Clearly Christian Readathon discussion

This thread is for members (readers and authors) to put their suggestions for books they feel reflect Philippians 4:8 and/or Galatians 5:22-23


"We recognize that the Christians participating in this readathon are diverse, which is a beautiful reflection of the global body of Christ. In that spirit, we also understand that you may not personally agree with all of the content shared in this group. We ask that you please exercise wisdom, discernment, and grace so that we can keep things encouraging and edifying on here. Let's show the love of Christ toward others, while seeking the Holy Spirit as you engage in the Clearly Christian Readathon. Thank you!"

I will list authors as they have multiple good ones! Mitch Albom, Chris Fabry and Charles Martin are good ones that aren’t strictly romance.
I love Connilyn Cossett and Francine Rivers they have good romance stories that are pure and wholesome!

I enjoy C.S. Lewis, Ted Dekker, Erin Healy and Terri Blackstock.

I found Heidi Kimball on Instagram and have read one of hers: Heart in the Highlands. I really enjoyed it. I think she has more but they’re more difficult to get ahold of.

I just finished The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip by Sara Brunsvold - highly recommended!

I've appreciated every book I've read so far by Joanna Davisdon Politano for pointing people to Christ. I absolutely unashamedly try to do the same in the books I write as well. ❤

I love Cathy Gohlke's books. Her latest is Ladies of the Lake. She has many others I've enjoyed with meaningful spiritual threads and very beautifully written.

Enjoying the recs! Really appreciating our Goodreads Group and each member!

I recently found Carrie Turansky’s books and I just love them. I’m a fan of historical fiction, and Carrie writes such heart warming stories weaving the Christian faith through them. I’m now on a mission to get all of her books, and I received 6 of them for Christmas!
I recommended them to my sister in the UK by buying her the McAllister Family books!
I highly recommend Carries books! 💖

I just finished reading A Deeper Love: Year One. It's a great example of a story that uses strong Christian themes of truth (in love). It's been a very long time since a work of fiction has touched me so personally and I'm grateful for having read it.

The romance is sweet and God-honoring. I strongly recommend it.

For the word KINDNESS, I recommend The Cowboy's Bargain by Tina Radcliffe (a Love Inspired book).
The opening scripture is from Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
It is a second chances, enemies to friends to HEA. Five out of five stars.

I hope you get Jennifer Q. Hunt 's books on your list ASAP. Sarah Hanks. Stephanie A. Daniels. Carrie Cotten. Hannah Lucero. There are so so many more Jesus -loving authors putting out solid books these days.

It's almost mid-January! How has everyone's reading been so far? Thank you for some of the suggestions you've provided. If you have some more to share with the different prompts (like Kati has done), please let us all know!

Dawn wrote: "I recently found Carrie Turansky’s books and I just love them. I’m a fan of historical fiction, and Carrie writes such heart warming stories weaving the Christian faith through them. I’m now on a m..."

Hi Dawn, thanks for letting our friends here know you've been enjoying my books! I love weaving faith, family drama, romance, and inspiration into my novels. Thanks again!

I recently read and enjoyed Cathy Gohlke's latest, Ladies of the Lake. This is a wonderful story about women's friendships. Honesty and faith themes are woven in. It's set on Prince Edward Island and in the New England with reflections of Anne of Green Gables. All her books are faith-filled and beautifully written.

Carrie wrote: "I recently read and enjoyed Cathy Gohlke's latest, Ladies of the Lake. This is a wonderful story about women's friendships. Honesty and faith themes are woven in. It's set on Prince Edward Island a..."

I read that last year and thought it was an excellent read! It was my first time to read a book by her and I really enjoyed it.

I'm reading so many books that align with our two Scripture passages! It is difficult for me to pick just two for January! Maybe I'll just complete the 24 in 24 tracker and not focus on two each month? What about you? What is your plan? What are you doing?

Melissa aka Melmo wrote: "Carrie wrote: "I recently read and enjoyed Cathy Gohlke's latest, Ladies of the Lake. This is a wonderful story about women's friendships. Honesty and faith themes are woven in. It's set on Prince ..."

Cathy is a very gifted author. I've loved every one of her books. They touch your heart and make you think deeply about life and faith.

I would recommend Three Little Matchmakers, a Regency Novella by Susanne Dietze. It is available on Amazon.
It is an adorable story, clean, and displays the characters' faith, prayers, acknowledgement of God throughout the book.
I would put it under the "True" category because of Henry, one of the MCs; the things he believed about himself, and the things that were actually true about him.

For the word 'Admirable', I would recommend Tina Radcliffe's The Cowboy's Secret Past. It will be out on February 20th. It is a Love Inspired book easily available in Walmart, for instance, for around $5.
I chose "admirable" because the main character is worthy of admiration how he, with the help of God and his family, turned his life of addiction around and became a man of integrity.

Thank you for your recommendations, Kati! It's very helpful that you're adding the attributes for us :)

Three little matchmakers was so cute! I agree with you Kati! And I own The Cowboys secret past and it’s on my to be read list. Thank You for the recommendations.

Thank you for each and every recommendation!

Happy February!

We are so grateful for your recommendations, and as you can start to see, we're adding some of them to each prompt on our bookshelf to help other reads.

If you read a great Christian book in January that focuses on an attribute from Philippians 4:8 or Galatians 5:22-23, please let us know which book and attribute and we can get them matched together :)

Latisha Sexton writes books that are packed full of faith and have beautiful love stories.
Amy Caldwell wrote a women's fiction about church hurt and how a woman overcomes it and finds Christ amidst the pain. And also her sweet romance with a sometimes grumpy cowboy.
Emily Conrad writes books with really strong plots and faith themes all while weaving a beautiful romance into the story.
Mandi Blake, Tara Grace Ericson, T. Bell all write great stories full of faith as well.

Joyce Meyer and Keneth Copeland books are very impactful and inspirational.

S. wrote: "Dear Community Group Members/Authors/Readers,

I hope this message finds you well. I am excited to share with you my recently published book, "It's Not God, It's You!" which I believe holds transf..."

Thank You for sharing!

Nancy Mehl’s newest release Cold Threat has a strong Faith thread in the book. It was a really great read. It is a book 2 in a series so I do recommend reading book 1 first as there is an ongoing mystery thread through the series. The first book will also have a faith thread but it’s been awhile since I read that one so I don’t remember specifics from book 1.

Great! Thank you for this recommendation!

Hi! I'd like to recommend my Christian contemporary romance, How Can It Be? by Kelli Galyean.

This is a heartwarming story about redemption, second chances, and the hope we have in Christ. If you are looking for an encouraging, fun read to lift your gaze, How Can It Be? could be for you!

Attributes you will find in this story include the faithfulness of God, His power to save and forgive, His perfect love and righteousness, and the good gifts of friendship, service, laughter, and encouragement, for His glory!

You can find it on Amazon kindle or paperback, and the audiobook will launch in early 2025. Enjoy!

Excellent! Thank you for this recommendation!

I love the theme verses used as “criteria” for book recommendations. Here are a few good ones, all very light on the romance scale:

The Russells trilogy by Lynne Basham Tagawa is excellent gospel-centered fiction set in the 1700s. The books follow a family in the early South from the Great Awakening through the end of the American Revolution, with clear gospel messages and Christian growth. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JQJ68WK)

D. J. Speckhals’s Witnesses of the Light series is great if you’re interested in unfamiliar Christian history set pre-Reformation. This series follows a young Catholic monk who is sent on a mission to infiltrate a secret sect of heretics—only to discover that they have something he doesn’t. True faith and the power of God’s Word are major themes in these novels. The final novel in the trilogy comes out in early 2025.(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B19F4CTF)

And I’d also like to recommend my American Revolution historical novels Preacher on the Run and Patriot at the River . Both are filled with biblical themes like relying on the authority of God’s Word, trusting God even if he doesn’t seem to answer, choosing to live in his strength instead of our own, and finding new life in Christ when we are powerless to change ourselves—with plenty of adventure, fascinating history, and characters you can root for. I wrote these partly because I and other readers wanted more books that truly live up to the “Christian” label, so they are the perfect fit if you like historical fiction with characters who live out biblical, growing faith in a natural way. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3QFMR5B)

Thank you so much for these recommendations and for the details!

What are some great Christian Fiction books with little to no romance?

Thank You for this recommendation, and I loved the book!

Kelli wrote: "Hi! I'd like to recommend my Christian contemporary romance, How Can It Be? by Kelli Galyean.

This is a heartwarming story about redemption, second chances, and the hope we have in Christ. If you..."

Treasures of the Lochs
I want to recommend Treasures of the Lochs. This is suspenseful YA Christian fiction, involving a modern-day treasure hunt in Scotland, with a bit of supernatural thrown in. Blending historical fact and Scottish legend within an action-packed adventure, Treasures of the Lochs is an exciting, powerful story of faith, friendship, and redemption. The target audience is teenage and above (some parts would be too intense for younger readers).

This book is a 2024 NIEA Finalist in Religion Fiction. The novel crosses a few different genres, including Christian Fantasy, Magical Realism, and Suspense. It also hit Amazon#1 New Release for Christian Fantasy. I hope you’ll check it out.

Thank you for this recommendation!

I have a new recommendation: the Home to Osceola series by Alena Mentink. The second book was just released yesterday. Both are very sweet, wholesome romances with true faith woven in, plus a good dose of humor and suspense.

A Choice of Love (book #1—discounted to $0.99 right now)

A Time of Proving (book #2)

Amazon series page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CT9XFFXM

All of Valerie Bodden’s books, but the Hope Springs series and the River Falls series are my all time favorites!