "I’ve been reading Rachel Dodge’s devotionals, which are based around the Christian themes found in classic literature, such as Anne of Green Gables or The Secret Garden. I was wondering if anyone c..."I don’t have any suggestions for you, sorry. But I’m intrigued by the devotionals you have mentioned. I’m going to look into those for myself. They sound fun and interesting.
I'm like you in that respect. I want books that do not focus so much on the romance. I found that this Sarah Sundin book is subtle with the romance. I loved it! It's my favorite of hers so far!When Twilight Breaks
My Christian cozy murder mystery might be a choice. Murder in the Choir Loft. It a small town church with lots of funny interesting people who are navigating a couple murders in their midst. It is full of humor, hymns, and grace.
Faith wrote: "Any good historical fiction writers? I already have read at least one book by each of the following:Tamera Alexander
Maggie Brendan
T. Davis Bunn
Linda Byler
Melanie Dickerson
Suzanne Woods Fishe..."
I would also add Mesu Andrews to the list. Great list compilation by everyone!
Kristina wrote: "hello everyone! foes anyone have suggestions for Christian fiction set during WW2? preferable juvenile or young adult? (I'llread adult books too, but only if they are less focused on romance)"Here are some I read in 2023:
Stateside:
thank you all for the suggestions :)
Morgan wrote: "Can anyone recommend any good, Christian short stories, either individually or in collection? I like Gina Oschner and Flannery O’Connor, but I definitely wouldn’t hate something more lighthearted o..."Well, it's not Christmas time, but I loved Under the Texas Mistletoe by Karen Witemeyer. One of the stories is relevant to a series she's written, but you do not have to read the series before reading the novella. Another story is fun as it retells A Christmas Carol, and the third is deep.
Well--all of them are deep! By that, I do not mean they are full of death, sickness, and loss, but still having wonderful messages that touch my heart.
Morgan wrote: "I’ve been reading Rachel Dodge’s devotionals, which are based around the Christian themes found in classic literature, such as Anne of Green Gables or The Secret Garden. I was wondering if anyone c..."Morgan, thanks so much for this recommendation! I now want to read Rachel Dodge's books!!
You may enjoy these similar books:
Walking through the Wardrobe: A Devotional Quest into The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (I gave it 4 stars)
Finding God in the Lord of the Rings (I gave it 3 stars)
Both authors wrote other similar books too.
I also have a copy of this book, which I haven't read yet:
A Jane Austen Devotional
Kristina wrote: "hello everyone! foes anyone have suggestions for Christian fiction set during WW2? preferable juvenile or young adult? (I'llread adult books too, but only if they are less focused on romance)"Here are some juvenile or YA historical fiction books set during WWII:
North to Freedom (love this one!)
A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor (YA)
A Boy No More (YA)
Heroes Don't Run: A Novel of the Pacific War (YA)
The Art of Keeping Cool (home front)
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944
The Diary of a Young Girl (the classic)
Twenty and Ten
Number the Stars
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Play to the Angel
The Upstairs Room
Journey to America
The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia
The Devil's Arithmetic
Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944
I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Growing Up In The Holocaust
Between Shades of Gray
Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps
Here is some adult Christian fiction books set in WWII:
If I Were You
From Dust and Ashes: A Story of Liberation
Does anyone happen to know of any Christmas books that would also fit into the 'Gothic' genre? I may have accidentally painted myself into a corner with the 'Genre Match' challenge.(cross posting)
I don't have any books on my holiday-Christmas shelf that are also Gothic. Sorry!
yeah, like I said . . . painted into a corner . . . oops? 🤣
Using my phone so I can’t tag the book right now. And if it has to be an actual Christmas book that’s gothic it won’t work, but Midnights Budding Morrow is gothic and dark and heavy and includes a dark and heavy Christmas!
Just got thinking... Was this any hint at the number to be chosen in December, for Genre Match??? ;)
no . . . those numbers are chosen each month on the first of the month, so not a spoiler . . . just a wondering what I will do if that particular number did end up happening in December! 😁
Ah! I love the what-if sort of planning! I don't have time for it anymore, but I love it all the same. :)
does anyone happen to know of any Christmassy timeslip novels?
Kate…I haven’t read but here’s a novella by the same author
Please only share those books that don't use the Lord's name in vain, that do not use curse words, and do not have explicit sexual or LGBT content. Thank you.