Christian fiction set in a college/university

I thought some of you might be in the mood for some collegiate reads as we move into the back-to-school season. We've got students and professors here so hopefully you'll find something just right for you!

The Baxters series... Many of these family drama books take place in a college setting as Luke Baxter starts out as a student and we later follow family friends Bailey Flanigan and Andi Ellis into their dorm and classes.

The Bridge... This Christmas romance takes place primarily in a bookstore but there is plenty of college talk since that's where our protagonists meet. This one has also been made into a Christmas movie I hope to watch this year.

Dear Mr Knightley... This epistolary novel is a modern-day retelling of My Daddy Longlegs. A journalism major gets a scholarship which requires frequent letters to her anonymous benefactor to update her progress... so much fun!

I'll Be Seeing You...  This family drama timeslip is kicked off by a college student interviewing her grandmother as a class project.

Lost Loves series... This is a romance duology centered around a college student finding her biological parents. We explore her parents ' teenage relationship in the first and her own young relationship in the second. These stories include some intense military scenes (plus very conservative military views) that may not work for everyone. I'm a sensitive reader and I made it through but I did feel very upset at times.

The Lost Manuscript... This second chance romance is such a cozy read! I'd like to sum it up in sentence fragments- Missing historian grandma. Professor spouses divorcing but still in love. English castle. Tea. Riddles and clues. *I do want you to know that our female protagonist suffered an off-page miscarriage before the story began and it comes up many times.

Once Upon a Wardrobe... This historical fiction focuses on the student of Professor CS Lewis and her dying little brother's obsession with Narnia. This one was also very cozy in feel.

Someday Home... Ah, something different- in this one our college student is in her 50s and starting a new chapter in her life.

When Twilight Breaks... This WWII story follows Peter, a linguistics grad student in Germany, and a female American correspondent. 

What I read in February

I tried to be really intentional about my first month of postpartum healing this time around and I feel like I did a good job! I napped or rested in bed reading during a lot of baby's naps plus I employed the same trick with this baby that I used to use during nighttime (early morning) feedings- read on the Kindle so I don't engage/stimulate baby during sleep hours yet don't fall asleep! But I didn't do much audio book listening since I wasn't doing the workouts, driving, or chores that normally make sense as audio book time.

First, grown-up reads...

📖 Bible study: Proverbs! Still focused on a very slow bible study- quality, not quantity.

📖 All That Really Matters (Christian, fiction)... I am really fascinated by the overall idea of influencers (it's such a strange byproduct of an internet-heavy world, isn't it?) and really enjoyed this novel about a popular makeup influencer and her time mentoring young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. I'm not at all interested in book 2 but I am really loving Nicole Deese lately so I'll be reading it anyway!

📖 Bitter and Sweet (Christian, fiction)... Yet another book exploring family dynamics and character development. I am forever drawn to deep, rich stories like these. This one is set in South Carolina and focuses on a toxic adult sister relationship + some ties to their great grandmother's past.

📖 Boost Your Breast Milk (secular, nonfiction. Parenting? Health?)... Good, short and to the point, helpful!

📖 The Brain's Way of Healing (secular, nonfiction, health)... I didn't read the whole super long book, just parts that matched up with a loved one's condition. So fascinating!

📖 Formula of Deception (Christian, fiction, suspense)... I was really into this Alaska suspense book but there was a point right near the end that kinda pulled me out of the story. I will try more Carrie Stuart Parks in the future.

📖 Habits of the Household (Christian, nonfiction)... I adored this book! But I do think you won't get much out of it if you aren't actively parenting young children.

📖 Meet Me in the Margins (Christian [but not really], fiction)... I read this because Janssen said it was a good clean read for teens + I'm a sucker for a good book about books/writing. I am not a sucker for romance but they're growing on me IF they're done right. I loved this one! 

📖 A Time to Stand (Christian, fiction)... I was so curious to see how this one would go- a black lawyer who feels called to defend the white police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager. I have liked the other Robert Whitlow books I've read and I liked this one, too. 

📖 Plus the designated chapters of my ongoing baby reads this year, What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks 

And for my kids' shelves...

📖 All of Creation (Christian, upper middle grade, nonfiction)... I've always thought it so strange that an environmental sustainability focus is so often seen as almost anti-Christian. The environment was hand-created by God, we live here, it's the thief who came to destroy, and besides, God is pretty clear in Genesis that we're supposed to take care of our world. This book did a good job of laying out practical things we can do to protect specific plants/creatures/habitats in a very Biblical, faith-focused way. #Christianhippie 🤷🏼

📖 The Blind Girl's Song (Christian, middle grade, fictionalized biography)... This was a well-done, engaging biography about the author of many famous hymns. I enjoyed this one and think a lot of music-minded kids will enjoy it, too. 

📖 Can You Survive: an Alien Invasion (secular, middle grade, fiction, choose-your-own-adventure)... Something that interested my son... Fluff of course, overall fine. Like most of these kinds of books, some adventure paths were better than others.

📖 DNA by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Short and informative with fun tidbits thrown in.

📖 Flight of the Eagles (Christian, middle grade, fantasy)... I was curious to see if this 90s story would be too old and outdated for my oldest but it wasn't! He definitely plans to continue the series.

📖 Heroes: Incredible True Stories of Courageous Animals (secular, nonfiction)... These are all stories about animals helping during wars. Some stories end sadly but it's a good read for kids who can handle that.

📖 Kate and the Spies (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... This Revolutionary war novel is the third Sisters in Time book I've read and it's going to be a definite hit with one of my kids.

📖 Lena in the Spotlight series- Hello Stars // Daydreams and Movie Screens // Shining Night (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this Faithgirlz series about a young lady becoming a movie star overnight. Lots of good faith content in these.

📖 The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... Really liked this one and know my kids will love it so already planning to use it as our next read-aloud! 

📖 The Mythmakers (secular, YA, nonfiction, graphic novel)... This is a great look at the lives + relationship of JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis which I'll definitely hand to my kids as high schoolers. I also loved this author's Bonhoeffer graphic novel in a similar style.

📖 Nicholas Quick and the Man from the Chaos Dimension (secular, middle grade, fiction, fantasy)... Fantasy is never my favorite but this one was fun and then was a hit with my oldest.

📖 Who Were the Navajo Code Talkers? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction, history)... I don't love every book in this series but I did really enjoy this one!

📖 Winning the War in Your Mind for Teens (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... Wow, what a powerful read period but especially for supporting teens through those hard angsty times. 

Picture books we enjoyed this month: The Book Bus // Buzzing With Questions // Captain Cat // I Will Rejoice // I've Loved You Since Forever // The King Without a Shadow // Pa, Me, and the Sidewalk Pantry // The Prince and the Porker // Race to Kindness // Take Heart My Child // What's Inside a Flower // The Wonderful Things You Will Be // You Are My Happy  

September reads

First, the grown-up reads!

📖 Bible study... Luke. Verrrry slowly, reading my Bible much more slowly these days on advice from our pastor. Seeking to understand each little bit rather than seeking to get through a lot.

📖 Better Together by Pam Barnhill (nonfiction, homeschool)... I felt so inspired by this little book on homeschool morning time and added so many great readings to our morning basket this month.

📖 Finding God in my Loneliness (Christian, nonfiction)... I was experiencing a strange kind of loneliness in early September that's hard to explain. I felt no loneliness at all in my home life or spiritual life but more in a female companionship kind of way. I am normally very content in This area but i think it was a combination of hormones and wishing I could be experiencing pregnancy alongside a friend. Fortunately that's gone now and I'm back to joyful contentment. This book wasn't quite what I was after and was one of those I had mixed feelings on. I liked several things and disliked/disagreed with a few things. 🤷🏼

📖 The Power of a Woman's Words (Christian, nonfiction)... I read this one very slowly, really savoring and reflecting on tiny morsels at a time. I was reminded of so many things people have said that have stuck with me over the years and reflected a lot on the gifts I want to give with my own words.

📖 A Skeleton in God's Closet (Christian, general fiction)... I was very into this one, about an archaeologist who uncovers something that will turn Christianity on its head. It was so good! I was genuinely invested in the outcome and sped through it. I would say this is a great book for guys, too. There is alove interest but it doesn't dominate the story.

📖 Slow Death by Rubber Duck (secular, nonfiction)... This book is from 2009 so I admittedly already about all of these toxins and had thankfully phased all of them out of our day-to-day life already but I still enjoyed seeing it all in one place and remembering why it's so important to focus on natural, God-designed things!

📖 The Stranger in the Lifeboat (secular publication with a strong faith focus, fiction)... Mitch Albom is for sure my favorite secular author. All of his books I've read so far always move me and make think, reflect, and enjoy a deep a powerful prayer session. This one did contain a curse word. (The A word)

📖 Truly Madly Deeply (Christian, fiction)... This is another Baxter Family stand-alone novel- you don't have to have to read any others to fall into it but you'll of course appreciate it more if you have. This one is largely focused on a high school senior switching career paths and facing a lot of opposition from his mother, and his girlfriend's sudden diagnosis and battle with a health crisis. I now have just two Baxter books left! 😱

Kid shelf reads:

📖 The Bronze Bow (secular, middle grade, Biblical fiction, TGTB)... The cover of this one didn't really appeal to me so I was surprised by how much I loved it!

📖The Golden Goblet (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, TGTB book list)... A bit depressing at first but pretty good!

📖 Joni's Story (Christian, middle grade, memoir)... Loved this memoir by Joni Eareckson Tada and promptly read it aloud to my older kids, too. Fyi to parents, there is one paragraph early on where Joni explains her depression after her accident and that she asked a friend to kill her, using very specific suggestions. I just skipped over the specifics when I read it aloud.

📖 Little Pilgrim's Progress (Christian, middle grade, classic)... It has taken me years to read this classic!

📖 London Art Chase (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... This first book in the Glimmer Girls series was cute and something my daughter has been so excited about! For some reason Amazon shows this as book 2 but it's for sure book 1. 

📖Penny (Horse Diaries) (secular, middle grade)... A paint mare story for my horse-loving kiddo!

📖 Time Crashers: Viking Attack (Christian, middle grade, choose-your-own-adventure)... I liked this one alright but parents should know there is of course fighting due to the Viking theme. In one story line, our MC does meet a violent (but not graphic) fate and youre encouraged to use your time machine and try a different storyline if you don't like that ending. 

Also, library picture books that stood out: Because Barbara //  Cozy Light, Cozy Night

My series TBR

Recap, for those who are new/don't remember: I never used to be a series girl, aside from a brief obsession with Baby-Sitter's Club: Little Sister and Mary-Kate and Ashley Mysteries in 3rd grade. I read stand-alones only. Or I'd occasionally read a riveting book one and think, "Wow, book 2 is going to be great!" knowing I'd never read it.

There were a few notable exceptions, all secular and none which meet my moral standards these days (😬) but that changed when I finally dove into The Baxters.

If you're new here, The Baxter Family books are like a much more conservative version of the TV shows Parenthood and This is Us... All the family! They do tackle edgier topics but they do it from a Christian worldview and characters experience consequences + repent.

That series made me brave enough to try others and now, cue Sesame Street, I'm a serial girl 😉.

I have two Baxter books left (and I am dying to watch the show!) and these are the series I hope to read next! Again I'll reiterate that I have NOT read these and can't review their content.

Angels Walking... Another by Karen Kingsbury and the premise reminds me of Touched by an Angel. I have wanted to read these for so long! There are 3 in this series.

Christiansen Family by Susan May Warren... I mainly just want to read this one because of the family element. I think it'll be romance-heavy (not my fav) and probably more episodic than serialized (one family member's relationship in each book rather than ongoing stories) but I still want to try it! There are six novels in this series + two Christmas novellas. (This one doesn't pull up in the series list)

Fog Harbor Romance by Nicole Deese... This one is also a romance series and seems to be episodic as well with a different set of characters in each one. I loved book one (and another Nicole Deese novel) enough that I at least want to try book 2 nut hopefully want to read all of them! At this point there are 3 in the series.

Left Behind... I always love dystopian/post-apocalyptic movies but still wasn't a series girl when I tried the first 2 or 3 Left Behind books, set after the rapture. I believe there are 12 in the series, plus some spin-off series, and I keep meaning to come back to these again.

Legacy of Faith by Robin Lee Hatcher... This is another of my favorite authors and I have loved the premise of this trilogy since I heard about it in a podcast interview. This follows a family Bible as it's passed down to different family members. I think it'll be more episodic for that reason but that common thread might make it feel more serialized? We'll see! 

Promises of God... I loved Though I Stumble. It was exactly the kind of family-focused, issues-driven, growth-filled book of spiritual content I love! But I realized there are books about these family members even before this series so I have been meaning to start at the beginning. 

Thatcher Sisters by Beth K Vogt... Another family-focused series because that's a favorite fiction theme for me... Families supporting and encouraging each other, learning from each other, and working through conflict! This series has three novels and a Christmas novella.

Six great books that talk about cancer

The Baxter Family books by Karen Kingsbury (Contemporary Christian fiction) ... I always try to warn that this series isn't for everyone even though its an absolute favorite of mine so far. It can be very intense and emotional at times, heartwarming and joyful at other times. 

Beyond by Amber Van Linge (contemporary Christian fiction) ... This is a miracle story about a young teenage girl with a brain tumor and I loved getting to know her. The paragraphs are not set up in a traditional format but I didn't feel that it detracted from the story. 

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip (Christian timeslip)* ... I just had the pleasure of reading this new release and I can't recommend it enough! Mrs. Kid's faith is such a beautiful thing to behold and the relationship she and Aidyn develop is so heartwarming. The bulk of the contemporary storyline takes place in Mrs. Kip's hospice home and the flashbacks show us the story of her life, mostly during the 1970s. 

The Hardest Peace (Christian nonfiction) ... This memoir was written by a wife and mother with terminal cancer. It was just as moving as it was painful. This is a HARD book to read but it was also a richly rewarding treasure trove for me. 

Strands of Truth (Christian suspense) ... This suspense/thriller was not focused on cancer- The main character finds her biological family through a DNA testing site and then finds many of the people in her life turning up dead, going missing, or dealing with mysterious circumstances that need to be uncovered- but you do see a supporting character going through cancer treatment. 

Undone by Michele Cushatt (Christian nonfiction) ... The author of this memoir shares a lot of her life but a big part is her tongue cancer story. I got so much out of this book! 

* I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

7 Christian fiction novels with strong grief elements

The Baxter Family books (contemporary)... This is a series about a family and it's filled with all the real elements of life. Love, birth, death, joy, sorrow, pain, triumph. It's my favorite series right now and I always warn that it's full of edgy stuff (substance abuse, adultery, and more) but always with a faith element tied in. 

The Dead Don't Dance (contemporary)... This is a beautiful but emotional novel about a man whose wife slips into a coma after a tragic loss during childbirth. It's full of grief and reminiscence, but also beauty and grace. It'll be depressing if you don't naturally see more than one side of things but it'll deeply move you if you do.  

Life After (contemporary) ... Our main heroine is wracked with survivor's guilt after she's the only person who walks away from a train bombing. She's dealing with a kind of impersonal grief for those she never knew, and she's also working on a memorial project with a grieving family who lost their wife/mother in the bombing. 

The Lines Between Us (historical fiction)... This WWII story is about the mysterious death of a smoke jumper in Oregon and the secret investigation of it all by his sister and best friend. The grief in this one is not as raw as some of the others on this list but there are glimpses of it through the mystery.  

Rock Harbor series (suspense)... This series is about a search & rescue woman and her dog. The first book is full of her grief as she grapples with the loss of her husband and son after their plane goes missing. 

Stories That Bind Us (historical fiction)... This book surprised me in some ways. This is the story of a very recently widowed woman whose estranged sister shows up with a five-year-old son. The two form a beautiful bond through story and the focus of the story is on that relationship far more than her grief. This book almost doesn't belong on this list as a result but there is still an underlying grief so I added it. 

Whose Waves These Are (historical fiction, timeslip)... This timeslip takes place partially at the end of WWII, when a young man starts a project to deal with his grief over the recent loss of his soldier brother. This is a favorite of mine and I was not even a little surprised when it won a Christy award. 

Christian fiction featuring 20-something main characters

Black... This sci-fi read is a great recommendation for men but female fans of sci-fi or dystopian fiction will enjoy it too. 

The Edge of Belonging... Homelessness, adoption, and family secrets! This one has a sweet, gentle feel to it. 

In Search of a Prince... A 25-year-old New Yorker learns that not only is she actually the princess of an African island, she's also required to find a husband, stat! 

Love and a Little White Lie... This is the story of a young woman who starts working at her aunt's church and falls for a worship leader... But there's one little problem: he doesn't know that she's an atheist. 

Moonlight School... This atmospheric historical fiction takes us to Appalachia where a program has just started for illiterate adults interested in learning to read & write.  

A Promise Engraved*... This Alamo timeslip has a great family history storyline centering around a mysterious ring. Fans of historical fiction and family ties will enjoy this gem by Liz Tolsma. 

Redemption... The first book in Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family series is focused on an affair so took me a while to actually read. It's definitely not my favorite in the series but it was still engaging and worth it to get to the rest of them! 

Sunrise... An Alaskan pilot, the girl he left behind, and some pretty decent family drama + suspense! This was a fun one! 

Until Leaves Fall in Paris... This WWII fiction is about a ballerina running a bookstore in Paris, a collaborator automaker, and the lines between them. 

When Twilight Breaks... Another WWII novel (I love them!), an American journalist, a professor, and things heating up in Nazi Germany. 

* I received a free copy of A Promise Engaged in exchange for an honest review. 

Christian fiction filled with cute children

I love children and I love seeing them make an appearance in the books I read. Sometimes their appearances help me see the world through their eyes and show my own children compassion for their child-sized struggles while other times they just delight me. If you like to see children in your fiction too, here's a list of kid-filled Christian fiction picks I've read. 

At Home in Mitford... Father Tim spends a lot of time fostering a boy in this book. I didn't really love this story the way so many others do but I did think this relationship was cute. 

Beneath the Seams... Our main protagonist here has a mommy-and-me fashion line so we see a lot of sweet moments between her and her daughter. We've got travel, fashion, ethics, and a life-changing new understanding of a pretty underrated issue. Love this one! 

The Haunting of Bonaventure Circus... This one is for my suspense fans. This gothic timeslip shows us the 1920s circus life of Pippa and the modern-day single mom attempting to balance motherhood with a job renovating the old circus depot... And a whole lot of mystery and intrigue in between. 

Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family series... I love this series! I've linked book 1, which I don't think talks as much about the children, but we soon see a whole lot of the kids in the Baxter Family. My current favorite series. 

Life After... A young girl's mother was killed in a train bombing and now she is teaming up with the only survivor for a big project. The PTSD in this one felt very accurate. 

Over the Edge... Our heroine has been infected with Lyme disease as payback to her husband since he doesn't believe in its ability to cause chronic illness. He doesn't believe her, either and she's trying to balance motherhood with this mystery even while her body is betraying her. So good! 

Remember Me... I was so excited to learn about the Spanish civil war but my goodness! War atrocities, sexual child abuse, and suicide are all depicted in this novel. I felt no hope walking away from it! Still, the siblings' strong relationship was a beautiful thing to see. 

Rock Harbor series... This series is about a search-and-rescue worker and her dog but a child is also very heavily featured throughout each book. I think this is the first adult series I truly enjoyed and saw all the way through. 

Stories That Bind Us... This 1960s story is about a newly widowed 40-year-old and the relationship she begins to strike up with the young nephew she never even knew existed. This one is very sweet. 

Until Leaves Fall in Paris*... This WWII story has so many things I love in a book! We have a ballerina, a bookstore, secret resistance missions, and a big meaty moment of intensity! Plus the cutest little girl, Josie, who is a creative little storyteller herself. This was a good one! 

*I received a free copy of Until Leaves Fall in Paris from Netgalley. Opinions are my own. 

Great books to complement a budding sewing interest

Five-year-old C has been interested in learning to sew! We made some ornaments for our Christmas tree together and she's already daydreaming about future projects. (She's hoping I'll buy this or this any day now 😉)

I thought I'd tell you today about some sewing-focused books I have loved... Actual sewing books I adore and sewing-heavy fiction for children and adults alike! 

American Girl's Addy, Isabelle, Josefina, and Kirsten books feature quite a bit of sewing. Isabelle isn't my favorite but I adore the other three! (See my full list of American Girl reviews here) 

Beneath the Seams... This grown-up contemporary Christian fiction novel is all about sewing! This is a really great look at the fashion industry, humanity, and balancing motherhood with career aspirations. Definitely recommend! 

The Canada Geese Quilt... I love Natalie Kinsey Warnock's writing. This one is ideal for 4th-ish grade reading level readers. Ariel and her grandmother work on a quilt for the arrival of Ariel's baby sister. 

The Josefina Story Quilt... This leveled reader is about Faith's family's journey west and Faith's quilt chronicling her chicken Josefina's life. 

Little House books are filled with sewing stories and are probably the very reason she wanted to learn! We've enjoyed the full series as audio books read by Cherry Jones, B loves the chapter books, and all four kids have enjoyed the picture books for years. 

The Nesting Quilt by Cathryn Falwell... This sweet book is like a picture book version of Canada Geese Quilt... A young girl and her grandmother make a quilt to prepare for the arrival of her new sibling. 

One Yard Wonders... I also like their Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders and Little One Yard Wonders books, too. These are great books full of small sewing projects using only one yard of fabric. 

The Quilt by Ann Jonas... This is a short and simple picture book showing a young girl's love for the various fabrics in her patchwork quilt. 

The Quiltmaker's Gift... I love this gorgeous book about a woman who makes the most beautiful quilts but only for those who need them, and a king who doesn't need one but is willing to do anything to get one. Touching and heartwarming, a clear favorite for my family. 

Sew Dolled Up... This is a fun project book of simple felt dolls of a few styles and all kinds of outfits. 

Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp... This is my very favorite sewing book because it taught me how to use my sewing machine! It's very informative and easy to understand with several adorable projects. 

Storybook Toys... The prettiest project book! These projects are a little too advanced for me but I'm still trying to learn them because I just love them! 

4 fun Christian fiction finds for foodies

The more emotionally healthy I get, the more I see how absolutely okay it is to love and appreciate the art of preparing or enjoying a meal with the people I love. It often feels like I'm not supposed to appreciate food since I've got the endomorph body type but really, food is a very big part of life. We nourish ourselves with it, we use it as an opportunity to fellowship with our people and show them we care... And, if it's done right, it's a pleasant sensory experience our brains were designed to enjoy. 

I've found many Christian nonfiction books encouraging a healthy love for good meals with our people (Bread & Wine // The Daniel Plan // The Lifegiving Table // Nourished*) but I've never found myself looking for foodie fiction. 

After finishing 🌮Tacos for Two*🌮 I wanted to tell you about it, and also about three other foodie fiction novels I've enjoyed.  

🍽 Hadley Beckett's Next Dish*... Confession: I've never watched a cooking show or contest on television. So for that reason I may not be the best person to review this little gem (which I skimmed much of) but I still found it quite charming. Bethany Turner has brought another game-changer to the ideals of Christian romance novels. This book is fresh, flirty, and fun. Hadley Beckett's Next Dish would make for an excellent beach read.

🥗 Roots of Wood and Stone*... I absolutely adored this romantic time slip, especially the rich family history thread, and would recommend it to any timeslip fan. Sloane shows us her search for her birth family and her budding feelings for a new guy while we explore historic family journals with them... Delightful! Our male protagonist's sister is a healthy food blogger and I was frequently chuckling at his disdain for her cooking, which sounds a lot like mine 😅😂

🍪 Stories that bind us*... This was such a good one! Set in 1960s Michigan, our protagonist is right away a breath of fresh air since she's 40 (it's so rare that I find a heroine who isn't between 18 and 29!), childless, and newly widowed. This book tackles family ties, mental health, and (very lightly) race. Much of this story is woven around a family bakery that makes you want to to examine your own family legacies- preferably while baking cookies. I really liked this one and have added her other books to my list too.

🌮 Tacos for Two*... Contemporary romance is not my go-to genre, but every now and then a contemporary romance synopsis really speaks to me. This Modest, Texas story was one of them. Rory owns a food truck and Jude is stuck in a family business he doesn't want to be in. They're both falling for the person they're anonymously chatting with through an online dating site, of course unaware that they're talking to each other, and then (as in any good romance) things go a little haywire. Not only does this book have all the fun You've Got Mail feelings, it even has a few YGM references. I happen to adore that movie and think this is a great read for you if you do, too. 

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Christian fiction told from multiple points of view

Maybe it's the Enneagram 9 in me but I just love a story told from multiple points of view! Here are ten Christian fiction books/series that tell you a story from two or more perspectives. 

Happy reading! 

The Alliance... Trigger warnings for this one, an edgier apocalyptic story told from the viewpoints of Amish Leora and Englisher Moses. This one isn't for everyone but I enjoyed it and its sequel, The Divide. 

The Baxter Family series... I adore this series (which starts with Redemption) about the whole Baxter Family! This one dives headfirst into tough topics and won't shy away from making you sob! 

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus*... This mysterious Wisconsin-based timeslip is about a serial killer, a young woman connected to the circus in 1928, and a modern day single mother who is battling an autoimmune disease while dealing with the new (and possibly haunted?!) property she just purchased. We're getting the first half of the mystery from our 1920s character's perspective and the second half from our modern character's perspective. Good stuff!  

Hidden Among the Stars... I adored this WWII time slip! Mystery, scandal, bookshop, books, finding confidence, hope and triumph in the face of tragedy... I still think of this one often! Half of the story is told from our WWII heroine's perspective and the other half is from our modern day protagonist who is piecing together the story. I love time slips! 

The Love Letter... This is the story of an actress and a screenwriter trying to tell the story behind a Revolutionary War-time love letter with very little information under their belts! Romantic stories are never my favorites but I did like this one (she's a great writer) and it did indeed help this time period come alive for me! 

More Than We Remember*... I really liked this one! The story is about three women and the way their lives are intertwining through a drunk driving accident. The characters felt very real and the engaging story felt a lot like a Kristin Hannah book. 

The Nature of Small Birds*... What I really like about this book is that it's essentially a story about Money's adoption (and other big life events) told from the perspective of everyone but Mindy! She was adopted through the Vietnam Babylift in 1975 and we see her story playing out through her mom's eyes in 1975, her big sister's eyes in 1988, and her father's eyes in 2013. 

Roots of Wood and Stone*... I absolutely adored this romantic time slip, especially the rich family history thread, and would recommend it to any timeslip fan. Sloane shows us her search for her birth family and her budding feelings for a new guy while we explore historic family journals with them... Delightful! 

The Time Keeper... This one is all about Father Time, a teenage girl, a dying old man, and their exploration of the concepts of time + the meaning of life! I was deeply moved by this one. 

Though I Stumble... Kim Cash Tate did such a great job here! We've got women from different walks of life working through different things, all brought together through the common bond of a Christian women's retreat. I couldn't help but root for all of them! 

The Wedding Dress... Think The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but with a wedding dress instead of blue jeans! Set in Alabama, this delightful time slip novel follows three different women with different bodies for whom this wedding dress fit perfectly with no alterations. They each have very different life circumstances and the dress seems to find each of them... The audio version was wonderful! 

When Twilight Breaks*... This delightful WWII Christian fiction, sent to me by Revel in exchange for an honest review, was my first time reading a Sarah Sundin novel. I loved it! This is a straight historical fiction and despite my infatuation with time slips here lately I adored being in Peter and Evelyn's story the whole time. Peter and Evelyn are both Americans in Germany and Evelyn is there as a foreign correspondent. I was a journalism major in college and never found that idea appealing but if I'd read this book at the time I might have had a different opinion! Evelyn is a strong, independent woman and Peter is respectful and enchanted by these traits so this book will likely be a great fit for readers who like heroines fitting that bill.  

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Christian Fiction for Animal Lovers

🐎 Along a Storied Trail*... Tansy Calhoun is a Kentucky packhorse librarian serving 1930s Appalachia. If the horse and librarian angles aren't enough to pique your interests then perhaps the love triangle element will! I haven't read a lot of booms set in Appalachia OR the great depression but still the setting feels quite believable in my humble opinion. 

🐘 The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus*... This suspenseful timeslip isn't as animal-heavy as some others on this list but there were still plenty of circus animal mentions! (And you all know how much I love circus animals!)

🐎 The Heart's Charge*... This book is technically second in a series but I don't think you miss anything by starting with book 2. "The Hanger's Horsemen" are unexpectedly tangled up with a baby, a former flame, and a case involving missing children. Also, this one's set in Texas! This is one for those of you who love a good mixture of romance and intrigue. 

🐎 The Moonlight School*... I just loved this one! Very loosely based on a true story, this is a tale about "moonlight schools" set up to teach literacy in Appalachia. There are a couple of very interesting sub plots and I was guessing I'd like this book but surprised myself by giving it a five-star review. Lucy rides her horse Jenny out into the holler to read and transcribe letters and I was romanticizing horseback riding the whole time! 

🐕‍ Rock Harbor series by Colleen Coble... This suspense series' heroine is a search and rescue ___ along with her German shepherd. Suspense isn't my main genre these days but it was for a while and I loved this series! 

🐎 Second Chances for Trampled Hearts... Y'all know romance is not my preferred genre but Shoshanna Gabriel is such a kind soul, I had to read one of her books! This is the first in a series set in fictional Bear Creek, Idaho. Our heroine is restoring an old restaurant and is thrown into country life in the process. Our male protagonist is a horse guy and you'll see plenty of horse action through him! 

🐕 That Dog Won't Hunt by Brandilyn Collins... This southern contemporary novel, about a family meeting the youngest son's fiance for the first time, heavily features a very expressive Yorkie named Lady Penelope. I really liked it, but trigger warning- this book does contain memories of an abusive childhood. 

*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

7 Creepy Christian Fiction Reads

Some of you might recall that this summer I got excited about a new podcast called The Christian Bookworm. I even recorded the first few episodes but eventually realized it just wasn't what I wanted to focus on.

Maybe someday a podcast could be in my future... But right now it just isn't. I love to write and I love to be a wife and mother. There's not much time for anything else and I am okay with that.

However, I still love all those Christian books and I still want to share them. I have decided to start posting the podcast book lists as blog posts here instead. I know quite a few of my readers are big fans of Christian fiction so hopefully you will enjoy these.

This first list should probably have come out on September 30th but alas, here it is now, just in time for a week of spooky Halloween reading. Seven creepy Christian fiction novels that are sure to get your adrenaline going. 

Abomination by Colleen Coble... This one was originally a stand-alone novel but it's now the fourth book in the Rock Harbor series. I really like this series but this book just about did me in. I don't do creepy very well these days! We've got a serial killer, a survivor with amnesia, and a search-and-rescue heroine caught in the middle.

(This book has also been published under the title Haven of Swans)

The Delusion by Laura Gallier... This is probably the most haunting book on the list. I think about it all the time! Our protagonist's school is in the middle of a suicide epidemic and he's given a unique chance to see spiritual warfare attacks no one else can see... 

House by Frank Peretti... This one carries the horror of a Steven King novel and left me with nightmares. A group of people- some strangers, some not- find themselves stranded and seeking shelter in a house more sinister and evil than they could possibly have imagined.

Light from Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker... This one has a bit of magical realism feel to it and had me so curious as to which way it was going to go. The family patriarch is in the hospital after a tragic... Accident? Murder attempt? Suicide attempt? Our main character processes his grief along with childhood wounds and a chilling piece of his past that still haunts him.

Mind Games by Nancy Mehl... This one's for those of you who like a good detective story. Kaely Quinn is a criminal profiler for the FBI, specializing in serial killers since her father turned out to be a serial killer. Now the clock is ticking as Kaely works to stop a new killer who has several victims chosen before his grand finale- Kaely herself.

Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins... This is by far the least horrific on this list but it still gave me the creeps! Janessa's husband is a renowned Lyme disease researcher, practically famous for his insistence that chronic Lyme doesn't exist. To make him truly see how serious Lyme can be, someone has infected Janessa with Lyme and several co-infections. Her health and marriage are spinning out of control as she fights to prove her story and get the treatment she needs... And prevent the madman from infecting her daughter next!

The String by Caleb Breakey... I still can't get over how creepy this one was! "The Conductor" is a sick and twisted man, using a group of people to do heinous, torturous, even murderous acts as if it were nothing more than a game. This one had me freaked out for weeks!